Florida Softball - National Champion 14 15

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From floridagators.com


Game Recap: Softball | Saturday, April 29, 2017 | Herb Brooks


No. 1 Gators Earn Historic Third Straight SEC Championship; Shuts Out No. 8 Tennessee





Next Game:
at Tennessee
4/30/2017 - 1 PM 
WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM)
ESPN2


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 1-ranked University of Florida softball team clinched its third straight SEC Regular Season Championship with a 9-0 shut out over No. 8 Tennessee at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Florida is only the third program to have won three-straight SEC Regular Season Championships.



The Gators (46-3, 20-2 SEC) secured the championship with their second straight shutout against the Volunteers (41-8, 13-6 SEC) and sixth in a row against an SEC opponent. It's the first time in program history Florida has produced back-to-back shut outs over Tennessee in Knoxville.



At the leadoff position for the 31st time this season, sophomore Amanda Lorenz served as the catalyst for the Gators offense once again. Lorenz had a career day at the plate going 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Lorenz even had a hand in helping score a run for the Gators in the second inning when Sophia Reynoso scored on a high fly ball that popped out of Megan Geer's glove in right field.



Lorenz was only one of three Gators to produce multi-hit games as senior Justine McLean tied her career-high with a 3-for-4 day with a pair of runs to go along with Aleshia Ocasio's 2-for-4 performance with a pair of RBIs and a run scored.



The trio combined for nine of Florida's 12 hits which was a season-high given up by Tennessee this season. The Volunteers had never given up more than nine hits in a game to an opposing team prior to today.



Ocasio, who produced her eighth multi-hit game, put Florida on the scoreboard in the first inning with her third triple of the season. Lorenz and Kayli Kvistad both scored on the play to give UF a 2-0 lead.



From there the Gators went on to score one run in the second, a run in the third and three in the fourth to put the game out of reach 7-0.



Jaimie Hoover was responsible for scoring Ocasio in the third on an RBI double and in the fourth a bases loaded SAC bunt by Wheaton to go along with an error by Chelsea Seggern at third base on a hard hit ball by Jordan Roberts scored two more.



Kvistad put the finishing touches on the contest with the team's fourth extra base hit of the game. The Lake City, Fla. native ripped her 12th double of the season to score McLean and Jacqui Switzer and push the lead out to 9-0.



With a comfortable lead, Florida's pitching once again silenced the Tennessee offense as starting pitcher Delanie Gourley (15-3) scattered a trio of hits and issued only one free pass via a hit batter in the top of the seventh.



Gourley tallied her 13th complete-game and ninth shutout of the season with five strikeouts.



The Gators have one more SEC game left in the regular season will look to close out the series against Tennessee tomorrow at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.

 

Coaches Corner

On the team winning the program's third-straight SEC Championship…

"I'm extremely proud of our players' preparation and their willingness to control their own destiny. I thought they really worked hard, prepared hard and played hard the last two days. To beat a good Tennessee team in Knoxville is a tough thing to do and I'm proud of our team for the way they competed and the way they handled the pressure of really having to win every game for a long time. I'm proud of them for just playing the game of softball and just really showing me a true image of what a total team looks like. It's a big team championship and a big team win for our program." – Tim Walton



Notables:

The Gators become only the third program to win three-straight SEC Regular Season Championships.

LSU ('99, '00, '01 & '02) & Alabama ('10, '11 & '12)

Florida's seven SEC Regular Season Championships leads the SEC ('98, '08, '09, '13, '15, '16 & '17).

Florida scored first for the 41st time this season and have outscored opponents 64-5 throughout the season and 20-1 in SEC play alone.

Aleshia Ocasio produced her eighth multiple hit game of the season and third multi-RBI game of the year.

Lorenz tallied her team-leading 18th multi-hit game of the season going 4-for-5 at the plate.

The four hits is a career-high for the sophomore.

Freshman Jacqui Switzer stole her 15th base of the season, which ties her for eighth in the Florida freshman record book with Michelle Moultrie.

The Gators notched their 15th shutout and improved to 22-2 against Top 25 competition.

Overall, Florida now has nation's best 31 shutouts this season.

 

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From behind enemy lines - the UT site at SEC Country:

- UT came into the weekend as the hottest team in softball having won 20 in a row prior to losing the series finale 1-0 at a strong LSU team last weekend.
- The UF at UT series was billed as the vols offense against the Gators pitching. As it turns out, the Gators have an offense too in winning 5-0 & 9-0.
- UT went from SEC and national contender to a program in doubt playing for pride today. It'll be interesting to see how UF plays today.

