Florida Softball - National Champion 14 15

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Solid pitching and great defense propelled the No.1-ranked University of Florida softball team to a 6-0 victory over Jacksonville University Wednesday, Feb. 15 at the Debbie and Fred Pruitt Softball Complex.

Florida (6-0) jumped on the scoreboard first after junior Nicole DeWitt battled to a 2-2 count against Dolphins hurler Alyssa Bilodeau. DeWitt nearly painted the left line with a hard hit ball that could have easily cleared the bases but it was quickly ruled a foul ball. However, the very next pitch she bounced back for a two RBI double to left center field that scored Jaimie Hoover and Justine McLean.

Hoover reached earlier in the inning after being hit by a 3-0 pitch and McLean followed up with an infield single to third base.

After making a great defensive play in the bottom of the fourth inning on a line drive, Hoover provided the Gators with their first triple of the season with a line drive of her own down the right field line. However, the Dolphins extinguished the threat and came away the inning unscathed.

McLean followed suit with a great defensive play of her own with a diving catch in left center field to start the bottom of inning against the Dolphins.

The big inning came for the Gators in the top of the sixth as the team went on to plate four runs and extend their lead out to 6-0. A pair of walks to lead off the inning by DeWitt and junior Kayli Kvistad followed by an illegal pitch and wild pitch from the Dolphins pitcher pushed DeWitt across home plate and Kvistad into scoring position for a SAC fly from freshman Jordan Roberts.

With two outs senior Chelsea Herndon reached after being hit by the pitch and a single to left center by redshirt freshman Sophia Reynoso gave the Gators another scoring opportunity. In the next at-bat, Hoover recorded an RBI single to the shortstop but the overthrow was ruled as an error that allowed Reynoso to bolt home for the final run of the game.

Coaches Corner
On the solid overall effort by Gourley and the defense:
"I definitely thought that Delanie did a good job of really again setting the tone – pumping strikes, changing speeds and using her defense but also striking people out. I thought that was a good start for us. Just looking at the way the game shook out, I thought Nicole DeWitt had a really nice at-bat to get a couple of runs in. Then looking at what Jaimie Hoover did tonight; she had a nice day defensively and offensively."

Notables
Junior Nicole DeWitt is currently riding a four-game hitting streaking after going 1 for 2 with two RBIs and a run score against Jacksonville (Feb. 15, 2017).
Gourley upped her season scoreless inning streak to 14.0 innings and maintains a 0.00 ERA on the season through two starts and three appearances.
Hoover recorded her first career triple and the first triple for the Gators on the season.
Roberts recorded her first-career SAC fly in tonight's contest.
Florida improved to 19-0 all-time against Jacksonville and a 16-0 record under Tim Walton
On Deck
Florida now sets its sights on the Aquafina Invitational this Feb. 17-29, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. It'll be the first time of the 2017 season that the Gators will play in front of their home crowd. First game is set for Friday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. against Northwestern State.

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2.17.2017


GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 1-ranked University of Florida softball team took the field at Katie Seashole Pressly for the first time of the 2017 season on Friday, Feb. 17 and came away with a pair of victories over Florida A&M and Northwestern State in the final two games on day one of the Aquafina Invitational.



Florida (8-0) dispatched Florida A&M (0-7) 8-1 in their first game then capped off the day with a 9-3 victory over Northwestern State (4-3).



The Gators received a combined effort in the circle from sophomore Kelly Barnhill (2-0) and freshman Katie Chronister (1) to hold the Rattlers to a single run on five hits in the contest. Barnhill tossed four-complete innings and allowed only three hits and walk compared to 11 total strikeouts. Chronister relieved her before the start of the fifth inning, which allowed her to receive the save for three quality innings of work.



Junior Kayli Kvistad opened up the scoring in the first inning with her RBI single to Nachelle Watson at first base. Senior Justine McLean scored on the play and Kvistad was safe due to the indecision of Watson on the hit down the line.



