Elizabeth Hightower enters the weekend with an 8-0 record on the season.
No. 5 Gators Set for First SEC Road Series Against Bulldogs
Thursday, March 18, 2021 | Softball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The fifth-ranked Florida softball team hits the road for a Southeastern Conference series matchup against Mississippi State this Friday through Sunday at Nusz Park.
The Gators (18-2, 2-1 SEC) and the Bulldogs (15-8, 0-3 SEC) are set to compete Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon with all three games scheduled to stream on the SEC Network+. Saturday the SEC softball community will be united as all 13 teams will participate in the "All for Alex" campaign, by wearing teal or teal accents, to honor the legacy of Mississippi State's Alex Wilcox.
Wilcox was a member of the 2018 Mississippi State softball team who inspired the nation with her courageous fight against ovarian cancer. That fight ultimately took her life in the summer of 2018.
Florida enters the second weekend of SEC action after it took the series, 2-1, over No. 9 Kentucky at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, while Mississippi State dropped all three of its games at Ole Miss.
In the SEC standings after the first weekend, UF is just one game back from the lead as Alabama and Arkansas joined Ole Miss with series sweeps during SEC Opening Weekend.
The 2021 matchup between the Gators in the Bulldogs will feature one of the nation's best pitching staffs who have limited opposing offenses to an average of 3.55 hits per game and a 1.53 batting average.
Elizabeth Hightower (8-0) holds the lowest batting average against with a .118 clip through 55.1 innings pitched and also sports a 0.89 ERA.
The staff will take on Mississippi State lineup that is batting .309, with an on base percentage of .402 and a .506 slugging percentage. Mia Davidson leads the way for the Bulldogs with a .365 batting average and is followed closely sixth others who hold averages above the .300 mark.
Conversely, the Gators offense will face a pitching staff with a 3.32 combined ERA, which is led by Annie Willis' 2.31 ERA and unblemished 7-0 record through 42.1 innings pitched. Emily Williams and Aspen Wesley follow Willis with 2.75 and 3.50 ERAs respectively.
Florida enters the weekend with an even .300 average at the plate and is led by senior Hannah Adams' .443 mark, which ranks seventh overall in amongst SEC batters. Following Adams is Charla Echols, who sports a .407 average at the plate, along with Cheyenne Lindsey (.386), Jaimie Hoover (.319) and Kendyl Lindaman (.315).
Prior to the weekend series, the Gators took on North Dakota in midweek action in which the Orange and Blue secured a 7-1 victory over the Fighting Hawks. Emily Wilkie provided the fireworks in the 1st inning with her first career grand slam and Rylee Trlicek (1-0) picked up her first win of the season.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
FloridaGators.com
Florida Softball on Twitter
Head Coach Tim Walton on Twitter
Florida Softball on Facebook
The Gators (18-2, 2-1 SEC) and the Bulldogs (15-8, 0-3 SEC) are set to compete Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon with all three games scheduled to stream on the SEC Network+. Saturday the SEC softball community will be united as all 13 teams will participate in the "All for Alex" campaign, by wearing teal or teal accents, to honor the legacy of Mississippi State's Alex Wilcox.
Wilcox was a member of the 2018 Mississippi State softball team who inspired the nation with her courageous fight against ovarian cancer. That fight ultimately took her life in the summer of 2018.
Florida enters the second weekend of SEC action after it took the series, 2-1, over No. 9 Kentucky at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, while Mississippi State dropped all three of its games at Ole Miss.
In the SEC standings after the first weekend, UF is just one game back from the lead as Alabama and Arkansas joined Ole Miss with series sweeps during SEC Opening Weekend.
The 2021 matchup between the Gators in the Bulldogs will feature one of the nation's best pitching staffs who have limited opposing offenses to an average of 3.55 hits per game and a 1.53 batting average.
Elizabeth Hightower (8-0) holds the lowest batting average against with a .118 clip through 55.1 innings pitched and also sports a 0.89 ERA.
The staff will take on Mississippi State lineup that is batting .309, with an on base percentage of .402 and a .506 slugging percentage. Mia Davidson leads the way for the Bulldogs with a .365 batting average and is followed closely sixth others who hold averages above the .300 mark.
Conversely, the Gators offense will face a pitching staff with a 3.32 combined ERA, which is led by Annie Willis' 2.31 ERA and unblemished 7-0 record through 42.1 innings pitched. Emily Williams and Aspen Wesley follow Willis with 2.75 and 3.50 ERAs respectively.
Florida enters the weekend with an even .300 average at the plate and is led by senior Hannah Adams' .443 mark, which ranks seventh overall in amongst SEC batters. Following Adams is Charla Echols, who sports a .407 average at the plate, along with Cheyenne Lindsey (.386), Jaimie Hoover (.319) and Kendyl Lindaman (.315).
Prior to the weekend series, the Gators took on North Dakota in midweek action in which the Orange and Blue secured a 7-1 victory over the Fighting Hawks. Emily Wilkie provided the fireworks in the 1st inning with her first career grand slam and Rylee Trlicek (1-0) picked up her first win of the season.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
FloridaGators.com
Florida Softball on Twitter
Head Coach Tim Walton on Twitter
Florida Softball on Facebook
Players Mentioned
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