Florida Softball - National Champion 14 15

[Deleted]

Next up - The UGALY poodles:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Amanda Lorenz belted a pair of home runs and drew a bases loaded walk, which helped propel the University of Florida softball team to a 5-1 victory over North Florida Wednesday, April 5 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.



GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Amanda Lorenz belted a pair of home runs and drew a bases loaded walk, which helped propel the University of Florida softball team to a 5-1 victory over North Florida Wednesday, April 5 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

 

The Gators (34-2, 10-1 SEC) struck first when Lorenz sent the second pitch from Osprey hurler Amanda Blanchard (4-3) over the center field wall. Jaimie Hoover capped off the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with her second SAC fly of the season, which scored junior Nicole DeWitt who reached on an error by Jenna Brownell on a ground ball at third base.

 

In her second opportunity at the plate, Lorenz extended Florida's lead out to 4-0 with one swing of the bat. The Moorpark, Calif. native crushed her second home run of the game and team-leading seventh of the season on a 2-1 pitch from Blanchard. Sophia Reynoso scored on the play as she reached earlier in the inning after being hit by the 2-2 pitch from the Osprey hurler.



With the opportunity to swing for the fences as the bases were loaded in the third inning, Lorenz showed her patience at the plate. She worked a full-count walk to plate the Gators last run of the contest, which extended the lead out to 5-0. Lorenz finished the night responsible for four of the five runs driven in by the Gators.



Junior Aleshia Ocasio (7-0) received the start in the circle for Florida and pitched effectively for the complete-game victory. Ocasio was efficient as she threw just 69 pitches, 50 for strikes, on the night and scattered five North Florida hits.



Two of those hits came in the fifth inning when North Florida scored their lone run of the contest on a double Mary Rodriguez drove in Ashley Niesman on a double down the left line.



Next up for the Gators is an SEC showdown against Georgia. The three-game series is scheduled to start April 8, at 4 p.m. inside Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.



Coaches Corner

On the defensive performance today versus North Florida

"We take a lot of pride in our defense, fielding ground balls and our ability to limit our opponents from having extra outs in innings. I thought we did a good job of making the routine plays look pretty routine today." – Tim Walton



Notables

Amanda Lorenz extended her reached base streak out to 36 games with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning.

The last Gator record a similar reached base streak in a single season was Kelsey Stewart in 2014.

Lorenz's two home runs is also the first time a Florida player has two home runs in the same game since Kayli Kvistad against Mississippi State April 22, 2016.

On National Walking Day, Kayli Kvistad drew a pair of walks.

Kvistad leads the nation in walks and entered today's contest with a 1.23 walks per game average and has 45 on the season.

Florida has only allowed one run or less in 29 of the 36 games played this season.

[Deleted]

UF swept the hated poodles to advance to 37-2 (13-1). The poodles got 1 run in game 2 against Delanie Gourley and 0 runs in games 1 and 3 against Kelly Barnhill while losing 5-0, 4-1, and 3-0.

Next up: #1 Florida State 38-1-1 in Gainesville on Wednesday at 7 PM ET and will be televised on the SEC Network:

Gators Pitching, Defense 'On the Money' with FSU Up Next
The No. 1-ranked Seminoles come to town Wednesday to face No. 3 UF.
By Chris Harry, Senior Writer | Monday, April 10, 2017

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The best pitcher in the country was dominant again Monday night, throwing a complete-game shutout, striking out 14 and winning for the 15th time against no losses. Junior first baseman Kayli Kvistad smashed a two-run home run in the third. Senior Chelsea Herndon had a pinch-hit homer in the sixth to account for the other run in No. 3 Florida's 3-0 victory over Southeastern Conference rival and 18th-ranked Georgia.

The play of the game, though, came in the Georgia half of the third when Sydni Emanuel rapped a hard two-out single to center with sister Cortni Emanuel in scoring position at second. UF centerfielder Justine McLean was playing fairly shallow, but needed to get a perfect break on the ball to have any chance at a play on the super-speedy Bulldog. 

"The Emanuel sisters are really fast, so I tried to get to the ball as fast I could," McLean said. "Then I just chucked it." 

McLean made a perfect scoop just above the infield and the lefty came up throwing, firing a dead-on seed, on the perfect side of home, to catcher Janell Wheaton. 

"I knew she was going to get it to me. We practice that play every day," Wheaton said. "I know her spin. I knew where it was going. It was on the money and I didn't have to move." 

Bang-bang. Out at the plate. 

"That was really good," UF coach Tim Walton said. "Justine attacked the ball. She was on a mission on that play." 

Speaking of missions, the Gators (37-2, 13-1) would appear to be on one, also. In sweeping the Bulldogs (who pulled out of town in a far different mood than they did 10 months ago after the 2016 Super Regional), Florida has now won eight straight and 29 of the previous 30. 

Just in time for No. 1 Florida State to come to town. 
 

That's right, the Seminoles (38-1-1) are atop the USA Today/NFCA Poll with a home-and-home series against the Gators — Wednesday in Gainesville, then on May 3 in Tallahassee — still to come. On Saturday, UF set the school record for single-game attendance at 2,497. And while the Gators likely won't get that on a weeknight, the joint will be jumping for yet another highly ranked foe. 

The highest ranked, actually. 

"It's another middle-of-the-week game," Walton said.  

That's absolutely true. The Gators have played a bunch of "middle-of-the-week" games, including a handful against in-state opponents, be it North Florida last week, Bethune-Cookman the week before and South Florida the week before that. 