From there the Gators went on to score five more unanswered runs to open up a 6-0 lead over the Rattlers. FAMU posted their only run of the contest on a wild pitch from Chronister. Freshman Jaimie Hoover, 1-for-2 at the plate, pushed across her second RBI of the day with her second bases loaded walk. She drove in a total of three runs in which the third came in the sixth inning on an infield single to the FAMU shortstop.



In the second game of the day, Kayli Kvistad broke open the scoring in the initial inning with a two-run home run down the right field line that scored sophomore Amanda Lorenz. Lorenz reached in the previous at-bat via a walk.



The Gators tacked on a run in the fourth thanks to an RBI double to center field by sophomore Sophia Reynoso; Aleshia Ocasio scored on the play after she reached on a single to right field.



The Lady Demons threatened in the fifth inning of play and eventually tied the game 3-3 five straight hits. Ocasio had retired 12-straight Northwestern State batters prior to the surge, which prompted the call to the bullpen for senior Delanie Gourley.



Northwestern managed to tie the game 3-3 but that didn't last long as Florida reached base safely through five consecutive batters and eventually extended the lead back out to 9-3.



The Gators return to action on day two of the Aquafina Invitational Saturday, Feb. 18 at 11:15 a.m. against Maryland and 1:30 p.m. in a rematch with Northwestern State.



Coaches Corner

Feeling to come back and play at home:

"I loved the way the new uniforms looked, that whole look was pretty sharp. The crowd was awesome, that's part of the deal too. You want to play awesome in front of a crowd like that. There was a lot of people here for the home opener. A schedule change, you get to see it about 6=6:30, I looked up and its packed everywhere. I am just thankful that we have people that take a lot of pride in coming out and watching us play."

 

On group effort:

"When you look at our lineup we have a lot of players that play nice complimentary roles to each other. The whole goal is to have the number two hitter feed off the one, the three feeding off the two, protecting the two, the three feeding off the four, the four protecting the three. That's just how you like to keep everything going. I thought Kayli did a lot better today than she has, caught a few more pitches to hit today than she has. The top lineup can just continue to get on base at a high clip. The bottom of the lineup is just producing it, they did a good job, look at what Jamie Hoover and everyone else has done. It is nice to be able to have a group effort and a complimentary job from all of them."

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2.18.2017

UF lost its first game of the season when Maryland upset the Gators 4-2 in a rain delayed contest. The Gators beat Northwestern State 10-0 in the second game Saturday to advance the season record to 9-1.

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2.18.2017

Wowzer, Maryland was 0-8 when they upset UF:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 1-ranked University of Florida softball team split a pair of contests on the second day of the Aquafina Invitational at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The team dropped its first game of the season against Maryland but roared back to defeat Northwestern State 10-0 (5) immediately after.

The Gators (9-1) defeated Northwestern State (4-4) in their second game of the day behind another solid pitching effort from sophomore Kelly Barnhill in the circle and at the plate from redshirt freshman Sophia Reynoso.

Reynoso went 3-for-3 in the contest with three RBIs and a run scored that included a triple and a double. Barnhill (3-0) tossed five innings for Florida in the winning effort with nine strikeouts through 19 batters faced.

Florida scored in every inning of the contest against the Lady Demons except for the third. The big inning came in the fifth and final inning of play where the Gators posted five runs on just a pair of hits. Freshman Jordan Roberts highlighted the inning with her first collegiate home run of her career.

Kayli Kvistad opened up the scoring against Northwestern State in the first with her double to left center field. Nicole DeWitt scored on the play after a hit by pitch with two outs.

In the second inning, Reynoso warmed up her bat for the afternoon with an RBI double deep down the left field line that caromed around the corner of the field to push Ocasio across home plate.

