GATORS CHEYENNE COYLE, JESS DAMICO AND MICHELLE MOULTRIE PREVIEW 2012
Opening week for the 2012 Gator softball squad is here and this year, for the fourth-consecutive campaign, the No. 2/4 Gators will head down the road to Tampa, Fla., for a USF-hosted tournament Feb. 10-12 at the newly renovated USF Softball Stadium on the campus of the University of South Florida.
Florida kicks off the USF-Fairfield Inn & Suites Tampa North Tournament with match-ups against Long Island and FGCU Friday evening, followed by contests against Maine and Illinois State Saturday evening. The Gators and tournament-host USF will clash in a Sunday afternoon finale to complete UF's five-game opening weekend.
USF will provide live in-game online statistics; check www.GatorZone.com for a direct link Friday. Additionally, WYGC 104.9, '105 The Game', will once again serve as the home of Florida softball on the radio. Local fans can tune in to hear Mike Gillespie and former Gator All-American Megan Bush with the call from Tampa.
Florida owns a 22-5 all-time on opening day record and is 8-3 under head coach Tim Walton in season-openers. The Gators enter the 2012 season with 692 program victories, and will be looking to eclipse the 700-win mark in the first couple of weeks of play to kick off 2012 with a bang.
Predicted to win the 2012 Southeastern Conference title in the annual preseason coaches' poll, The Gators finished 56-13 a year ago and were the national runner-up in Oklahoma City in 2011.
Last year at the season-opening USF Wilson DeMarini Tournament, the Gators cruised to five quick victories with wins over Marshall, FGCU, Long Island, NC State and USF. Florida went on to string together a 24-0 start to the 2011 season before its first loss, the best start in Gator softball history.
The Orange and Blue will rematch with Long Island and FGCU Friday – the Gators own five combined wins over the two programs – with 3-0 overall record against the Blackbirds and a 2-0 mark all-time against the Eagles. Last year, the Gators defeated Long Island 9-2 and FGCU 6-0.
Saturday's games will provide challenges against two opponents the Gators have yet to see recently in Maine and Illinois State. While Florida leads the series, 4-0, the Gators and Maine Black Bears haven't met in nearly 10 years, last taking to the field March 23, 2002, resulting in a 1-0 UF victory. Likewise, Florida and Illinois State are meeting for the first time since March 4, 2007, when the Redbirds served the Gators a 1-0 loss. Illinois State leads the series, 2-0.
Sunday's clash with USF will serve as the first of two meetings between the two Sunshine State opponents, with the second slated as a mid-week match-up in Gainesville March 28. In the long history of the two teams, UF holds the all-time advantage, 32-11, after serving the Bulls two losses last season with a 12-0 victory in February, followed by a 10-2 win in March for the Orange and Blue.
Florida is coming off one of its most successful seasons yet, following a fourth-straight trip to the Women's College World Series in 2011, including a spot in the Championship Series two of the last three seasons. The Orange and Blue won the SEC Eastern Division for the fourth-consecutive season, fifth all-time and shattered over 40 UF records and eight Southeastern Conference marks. UF paced the nation in Academic All-Americans, with four, and boasted a nation-leading six All-Americans, the most possible for a single institution.
For the fourth-consecutive season, the Gator softball team will enter its campaign with two preseason top-five rankings after checking in at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively in the two national polls. The Gators were tabbed No. 2 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll, while picking up the No. 4 spot in ESPN.com/USA Softball's Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
Florida returns three All-Americans in senior centerfielder Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.), junior catcher Brittany Schutte (Fountain Valley, Calif.) and sophomore righty Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.), and boasts a slate of seven newcomers, including USA Softball Women's Junior National Team members Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) and Jess Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.), along with the 2011 Gatorade Florida Softball Player of the Year in Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.).
Florida has already caught the attention of many entering 2012, as three student-athletes – Moultrie, Schutte and sophomore US Junior Women's National Team member Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, Calif.) – were named to the 2012 Preseason All-SEC squad, while Moultrie, Schutte and Rogers are three of 50 collegiate softball players on the 2012 ASA/USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List.
FLORIDA OPENING DAY HISTORY
| 2011 | vs. Marshall | N | W, 17-1 |
| | vs. FGCU | N | W, 6-0 |
| 2010 | vs. East Carolina | N | W, 4-3 |
| | vs. No. 13/14 Georgia Tech | N | L, 3-0 |
| 2009 | Baylor | H | W, 3-0 |
| 2008 | vs. Bethune-Cookman | N | W, 10-0 |
| | vs. Florida Gulf Coast | N | W, 6-4 |
| 2007 | vs. Northwestern St. | N | W, 4-0 |
| | vs. Oregon | N | W, 2-1 |
| 2006 | vs. Kansas | N | L, 6-0 |
| | vs. No. 22 Oregon | N | L, 5-4 |
| 2005 | vs. FAU | N | W, 4-1 |
| | at FIU | A | W, 6-4 |
| 2004 | vs. Appalachian St. | H | W, 10-0 |
| | vs. South Florida | H | L, 2-1 |
| 2003 | at UCF | A | W, 6-5 (8) |
| | at UCF | A | W, 1-0 |
| 2002 | North Carolina | H | W, 10-0 |
| | Florida International | H | L, 4-0 |
| 2001 | Southeastern Louisiana | H | W, 8-0 |
| | South Florida | H | W, 4-3 |
| 2000 | Stetson | H | W, 3-2 (8) |
| | Coastal Carolina | H | W, 8-0 |
| 1999 | No. 11 DePaul | H | W, 3-2 (8) |
| 1998 | Northwestern | H | W, 3-0 |
| 1997 | Stetson | H | W, 8-0 |
| | Stetson | H | W, 3-2 |
*Orange under head coach Tim Walton
Following its season-opening tournament on the road, the Gators will open the 2012 campaign at home Wednesday, Feb. 15, against Sunshine State opponent Jacksonville. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. from Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on the University of Florida campus.
For all the latest on Florida softball, as well as a complete schedule, results, statistics and recaps, visit the Gators online at www.GatorZone.com/softball and follow on Facebook and Twitter @GatorZoneSBall.
