Florida Gators Softball Ready For Post-Season Mayhem
Updated: May 23, 2021
Softball is being played in Gainesville in late May.
All is right with the world.
After the softball season was prematurely scrapped in 2020, the excitement of postseason college softball is bubbling over.
Though I might be biased, the quest for a trip to Oklahoma City and a spot in the Women’s College World Series is one of the most exciting displays in sports.
And it all starts this weekend with regionals getting underway all around the country – including at the Home of the Florida Gators, Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
How the Gators Got Here
After getting off to a hot start in 2020, only to be confronted by a global pandemic-sized roadblock, Florida softball exited the 2020 season with more questions than it entered the season with.
In 2020, Tim Walton and the Gators were tasked with replacing All-American talent with the graduation of the program’s strikeout leader (1,208), Kelly Barnhill, and Amanda Lorenz, who owns the program’s top career batting average (.407).
Last season, the Gators were doing their best to remedy Barnhill and Lorenz’s departures as they pitched by committee and added to their lineup by way of the transfer portal and healed injuries.
The Gators got through 27 games in 2020 before the NCAA brought down the hammer, shattering the championship hopes of not only Florida, but every team in the country.
Wins against the 12th-ranked Florida State Seminoles and the fifth-ranked Arizona Wildcats highlighted the Gators’ 2020 record of 23-4.
But talents such as shortstop Sophia Reynoso and catcher Jordan Roberts would see not only their season end, but their college careers end as well, leaving the Gators with a pair of crucial holes to fill once again.
And if not for the NCAA’s decision to grant players an additional year of eligibility, the Gators could have been in a lot worse shape.
Jaimie Hoover and Kendyl Lindaman were both seniors last year.
This year, they’re super seniors.
And though Hoover and Lindaman’s contributions might not be as flashy as, say, Hannah Adams and Charla Echols, having them on the roster this year has helped the Gators tremendously up to this point.
Florida won a share of the SEC regular season title two weeks ago with a sweep of Texas A&M, a feat that wouldn’t have been possible if not for Hoover.
In the final game of the three-game series, with a share of the conference crown in the balance,
Hoover helped eliminate the Aggies’ lead on Sunday with a two-RBI single to knot the game up at four runs apiece in the fifth inning.
The Gators went on to keep the Aggies at bay for the remainder of the game, securing the series sweep behind a 6-5 win.
Meanwhile, in the opening game of the SEC tournament, Lindaman came up clutch in blasting a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth frame to give the Gators a 3-2 lead over Mississippi State, which was threatening to upset the Gators with an early 2-0 lead.
In addition to their super seniors, the Gators have proven to field a well-rounded roster.
Florida third baseman, Charla Echols, who made her way to Gainesville by way of the transfer portal in 2020, has notched 53 RBIs this season, which leads the SEC. Meanwhile, Gainesville-native Katie Chronister is second in the conference in opposing batting average, holding batters to .164.
Per usual, Walton’s emphasis on fielding translates well when looking at the numbers.
Across the SEC, Florida’s .983 fielding percentage leads the league.
Florida currently sits as the fourth best team in the country and boasts a 42-9 record.
The Gators also won all eight of their SEC regular series in 2021. And of Florida’s eight conference opponents, four finished the regular season ranked in the top 25. Of the SEC’s 13 softball programs, 12 secured spots in the NCAA tournament.
The Florida Gators will start their NCAA tournament run on Friday afternoon when the Gainesville regional kicks off at 2 p.m. when the hosting Gators battle the University of South Florida.
What the Bulls Bring
Everyone is quick to point to the fact that the Gators have already handled business against the USF Bulls. But in a season like college softball, you could say that happened eons ago.
Florida and USF first met in February as the Gators opened their much-anticipated 2021 campaign in Tampa for a three-game-turned-two-game weekend series.
The Gators posted back-to-back wins against the Bulls, winning the first 6-3 and the second 15-0. The third game of the series was scrapped due to inclement weather but was made-up in a double-header on April 7.
To summarize, yes, the Gators are 5-0 against the Bulls this season.
However, no, Florida should not overlook this scrappy Tampa team.
The Bulls boast one of the best pitchers in the country in terms of ERA.
The Bulls’ junior ace, Georgina Corrick, maintains a .97 ERA, giving her the ninth-best mark in the country. Corrick’s 300 strikeouts in 2021 is also among the best in the country, putting her just two Ks from Washington’s Gabby Plain, who has posted a nation-leading 302.
USF’s ace brings the ability to pitch around batters with a curve ball and rise ball, in addition to tossing pitches right into the zone with an off-speed change up and screw ball.
Corrick won the distinction of the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year for the third time in her career this season.
Offensively, USF fields AnaMarie Bruni carries a team-leading .382 batting average. And while Bruni comes with consistency, she’s yet to knock her first long ball of the season.
Instead, Kyndall Williams and Brooke Hartman lead USF’s explosive efforts, each with four home runs apiece.
Also Joining USF and UF
The Baylor Bears and South Alabama Jaguars will also be joining the Gators and Bulls in the Gainesville regional hosted at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium this weekend.
The Bears come into Gainesville as the second-seeded team in the regional and will square off against the Jaguars on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.
Baylor (27-21) have battled a tough regular season having had to face teams like No. 1-ranked Oklahoma, No. 7-ranked Oklahoma State and No. 11-ranked Texas.
But contributions from Lou Gilbert from the batter’s box have helped Baylor. Yielding a .336 average and 20 extra base hits, Gilbert leads the Bears’ lineup.
However, Baylor’s pitching staff comes with struggles. Of the Bears’ two main pitchers, Gia Rodoni and Sidney Holman-Mansell, who have combined for 230 innings of action, Rodoni carries an ERA of 4.84.
Baylor’s staff from the circle has given up 322 hits in 318.2 innings.
Meanwhile, the South Alabama Jaguars, who are the third-seeded team in the Gainesville regional, carry a record of 30-19.
One of the Jaguars’ 30 wins came against the in-state Crimson Tide. On March 7, a 1-0 game knocked off Alabama.
Allie Hughen leads the Jaguars’ pitching efforts through South Alabama’s opening 49 games.
Through 73.2 innings of action, Hughen maintains a 2.09 ERA.a 2.09 ERA. Meanwhile, Olivia Lackie, who seems to be the team’s ace from the circle, has averaged a 2.28 ERA through 174.2 innings. Opposing batters have batted with an average of .194 agains Lackie.
Offensively, the Jaguars are led by Makenzie Brasher, who boasts a .374 average from the plate.
However, South Alabama’s power comes off the bat of Kamdyn Kvistad, who has launched a team-leading 10 home runs in 2021.
The winner of the opening two contests will square off on Saturday.
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