In the first game of the day, Florida jumped out in front early 2-0 in the bottom of the first after Aleshia Ocasio produced an RBI single that scored DeWitt from third base. Ocasio then rounded first and found herself caught in a rundown that resulted in bad throw from the Terps second baseman Sami Main, which allowed Kvistad to score for the Gators second run of the inning.

Maryland (1-8) found a way in the fourth and the fifth innings to overtake Florida in the contest. Skylnne Ellazar scored Maryland's first run of the game off a Kristina Dillard RBI hit to right center. Dillard later scored in the inning on a SAC fly to center field by Aughinbaugh. Hernderson capped off the scoring in the inning with an infield RBI single Reynoso at short.

In the top of the fifth, the Terps posted one more run in the contest to stretch its lead out to 4-2 thanks to a Madison Martin single to left field that scored Elizar.

Florida made a valiant effort to erase the deficit and regain the lead after the team loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning but in the midst of a Maryland pitching change the rain began to fall heavily at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium which prompted an immediate halt in play. The delay nearly lasted a total of an hour and half.

Martin, the Maryland hurler, came out of the delay to retire the next pair of Florida batters.

The Gators kept pressing in the final inning of play and nearly forced the contest into extra innings as Lorenz and Kvistad worked their way into scoring position. However, Maryland managed its way through the next two Florida batters to end the threat.

COACHES CORNER
On finishing the Aquafina Invitational tomorrow against FIU…
"We're playing a good team, FIU swings the bat very well. I think if we if we come out and play them in the style of play that we play - pitch well, play good defense and find a way to get timely hit - then we've got we've got a great chance to win.

If we pitch the way we're supposed to pitch, play solid defense and just find a way to get that one hit that we need. Then we're going have a good game."

NOTABLES
Kvistad, DeWitt and Lorenz have reached base safely in every game so far this season.
Kvistad, Ocasio and Roberts are all currently riding four game hitting streaks for the Gators.
Sophia Reynoso was a home run away from hitting the cycle in the Gators game against Northwestern State.
Double (2nd), Triple (4th) and a Single (5th)
Barnhill threw her four-career one-hitter and her second of the season against Northwestern State (Feb. 18, 2017).
She has not allowed a run in 18.1 innings pitched. The last and only run given up was against then-No. 6 Michigan on Feb. 11.
There was a rain delay at 1:15 p.m. in the bottom of the sixth inning against Maryland with one out and the bases loaded for Florida pinch hitter Janell Wheaton. Play resumed at 2:44 p.m.
Last loss in a preseason tournament contest in Gainesville at KSP Stadium occurred on Feb. 18, 2007, in a 4-3 decision against No.24/RV N.C. State in the Cox Communications Classic.

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UF advanced its record to 10-1 with a 5-0 win over FIU which is now 8-3. Kelly Barnhill picked up the win. Story to follow.

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2.19.2017

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida softball team capped the Aquafina Invitational with a 5-0 victory over FIU  on Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The Gators (10-1) jumped out in front early in the contest thanks to freshman Jaimie Hoover's second career grand slam in the top of the first inning. Hoover's hit was set up with back-to-back-to-back walks with two outs from Nicole DeWitt, Kayli Kvistad and Aleshia Ocasio.

Kvisitad (2-for-3) drove in the only other run in the contest in the top of the seventh inning with a double off the top of the left center wall pads to score Justine McLean. Mclean ended the game going 1-for-4 at the plate with a pair of steals, which makes her a perfect 7-for-7 on the season.

Sophomore Kelly Barnhill (4-0) commanded the circle again for the Gators as she extended her scoreless inning streak to 24.0. Barnhill tossed a 5.2 innings with 12 strikeouts while she scattered a trio of hits and four walks. Senior Delanie Gourley rounded out the effort to pitch the final 1.1 innings where she allowed zero hits and struck out a pair of Panthers.

