Florida Softball traveling to Athens to tame the Bulldogs

The number two ranked Florida softball team is in Athens, Georgia to take on the 11th ranked Georgia Bulldogs in a three game series starting Friday. Florida is coming off a mid-week win against USF, giving the Gators an eight game winning streak, their second longest winning streak of the season. The Gators have swept their last two SEC series against South Carolina and Kentucky but UF head coach Tim Walton recognizes difficulty in facing Georgia’s strong offense. “For them offensively they’ve got some kids with staggering numbers. We’ve got Kelsey Stewart and on paper they’ve got four Kelsey Stewarts that not only have RBI’s but also have speed and stolen bases.” One of Georgia’s most productive players is Sydni Emanuel who is averaging .435 with a .515 on base percentage with 28 RBI’s so far this season. According to Walton, this matc hup is going to be a tough one. “Their offense is really fast, they steal a lot of bases, have some kids at the top and middle of the lineup that run and they got a couple home run hitters. Its going to be a big test for us.” Lauren Haeger is Florida’s leading hitter averaging .328 with 48

RBI’s with a .488 on base percentage. Haeger poses a threat for Georgia not only at the plate but in the circle as well. If Georgia has a weakness, Walton says it could be its defense. “We’ve got to find a way to put the ball in play and help them help us make some mistakes so we can get more chances.” Playing on the road always brings its challenges but Walton feels Jack Turner Stadium adds to the challenge of facing Georgia. “Its always tough in the SEC on the road. Their stadium is a little different then ours, its elevated. But they pack it, its a sell out every time we play there. They got real high fences so the ball can get off the wall and create havoc in the outfield.” The three game series will kick off Friday at 6PM. For full audio on the above quotes see below: Tim Walton recognizes a strong offense Tim Walton’s thoughts on the tough matchup Tim Walton on Georgia’s weakness Tim Walton’s thoughts about playing on the road