But the Seminoles have been to the Women's College World Series the last three seasons. They have an All-American slugger in third baseman Jessica Warren, who's hitting .458 with 15 homers and 55 RBI. They have an ace in Jessica Burroughs, at 20-1, with a 0.60 ERA, 186 strikeouts, just 19 walks and who figures to get the call for a game that will be televised by SEC Network. 

Whether Walton throws Barnhill (with her 0.23 ERA) or Delanie Gourley (13-2, 0.83) or Aleshia Ocasio (7-0, 0.84) is anyone's guess.

"Haven't even thought about," Walton said. 

And he won't put a whole lot of emphasis on the game, either. No more than any other midweek game, what with a short turnaround from Monday to Wednesday, followed by another quick turn to Friday, when UF opens a weekend series at No. 20 Kentucky. As it stands, the Gators are high-balling through the softball train yard, trying to win another SEC title and remain in position to be at home throughout regional play. What happens against FSU won't change any of that. 

But it'll be a fun night. 

Look for the Gators to bring their A-game. And should the Seminoles get some metal on the ball, the Florida D-game, as in defense, figures to be ready, also. 

"It's been so good," McLean said of UF's playmaking in the field. "The way we're playing right now, every time a ball is hit, I'm like, 'Out! Out! Out!' I just have so much confidence in every single one of us out there." 

Like Wheaton said ... on the money. 

"The range we have out there is unbelievable," Wheaton said. "If you saw how we practiced every day, nothing that happens out here would surprise you." 

[Deleted]

SEC Pitcher of the Week - Kelly Barnhill

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sophomore Kelly Barnhill earned her second SEC Pitcher of the Week award of the season as announced by the league office earlier today. It is the fourth time this season that a Gator has earned the Pitcher of the Week award.

Barnhill was sensational in a pair of complete-game performances against Georgia this past weekend at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The Marietta, Ga. native fanned 21 Bulldogs through 14.0 innings of work and only allowed three walks on the way to the program's seventh & eighth shutouts over Top 25 opponents.

The 14-strikeout performance in the series finale Monday night was just two shy of Barnhill's season-high where she turned away 16 Auburn batters earlier this season. Both instances were season-highs for the opponents.

?Barnhill currently leads the nation with a 0.22 ERA.

[Deleted]

Wowzer! What a game! I thoroughly enjoyed watching this one between two of the best teams in the nation:

Another Record Crowd, Another Big Win
Kayli Kvistad's two-out single gave No. 3 UF a walk-off win over No. 1 FSU.
By Chris Harry, Senior Writer | Wednesday, April 12, 2017



The Pressly Stadium crowd of 2,574 Wednesday night against Florida State broke the record of 2,497 set Saturday against Georgia.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Hidden somewhere amid the masses at Pressly Stadium Wednesday night was Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin. He and the record crowd of 2,574 were treated to a chamber of commerce evening and as good a collegiate softball game as will be played in the country this season. 

The third-ranked Gators defeated rival and top-ranked Florida State when junior Kayli Kvistad lashed a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh to score Justine McLean from second and walked off with an exciting 1-0 victory and ninth straight win. The two teams came in with a combined three losses on the season and played a game that lived up to the hype, complete with all the atmosphere and juice of a NCAA Super Regional. 

Oh, and did we mention it was Florida-Florida State? 

And there was Stricklin, in his bleachers seat along the first-base line, cheering the Gators on a night they set a home softball attendance record for the second time in four days. In Game 1 of UF's weekend series against No. 18 Georgia, a crowd of 2,497 checked in Saturday. 

The Gators outdid that one on a school night.

"If anyone needs an illustration as to why we have to expand the stadium, two record crowds in a week is a pretty good illustration," Stricklin said afterward. "This makes me think we need to get going on that facilities initiative." 

No one will argue. "Sold Out" signs hung in the ticket windows. Fans were lined up three and four deep behind the bleachers. The crowd over the right-field fence was a couple hundred strong. 

"Gator Nation was great tonight," Kvistad said. 

Exactly nobody left disappointed. 

OK, so maybe the Seminoles did. Their All-America ace Jessica Burroughs was spectacular in going 6 1/3 innings and limiting the Gators to just two Janelle Wheaton singles before giving way to lefty reliever Meghan King with one out and nobody on in the seventh. 

"Burroughs is just so tough," UF coach Tim Walton said. 

Florida's pitching matched that toughness. Senior Delanie Gourley worked through an adverse first inning when she allowed three hits, thanks to a tremendous defensive play when left fielder Amanda Lorenz gunned down FSU's Jessica Warren at home to end the inning. From there, Gourley settled down to allow just one more base runner in throwing five scoreless frames before yielding the final two innings to Kelly Barnhill. The sophomore superstar mowed through the Seminoles' order, without surrendering a hit and striking out three, to set the stage for the UF seventh. 

The first batter King faced was the speedster McLean, who dropped a perfect one-handed drag bunt to the left side and legged out the play. For McLean, a .327 slapper, it was the first bunt single of the season. 

"If I get it down, no one is going to have the opportunity to get me," McLean said. 

That's just how the Gators feel about McLean when she's on the base paths. When Lorenz grounded to first, McLean easily made it to second, but with two outs. Nicole DeWitt followed with a walk, sending to Kvistad to the plate. 

Two innings earlier, Kvistad ended the fifth when she flew out to left with runners at second and third. 

"There was no way that was happening again," Gourley said. 

Instead, Kvistad lashed a 2-1 pitch into right center and Seminoles outfielder Carsyn Gordon had no chance at a play. Not with McLean blistering around third. 

"For her to be able to get on [base] and create a little bit of havoc,"  Walton said. "Justine's speed allows us to score from just about anywhere on the field." 

The home team — and its crowd — celebrated appropriately. The game-ending cheers could just as easily have been for the high-quality of play and tremendous atmosphere. 