COACHES CORNER
On playing 11 games in the last 10 days…
"I think it was good for us to get out there and get a lot of looks. The hardest thing to do is just prepare for all the different looks you are going to get pitching wise and to be able to turn the page pretty quickly. That's probably the toughest part of the preparation but I think in those 10 days we've gotten a lot of different looks.

We got the chance to see what we can and what we can't do, what we're good at or not as good at and what we need to improve on. And then also there's some situational things in the games that are good for our players to be put into, so we can figure out what kind of decision making processes they have. Overall there were a lot of positives to take away from having played this many games."
 
SCORING
T1 | Freshman Jaimie Hoover hit her second-career grand slam to score DeWitt, Kvistad & Ocasio.
All three base runners reached via a walk with two outs.
T7 | Junior Kayli Kvistad RBI double off the top of the wall padding in left center scored Justine McLean.
NOTABLES
Jaimie Hoover hit her second-career grand slam to give Florida a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Her first grand slam occurred on Feb. 12, against Delaware.
McLean had another multiple stolen bases game with two today against the Panthers.
She is now a perfect 7-for-7 on the season.
Kvistad and Sophia Reynoso both had above .500 batting averages for the Aquafina Invitational.
Kvistad finished with nine hits in 16 at-bats and four walks to go along with six RBIs and four runs scored. She also hit her first home run of the season to go with a pair of doubles.
Reynoso tallied six hits in 12 at-bats with 6 RBIs, two doubles, a triple and a pair of runs scored.
Kelly Barnhill increased her scoreless inning streak to 24.0 innings pitched.
The last run conceded by Barnhill occurred in the third inning of play against Michigan on Feb. 11, 2017 at the USF Wilson-Demarini Tournament.
The Gators defense was errorless on the weekend with 99 putouts and 22 assists.
NEXT UP
The Gators will have a short break with no midweek games scheduled before their trip to Orlando, Fla. where the team will take part in the Citrus Classic. The first pair of games are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 24 at 1:15 p.m. against Syracuse and will be followed by a 3:30 p.m. matchup against Fordham.

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2.20.2017

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After picking up three wins for the University of Florida softball team, sophomore Kelly Barnhill garnered the award of SEC Pitcher of the Week by the league office Monday, Feb. 20.

Barnhill, a right-handed pitcher, earned wins over Florida A&M, Northwestern State and FIU to improve her record to 4-0 on the season. During the Aquafina Invitational, Barnhill fanned 32 batters and scattered just seven hits through 14.2 innings pitched on the weekend.

The sophomore from Marietta, Ga. tossed her second one-hitter of the season in a 10-0 (5 innings) victory over Northwestern State Feb. 18 – it was also her fourth of her career.

Currently, Barnhill has pitched 24.0 innings without allowing a run to score a streak that dates back to when the Gators defeated Michigan at the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament in Tampa, Fla. last weekend.

This is her first SEC Pitcher of the Week award and is a two-time 2016 SEC Freshman of the Week recipient (3/21 & 5/19).

Florida will continue its season this weekend at the Citrus Classic, which will be held at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex.

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2.24.2017

UF advanced its record with two Friday wins in the Citrus Classic in Orlando:

Florida 2
Syracuse 0

Florida 4
Fordham 0

Story to follow

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2.24.2017

No. 3 Gators Open Citrus Classic With a Pair of Shutouts

Next Game:
vs. Liberty
2/25/2017 - 11 AM

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Solid pitching and defense along with timely hitting, that's the formula the No. 3-ranked University of Florida softball team used when picking up a pair of victories Friday, Feb. 24., on the first day of the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic held at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex.

The Gators (12-1) shutout both Syracuse (6-4) and Fordham (7-4) in route to two wins.

The pitching tandem of junior Aleshia Ocasio (2-0) and sophomore Kelly Barnhill (1) dispatched the Orange 2-0 in the first game as Ocasio scattered five hits through four innings of work and Barnhill picked up her first save with three innings of stellar work where she struck out eight of the nine batters she faced.