Tennessee softball fighting for respect today against Florida after 9-0 loss

Mike Griffith
SEC Country

Tennessee softball will find out over the next few weeks if it’s a month away from the Women’s College World Series — or another year away.

First things first, the Lady Vols will look to avoid getting swept in a three-game series for what would be the first time this season today.

The No. 8-ranked Lady Vols (41-8, 13-6 SEC) dropped a 9-0 decision to No. 1-ranked Florida (46-3, 20-2) Saturday afternoon at Lee Stadium.

Megan Geer was the only senior in the starting lineup for Tennessee on the designated “Senior Day,” but the margin of defeat was no less disappointing for the Lady Vols, who have been shutout three consecutive games.

“They’re pitching is superior – in the 16 years I’ve been here, that (Florida) staff if probably the best staff I’ve seen,” Tennessee co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. “Those pitchers shut our team down, and I haven’t seen our team shut down like that in a long time.”

Tennessee freshman pitcher Caylan Arnold (18-6) surrendered seven runs and seven hits in four innings in defeat.

Florida pitcher Delanie Gourley (15-3) allowed just three hits over he seven innings she pitched.

The Gators jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Aleshia Ocasio’s two-run triple, and took advantage of Geer misplaying a fly ball in right to make it 3-0 in the third.

Amanda Lorenz went 4-for-5 from the leadoff spot and scored two runs for Florida.

Tennessee’s Aubrey Leach, Jenna Holcomb and Katie Weimer accounted for Tennessee’s hits

The Lady Vols travel to No. 3 Texas A&M next weekend, and then the SEC tournament will take place in Knoxville May 10-13.

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Tim Walton pitched Aleshia Ocasio instead of Kelly Barnhill whom he likely saved for FSU on Wednesday night in Tallahassee. UF lost 5-1 when Ocasio gave up a grand slam in the 5th and a single run in the 6th. I'd have rather seen Walton pitch Barnhill for the sweep and pitch Delanie Gourley in Tallahassee. I doubt the loss will keep UF out of a super regional host spot, but it may well cost UF the overall #1 seed with at FSU and the SEC tourney left to play.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1-ranked Florida fell 5-1 to No. 8 Tennessee in front of a Sherri Parker Lee Stadium record crowd during the series finale. The Gators took the series 2-1 in Knoxville for the first time since 2012 with a pair of back-to-back shutouts to start the series.

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5.1.2017

UF has won 3 consecutive SEC championships, 15/16/17. 

UF will be trying to become the first SEC team to win the SEC championship and the SEC tourney championship since UF last accomplished the feat in 2013.

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5.2.2017

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Four the fourth consecutive week and fifth overall time this season, sophomore Kelly Barnhill was tabbed as the SEC Pitcher of the Week.

Barnhill produced her 11th shutout and 12th complete game of the season in Florida's win 5-0 at No. 11/8 Tennessee Friday night. It was the Gators' first shutout in Knoxville since the series finale on March 9, 2012. She recorded 12 strikeouts, a season-high for her opponent.

Her performance marked the sixth time and fifth SEC opponent she has achieved this feat against this season. Barnhill extended her scoreless inning streak to 50.1 innings, which eclipses her previous streak of 45.2 she achieved earlier this season.

Barnhill's five 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 No. 1 Gators are slated to take on No. 2 Florida State in Tallahassee tomorrow at 7 p.m. for the final game of the Fresh from Florida Sunshine Showdown series.

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Win or lose, I think it's safe to say both teams will be host teams through to the CWS. Since Kelly Barnhill didn't pitch Sunday at Tennessee, I'm expecting her to get the start with Delanie Gourley likely getting a couple of innings too. It should be another great game:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 1 Florida travels to Tallahassee to take on No. 2 Florida State Wednesday at 7 p.m. in what is the final game of the Fresh from Florida Sunshine Showdown series this season.

The Gators (46-4) come off a 2-1 weekend where the program produced back-to-back shutouts in the first two games against Tennessee in Knoxville to secure its third straight SEC Regular Season Championship.

The Seminoles (47-3-1) enter tomorrow's matchup after they closed out the ACC regular season undefeated for their fifth consecutive ACC Regular Season Championship.

It's not the first time this season the two programs have met.  Just three weeks ago the pair squared off in Gainesville, Florida held the No. 3 ranking and Florida State ranked at the top of the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll when the two teams met for the first time in 2017.