"The environment, with two of the best programs in the country, from the same state, it just brought the best out in everybody," Walton said. "I thought it was awesome." 

So did Walton's boss, who is no newcomer to college softball, having come to UF by way of Mississippi State. But he's definitely getting an increased level of dosage on the women's diamond and now is witnessing firsthand how the program has captured the hearts of the orange and blue fanbase.  

"It was pretty special," Stricklin said. "It's unbelievable what Tim has done and the way he's gotten people to care so passionately about softball. It's just really cool." 

Now, about that stadium upgrade …

[Deleted]

The Gators only had 3 hits, but 8 walks by UK pitching and multiple wild pitches was enough for UF to get a 4-0 road win in Lexington:



LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 3 Florida Gators struck for four runs, which turned out to be enough in a tightly-contested 4-0 game on Friday night in the series opener between UF and the No. 21 Kentucky Wildcats. 

Florida’s Kelly Barnhill moved to 17-0 on the season with the result and the Gators improved to 39-2 overall and a Southeastern Conference leading record of 14-1. Erin Rethlake, who pitched well for the Wildcats and kept Kentucky in the game, got her first loss of the season to fall to 6-1. 

Game two of the series will be on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET with Dave Baker and Carol Bruggeman on the call from Lexington. The game will be shown live on the SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Tickets are in low supply, as the game is very close to a sell out. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and park in the Commonwealth Stadium Blue Lot and take shuttles to the front gates of John Cropp Stadium. 

With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 25-12 on the season and 5-8 in league play. 

Key Stat
15. Florida’s Kelly Barnhill stuck out 15 Kentucky batters in the game, while only allowing two hits. The 15 strikeouts for Barnhill were the highest amounts all season for an opposing pitcher. 

Key Play
Kentucky was in the game all night until a series of back-to-back wild pitches plated two UF runs in the top of the seventh to make it a 4-0 game. 

Key Player
Erin Rethlake was the key player in the game, going six innings, allowing just three hits and striking out three. 

Run Recap
Florida scored in the top of the first as lead-off batter Amanda Lorenz, who led off the inning with a walk, came around to score on an RBI single with two outs from Janell Wheaton. UF 1, UK 0

The Gators added a second run in the third inning on an RBI single from Wheaton, as Nicole DeWitt scored – who led off the inning with a HBP. UF 2, UK 0

The Gators would score two more times as both Rethlake and Larissa Spellman had wild pitches with two outs that scored runs from third. FINAL – No. 3 Florida 4, No. 21 Kentucky 0

[Deleted]

After losing 5-1 at UK on Saturday when the Gators committed 3 errors and Delanie Gourley pitched an uncharacteristically poor game, UF clinched the weekend series with a 2-0 win in which Kelly Barnhill pitched a no hitter. Barnhill was one walk away from a perfect game:

Game Recap: Softball | Sunday, April 16, 2017 | Herb Brooks
No. 3 Gators Clinch Series Behind Barnhill's No-Hitter

Next Game:
UCF
4/19/2017 - 6 PM
Buy Tickets
Live Stats
WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM)
SEC Network +
Listen Live
Full Schedule
Roster
Recap | Box Score
 
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sophomore pitcher Kelly Barnhill (18-0) fueled the Florida softball team to its sixth-straight conference series win with her second career no-hitter in a 2-0 victory over No. 21 Kentucky at John Cropp Field. Barnhill struck out 15 Wildcats for the second time this series and issued one walk to Sarah Rainwater in the sixth.

This is first individual no-hitter of the season and second overall as Delanie Gourley and Aleshia Ocasio combined for one against South Carolina March 19. Gourley also threw a perfect game against Iowa March 2, at the Judi Garman Classic.

For the 35th time this season, the Gators (40-3, 15-2 SEC) scored first in the contest thanks to a string of two-out hits from Kayli Kvistad, Janell Wheaton and Aleshia Ocasio. With Kentucky (26-13, 6-9 SEC) center fielder Sarah Rainwater shifted to right center, Kvistad stroked a double to the open gap in left center field for her eighth double of the season.

Wheaton came through with an RBI single, her seventh hit in six games, down the left field line to score Kvistad. Ocasio wrapped up the inning with a single up the middle of the Wildcats infield to wrap up the inning.

Florida used another two-out rally in the fifth inning to plate its second run of the game. Nicole DeWitt initiated the offense after she was hit by starter Erin Rethlake on a 2-2 count. Kayli Kvistad drew her 49th walk of the season to move DeWitt into scoring position and provide the RBI opportunity for Wheaton.

After Kentucky made a pitching change to bring in Megan Prince, Wheaton produced her second RBI of the game and extended the Gators lead to 2-0 on a single up the middle that scored DeWitt from second.

In total Barnhill retired 21 of the 22 batters faced on the day in the complete-game effort which is her 10th of the season.

The Gators return home to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium for a midweek contest against UCF Wednesday, April 19 at 6 p.m.

Coaches Corner
On the road series win at Kentucky…
"Today was a great road series win against a good Kentucky team. Kelly was 'WOW' this week and Janell had a great week for us on offense and defense." – Tim Walton
 
Notables
Kelly Barnhill produced the second no-hitter of her career and first of the season with a 15-strikeout performance against Kentucky.
Also, notched her 10th game of the season where she recorded 10 or more strikeouts.
Barnhill also struck out 15 Wildcats in her start on Friday.
It was the Gators second no-hitter of the season, first individual. The last one was a combined no-hitter between Gourley and Ocasio against South Carolina (3/19).
The Gators produced their sixth SEC series victory going 2-1 versus No. 21 in Lexington.
It's the third-straight series victory over Kentucky.
Janell Wheaton recorded her fourth multi-hit game over a six game span with her xx-for-xx performance against the Wildcats.
Kayli Kvistad drew her 49th walk of the season to tie the Florida single-season record for walks.
Aja Paculba set the record in 2009 and Lauren Haeger tied it in 2015.
Florida recorded its 10th shutout of the season over a Top 25 opponent and is now 17-2 on the season against Top 25 opponents.