In second game of the day it was all senior Delanie Gourley (4-1). The left-handed hurler recorded her ninth career one-hitter and second of the season as the Gators fell Fordham 4-0 late in the afternoon with the sun setting at the ESPN WWOS complex.

Gourley fanned nine Rams in the contest and faced 22 batters while throwing only 76 pitches in the effort.

Offensively, Florida relied on timely hits in both games.

Against Syracuse in the third inning, freshman Jaimie Hoover put the Gators out in front with an RBI double to right center field that pushed sophomore Amanda Lorenz across home plate.

Lorenz opened the inning with a walk after she worked a full-count on seven pitches. Junior Kayli Kvistad moved Lorenz into scoring position via her 16th walk of the season during a 10-pitch at-bat.

Redshirt freshman Sophia Reynoso tacked on an insurance run for the Gators in the fifth inning. Jordan Roberts, a freshman, reached on a single that ricocheted of the Syracuse pitcher in the circle. Alex Voss entered from her position in the flex to run for Roberts with Reynoso stepping into the box. Reynoso capped the scoring with an RBI single up the middle to bring the score to 2-0.

In the final game of the day against Fordham, the pace was quick and feverous as both Gourley and the Rams hurler, Lauren Quense dueled for the first five innings. The first five innings flew by in under an hour as both pitchers kept the opposing offenses off balance.

The dueling ended in the sixth as the Gators broke through to score all four of its runs. The inning started with a one-out walk from junior Nicole DeWitt, which she immediately followed up with a stolen base with Kvistad at the plate.

Kvistad drove in DeWitt to break the scoreless tie on an RBI single up the middle of the Rams defense. Switzer entered the game to pinch run for Kvistad and advanced to second after a single to left field by Hoover. Ocasio moved the runners to second and third on a slow chopper to the right side of the Rams infield to set the table for Roberts.

After falling behind 1-2 in the count, Roberts belted her second home run of the season to clear the bases and put the game out of reach.

Coaches Corner
On the pitching staff's performance…
"I thought Aleshia Ocasio did a really nice job in the first game and then Kelly Barnhill closed it - not to allow a base runner in three innings of relief was really good. Delanie Gourley was really sharp against Fordham in our second game; not only just striking people out but she was just one batter over the minimum. So I thought they just pitched really well."

Notables
Delanie Gourley recorded her ninth career one-hitter and second of the season in the game against Fordham (Feb. 24)
It was the fifth one-hitter produced by the Gators this season.
Jordan Roberts hit her second-career home run in the game against Fordham (Feb. 24).
Kvistad now has a total 16 walks on the season after recording a pair against Syracuse.
She's also hitting a respectable .448 on the season with 13 hits in 29 at-bats.
The Gators record their eighth shutout of the season and fourth in a row with the pair today.
Florida has not allowed a run since the fifth inning against Maryland. (28.1 straight innings)
Sophomore Kelly Barnhill extended her scoreless inning streak to 27.0 innings after providing three quality innings in relief against Syracuse.

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2.25.2017

Liberty University just gave the Gators so much hell. The game went 10 innings before UF won 2-1. Liberty is now 7-5 and UF is 13-1. The Gators are getting everyone's best shot. Either that or the Gators aren't that good which I don't think is the case. It appears the Gators are playing up to and down to the competition. I'd rather they play their best every game. It's the hitting as pitching and defense is excellent.

Next up: Elon in 30 minutes - hopefully the Gators find their bats in this one.

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2.25.2017

UF beat Elon 11-0 in a 5 inning run rule game. The Gators O put 15 hits on the stat sheet. UF's record advanced to 14-1.

Up next: Lehigh on Sunday to conclude the Citrus Classic.

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2.25.2017

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The University of Florida softball team used a little "Gator Magic" to improve to 14-1 on the season after a pair of wins against Liberty and Elon on the second day of the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Saturday, Feb. 25.