The titanic matchup did not disappoint either as it went down to the very last inning with the Gators winning 1-0.

Junior Kayli Kvistad roped an RBI single to right field that scored senior Justine McLean in the bottom of the seventh inning to walk-off with the victory. McLean reached via a one-handed bunt single off reliever Megan King, who entered with one out in the seventh for starter Jessica Burroughs.

Amanda Lorenz pushed McLean into scoring position with a ground out to first base while Nicole DeWitt drew a two-out walk on a 3-1 count to set the table for Kvistad's heroics.

Delanie Gourley started in the circle for the Gators and provided five complete innings of quality work while Barnhill picked up the victory over the final two innings.

The Gators hold a 24-14 record over the Seminoles and have won 17 out of the last 18 games.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early as it is expected to be a capacity crowd at JoAnne Graf Field. Admission is free and the game will be streamed live via the ACC Network Extra found on WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN App.

Adam Schick and Kelsey Horton will also have the call on WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM).

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It took all of 10.1 innings to decide the final contest of the Fresh from Florida Sunshine Showdown between No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Florida State. In the second longest game ever between the two programs, the Gators fell 3-1 to the Seminoles on a walk-off home run by Alex Powers.

Sophomore Kelly Barnhill (21-1) set a pair of Florida records in her heroic effort from the circle. The Marietta, Ga. native hurled a single-game record 21 strikeouts and notched the most innings in a single game with 10.1 pitched.

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UF ends 2 game losing streak with run rule 8-0 6 inning win over Mean Green:



Game Recap: Softball | Friday, May 5, 2017 | Herb Brooks

Offensive Explosion Powers No. 1 Gators To Victory Over Mean Green

Next Game:
North Texas
5/6/2017 - 1 PM
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Live Stats
WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM)
SEC Network +


GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida softball team pounded out 14 hits and eight doubles en route to a 8-0 shutout victory in six innings over North Texas at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The Gators (47-5) doubled their previous season-high in doubles with a pair each from Nicole DeWitt and Janell Wheaton. Chelsea Herndon, Aleshia Ocasio and Sophia Reynoso also each tallied a double in the effort.

Meanwhile in the circle, senior Delanie Gourley (16-3) received the start and threw four-complete innings with seven strikeouts compared to only one hit. Ocasio relieved Gourley in the fifth to provide a pair of quality innings where she only relinquished a two of hits.

Janell Wheaton broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning with a two RBI double off the wall in left center field. Kvistad reached earlier in the inning with her second straight single and DeWitt smashed the first double of the game to move the pair into scoring position.

The Gators put up five runs on five hits in the fourth inning of play. Amanda Lorenz, Herndon and DeWitt each recorded run producing doubles while Wheaton drove in another pair of Florida runs on a single up the middle.

Reynoso ripped the sixth double of the game in the fifth inning with one out on the board to give the Gators an opportunity to put the game away. Lorenz then drove a deep fly ball down the left field line but North Texas (24-28) left fielder Camille Grahmann ranged over for the second out.

Kvistad drew her 56th walk of the season on an intentional walk to set the table for DeWitt but another deep fly out would get the Mean Green out of the jam.

With a 7-0 lead, the Gators offense would not be denied in the sixth frame. Wheaton notched her second double of the game and Herndon dropped a single just over the head of the North Texas shortstop to put runners on first and second.

Ocasio put the game away in the next at-bat with a double to the gap in left center field that scored Wheaton for the eighth and final run.

The Gators return to action tomorrow at 1 p.m. for a second game between North Texas. Florida's three seniors, Chelsea Herndon, Justine McLean and Delanie Gourley will be recognized for their contributions to the Gators softball program prior to the start of the game.


Coaches Corner
On the offensive production tonight…
"When you look at our pitching and you look at our defense, I think if we can swing the bat well we are very tough to beat because of how many shutouts we produce and how hard it is to score off our pitching staff. I'm really proud of how our offense came out and answered the coaches' challenge from Wednesday night and Thursday. The longest meeting I've ever had with this team this year was yesterday, we just talked about their intentions of how they want to swing the bat." – Tim Walton
 
 Notables:
The Gators recorded 14 hits in the game against the Mean Green.
It's the 13th time this season the team has produced 10 or more hits in a game.
The eight doubles hit tonight against North Texas are the most hit in a game this season.
The previous season-high was four doubles three different times this year.
Nicole DeWitt and Janell Wheaton produced the first multi-double game since Kayli Kvistad hit two against Jacksonville (2/17/16).
Each finished the night with three hits which tied their career-highs.
The Gators produced their 32nd shutout of the season, which is a mark that still leads the nation.
Florida is 25-1 against unranked teams this season.