[Deleted]

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – What will 47 strikeouts over 23 innings pitched, a no-hitter and a 4-0 record against Top 25 competition all in the span of a week get you? Well, for sophomore pitcher Kelly Barnhill it got her this week's Louisville Slugger/NFCA Pitcher of the Week, USA Softball Co-Player of the Week and SEC Pitcher of the Week.

It's the first time in program history that a Florida player has earned all three awards in the same week and the first time a Gator pitcher was named SEC Pitcher of the Week three times in a single season since Stacy Nelson accomplished the feat in 2009.

Barnhill, the nation's leader in ERA (0.19), started her week with a complete-game victory in the series finale against then-No. 19 Georgia (4/10). She dealt the Bulldogs 14 strikeouts to complete the series sweep, which was a season-high for the team out of Athens, Ga.

Two days later, Barnhill shut the door on previously top-ranked Florida State during the final two innings in front of a Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium record crowd of 2,547. She didn't allow a hit and struck out three during that span to the nation's leading team in batting average.

The Marietta, Ga. native capped her impressive week with back-to-back complete-games Friday and Sunday against Kentucky where she struck out 15 each time. In the series finale, she retired 21 out of the 22 batters she faced on the way to her second no-hitter of her career. Oh, and the 15 strikeouts in each game against Kentucky were both season-highs for the Wildcats.

"It feels amazing to be selected for all of these awards, but what's more important is that the Gators won the weekend series with good defense and timely hitting against a tough SEC opponent." Barnhill said. "I am truly humbled by the awards, there are many great pitchers and players in this game and to be chosen for each of these is a great honor. My performance would have not been possible without my pitching coach and my catcher Janell Wheaton; with Janell behind the plate, my job gets a little easier."

The last time a Florida player received either national award was when senior Delanie Gourley earned the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Pitcher of the Week March 3, 2015 and USA Softball Player of the Week just last season April 19.

"I am very proud of Kelly and her performance last week to help lead us to four wins over Top 25 opponents, including a win over the No. 1 team." Florida Head Coach Tim Walton said. "A special thank you to the NFCA and USA Softball in recognizing how valuable Kelly was to her team last week."

So, have a day Kelly Barnhill or better yet have a week.

The Gators return to action this Wednesday with a midweek contest against in-state foe UCF at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, which is slated to start at 6 p.m. ET.

[Deleted]

UF 6 inning run rules UCF 9-1:



Game Recap: Softball | Wednesday, April 19, 2017 | Herb Brooks


No. 1 Gators Cruise Past Knights



Next Game:

Ole Miss

4/21/2017 - 6 PM

WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM)

SEC Network +


 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida softball team dispatched in-state foe UCF 9-1 in six innings at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators tallied four doubles in the effort, which ties the season-high for the third time this year.



Junior Aleshia Ocasio anchored the Gators from the circle to earn her eighth win of the season. Ocasio threw just 60 pitches, struck out five and faced 18 batters in route to the victory.



For the 10th time this season, the Gators (41-3) racked up 10-plus hits against an opponent. The 12 hits in the mercy rule victory over the Knights (23-20) was led by junior Nicole DeWitt's 3-for-4 performance at the plate.



The scoring opened in the initial inning of play as Florida jumped out to a 4-0 lead over UCF. With runners on the corners, junior Janell Wheaton plated Amanda Lorenz on a fielder's choice to Brittany Solis at shortstop.



Jaimie Hoover ripped her fourth double of the season to score Kayli Kvistad and Chelsea Herndon scored Wheaton on a SAC fly to left field. Ocasio concluded the scoring in the first with a hard hit single to Solis at shortstop to score Hoover.



Kvistad kept the momentum moving in a positive direction in the second, when she laced her double of the season to score two more Florida runs in Lorenz and DeWitt.



UCF got on the board in the fourth with a SAC fly to the wall in left field from Courtney Rotton. Megan Greenwell scored on the play after she reached earlier in the inning with a bunt single to Kvistad at first.



The Gators put the game away in the sixth via four hits that included a pair of doubles. DeWitt started the rally with her ninth double of the season. Freshman Jacqui Switzer entered to pinch run with Kvistad at the plate. Kvistad produced her second hit of the game with an RBI single through the right side of the UCF infield to score Switzer.



Wheaton nearly put the game away as she followed up with the team's fourth double of the game. The shot went off the upper third of the center field wall that allowed pinch runner Katie Chronister to move from first to third.



Herndon put the game away with her two RBI line drive into right field that scored Chronister and Wheaton.



The Gators step back into SEC play this weekend against Ole Miss with the first game set for this Friday at 6 p.m.



