GIAINESVILLE, Fla. – The fourth-ranked Florida softball team heads into a midweek tilt against North Florida (8-1) this Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Jacksonville and Wednesday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium at 6 p.m.
The Gators (10-0) enter the week having went undefeated at the T-Mobile Tournament this past weekend against No. 14 Duke, Louisville, Villanova and Florida A&M. Through that stretch of four games, the team batted .380 (38-of-100) with 10 extra-base hits, 30 runs, 16 walks and eight stolen bases, while they held opponents to just nine hits and four runs.
Individually, freshman
Kendra Falby led the way at the plate with a .571 (8-of-14) average, two triples, double, six runs scored and three stolen bases. The series of standout performances this weekend include a pair of midweek games against Jacksonville landed the Odessa, Fla. native this week's Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week award. It's the first of her career and the second for the program in as many weeks.
In the circle, four different pitchers earned victories this weekend at the T-Mobile Tournament. Senior right-hander Elizabeth earned the Top 25 win over No. 14
Duke in relief, while fifth-year graduate
Natalie Lugo earned a complete-game shutout against Villanova and freshman
Lexie Delbrey bounced back to defeat Louisville. Junior
Rylee Trlicek closed out the weekend with a combined shutout win over Florida A&M alongside graduate transfer
Marissa Mesiemore.
Historically, the Gators hold an 11-0 record all-time against the Ospreys and both teams have met once each ear since 2017, but this is the first year ever that UNF has hosted UF in Jacksonville.
Last Year the Orange & Blue defeated the Ospreys 8-0 (5 innings) behind a combined two-hit shutout led by Lugo and Trlicek. At the plate, returners
Hannah Adams (3-for-4),
Charla Echols (2-for-4) and
Cheyenne Lindsey (2-for-3) led the way in the win.
This season, UNF is off to a hot start and swept a doubleheader against Michigan State this weekend which was the first time the team from Jacksonville took back-to-back games over a power five opponent since 2020.
They're led by Kayla McGory, who holds a team-leading .385 average at the plate with 10 hits, three doubles and two home runs. The Ospreys also hold a team ERA of 1.29 and Halle Arends has yet to allow an earned run this season through 17.1 innings pitched.
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