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Senior Day:



GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida softball team took time to recognize three seniors, Chelsea Herndon, Justine McLean and Delanie Gourley prior to an 8-0 victory over North Texas at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

All three Gator (48-5) seniors received starts and Gourley picked up her 17th win of the season in the circle after she threw 4.2 innings of shutout softball against the Mean Green (24-29).

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida softball team wrapped up the 2017 regular season with a pair of wins over North Texas (8-1) and Florida A&M (7-0) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The Gators (50-5) finished the regular season with their ninth 50-win season in program history, all of which have come under head coach Tim Walton.

Florida picked up its first win of the day, 8-1, to complete the series sweep of North Texas (25-30). Sophomore Kelly Barnhill threw five innings and recorded 11 strikeouts while only relinquishing one run to the Mean Green. The lone run came in the came in the fourth on a solo home run by Lacy Gregory.

Freshman Katie Chronister relieved Barnhill in the sixth to throw two innings and picked up three strikeouts to complete the game.

Nicole DeWitt stayed hot at the plate as she drove in three of the seven runs in the game. The career-high tying 3-for-4 performance was her second in three games.

Amanda Lorenz and Kayli Kvistad accounted for all but two of the runs scored against North Texas as each crossed home plate three times. Sophia Reynoso was the other Gator responsible for scoring a run in the contest.

Lorenz knocked her third triple of the year in the first and scored on a wild pitch immediately after to set the tone for the day.

The Gators plated a pair of runs in the first inning, three in the third and the fourth to solidify the victory.

In game two, Florida racked up 10 hits on its way to the 7-0 victory over Florida A&M (18-29-1), which included three extra base hits and five stolen bases.

Senior Delanie Gourley received the start and struck out the first seven batters she seen swinging. The Lakeside, Calif. native threw 4.2 innings and struck out 13 batters before Barnhill relieved her. Barnhill pitched 1.1 innings with three strikeouts and Aleshia Ocasio capped the game in the seventh with a pair of strikeouts in the seventh.

The 18 strikeouts on the day tied the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium record set by Barnhill against Winthrop (3/16/16) last season.

The highlight of the game was back-to-back home runs by Ocasio and Chelsea Herndon in the fifth inning. Ocasio laced a two-run home run on a 2-0 count that also scored sophomore Alex Voss while Herndon nearly replicated Ocasio's home run on a 2-1 count in the very next at-bat.

Both Ocasio and Voss led the way with two runs scored a piece against the Lady Rattlers.

Next up for the Gators is the SEC Tournament in Knoxville, Tenn. with the first game scheduled for Thursday, May 11 at 2:30 p.m. against the winner of the No. 8-seed Ole Miss and No. 9-seed Mississippi State.
 
Coaches Corner
On a quick reflection of the regular season and the importance of the games that are ahead…
"Well I think the cool thing is the fifty wins. Fifty games won is a lot of games to be proud of, a lot to be thankful for, and we stayed relatively healthy through that stretch. I'm just really happy for our team and the way they came out and competed. The second part of that is every single person's statistics start over. It's a fresh slate. A new slate. We have zero wins and zero losses, and now it's time to go out there and compete. Nobody cares about your stats; it's about the W's now." – Tim Walton
 
Notables
The Gators secured their ninth 50-win season in program history with two wins to end the regular season.
It's the fifth straight time the program has won at least 50 games in a season.
Florida produced 18 strikeouts against Florida A&M to tie the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium record.
Gourley had 13 strikeouts, Barnhill had three and Ocasio had two.
The record was set last season against Winthrop (3/16/16) when Barnhill was in the circle.
Nicole DeWitt finished the week going 9-for-19 (.500) at the plate with five doubles, five RBIs and five runs scored over five games. DeWitt also tallied a triple that was nearly an inside the park home run against Florida A&M today.
DeWitt also had a pair of 3-for-4 performances against North Texas, which each tied her career high for hits in a game.
Delanie Gourley went 3-0 in the circle this weekend as she registered 13.1 innings of work with 26 strikeouts compared to only three walks and six scattered hits for an opponent batting average of .133.
Freshman Jacqui Switzer stole a pair of bases in the final game against North Texas.
She now has 18 on the season, which ties her for fifth all-time amongst Florida freshmen with Shelly Stevens.
The three runs scored in the game against North Texas was a career-high for Kayli Kvistad and tied Amanda Lorenz's career-high for the fifth time.The two runs scored by Alex Voss against Florida A&M was a career-high for her as well.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The regular season has come to an end for all Southeastern Conference teams and the bracket is officially set for the 2017 SEC Softball Tournament that runs May 10-13, in Knoxville, Tenn., at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

The Gators (50-5, 20-3 SEC) clinched the No. 1-seed in the tournament after defeating Tennessee, 2-1, during the final SEC series of the season just a week ago in Knoxville. It was the third straight SEC regular-season title and league-leading seventh overall.

