Amanda Lorenz (helmet) and Kelly Barnhill (right), the 2018 Southeastern Conference player and pitcher of the year, respectively, lead UF fans in a post-game rendition of "It's Great To Be a Florida Gator" after Saturday's dramatic walk-off win over Texas A&M in their Game 3 Super Regional matchup.
Familiar Foe Awaits Gators in Latest Trip to OKC
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 | Softball, Chris Harry
All eight of the top seeds reached the Women's College World Series for the third time since the advent of the Super Region format in 2006.
OK, so the Gators' track record for being in OKC isn't perfect, but nine times in the last 11 seasons qualifies for remarkable consistency. Coach Tim Walton has built a program that is among the most envied in the sport, and now comes the chase for a third national title in school history. UF won back-to-back NCAA crowns in 2014 and '15, and after losing in Super Regional play in '16 — to Georgia, by the way, with more on that later — made it back here last season and reached the best-of-three championship round, losing to powerhouse Oklahoma, which has won three of the previous five titles.
The Sooners are back in the eight-team field this season, as well, and despite being the tournament's No. 4 overall seed probably should be considered the favorite. No. 1-seed Oregon, which beat Oklahoma 5-0 in the regular season (one of just three OU losses) and played the toughest schedule in the country, likely would disagree.
The Gators (54-9), who won both the Southeastern Conference regular-season and postseason tournament titles, will face league rival Georgia (48-11) in Thursday's first-round action. The Bulldogs beat the Gators twice in March, the only team during the 2018 season to hand UF a series loss. The first of those defeats began with back-to-back-to-back homers off ace Kelly Barnhill in the first inning and ended with a walk-off homer against reliever Aleshia Ocasio in a 5-4 loss. The second came by an 11-1 count that marked Florida's first mercy-rule defeat in six seasons.
THURSDAY'S WCWS FIRST-ROUND SCHEDULE (all times ET)
| Time | Matchup (TV) |
| Noon | Oregon vs Arizona State (ESPN) |
| 2:30 p.m. | Oklahoma vs Washington (ESPN) |
| 7 p.m. | Florida vs Georgia (ESPN2) |
| 9:30 p.m. | UCLA vs Florida State (ESPN2) |
Walton said his team did some self-reflection after those consecutive gut punches, salvaging the weekend with a 5-1 win in the third game.
"When you're humbled, you can go in one of two directions," he said.
"That series brought out a lot of growth in us," SEC Player of the Year Amanda Lorenz said. "We're a different team since then. We've been more tenacious and shown more fight and an ability to come back the last couple weeks and months."
Saturday's stirring down-to-the-last-strike rally against Texas A&M — take a bow, freshman hero Jordan Matthews — would qualify as proof. Yes, the Gators will fight, but being in OKC is also about being at your best.
"They're a good team, so we have to do what we do, and as a pitcher, I have to hit my spots and make the ball move," Barnhill said. "After that, it's just play ball."
Should the Gators win, they possibly could face rival Florida State, if it gets by an excellent opening-round opponent UCLA. The Gators and Seminoles split their two games during the regular season.
For Florida, it's a tough draw, but it's supposed to tough. It's OKC in May (and about to be June).
Barnhill said it best.
Play ball!
OREGON
Record: 52-8
Super Regional result: Defeated No. 16-seed Kentucky in three games.
Record for WCWS field (10-3): The Ducks beat six of the seven other teams that reached Oklahoma City, with the exception being Florida, which they did not play. Oregon swept Washington, spanked OU, took two of three from both Arizona State and UCLA, and split with Florida State.
WCWS appearances (6): 1989, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
NCAA titles: None
The buzz: The Ducks are back for the third time in four seasons. After being stunned by the Wildcats 9-6 in Game 1 of their Super, Oregon shellacked UK by a combined 17-2 in their two wins, behind standout pitchers Miranda Elish and Megan Kleist. They have a hot bat in senior DJ Sanders, a transfer from Louisiana Lafayette, who hit a grand slam in the decisive Super game, an 11-1 win by the mercy rule.
FLORIDA
Seed: 2
Record: 54-9
Super Regional result: Defeated No. 15-seed Texas A&M in three games.
Record vs the WCWS field (2-3): The Gators lost the first two games of their series at Georgia March 17-18, and split their annual home-and-home series against Florida State.
WCWS appearances (9): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
NCAA titles: 2014, 2015
The buzz: The Gators have eight players who started in the NCAA championship series last season, so they will not be deterred by the environment. Though UF got here behind the consistency of SEC Player of the Year Amanda Lorenz (.433, 61 RBI) and game-ending dramatics of freshman Jordan Matthews, it's been pitching and defense that has keyed the Gators the last three seasons. That's why the amount of homers (31) surrendered by both SEC Pitcher of the Year Kelly Barnhill and Aleshia Ocasio has to be a concern, especially given the opener against Georgia. The Bulldogs blasted five in their series in March, but they also have excellent speed to match up against a UF defense ranked No. 2 nationally in fielding efficiency.
UCLA
Record: 56-5
Super Regional result: Defeated No. 14-seed and fellow Pac-12 rival Arizona in two games.
Record vs the WCWS field (6-3): Dropped two of three against Oregon, swept three from Washington, and won two of three against Arizona State.
WCWS appearances (28): 1982-85, 1987, 1988-97, 1999-2005, 2008, 2010, 2015-18.