Coaches Corner

On the energy and enthusiasm of the team tonight…

"We've got a lot of players doing a lot of things for the first time. So, I just talked to the team about the importance of every game being a confidence game. Don't get sucked into all of the weaknesses and all of the negatives, just go out there, play well and try to find as many positives as you can. And if you don't have any positives that day then find the positives in someone else and live off theirs. That's what we are trying to do - have fun, play the game the right way and play with a lot of energy and passion." Tim Walton

 

From the Players

Overall thoughts on the game…

"We just came out and played our game. We jumped on them early, gave our pitchers some room to work with. I mean Lele (Aleshia Ocasio) did a great job, Delanie came in and did a great job. So I mean it's just typical Gator Softball. It's expected of us to do that kind of stuff." – Nicole DeWitt



On the catch in foul territory behind home plate…

"Once it was hit up in the air, I knew I had a chance at it. The umpire kind of got in my way so that's when I knew I had to dive. Although, I didn't realize how much room I had or I would've slid the other way. It kind of hurt my neck a little bit, but it was a cool catch."  - Janell Wheaton



Notables

The Gators have now won nine straight contests against UCF and improved their all-time record to 21-4.

Florida is also 9-0 this season against in-state competition.

Florida hit a total of four doubles tonight which ties the season-high for doubles in a game. It's the third time this season the Gators have hit four doubles in a game.

A total of eight different Florida players recorded hits in tonight's game.

DeWitt tied her career-high for the second time this season with three hits in the game.

[Deleted]

Game Recap: Softball | Friday, April 21, 2017 | Herb Brooks


No. 1 Gators Top No. 18 Rebels In Series Opener





Next Game:

No. 18/20 Ole Miss

4/22/2017 - 4 PM 
WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM)

SEC Network + 


GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators improved to 16-2 in SEC play after sophomore Kelly Barnhill tied her season-high with 16 strikeouts in a 2-0 victory over No. 18 Ole Miss at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.



Florida (42-3, 16-2 SEC) scored first for the 37th time this season and posted two runs in the first inning. Amanda Lorenz reached with an infield single to Ole Miss (31-14, 6-10) shortstop Paige McKinney on a 0-2 count.



Nicole DeWitt put down her fifth SAC bunt of the season to move Lorenz into scoring position for junior Kayli Kvistad. With a two balls and pair of strikes against her, Kvistad roped another Florida single up the middle of the Rebels defense to open up a 1-0 lead.



The Gators were poised to strike again in the inning when full-count walk by Jaimie Hoover and an error by McKinney at shortstop on a Chelsea Herndon ground ball loaded the bases with two outs.



Aleshia Ocasio extended Florida's lead out to 2-0 with an RBI single to right field that scored Janell Wheaton. Hoover rounded third as she looked to plate a third run but Ole Miss right fielder Kylan Becker threw a strike to catcher Courtney Syrett at home for the final out.



Ocasio finished the game 2-for-3 for her third multi-hit game of the season.



The two runs were all that Barnhill needed in the circle. The Marietta, Ga. native struck out 16 of the 23 batters she faced during her 11th complete-game performance. The Rebels managed to gather a pair of hits, all from their catcher Becker who went 2-for-3 at the plate.



In between the singles from Becker in the first and the seventh, Barnhill retired the Rebels five-straight innings in a row. The zero walks issued by Barnhill in a complete-game was the first since Delanie Gourley's performance against Fordham (2/24) earlier this season.



The Gators and the Rebels will square off tomorrow for the annual Yellow Game at 4 p.m. The Gators uniform will be accented with parts of yellow to help bring awareness for pediatric cancer.



Coaches Corner

On tomorrow's annual yellow game in memory of Heather Braswell and bringing awareness to pediatric cancer…

"The big thing about the yellow game is just being able to bring awareness to pediatric cancer and honoring the memory of Heather Braswell - and not just her but all of the people that Heather fought for too." – Tim Walton

 

 

From the Players

On how important it is to get ahead early…

"The pitchers are really good table setters. They've been doing that all season. Kelly, Delanie, Lele (Aleshia Ocasio) and Katie Chorister, they just all really set the tone for us from the first inning to the last inning, and we know that we can count on them in any situation. So that just really gives our hitters confidence when we go up to the plate knowing that on defense they have our backs." – Kayli Kvistad

 

On this week's attention and not letting anything go to your head... 

"You just always have to stay humble. There's always room for improvement, and it's a team sport so you can't do anything without your team out here." – Kelly Barnhill



Notables

Amanda Lorenz produced her team leading 16th multi-hit game of the season.

Last season Lorenz ended the season with 22 multi-hit games.

Nicole DeWitt extended her hit streak to seven games with her 1-for-2 performance.

Kelly Barnhill recorded her 10th game of the season of 10-plus strikeouts.

It was also her third-straight game of 15 or more strikeouts.

The 16 strikeouts for Ole Miss was a season-high for the Rebels.

It's the fourth SEC team and fifth time this season Barnhill has dealt a season-high in strikeouts to an opponent.

Auburn (16), Georgia (14), Kentucky (15), Kentucky (15) & Ole Miss (16)

Barnhill also extended her scoreless inning streak to 38.1 innings.

Earlier this season Barnhill posted a scoreless inning streak of 45.2 innings.

The Gators now have 27 shutouts on the season, which leads the nation.

It's the 12th shut out over a Top 25 opponent.

Barnhill recorded her 10th shutout of the season.

Florida improved to 18-2 on the season versus Top 25 competition.

[Deleted]

UF took the series against #18 Ole Miss with a 3-0 win over the rebs. Delanie Gourley had a no hitter going until the 6th inning. The Gators break out the brooms for the sweep on Sunday.

Next up: at Tennessee next weekend - the vols are the hottest team in the nation having won 20 in a row after taking the first two games against LSU in Red Stick this weekend. It'll be quite a showdown between two of the top 3 teams in the SEC:



Game Recap: Softball | Saturday, April 22, 2017 | Herb Brooks


No. 1 Gators Clinch 11th Straight SEC Series



Next Game:

No. 18/20 Ole Miss

4/23/2017 - 12 PM 
WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM)

SEC NETWORK 


GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Senior pitcher Delanie Gourley hurled a two-hit shutout to help propel the No. 1-ranked Florida Gators to a 3-0 victory over No. 18 Ole Miss (31-14, 6-10 SEC) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The win clinched the program's 11th-straight SEC series victory.