The Gators won their second extra-inning game of the year with a 2-1 win in 10 innings against Liberty (7-5) to open the day then exploded for 11 runs on a season-high 15 hits in five-inning shutout victory over Elon (7-4).

In game one, the Florida pitching continued to excel as starter Aleshia Ocasio and relief pitcher Delanie Gourley (6-1) limited the Flames to just a pair of hits over the duration of the contest. Liberty's only run came in the top of the ninth inning of play when the international tiebreaker (ITB) was in effect. The lone Liberty run scored via a sacrifice fly by Sarah Robertson, which plated Channing Cox.

The Gators responded immediately with a run of their own to tie the contest 1-1 in the bottom of the inning. Senior Justine McLean, placed on second base to start the inning via the ITB rule, set the table for redshirt freshman Sophia Reynoso. Reynoso reached in the following at-bat as she was hit by the pitch and Kvistad followed up with a single to left field that loaded the bases for freshman Jaimie Hoover.

With a 2-2 count at the plate, Hoover tied the game with a SAC fly to right field that allowed the speedy McLean to race home.

In the 10th, the Gators placed DeWitt on second base with freshman Katie Chronister at the plate. Chronister delivered a beautiful SAC bunt that moved DeWitt to third with senior Chelsea Herndon at the plate. Herndon, who had reached base safely in all four of her previous plate appearances that included an intentional walk in the eighth inning, ripped the game-winning RBI single down the right field line and scored DeWitt.

After Florida had recorded only four hits in the pitcher's duel in the game against Liberty, the team tripled its output against Elon with 15 total hits.

The top of the order did arguably the most damage as the trio of Lorenz, Reynoso and Kvistad accounted for 10 of the 15 hits. Reynoso and Kvistad were each a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate while Reynoso also accounted for four RBIs.

The Gators plated two runs in the first, three in the second and five in the third before a scoreless fourth inning and capped off the contest with a single run in the fifth inning.

In the big five run fifth inning the team strung together six hits and batted around the lineup.

In the circle, it was another great effort from the pitching tandem of sophomore Kelly Barnhill and freshman Katie Chronister who limited the Phoenix to just four hits. Barnhill earned her fifth win of the season.

Coaches Corner
On winning the team's second 10-inning game of the season…
"There was some Gator Magic in that game. I thought Delanie was really good again in relief and Lele (Aleshia Ocasio) had a good quality start in the circle. We only gave up a couple of hits."
 
Notables
The Gators recorded a season-high 15 hits against Elon, which included a pair of 4-for-4 performances from Sophia Reynoso and Kaylie Kvistad.
The last time the Gators tallied 15 hits occurred on April 22, 2016 against Mississippi State.
Florida improved to 2-0 on the season in extra-inning games this season.
The team won 2-1 in 10 innings against then-No. 6 Michigan (Feb. 11) at the USF Wilson-DeMarini Classic.
Sophomore Kelly Barnhill extended her scoreless inning streak to 30.0 innings after another quality start against Elon Saturday, Feb. 25.
It's the longest career streak amongst active pitchers on the team. In 2014 Gourley posted a 29.0 scoreless inning streak.

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2.26.2017

KISSIMMEE, Fla – The University of Florida softball team recorded its sixth shutout in seven contests with yet another dominant pitching performance as the team downed Lehigh 5-0 on the final day of the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

The Gators (15-1) jumped out in front early over the Mountain Hawks (3-2) which allowed sophomore pitcher Kelly Barnhill to settle into a groove early. Barnhill faced a total of 13 batters through four innings and recorded 11 strikeouts compared to just one walk with no hits.

Only one Mountain Hawk was able to put a bat on the ball against Barnhill and that was a bunt popped up to first baseman Kayli Kvistad.

Florida took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of play on an RBI single from freshman Jordan Roberts that fell harmlessly into shallow right center field. Redshirt freshman Sophia Reynoso scored on the play after she smacked a one-out double to left field earlier in the inning.

