GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 7 Florida heads out west to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. to take on a bevy of top 25 opponents in No. 1 UCLA, No. 5 Arizona, No. 16 Arizona State, No. 25 Northwestern and Big Ten foe Nebraska this Friday through Sunday.
Â
Games can be watched online for a fee through
FloSoftball.com or listed to live on
WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM) with Ryan Urquhart on the call.
Â
The Gators (12-1) enter the weekend after the team opened up a nine-game homestand with eight regular season wins and an exhibition with Team USA at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Â
So far this season UF has outscored opponents 87-21 with six run-rule victories and six shutouts. Individually,
Charla Echols paces the offense with a .513 (20-for-39) with 14 runs, 19 RBI, three doubles and five home runs. In the circle,
Natalie Lugo (1.29 ERA) and
Rylee Trlicek (1.62 ERA) anchor the staff that boasts a 1.79 team ERA.
Â
Â
Gators vs. Mary Nutter Field
Â
| Opponent |
All-Time Record |
Streak |
Last Game |
Result |
| No. 5 Arizona |
5-5 |
Won Last 5 |
2/9/19 – Tampa, Fla. |
W, 3-2 |
| No. 25 Northwestern |
4-2 |
Won Last 2 |
3/4/17 – Fullerton, Calif. |
W, 7-4 |
| No. 16 Arizona State |
4-5 |
Won Last Meeting |
2/15/19 – Tempe, Ariz. |
W, 7-2 |
| No. 1 UCLA |
6-7 |
Lost Last 3 |
3/1/19 – Fullerton, Calif. |
L, 4-0 |
| Nebraska |
3-1 |
Won Last 2 |
2/16/16 – Palm Springs, Calif. |
W, 8-0 (5) |
Â
Â
Vs. Ranked Opponents
Historically Florida has found success when being matched against ranked opponents. The Gators hold a 324-248 (.567) record against teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and a record of 283-159 (.647) against teams ranked in the ESPN.com/ USA Softball Poll.
Â
The winning percentage only increases during the
Tim Walton era as Florida boasts a record of 260-119 (.699) against those ranked in the USA Today/NFCA poll and 257-121 (.693) over his 15 years at the helm of the program.
Â
Trlicek & Lugo No-Hitters
Junior
Natalie Lugo's complete-game no-hitter is the first of her career and the second of the season by a Gator.
- Overall Lugo has also been a part of two combined no-hitters, which includes a perfect game.
Freshman
Rylee Trlicek no-hit Georgia State opening weekend at the USF-Rawlings Invitational.
- Trlicek's no-hitter was the first thrown by a freshman since Kelly Barnhill achieved the feat against Arkansas May 8, 2016 and is only one of four freshman pitchers to throw a no-hitter in program history.
- The no-hitter is also only the second opening weekend no-hitter in program history.
- Lauren Haeger – Wisconsin (2/9/14) – USF Invitational – Tampa, Fla.
Overall the Gators have 29 career individual complete-game no-hitters, plus an additional seven individual complete-game perfect games.
Â
Â
Lindaman Hit Streak
Senior
Kendyl Lindaman's home run in the 1
st inning Wednesday against Jacksonville extended her hit-streak out to 12 games – which ties Gator Great Francesca Enea's 12-game hit streak in the senior hit-streak record book.
- 20 Games – Megan Bush – Feb. 25 – March 25, 2011
- 16 Games – Melissa Zick – April 14 – May 10, 2007
- 13 Games – Aja Paculba – Feb. 11 – March 4, 2011
- 12 Games – Francesca Enea – Feb. 19 – March 7, 2010
- 12 Games – Kendyl Lindaman – Feb. 8-19, 2020
- 11 Games – Ashley Boone – Feb. 16-24, 2001
Â
It's also tied for eighth overall in all-time hit streaks that includes the likes of Lauren Haeger, Briana Little, Ali Gardiner, Boone and Enea.
Â
Gators National Rankings
Entering this weekend's classic, the Gators rank in the top 10 in shutouts (6 – T-1
st), walks (54 – 1
st), batting average (.357 – 4
th), on base percentage (.476 – 5
th), fielding percentage (.991 – 4
th) and win percentage (.923 – 6
th).
Â
FOLLOW THE GATORS
FloridaGators.com
Twitter
Head Coach Tim Walton on Twitter
Facebook
Â
Â