The Gators wore accents of yellow in their uniform in support of those battling with pediatric cancer.



Gourley was strong in the circle for the duration of the contest, as she didn't allow a base runner until the third inning on a strikeout wild pitch to Kaylee Horton. The talented lefty relinquished the first hit to the Rebels in the sixth to Horton.



At the plate, Florida (43-3, 17-3 SEC) scored two runs in the second inning to jump out in front. It started when Nicole DeWitt ripped an RBI single up the middle to score freshman Jaimie Hoover. Hoover reached earlier in the inning with her fifth double of the season.



Kayli Kvistad drove in sophomore Amanda Lorenz later in the inning on an RBI single to center field. Kvistad finished the game 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk. The walk that occurred in the sixth inning happened to be her 50th of the season, which broke the Florida single-season record set by Aja Paculba in 2009 and tied by Lauren Haeger in 2015.



So far this season the Gators have outscored opponents 48-1 in the second inning alone.



Lorenz, who finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored, provided more separation in the fourth inning thanks to her eighth home run of the season.



Ole Miss had a chance to avoid the shut out in the sixth with Horton's leadoff triple. The Florida defense and Gourley buckled down to preserve the score as she struck out Kylan Becker looking on a full-count to end the inning.



The Gators return to action for the series finale at noon tomorrow. The game can be viewed live on the SEC Network.

 

Coaches Corner

Overall thoughts on today's game...

"I thought Delanie pitched a really good game for us and our offense did a good job. We were able to hit the ball to all parts of the field but I thought we swung the bats well. Just like last night, we have to find the ability to get hits with two outs and get hits with runners in scoring position. I think if we can find any room for improvement it would be that. That's the hardest part of this game – hitting with runners in scoring position because when you do get runners in scoring position typically you get setup forces and a lot easier outs. So, there's more to it than saying 'just get a hit' but we'll keep saying it." – Tim Walton



From the Players

On the significance of the Yellow Game and why the team wears sunflowers every saturday... 

"It hits us in the heart you know. So my senior class, we were the last class that got to meet Heather (Braswell). So we knew her for a little bit and she was so amazing, her family was amazing. She herself left her mark on this program. The fact that we can bring her spirit and everything to life every Saturday with the sunflower and just represent her and every other kid going through hard times. For us to be able to stand up for them, it means a lot." – Delanie Gourley

 

Notables

Kayli Kvistad set the new single-season record for walks after she drew her 50th of the season in the sixth inning against Ole Miss.

The mark breaks Aja Paculba's record that was set in 2009 and Lauren Haegar tied in 2015.

Today's attendance 2,209 marks the fourth time this season that Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium has hosted a crowd of more than 2,000. The Gators rank fourth in the nation in average attendance with a figure of 1,642 people over a span of 21 games.

Auburn (3/25) – 2,338

Georgia (4/8) – 2,407 – Stadium Record

Florida State (4/12) – 2,547 – Stadium Record

Ole Miss (4/22) – 2,209

The Gators have won their last 11 SEC series after today's series clinching win over the Rebels.

The last time Florida dropped an SEC series was on March 23, against Alabama at home.

Today's shutout is the 28th of the season for Florida and is a mark that currently leads the nation.

It was also Delanie Gourley's eighth shutout of the season.

Gourley posted her sixth game of the season with 10 or more strikeouts.

The NCAA DI Softball Championship Sport Committee announced its first Top 10 ranking of the season and the Gators checked in at the No. 1 ranking.

[Deleted]

Ole Miss came to Gainesville riding a 5 game win streak. The rebs are going home 0-3 for the weekend after the Gators broke out the brooms for the sweep. The scores were 2-0, 3-0, and 5-0 today in the finale.




Game Recap: Softball | Sunday, April 23, 2017 | Herb Brooks


No. 1 Florida Shuts Out No. 18 Ole Miss For Series Sweep 


Next Game:
at Tennessee
4/28/2017 - 6 PM 
WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM)
SEC Network + 


GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 1-ranked Florida shut out No. 18 Ole Miss (31-16, 6-12 SEC) for the third consecutive game in a 5-0 decision to complete the series sweep at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. It's the first time the Gators have shut out the Rebels in a three game series since the 2009 season.



Florida (44-3, 18-2 SEC) returned with sophomore Kelly Barnhill (20-0) in the circle in the final game and she hurled five innings before being relieved by junior standout Aleshia Ocasio for the final two innings of play. Barnhill struck out nine Rebels and issued only one walk with a pair of scattered hits on 73 pitches.



Ocasio capped the game with three strikeouts, one walk and one hit.



Ocasio's bat provided the first run of the game in the third inning. With the bases loaded, the junior placed a ball towards the Ole Miss shortstop Paige McKinney that allowed a speedy Justine McLean to score from third for a 1-0 lead in the contest.

In the very next inning, Kayli Kvistad cleared the bases with a two out three RBI double that hit off the top of the center field wall. It was Kvistad's 11th double of the season and third of the week.



The Gators loaded the bases a double from Sophia Reynoso, a walk from Amanda Lorenz and an infield single from Nicole DeWitt. Florida tallied three doubles in the game.



Freshman pinch hitter Jordan Roberts put the finishing touches on the Gators scoring efforts in the game with a sky-high SAC fly to left field with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Fellow freshman Jaimie Hoover reached via hit by pitch and moved to third thanks to a single by Chelsea Herndon and a walk by Reynoso.