Florida received a first-round bye and will not see action until Thursday, May 11, at 2:30 p.m. There the team will face the winner of No. 8-seed Ole Miss (36-18) and No. 9-seed Mississippi State (36-19). The game is scheduled to be broadcast on the SEC Network.

The semifinals will be aired on ESPNU at 3 and 5:30 p.m. Friday and the championship game scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. will be shown on ESPN.

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SEC Honors for UF:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Eight different Florida softball players received 10 post-season awards from the Southeastern Conference as announced by the league office this morning. The six All-SEC First Team selections are the most by any Gators team since the program's inception in 1997.

Led by 2017 SEC Coach of the Year, head coach Tim Walton, the Gators finished the regular season with a 50-5 record and 20-3 mark in SEC play.

Walton earns his fifth SEC Coach of the Year accolade since taking over the program.

"Today is a very special day for the Gators softball program. I'm extremely proud of our players for being honored by the SEC and the SEC coaches." Walton said. "Our entire program shares these special awards from starters to non-starters and from managers to coaches. I am very thankful to have such a great group of people to be around every day!"

Sophomore Kelly Barnhill (22-1) highlights the list of Florida selections as she earned a spot on the All-SEC First Team and awarded SEC Pitcher of the Year as she has compiled a 0.33 ERA and even better 0.09 ERA in SEC play alone. It is the first SEC Pitcher of the Year award for a Gator since Stacey Nelson in 2009.

Joining Barnhill on the first team is Delanie Gourley (LHP), Kayli Kvistad (IF), Nicole DeWitt (IF), Amanda Lorenz (OF) and Aleshia Ocasio (DP/U). Senior Justine McLean earned All-SEC Second Team accolades while redshirt-freshman Sophia Reynoso landed on the All-SEC Freshman Team.

DeWitt, also selected as a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team, has provided exceptional play at second base this season for the Gators. She's helped lead the Gators to the top fielding percentage in the country for the third consecutive season.

Since 2006, a total of 28 Player and 56 All-SEC honors have been accumulated under Walton, and 80 have been selected overall since 1997. There has also been 21 SEC All-Defensive accolades by 13 players since the league introduced the award in 2008 and 30 student-athletes have been selected as Freshman All-SEC under Walton and 33 dating back to the accolades inception in 2004.BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Eight different Florida softball players received 10 post-season awards from the Southeastern Conference as announced by the league office this morning. The six All-SEC First Team selections are the most by any Gators team since the program's inception in 1997.

Led by 2017 SEC Coach of the Year, head coach Tim Walton, the Gators finished the regular season with a 50-5 record and 20-3 mark in SEC play.

Walton earns his fifth SEC Coach of the Year accolade since taking over the program.

"Today is a very special day for the Gators softball program. I'm extremely proud of our players for being honored by the SEC and the SEC coaches." Walton said. "Our entire program shares these special awards from starters to non-starters and from managers to coaches. I am very thankful to have such a great group of people to be around every day!"

Sophomore Kelly Barnhill (22-1) highlights the list of Florida selections as she earned a spot on the All-SEC First Team and awarded SEC Pitcher of the Year as she has compiled a 0.33 ERA and even better 0.09 ERA in SEC play alone. It is the first SEC Pitcher of the Year award for a Gator since Stacey Nelson in 2009.

Joining Barnhill on the first team is Delanie Gourley (LHP), Kayli Kvistad (IF), Nicole DeWitt (IF), Amanda Lorenz (OF) and Aleshia Ocasio (DP/U). Senior Justine McLean earned All-SEC Second Team accolades while redshirt-freshman Sophia Reynoso landed on the All-SEC Freshman Team.

DeWitt, also selected as a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team, has provided exceptional play at second base this season for the Gators. She's helped lead the Gators to the top fielding percentage in the country for the third consecutive season.

