GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The fifth-ranked Florida softball team hits the road for a midweek matchup against No.22 UCF at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at the UCF Softball Complex. Tomorrow's contest will only be the second time both programs meet as teams ranked inside the Top 25 and it will be streamed online via ESPN+.
The Gators (21-2) come into the week after a series sweep of SEC foe Mississippi State in Starkville. The team shut out the Bulldogs the entire series behind standout performances from
Elizabeth Hightower and
Natalie Lugo in the circle along with the UF defense.
It's the first time the Gators have shut out an SEC opponent for an entire series since 2017, when
Kelly Barnhill,
Delanie Gourley and
Aleshia Ocasio did it against Ole Miss. It's the first time on the road since 2009, when Stacey Nelson and Stephanie Brombacher did it at LSU.
Hightower earned SEC Pitcher of the Week for her efforts in the circle as she hurled 15.0 scoreless innings this past week for the Gators to set a new career-long 19.1 scoreless inning streak. The Monticello, Fla. native tossed a pair of complete-game shutouts against the Bulldogs on Friday and Sunday and earned her third save of the season as she came in relief for the final two innings on Saturday.
Offensively,
Hannah Adams (.425) and
Charla Echols (.418) pace the Gators with averages above .400, and are supported by
Cheyenne Lindsey (.394) and
Kendyl Lindaman (.338) who sport averages above .300.
The Knights (19-6) come into tomorrow's game after having dropped two of its three games at then-ranked No. 24 South Carolina. UCF won the final game of the series 10-4 over the Gamecocks after having lost the first two games of a doubleheader, 9-1 & 4-2, in Columbia, S.C.
The Gators will be UCF's fourth Top 25 opponent of the season and second opponent ranked inside the Top 5. Earlier this season the Knights picked up a 2-0 victory over then-ranked No. 2 Arizona at home behind a complete-game performance from Gianna Mancha.
Mancha and Alea White lead the Knights in innings pitched with 63.1 and 72.0 innings respectively. Mancha holds a 1.66 ERA with 76 strikeouts and a .167 batting average against, while White enters with a 1.85 ERA with 71 strikeouts and a .197 batting average against.
The UCF offense features a pair of hitters above the .400 mark with Jazmine Esparza (.431) and Denali Schappacher (.413). The Knights also have five additional hitters batting .300 or better.
Following the midweek affair, the Gators return home to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to face No. 13 LSU for a three-game SEC series Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. (ET). Saturday the Gators will wear yellow accents to help bring awareness to pediatric cancer and the game will also air on ESPN, while Friday and Sunday's games will be streamed via the SEC Network+.
Notable Notes:
- Florida holds the all-time series record over UCF 22-5 and 6-3 while playing at the UCF Softball Complex.
- The last meeting in Orlando resulted in a 1-0 defeat April 4, 2018, when the Knights upended the Gators in a pitcher's duel between Aleshia Ocasio and Alea White.
- The Gators checked in at No. 4 in the initial NCAA RPI rankings and the SEC features eight teams inside the top 25 of the first RBI rankings of the season.
- Tomorrow will be the second meeting between the Gators and the Knights as Top 25 opponents. The last meeting occurred Feb. 25, 2015 when No. 1 Florida defeated No. 17/15 UCF, 2-1, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
- UF holds a 3-2 record against teams ranked inside the NFCA & USA Softball Top 25 polls this season.
- Florida pitcher Elizabeth Hightower is riding a career-long 19.1 scoreless inning streak after she hurled 15.0 scoreless innings this past week. She also picked up a pair of complete-game shutout wins and her third save of the season at Mississippi State.
- Hannah Adams currently has a career-long eight-game hitting streak. The Hoschton, Ga. native also has 10 multi-hit games on the year and .425 batting average.
- The Florida pitching staff has been off to a stellar start to the 2021 season and while the Gators don't rank high in the strikeouts category, the staff is holding opponents to just 0.539 hits per inning pitched, which ranks fourth nationally.
- The Gators are also only giving up 3.61 hits per game, which ranks fourth nationally, and have held opponents to five hits or less 20 out of the 23 games played this season.
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