Next up for Florida is an SEC series in Knoxville against the University of Tennessee for its final SEC series of the 2017 regular season. First game is set for Friday, April 28 at 6 p.m.



Coaches Corner

On the team feeling fatigued and a break from midweek competition…

"Yeah I mean we're heading into finals week, so it's really not a break. You're talking about a different fatigue, and I think that's what we're suffering from right now. It's just a little bit of final fatigue you know just a little bit of academic stress. But overall, no excuses we have got to come out and be ready to go and take care of business. We're getting ready to play a great team, Tennessee, in Knoxville. It's a tough place for us to play, and we'll do everything in our power to prepare well this week and take care of our athletes." – Tim Walton



Notables

The Gators improved to 20-2 with14 shutouts over Top 25 competition this season.

Florida has also held Top 25 opponents to just one run in an additional six games.

This is the first time since 2009 that Florida has shut out Ole Miss in a three game series. That year the Gators outscored the Rebels 18-0.

It is also the second-straight series sweep over Ole Miss and extends the win streak out to nine games.

Kelly Barnhill improved her scoreless inning streak 43.1 innings. It's the second 40-plush scoreless inning streak produced by the talented sophomore this year.

Barnhill's weekly stat line was 25 strikeouts, four hits and one walk over 12.0 innings pitched with a .103 opponent batting average.

Barnhill improved to 20-0 on the season for her first 20 win season of her career.

She is also the only pitcher in the nation left undefeated with a minimum of 15 wins.

Kayli Kvistad extended her hit streak out to five games after her 1-for-2 performance at the plate.

Her three RBI double in the fourth pushed her to her 11th multi-RBI game of the season and her fourth game of three or more RBIs.

Kvistad finished the week 7-of-11 (.636) from the plate with three doubles, eight RBIs, two walks and a run scored.

DeWitt extended her reached base streak to nine games with a four game hit streak and her 12th multi-hit game of the season.

Florida produced 10 hits in today's game and it marks the 11th time this season the Gators have tallied 10 or more hits in a game.

[Deleted]

SEC weekly awards for two Gators:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the first time since 2015, a pair of Gators have earned both SEC Player & Pitcher of the Week during the same week.

Kayli Kvistad earned the first SEC Player of the Week of her career and first since Kelsey Stewart in 2015 while Kelly Barnhill was selected as the SEC Pitcher of the Week for the third consecutive week and fourth time overall this season.

Stewart and Lauren Haeger both secured SEC Player & Pitcher of the Week on April 27, 2015.

Kvistad was dominant at the plate over the week as she went 7-for-11 (.636) with eight RBIs, three doubles and a run scored. The Lake City, Fla. native picked up a pair of walks, one of which set the new Florida single-season record.

The first walk came during game two against No. 18 Ole Miss and broke the tie held with former Gators Aja Paculba and Lauren Haeger. Paculba set the record with 49 in 2009 and Haeger tied it in 2015. Kvistad now has 51 walks on the season, a mark that also currently leads the SEC.

Barnhill continued her dominance from the circle as she hurled 12.0 innings of shutout softball in a complete-game performance to open the series against the Rebels and a 5.0 inning outing in the series finale. With the addition of the 12.0 scoreless innings, Barnhill is currently riding a 43.1 scoreless inning streak.

It's the second streak of 40-plus innings without allowing a run for the talented sophomore this season.

Barnhill's four SEC Pitcher of the Week awards are the most by a Florida player in a single-season and second most earned over a career as Hannah Rodgers and Stephanie Brombacher each earned four and Stacey Nelson accumulated six SEC Pitcher of the Week awards throughout their careers.

The Gators continue SEC play with their final weekend of conference action in Knoxville against the University of Tennessee. Game one of the series is scheduled for Friday, April 28 at 6 p.m.

[Deleted]

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida looks to conclude the 2017 regular season of SEC play this weekend against Tennessee in Knoxville at Sherri Lee Parker Stadium. The first game of the series is scheduled for this Friday at 6 p.m.
 
Friday and Saturday fans can watch the Gators (44-3, 18-2 SEC) and the Volunteers (41-6, 13-4) online via the SEC Network + which is available on WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app. The final game of the series will be available on ESPN2.
All Florida softball games this season can be listened to live on WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM).
 
The Gators currently sit at the top of the SEC standings and have the opportunity to clinch its third-straight regular season title.
 

Notables:
For the third consecutive week, Kelly Barnhill was tabbed as this week's SEC Pitcher of the Week. Also, junior Kayli Kvistad picked up her first SEC Player of the Week award and the first for the program since 2015 when Kelsey Stewart was a recipient. It's the first time that the Gators have taken both pitcher and player of the week at the same time since Stewart and Lauren Haeger earned both on April 27, 2015. Barnhill's four SEC Pitcher of the Week awards are the most by an UF player in a single season and second most throughout a career as she is tied with Hannah Rodgers and Stephanie Brombacher and behind Stacey Nelson who accumulated six.
Since 2007, Florida is the winningest NCAA Division I softball program with a total of 609 wins to 106 losses for a staggering 0.851 win percentage. Tennessee, this weekend's opponent, ranks in the top five with a program record of 532-146-1 (.783). Alabama (568-127), Oklahoma (542-121) and Michigan (534-117-1) rank second, third and fourth respectively to round out the top five.
The Gators hold a 20-2 record against Top 25 competition this season with a combined total of 14 shutouts. Added to the impressive statistic of 14 shutouts is the face that Florida has held an additional six opponents to just one run, so that's 20 out of the 22 opponents that this year's team has held to one run or less.  Offensively, Florida has only been shut out once by a Top 25 opponent.
Florida currently leads the nation with 29 shutouts on the season, which includes 14 over Top 25 competition. The next closest program is Alabama with 23 shutouts and only an additional three with at least 20 on the season. To put the impressive number in perspective, last year's team produced 27 shutouts during the regular season and four more in post-season play for 31 total shutouts. Also, Kelly Barnhill alone has 10 shutouts this season to her credit which is equal to or better than 253 other Division I programs.
It's no surprise that the Gators are once again boast one of the nation's best defenses. For the past two years Florida finished the season with top national marks of 0.984 (2016), a program record, and 0.981 (2015). This year's squad has improved from the past two seasons with the nation's leading fielding percentage of 0.986.
Once again, the Gators have established one of the nation's best pitching staffs. The trio of Kelly Barnhill (0.17 ERA), Aleshia Ocasio (0.86 ERA) and Delanie Gourley (0.94 ERA) all rank inside the Top 10 for the nation's best ERA. The current SEC record for ERA is 0.35 set by Trinity Johnson of South Carolina in 1997 while Stacy Nelson (0.61) set the UF record in 2009.
Junior Nicole DeWitt has hit a different gear in SEC competition. The crafty second baseman leads the Gators in conference play with a .389 batting average, 21 hits and five doubles while defensively she has recorded 22 putouts and 23 assists without a fielding error.

