The third ranked Florida softball team hits the road today to face the Jacksonville Dolphins at 5 p.m.
Dominant Weekend
The Gators (11-0) are coming off an impressive weekend of play where they breezed through the Littlewood Classic in Arizona picking up five wins to add to their overall record. Florida defeated then-ranked No. 14 Arizona State with a commanding 7-1 victory, their third win against a top 25 team this season.
Notable Players
Senior Kelly Barnhill earned her 11th career SEC Pitcher of the Week honor and her second in two weeks. The right-handed pitcher struck out 28 batters over just 13 innings and limited rival teams to just a .116 batting average.
Amanda Lorenz leads the Gators offense with a .426 batting average. Lorenz has started all 11 games so far in the season and tallied 11 runs, 15 hits and two home runs. Coach Tim Walton is delighted to have Lorenz in her line-up and regards her as one of the best in the country.
Alex Voss, Hannah Adams, Danielle Romanello, Jaimie Hoover, Jordan Matthews, Kendyl Lindaman and Jordan Roberts all have over a .300 batting average.
The Opposition
The Dolphins (4-4) head into this midweek match up after defeating the College of Charleston Cougars 5-4 in the final game of the Osprey/Dolphin Invite. In their first eight games of the season, Jacksonville has managed to score 33 runs and concede 32.
Hard hitters
Jacksonville is a team that makes up for its poor defense by hitting well. These are their 4 best hitters:
- Kassidy Cross -.391 avg.
- Makenzie Buss -.364 avg.
- Seana Mora -.333 avg.
- Victoria Rodebaugh -.321 avg.
These hitters account for 45 percent of the team’s runs, 47 percent of the team’s hits and 76 percent of the team’s stolen bases.
In the circle, Walton also believes that right-handed-pitcher Seana Mora can deal some damage.
History
This will be the 22nd all-time meeting between the two programs. The Dolphins have failed to win in all 21 past meetings against the Gators. Their last clash ended in a 4-0 Florida win on March 31, 2018.
It won't be long until we're in Jacksonville!! #GoGators 🐊
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📻 WGGG (92.1 FM/1230 AM) & WMOP (100.1 FM/900 AM) pic.twitter.com/Kl21al1oDo— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 20, 2019
The Gators will return to the newly renovated Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to host the Bubly Invitational this weekend.