Caden McDonald will tell you that organic chemistry is much harder than baseball. "Honestly, yeah, kind of," says the Florida baseball two-way star, who is also a premed student. "It's pretty tough."

But McDonald makes it all look easy—on the field and in the classroom. Just a few weeks ago, he had a study session interrupted by the news that he was in the starting lineup. He happily told the media he passed organic chemistry after throwing four hitless innings and hitting a home run in Florida's 9-6 win over Kentucky on May 10. "I got a C+, which some of those classes are pretty tough," McDonald says. "You need a C to pass, so I'll take a C+ all day long."

Even Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, who was also originally a premed major, can relate. He admits he failed the same class back in college. "I was premed, and I couldn't pass organic chem," O'Sullivan says with a laugh. "I know how difficult that is. He's as well-rounded as you are going to see as far as a teammate, human being. He kind of checks all the boxes."

McDonald's journey to Florida wasn't straightforward. The redshirt sophomore was originally signed to UCF, but after his senior season of high school, the head coach was fired. "Then you can get out of your letter intent, and I decided to change the course," McDonald explains. "It happened really quickly in a span of a week. This was my dream school. I always wanted to come here."

And he's making the most of it. Just a week ago, McDonald became the third player in Florida's history to throw at least three scoreless innings, record the win, and hit a home run in a single game since at least 2010. He's now accomplished the feat twice. In a 10-game span, he's gone from a feel-good story to an imperative part of the team, going 16-for-40 with 14 RBIs, four doubles, and five home runs—including a go-ahead long ball in the fourth inning against Kentucky.

Whether he's launching home runs, striking out batters, or tackling organic chemistry, Caden McDonald is proving he can do it all. And for a two-way player with dreams of medical school, that's a winning formula.