No. 5 Gators Host No. 8 Seminoles in Sunshine Showdown

Wednesday, April 25

Gainesville, Fla.

6 PM

Florida Gators

No. 8/6 Florida State

Tickets

The team huddles during the Gators' Softball game against the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, March 11, 2018 in Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, FL. UAA Communications photo by Jim Burgess

Florida holds the all-time record 24-16 over Florida State. (Photo: Jim Burgess/UAA Communications)

No. 5 Gators Host No. 8 Seminoles in Sunshine Showdown

Tuesday, April 24, 2018 | Softball

Florida State edged Florida in first meeting back in Tallahassee.

By: Herb Brooks

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The fifth-ranked Florida softball team is set to host No. 8 Florida State at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Wednesday night at 6, the final game of the 2018 Fresh from Florida Sunshine Showdown.

The Gators (41-7) bring a seven-game win streak into the midweek contest against the Seminoles (39-8), who have also won five of their last six. UF swept then-ranked No. 19 Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., this past weekend to improve to 15-3 in Southeastern Conference play.

Amanda Lorenz was tabbed this week's SEC Player of the Week after having an outstanding week at the plate. Lorenz paced the Gators offense with a .636 average at the plate with a 1.455 slugging and .714 on base percentage. In the series opener, she went 4-for-4 and was a double shy of the cycle then blasted her second grand slam of the season in game two to help clinch the series.

The midweek contest will be broadcast on WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM). Ryan Urquhart and former Gator softball standout Kelsey Stewart will have the call.

Kyle Crooks, Kelsey Horton and Francesca Enea will host the game on the SEC Network +. Fans can find link to the video stream below or it can be found by searching on WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.

Notable Notes:

Head Coach Tim Walton holds a career record of 830-209 (.799) over his 16 seasons as a head coach. The .799 winning percentage is the highest among active NCAA Division I softball coaches.
- Walton also holds a record of 707-145 (.830) over 13 seasons as the head coach of the Gators.
Kelly Barnhill and Aleshia Ocasio rank first and third respectively in career ERA among active NCAA Division I players. Barnhill holds a 0.81 ERA, while Ocasio sits with a 1.33 ERA.
- FSU's Kyle Hanson ranks second with a 1.18 ERA.
Nicole DeWitt and Kayli Kvistad rank third and fourth respectively among active NCAA Division I softball players in games played. DeWitt has played in 239 career games, while Kvistad has played 236.
The Gators pitching staff currently leads the nation in strikeouts (411) and shutouts (26). Barnhill is tied for first nationally with 10 shutouts alone.

Scouting the Seminoles
Head Coach	Lonni Alameda
Record at FSU	464-146-1 (10th Season)
All-Time Record vs.	24-16 (.615)
Streak	Lost Last Two Meetings
Last Meeting	April 11, 2017 \| L, 4-1 in Tallahassee

Leaders
Avg.	Sydney Sherrill (.395)	\|	Wins	Kylee Hanson (23)
Hits	Sydney Sherrill (58)	\|	ERA	Kylee Hanson (0.90)
RBI	Jessie Warren (44)	\|	Saves	Meghan King (2)

History vs. Florida State \| Last 10 Results
Florida State			24-16
Home: 12-7	Away: 12-9		Neutral: N/A
Date	Location	W/L	Score
4/17/13	Tallahassee, Fla.	W	8-0 (5)
4/2/14	Gainesville, Fla.	L	3-2 (8)
4/9/14	Tallahassee, Fla.	W	4-2
4/8/15	Tallahassee, Fla.	W	5-1
4/22/15	Gainesville, Fla.	W	5-0
4/13/16	Gainesville, Fla.	W	1-0 (12)
5/4/16	Tallahassee, Fla.	W	7-1
4/12/17	Gainesville, Fla.	W	1-0
5/3/17	Tallahassee, Fla.	L	3-1 (11)
4/11/18	Tallahassee, Fla.	L	4-1

Broadcast Information
Live Stats	Link
Radio	WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM)
Audio	Link
SEC Network +	Link