Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida softball team steps briefly out of Southeastern Conference action with a midweek matchup at 6 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman University Wednesday, March 29, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The Gators (29-2, 7-1 SEC) dropped their second game of the year in the series finale against Auburn this past Monday but took the series 2-1, and now gear up for a contest against the Wildcats (12-23, 3-0 MEAC) that will air on the SEC Network via WatchESPN.com.

FLORIDA NOTABLES

• Florida had the nation's second long active winning streak snapped in a 1-0 defeat to Auburn in the series finale Monday night.
• Kelly Barnhill leads the nation in ERA with a 0.20 mark with 68.2 innings of work to her credit. Barnhill has only allowed two earned runs over that span and a total of six on the year. The Marietta, Ga. native also leads the nation in strikeouts per seven innings pitched (13.8).
  • Barnhill struck out 16 Auburn batters in a dominant 7-0 victory Sunday night. It was a season-high for Barnhill and also the most times Auburn has struck out in a game this season.
• Kayli Kvistad is still the nation's leader with 41 total walks on the season and is averaged 1.32 walks per contest. The savvy slugger also leads the nation in on base percentage with an incredible .632 average and boasts a .406 batting average and .623 slugging percentage.
• Amanda Lorenz moved back to the top of the Gators lineup this past weekend against Auburn and continued her on base streak against a stout Tigers pitching performance. Lorenz has now reached base safely in all 32 of the Gators games this season and now has reached safely in 50-straight games if you count the 18-game streak she ended the 2016 season with.

 
ALL-TIME RECORD
Florida holds a 15-2 all-time record against the Wildcats and have won six-straight games; a streak that dates back to 2006. The last time Bethune-Cookman came away with a victory was during the 2005 season when the Wildcats bested the Gators 3-2 in Gainesville during the NCAA Regional.

LAST MEETING – FEB. 9, 2014 – USF WILSON-DeMARINI TOURNAMENT – TAMPA, Fla.
The Gators scored eight runs on five hits in the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament finale to best the Wildcats in five innings. Florida scored all eight of its runs in the second inning of the game. Stepahnie Tofft's blasted a two-run home run, her first of the season, to highlight the inning. Tofft also drew a bases loaded walk in the frame to complete her three RBI performance.

In the circle, freshman Delanie Gourley cruised through four innings of one-hit ball, allowing one walk and striking out five. Junior Alyssa Bache pitched the final inning, retiring the first two batters on bunts before walking a batter who subsequently was caught stealing to end the game.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

• Bethune-Cookman is the leader of the Southern Division in the Mid-Easter Atlantic Conference going 3-0 in conference play and holds an overall record of 12-23.
• The Wildcats lead the MEAC in team batting. As a whole, the team has a .291 batting average, 173 runs and 260 hits.
• The team's leading batter is freshman Ryan Jackson. She has a .460 batting average, 100 at bats, 46 hits, 29 runs and nine homeruns. Jackson is seventh in the conference for overall batting. Although ever player ahead of her has played significantly less games. She has at least 72 at bats on the other leaders. Last week, Jackson was named the conference player of the week. This was her third-consecutive week with this honor.
• M Davis and Jackson lead the conference in runs scored. Davis has 31 runs scored in 35 games, and Jackson has 29 runs in 35 games.  

• Last week, senior Sabrina Anguiano was named the MEAC Pitcher of the Week. She is the Wildcats best pitcher with a 3.94 ERA.

 
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