In the fourth inning, freshman Jaimie Hoover tallied her third home run of the season with a lead-off shot opposite field over the right center field wall.

Senior Justine McLean scored for the Gators in the fifth inning via an RBI single through the right side of the Lehigh infield by sophomore Amanda Lorenz.

During the Gators' final at-bat of the contest, Reynoso and McLean executed a suicide squeeze with one out on the board. Reynoso placed a perfect bunt in between the Mountain Hawks third baseman, catcher and pitcher while McLean streaked for home plate.

While no one reached for the ball to make a throw at first, Reynoso rounded the bag for second. After a hesitation, Reynoso forced a wild throw from Brianna Gerhardt over second base into center field which allowed Reynoso to score for the fifth run of the game.

Coaches Corner
On the pitching performances…
"I thought they both did a good job of getting ahead in the count and throwing quality pitches while being ahead in the count. That was the key for not only being successful today but successful all weekend."

On being aggressive on the bases today…
"You just have to take what you can get. In some cases we're going to be able to steal bases and others we're going to hit home runs; so you just have to take what you can get. I thought did we good job of taking advantage of our opportunities today."
 
Notables
The duo of Barnhill and Gourley tossed the Gators sixth one-hitter of the season. It is also the sixth shutout over the last seven games.
The combined one-hitter is the first of the season and 22nd in program history with the last occurring on May 20, 2016 against Alabama State in NCAA Regional play.
The Gators have not allowed an earned run in regulation play since Maryland Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Aquafina Invitational. Since then Florida has outscored opponents 39-1 over the last seven games. The lone run came in extra innings, top of the ninth, against Liberty.
Barnhill upped her scoreless inning streak to 34.0 innings after allowing zero hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts.
It's the longest career scoreless inning streak for Barnhill and longest career streak among active pitchers on the roster.
Delanie Gourley earned her first save of the season with three quality innings of relief in the circle.
Justine McLean recorded her third multiple steal game of the season with two against Lehigh. Mclean is now 9-for-9 on the season in stolen base attempts.
Amanda Lorenz and Kayli Kvistad have extended their reached base streak to 16 games as the duo has reached safely in every game for the Gators this season.
Sophia Reynoso is close behind with a 14 game reached base streak and also is riding a seven-game hitting streak.
Next Up
The Gators head to Fullerton, Calif. on Tuesday, Feb. 28 for the Judi Garman Classic. There the team will face Iowa, Long Beach State, Cal, UCLA and Northwestern to cap off the tournament season prior to SEC Opening Weekend.

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2.27.2017

Good article on Sophia Reynoso from floridagators.com, UF's starting sophomore shortstop:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The wait was difficult. It was lonely at times. More than anything, it was a roadblock in the way of where Sophia Reynoso wanted to go.

Reynoso is there now, playing shortstop and batting second for the No. 3-ranked Florida softball team despite a pair of torn ACLs in her career, including one that forced Reynoso to miss last season.

Healthy and making her presence known, Reynoso leads the Gators in hitting (.476, 1 HR, 14 RBI) while not making an error in 16 games. Reynoso is no stranger to top-tier competition. She played on elite travel-ball teams most of her life growing up in Palmdale, Calif.

Unfortunately, she is also no stranger to injury.

Reynoso overcame a torn ACL while in high school to draw the interest of Gators head coach Tim Walton. And after Reynoso arrived at UF for her freshman season, she suffered another torn ACL. Her season was over before her first at-bat.

Even while growing up across the country, Reynoso always had her eyes set on putting on the prestigious orange and blue.
Her unique number choice, 74, is derived from her father, who wore the same number for his high school football team in honor of his favorite player, Jack Youngblood.

While on her official visit with the Gators, Reynoso and her family ran into Youngblood, the former Florida star who went on to become an NFL Hall of Famer with the Los Angeles Rams.

