No. 1 Gators Travel to Orlando for Diamond 9 Citrus Classic
Thursday, February 27, 2014 | Softball
Gator Softball will take its No. 1 ranking to Orlando this weekend, when Florida will participate in the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex. The Orange and Blue open play Friday (Feb. 28) at 3:30 p.m. (all times EST), when they face No. 4/6 Oregon on ESPN. Play continues Saturday with games against Fordham (1:15 p.m.) and Ohio State (5:45 p.m.), and UF wraps up the tournament on Sunday with contests against Maryland (10 a.m.) and Radford (noon).
All Gators games during the tournament can be heard live on WGGG (1230 AM), with Mike Gillespie and former Gator All-American Megan Bush on the call.
Gator Bites—Quick Notables
Florida is off to a 16-0 start as the season enters its fourth weekend… For the second straight week, the Gators hold the No. 1 ranking in both the ESPN.com / USA Softball poll and the USA Today/NFCA poll.… Senior Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) was announced last Thursday (Feb. 20) as one of 30 softball finalists for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award, which will be presented at the Women's College World Series.
Looking Back at Last Week
The Gators went 5-0 on the week, with wins over Jacksonville University, Troy (twice) and Indiana (twice)… Sunday's games against Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern were canceled due to rain… The Gators' pitching dominated throughout the week as UF outscored its opponents 32-3… Junior Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) threw a four-hit shutout Wednesday against JU, and was perfect for 6.2 innings Saturday against Troy… Rogers threw a five-inning no-hitter against Indiana Saturday to go along with a four-hit shutout win over the Trojans on Friday… Freshman lefty Delanie Gourley (Lakeside, Calif.) also picked up a win on Friday, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings in the Gators' first victory over the Hoosiers… At the plate, outfielder Justine McLean (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) hit .545 (6x11) to lead the Orange and Blue, and added three steals… second baseman Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) swiped four bags to pace Florida, which hit .328 (41x125) as a team over the five games.
Up Next
Following the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic, the Gators return home for a 6 p.m. tilt on Tuesday with Boston College, followed by a three-game weekend series against Ole Miss to begin the Southeastern Conference slate.
Connect With the Gators
For the latest news about Gator Softball, including updates throughout the weekend, follow the team on Twitter and visit them on Facebook.