Since 2006, a total of 28 Player and 56 All-SEC honors have been accumulated under Walton, and 80 have been selected overall since 1997. There has also been 21 SEC All-Defensive accolades by 13 players since the league introduced the award in 2008 and 30 student-athletes have been selected as Freshman All-SEC under Walton and 33 dating back to the accolades inception in 2004.

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The No. 1 seed Florida softball team’s road to an SEC Tournament title begins at 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday in Knoxville, Tenn., with a quarterfinal game against No. 8 seed Ole Miss.

The Gators (50-5) head into the 2017 SEC Tournament as the winners of three consecutive regular-season conference titles, but have fallen short of the tournament championship each of those years. In fact, no player on Florida’s roster has been a part of an SEC Tournament championship team. The last time the Gators won the tournament was 2013, the year before seniors Delanie Gourley, Justine McLean and Chelsea Herndon joined the program.

Florida swept Ole Miss during the teams’ regular-season matchup, with the Gators shutting out the Rebels by scores of 2-0, 3-0 and 5-0.

This is also the second straight time Florida will open the conference tournament against Ole Miss. The Gators defeated the Rebels 1-0 in the quarterfinals last year. Kelly Barnhill and Aleshia Ocasio combined for a 1-hitter in the win, while Florida’s lone run came on a passed ball with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning. UF lost in the semifinals to eventual tournament champion Auburn the next day.

How to watch Florida-Ole Miss

The game Thursday is available on the SEC Network and can be streamed via WatchESPN.

Looking at Ole Miss

The Rebels (37-18) are ranked 18th in the latest NFCA poll and have won five of their past six games heading into its game with Florida on Thursday at Tennessee’s Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. They advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating No. 9 seed Mississippi State 2-1 in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.

Ole Miss junior P Kaitlin Lee tossed her 20th complete game of the season, scattering just 5 hits and only allowing 1 run to score en route to her 17th win of the season. On the season, Lee has a 1.90 ERA and is holding opponents to a .236 batting average.

OF Elantra Cox fuels the offense. The junior has a team-high. 417 batting average and 78 hits. She is 1 of 8 regulars with a slugging percentage of at least .400.

Notes

Florida is 24-26 all-time in the SEC Tournament and has won it three times.

After its sweep earlier this season, Florida is 48-8 all-time against Ole Miss and has won 16 of its last 17 games against the Rebels dating to the 2010 season.

Florida had a conference-leading six players land on the All-SEC First Team on Tuesday, led by SEC Pitcher of the Year Kelly Barnhill.

Seven of Florida’s regulars in the batting order have averages above .300 with three posting slugging marks above .550.

Junior 1B Kayli Kvistad has a UF record 60 walks this season, a mark that ranks tied for second nationally and is a major contributor to her SEC-high .583 on-base percentage.

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Ole Miss 2; UF 0

The Gators were coached and played like they didn't give a whit about the SEC tourney. An error in the field led to both of the rebs unearned runs in the first inning. The Gators weren't aggressive at the plate getting 2 hits. Tim Walton juggled the lineup coming in and played reserves in the field as the game progressed. I just wasted 2 hours watching a game that should have had the forfeit mailed in. I feel bad for Delanie Gourley as she got zero team support and had to take the loss for the program. (shaking head)

UF has tickets to host a regional and a super regional so they had nothing to play for today after having won the regular season SEC championship. They were coached that way and played that way. Still, I remember UGALY upsetting UF in the super regional last season with the Gators playing just this way, like they are a lock for the CWS. I don't care if they lost, but I do care that they played and lost like a program that didn't care enough to give their best. The paying fans at the UT stadium were short changed. If this team comes up short of a successful run to and into the CWS, you can look back to today as a red flag warning. UF has only emboldened future NCAA tourney opponents with this unacceptable performance. 

I'm also thinking back to the way UF played game 3 at UT two weeks ago losing that game 5-1 after having won the first two games 5-0 and 9-0. Katie Barnhill should have pitched and won that game. Tim Walton has sent a message that it's okay to lose certain games. I don't like this attitude one bit. 

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Understatement - the team took the attitude of the HC as far as I'm concerned:

Coaches Corner
Overall thoughts on today's game and moving forward…
"I think the biggest thing to take away from today's game is that Ole Miss came out and played a good game. They got that one hit and that's what it's all about when you get down to post-season type games with post-season type atmospheres. It's going to come down to one hit, they got it and we didn't – so give them a lot of credit. I thought Delanie (Gourley) did good and I thought we swung the bat pretty average. We need to get better if we are going to make a late charge into the post-season." – Tim Walton