GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 2-ranked University of Florida softball team welcomes No. 4-ranked Auburn University to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium for a three-game SEC series March 25-27. This is the third consecutive season and ninth time overall that the reigning SEC Regular Season Champions and SEC Tournament Champions will square off against each other.
The series will be carried on nationally on ESPN 2 both Saturday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (7 p.m.) then will air Monday (7 p.m.) on the SEC Network. Mark Neely, Michele Smith and Amanda Scarborough will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on the airwaves to Adam Schick and Kelsey Horton on WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM).
FLORIDA NOTABLES
- Since 1997, the SEC Regular Season Champions and SEC Tournament Champions have squared off a total of eight times following their championship seasons and out of those eight times each has captured the following series four times. In addition, Alabama and Tennessee split a doubleheader during in 2008.
- Freshman Jaimie Hoover currently leads the Gators with 33 RBIs on the year and sits just one outside of the Florida freshman top 10 record category. Sophomore Amanda Lorenz was the last freshman to break into the freshman top 10 for RBIs as she ended her campaign with 48 in 2016. The Suwanee, Ga. native's mark also ranks 6th among all SEC batters.
- Kayli Kvistad enters the weekend ranked as the nation's leader in walks (38) and ranks third in the NCAA and is the SEC leader in on base percentage with a .654 clip. The savvy slugger is sporting a .435 batting average at the plate with eight extra base hits, five doubles and three home runs.
- After two weekends of conference action, Florida paces the league in SEC play offensively in numerous categories: batting average (.325), slugging percentage (.508), on base percentage (.457), runs scored (36) & RBIs (33).
ALL-TIME RECORD
Florida leads the all-tie series over the Tigers 38-20, which includes a 19-4 mark at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Since 2005, the Gators have taken eight-straight series against the Tigers and have not conceded a game at home since March 28, 2006 in game one of the series.
LAST MEETING – MAY 18, 2017 – SEC TOURNAMENT – STARKVILLE, Miss.
The Gators and the Tigers last met during the 2016 SEC Tournament and fell 2-1 in the semifinals.
Kelly Barnhill threw two innings and allowed just two runs on five hits before
Delanie Gourley was called in relief. Gourley pitched the final five innings and allowed just one hit during the remainder of the contest.
The Gators scored their lone run of the contest in the bottom of the seventh inning when
Nicole DeWitt scored from second base on an
Aleshia Ocasio single and an Auburn miscue.
Auburn's Kaylee Carlson received the win as she allowed just five hits and recorded two strikeouts. The Tigers scored their two runs in the top of the first inning when Carlee Wallace recorded a two-out, two-run home run.
2016 REGULAR SEASON SERIES RECAP
GAME 1 | Mar. 12, 2016 The Gators kicked off their 2016 series with the then No. 3Â Auburn Tigers with a 6-3 victory marking Coach
Tim Walton's 700th win in Auburn, Ala.
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With two outs in the seventh inning, two runners on and the score tied at three runs apiece, sophomore
Kayli Kvistad hit a go-ahead three-run home run to lift the Gators past the Tigers in the series opener.                                                                      Â
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Defensively,
Delanie Gourley worked the first five innings and allowed three runs (one earned) and totaled six strikeouts. Sophomore
Aleshia Ocasio relieved her in the sixth and did not allow a hit in two innings of work.
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# 1 FLORIDA (25-0 / 1-0)
-VS- # 3 AUBURN (22-2 / 0-1)
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
| Florida |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
10 |
1 |
| Auburn |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
W: Aleshia Ocasio (8-0),
L: R. Walters (2-1)
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Game Details
START - 7:31 pm             Â
TIME - 1:40 Â Â Â Â Â Â
ATTENDANCE - 2059 Â Â Â Â Â
SITE - Auburn, Ala. (Jane B. Moore Field)
HR: Kirsti Merritt (1);
Kayli Kvistad (1)
GAME 2 | Mar. 13, 2016 The Gators continued their winning streak over the dating back to 2005 in Auburn Ala. Three homeruns from
Amanda Lorenz,
Nicole DeWitt and former Gator,
Taylore Fuller, helped seal the deal in the 8-5 victory over the Tigers.                                                                                                                                        Â
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Kelly Barnhill started in the circle for the Gators, but it was sophomore
Aleshia Ocasio (9-0) who relieved the freshman and stole the show. After Auburn scored three runs in the third on a pair of homers off the freshman, Ocasio took over and tossed the final four innings and allowed just one run, while striking out four.
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# 1 FLORIDA (26-0 / 2-0)
-VS- # 3 AUBURN (22-3 / 0-2)
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
| Florida |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
11 |
1 |
| Auburn |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
7 |
0 |
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W: Aleshia Ocasio (9-0),
L: R. Walters (2-2)
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Game Details
START - 4:03 pm             Â
TIME - 2:35 Â Â Â Â Â Â
ATTENDANCE - 1919 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
SITE - Auburn, Ala. (Jane B. Moore)
HR: Amanda Lorenz (1);
Taylore Fuller (1);
Nicole DeWitt (1)
GAME 3 | Mar. 14, 2016 The last game of the 2016 series between UF and Auburn ended poorly for the Gators when the Tigers in a 5-4 loss to complete the series in Auburn, Ala., snapped their record 27 game win streak dating back to the 2015 season.                                                                                                                                        Â
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Delanie Gourley tossed the first six innings of the game and recorded seven strikeouts. Sophomore
Aleshia Ocasio (9-1) relieved her in the seventh and gave up two runs on two hits, marking her first blown save of her career.
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# 1 FLORIDA (25-1 / 2-1)
-VS- # 3 AUBURN (23-3 / 1-2)
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
| Florida |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
8 |
0 |
| Auburn |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
0 |
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W: M. Martin (5-1);
L: Aleshia Ocasio (9-1)
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Game Details
START - 6:03 pm             Â
TIME - 2:36Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
ATTENDANCE - 1949
SITE - Auburn, Ala. (Jane B. Moore
HR: Kirsti Merritt (1)Â
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- In the USF tournament against Ohio State, Kaylee Carlson pitched the second perfect game and 23rd no-hitter for the program. Her junior season has begun with a 15-0 start with 0.93 ERA. In the SEC, Carlson has a 3.00 ERA and is 2-0.Â
- Makayla Martin is the number two pitcher for Auburn. She has an overall ERA of .98 and is 12-3 on the season. For conference play, Martin has a 7.00 ERA and is 0-1.
- During this past week, Kasey Cooper became the second SEC player to accumulate 250 hits and 250 RBIs in her career.
- Overall, Cooper has a .300 batting average with 80 at bats, 23 runs, 24 hits, 30 RBIs and six homeruns. During SEC play, Cooper has a .000 batting average with three at bats.
- Overall, Kendall Veach leads the team with seven homeruns, but no one has had a homerun in conference play.
- In the overall season, Victoria Draper leads the team with a 4.11 batting average. She has 56 at bats, 21 runs and 23 hits. In conference play, Draper has a .250 batting average with eight at bats, one run and two hits.
- Carlee Wallace comes in second for the team in both overall play and conference play. Overall she has a .388 with 80 at bats, 24 runs, 31 hits and 5 homeruns. In SEC play, Wallace has a .364 batting average with 11 at bats, one run and four hits.
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