That sealed the deal.
 

Sophia Reynoso is back from a season-ending knee injury and making a difference for the 15-1 Gators softball team. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

Reynoso joined the Gators softball team for the 2016 season, looking to prove herself, especially coming off her first torn ACL that occurred during her travel-ball career.

"She might not have always been the most talented, but she will always outwork any one of her peers," teammate Amanda Lorenz said.

Reynoso worked diligently to return from her first injury and earn an opportunity to play at UF. When she suffered the second torn ACL, the road map to recovery was already in her head.

Still, making a comeback was no walk in the park for Reynoso.

"There was one fall morning where we had to run and it wasn't a good morning for me," Reynoso said. "That was kind of a wake-up call that I wasn't where I needed to be and where I wanted to be."

She went to work, driven by the quest to return to full-speed and not lose a step on the field.

"She had no life, consistently working hard trying to get back." Lorenz said.

As Reynoso prepared for her sophomore season, she was on a mission. If not in class, you could find her in the training room receiving treatment. She often did homework during her rehab.

Reynoso impressed others with her ability to focus on a goal and overcome the second major setback of her softball career.

"I think her whole mindset to life really is refreshing," Gators coach Tim Walton said. "To watch her come out here and compete, but do it with a smile."

A smile that her teammates look to for support.

Reynoso is a leader on the team despite her relative inexperience. She lost a season as a player, but not a year of being a teammate. It doesn't take long to notice how Reynoso carries herself with grace and confidence.

Her teammates' respect comes naturally.

"I'm sure if you ask every girl on the team who their favorite person is, they're going to say Sophia," Lorenz said.

Reynoso's positive approach has also impacted Florida's coaching staff.

She recently purchased a ping-pong table from a local sporting goods store. However, the table proved to be too big to fit into her car and too heavy for her to carry. She called on Walton for help.

Walton said he chuckled the whole way home thinking about the confidence and determination it required for a freshman to call their coach in that situation.

"I have a saying," Walton said. "There's no such thing as bad hops, just bad infielders. Sophia always tells me there's no such thing as bad hops, just bad coaches hitting infield ground balls. For a young kid to have that kind of savvy and that kind of confidence, who wouldn't want to coach a kid like that?"

The Gators are 15-1 after winning five games at the Citrus Classic over the weekend. Next up is a trip to California, where Reynoso, Lorenz, second baseman Nicole DeWitt, pitcher Delanie Gourley and catcher Janell Wheaton call home.

Reynoso admits she does not always have the best days but is determined to show everyone that even when faced with adversity, she will always give her all to the team. The Gators are her family away from home.

"She's not the tallest, she's not the fastest, not the strongest, but yet she's got heart, she's got passion, she's got toughness, she's got energy,'' Walton said. "She plays with a motor that just doesn't stop."

The season is young for the Gators, but as they attempt to return to the Women's College World Series, Reynoso is definitely a player to watch.

This season and beyond.

"Coach Walton always reminds me to just do what I do because I know how to play and I can't try to play like someone that I'm not,'' she said. "I feel like trying to make an extra statement is going to be something that I'm not, so I just do what I do and it works out that way."

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UCLA is ranked 7/8 and Cal is ranked 18/23 in the two polls this week. UF is ranked 1/3:

Softball | Tuesday, February 28, 2017 | Herb Brooks


Florida Heads West for Judi Garman Classic


GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida softball team enters its final weekend of tournament play with the Judi Garman Classic scheduled for March 2-4, in Fullerton, Calif. at the Anderson Family Complex.



While at the Judi Garman Classic, the Gators (15-1) will face Iowa, Long Beach State, Cal, UCLA and Northwestern over the three-day span. The tournament in its entirety is scheduled to be streamed live on FloSoftball.com along with a live radio broadcast on WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM) featuring play-by-play from Daniel Gillman and color commentary from former Florida standout Kelsey Horton.