NCAA titles: (12) 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2010
The buzz: The Bruins are back in OKC for the fourth straight year, thanks in great part to their offense — 20 hits, including six homers — in their Super against the Wildcats. UCLA is hitting .339 as a team (that's 0.52 more points than the Gators hit as a team), and boast a pair in Aailyah Jordan (.435) and Bubba Nickles (.405) batting over .400. Briana Perez has a 19-game hitting streak. In the circle they have two-way superstar Rachel Garcia, who Tuesday was crowned National Player of the Year after going .356 with 11 homers at the plate and posting a 27-3 record, a 1.02 ERA, 273 strikeouts, just 39 walks, and only six homers surrendered in the circle.
OKLAHOMA
Record: 55-3
Super Regional result: Defeated No. 13-seed Texas A&M in two games.
Record vs the WCWS field (1-1): Sooners defeated Arizona State, but were shut out by Oregon.
WCWS appearances (12): 2000-04, 2011-14, 2016-18
NCAA titles (4): 2000, 2014, 2016, 2017
The buzz: The Sooners went 18-0 in the Big 12 and won 23 games during the season by the eight-run mercy rule, but those two measly games against teams still standing — and one a 5-0, one-hit loss to the No. 1 seed — does give reason for pause regarding the Sooners battletestedness. Or does it? OU has 12 players who played in the title series against Florida last season, including ace pitchers Paige Parker and Paige Lowery, plus slugger Shay Knighton, who had six RBI in the two WCWS final games. Oh, and the Sooners also have a pretty good freshman in Jocelyn Alo, who has hit — get his — 28 home runs this season (more than 136 Division I teams) and struck out only 17 times. The OU campus is just 35 minutes to the south, so the stadium figures again to be packed in crimson and cream.
WASHINGTON
Seed: 5
Record: 59-8
Super Regional result: Defeated No. 12-seed Alabama in two games.
Record vs the WCWS field (1-8): Took one of two at ASU, but swept by UCLA on the road and by Oregon at home.
WCWS appearances (13): 1996-2000, 2003-04, 2007, 2009-10, 2013, 2017-18.
NCAA titles (1): 2009
The buzz: The Huskies' clincher in the Super was a 6-0 defeat of Bama that was only the second time in 32 NCAA games the Crimson Tide had been shut out. Taran Alvelo was the pitcher of record, and you may have seen the "Not-Top-10" blooper of her last weekend as she wound up, dropped the ball and fell down all in one delivery. A tad embarrassing, perhaps, but it was about the only thing she did wrong that day. UW has six starters hitting .315 or better, led by Sis Bates (.398) and Taylor Zan Zee (.376, with 29 extra base hits).
FLORIDA STATE
Record: 52-11
Super Regional result: Defeated No. 11-seed LSU in three games.
Record vs the WCWS field (2-2): Split with Oregon and Florida.
WCWS appearances (10): 1987, 1990-93, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018
NCAA titles: None
The buzz: Third baseman Jessie Warren almost single-handedly willed the Seminoles back to the WCWS, what with her three homers and accounting for eight of her team's 16 runs in the Super series defeat of LSU. Warren, the Division I active leader in homers with 81 (that's 10th in NCAA history), will bring a .386 average to OKC, as well 19 homers on the season and 66 RBI. Sydney Sherrill has had a spectacular freshman season (.385, 27 doubles, 10 homers, 51 RBI) and is basically coming home, having starred as a prep phenom 20 minutes from ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Moore, Okla. Fifth-year senior and grad transfer Kylee Hanson, by way of Florida Atlantic, will get FSU's prime circle time. She went 28-5 with a 1.05 ERA and 234 strikeouts.
GEORGIA
Seed: 7
Record: 48-11
Super Regional result: Defeated No. 10-seed Tennessee in two games.
Record vs the WCWS field (2-2): Lost to Oregon and took two of three against Florida.
WCWS appearances (4): 2009-10, 2016, 2018
NCAA titles: None
The buzz: Cortni Emanuel hit the walk-off homer against Tennessee to send the Bulldogs to the WCWS, an incredible feat given they finished last in the SEC in 2017. Emanuel, the daughter of former NFL wideout Bert Emanuel, hit .437 during the season, collecting 90 hits for a UGA offense that batted .335 as a team, with six batters hitting at least .339. The big stick is Alyssa DiCarlo (.392, 20 homers, 66 RBI). Senior standout Brittany Gray (16-1, 0.48 ERA) was lost for the season in April with a biceps injury, leaving the heavy lifting in the circle to Kylie Bass (15-3, 1.84 ERA) and Mary Wilson Avant (12-3, 1.65). Florida's win the series came against Bass, who gave up five runs in that one, including a homer to Lorenz.
ARIZONA STATE
Seed: 8
Record: 54-9
Super Regional result: Defeated No. 9-seed South Carolina in two games.
Record vs the WCWS field (4-5): Took two of three from Washington, but just one game each against Oregon and UCLA.
WCWS appearances (12): 1982, 1987, 1999, 2002, 2006-09, 2011-13, 2018
NCAA titles (2): 2008, 2011
The buzz: The Sun Devils' national title of 2011 marks the last time a Pac-12 team won it all, which is something of a surprise given the powerhouse nature of those west coast teams — illustrated by half of this WCWS field being from that league. Morgan Howe and Kendra Hackbarth, both batting .364, are the top offensive weapons for ASU. The Sun Devils got here in great part to the pitching of Giselle "G" Juarez, who posted a 26-4 record, with 0.91 ERA and 297 strikeouts to just 38 walks.
Players Mentioned
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