Gators Seek Championship Series Berth Sunday vs. Auburn
Sunday, May 31, 2015 | Softball
Women's College World Series Central
OKLAHOMA CITY – The top-seeded, 2014 national champion and 2015 Southeastern Conference champion Florida Softball team (57-6, 18-5 SEC) will face off against league rival Auburn (56-10, 18-6 SEC) in the Women's College World Series semifinals at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The Gators will have two chances to earn one win. If necessary, a second game would be played at 7 p.m. ET.
QUICKLY: UF TEAM NOTES
· Florida is 19-11 all-time at the WCWS.
· UF stole a season-high five bases on Friday against LSU.
GATOR BITES: UF PLAYER NOTES
· SEC Pitcher of the Year Lauren Haeger is the second player ever in NCAA Softball, NCAA Baseball or Major League Baseball to hit 70 career home runs (70) and record 70 career pitching wins (71), the other being Babe Ruth.
· The right-hander threw the first WCWS one-hitter in program annals on Thursday against the Lady Vols.
· The Arizona native won her first 24 decisions, marking the best start to a season in school history.
· Haeger holds the Gator career records for home runs (70 - also the SEC record), walks (171) and RBI (256).
· The senior is the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year, becoming the first Gator to receive the prestigious honor.
· SEC Player of the Year Kelsey Stewart holds the highest batting average in UF history (.420 - min. 200 AB) and has set the Gator records for career hits (290), triples (27) and stolen bases (96).
· The Wichita, Kan., native leads the nation with a career-best 11 triples.
· Bailey Castro carries a .734 slugging percentage on the season, which ranks fifth in school annals (min. 100 AB; Brittany Schutte, .780 - 2010; Kelsey Bruder, .764, 2011; Francesca Enea - .744, 2010; Megan Bush - .736, 2010).
· The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native leads the Gators with a .538 on-base percentage, which would shatter the school record (Michelle Moultrie, .519, 2011).
· All-SEC and NFCA All-Southeast Region First Team selection Kirsti Merritt has set career bests this year in hitting (.342), doubles (12), slugging (.601) and on-base percentage (.513).
· Merritt recorded her first three-hit game of the season on Friday against LSU (last: 4/23/14 vs. USF - 3).
· All-Region First Team and SEC All-Freshman Team choice Aleshia Ocasio stands third in the UF freshman record book with 17 wins and third among first-year Gators with 152 strikeouts.
SETTING THE STAGE: WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
· The Gators are 66-32 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
· During Tim Walton's tenure as head coach, UF is 61-20 in NCAA play and 19-11 at the WCWS.
· The Orange and Blue have advanced to the WCWS Championship Series three times (2009, 2011, 2014), winning the program's first NCAA title and Florida's 33rd overall national championship in 2014.
· UF is 152-122 (.553) all-time against the 2015 WCWS field.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Sunday's action will air on ESPN (1 p.m.) and ESPNU (7 p.m. – if necessary) with Adam Amin (play-by-play), Amanda Scarborough (analysis) and Laura Rutledge (reporting) on the call.
Florida Sports Talk will have the radio broadcast, with Adam Schick (play-by-play) and former Gator All-American Megan Bush (analysis) as the announce team.
LIVE STATS
Gametracker info for Sunday will be available on the Gators' schedule page. In addition, video links, box scores and postgame quotes for every Gators game in Oklahoma City can be found on the WCWS Central page.
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