[Deleted]

Game Recap: Softball | Friday, April 28, 2017 | Herb Brooks

Kvistad Homers Twice & Barnhill Shuts Out No. 8 Volunteers



Next Game:
at Tennessee
4/29/2017 - 2 PM
WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM)
SEC Network +

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 1-ranked University of Florida softball team shut out No. 8 Tennessee for the first time in Knoxville since 2012 with a 5-0 victory at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. A stadium record crowd of 2,218 attended the series-opening win.

Reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week, Kelly Barnhill (21-0) was electric in the circle once again for the Gators (45-3, 19-2 SEC) and was backed up offensively by SEC Player of the Week Kayli Kvistad who crushed a pair of solo home runs to bookend the teams scoring.

It all started in the first inning when Florida scored first for the 40th time this season. With two outs, Kvistad sent a 2-1 pitch from Tennessee (41-7, 13-5 SEC) starter Matty Moss (21-2) over the right field fence to put the Gators ahead 1-0.

That run alone would have been enough for Barnhill in the circle as she went on to record her 11th complete-game shutout of the season.

The sophomore right-handed pitcher moved quickly through the Volunteer lineup until she relinquished her first hit in the bottom of the fourth to Brooke Vines. Tennessee did put a pair of runners on base in the inning but Barnhill quickly dispatched the threat when she recorded her seventh strikeout.

More run support came for the Gators in the fifth inning.

The stage was set for sophomore Amanda Lorenz to bust the game open when freshman Jaimie Hoover reached via hit by pitch and eventually moved into scoring position by Sophia Reynoso's eighth SAC bunt of the year.

The most crucial at-bat of the inning came from senior Justine McLean. With one out, McLean battled through a 12-pitch at-bat to draw her 14th walk of the year. Lorenz then ripped a ground ball down the right field line just inside the first base bag for her second triple of the year to score both Hoover and McLean.

The Gators brought the scoring in the inning to a close when Kvistad crushed her second home run of the game on an opposite field shot over the right center field wall.
Vines picked up the only other hit of the night for the Volunteers in the sixth inning.

Game two is set for tomorrow at 2 p.m. and can be viewed live on the SEC Network + via WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.

Coaches Corner – Tim Walton
On the offense continuously finding ways to produce…
"Just trying to find a way to score runs early in the game for Kelly, to give her a little bit of a cushion and try to change the way people attack her in the other dugout. I think it was a nice start today with Kayli hitting that ball in the first and just being able to turn the lineup over was big. I really thought the at-bat of the day though was Justine McLean's long foul ball out with a walk. To me that was the game changing at-bat. The nine-hole batter reaching by walk but fighting and fighting through the entire at-bat was huge."

On Kelly Barnhill's 50.1 scoreless inning streak…
"It's an incredible feat. We've obviously made some great plays behind her defensively but give her a lot of the credit. I think she has done a really good job of being able to just really command her pitches and locate her pitches so much better during here in her sophomore year. She's pitching with confidence and also aggressively.

Notables
Sophia Reynoso recorded her eighth SAC bunt of the season in the fifth when she moved Jaimie Hoover into scoring position on 0-1 count.
Kayli Kvistad tallied a pair of solo home runs in tonight's contest to bring her season total to seven. She also extended her hitting streak to six games.
It's the first multi-home run game of the season for Kvistad and first for the program since Lorenz hit two against North Florida (4/5) earlier this season.
Also, the 11th time this season the Gators have produced a multi-home run game.
The Gators improved their record to 21-2 and produced the team's 15th shutout of the season over a Top 25 opponent.
It was Barnhill's 11th complete-game shutout of the season.
Barnhill eclipsed her previous scoreless inning streak record during tonight's game. She extended her current streak to 50.1 innings, which surpassed her previous career-best of 45.2 innings.
Barnhill produced her 12th outing of 10-plus strikeouts in a game.
The 12 strikeouts were a season-high for the Vols, which makes it the fifth SEC opponent and sixth time she has dealt a season-high in strikeouts to SEC opposition.
Florida shut out Tennessee for the first time in Knoxville since the series finale March 9, 2012.
The team also improved its all-time record to 48-25 and 26-12 since 2006 when Walton took over the program.

[Deleted]

With UF's 9-0 win at Tennessee and Texas A&M's 7-2 loss at Kentucky, the Gators are the 2017 SEC Champion:

Florida Gators
2017 SEC Champion