Gator Softball Travels For Midweek Tilt Against Stetson

The fifth-ranked Florida softball team will travel for a midweek tilt against Stetson at 6 pm on Wednesday, March 16.

The Gators (23-2) and the Hatters (10-17) will take the field against each other for the first time since 2014 and for the first time in DeLand since 2006.

Florida holds the all-time series lead 13-2 and looks to even the record on the road as Stetson holds the advantage 2-1 as the home team.

Hey Gator Nation! We're headed to DeLand, Fla. TOMORROW to take on Stetson at 6 p.m.

See you there! or watch us on ESPN+ #GoGatorshttps://t.co/Hs0iEYcNzc

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) March 15, 2022

SEC Play

The Gators enter the contest after a series win over Mississippi State to open SEC play.  Florida beat the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon, 8-4, and Monday night, 3-0. This became Florida’s 10th consecutive SEC regular season series victory.

There were numerous highlights from the three-game series.

Senior outfielder Cheyenne Lindsey batted 600 (6-for-10) with a double and a triple.  The triple she hit Sunday was her fifth of the season, which is considered the most from a Florida senior in a single season.

Elizabeth Hightower (6-0) pitched a complete game with her 11th career shutout on Monday night. She allowed just four hits, striking out three.  The 2021 NFCA All-American earned her sixth win of the season to clinch the series victory.

Florida’s pitching staff ranks seventh in the nation in shutouts with 10 this season so far.

Precision, Speed & Power #GoGators

Check out the highlights from tonight's series clinching win over Mississippi State! pic.twitter.com/o8kWi1ywgE

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) March 15, 2022

Hatter’s Offense

Stetson enters the week after a 1-3 weekend at the Mercer Bears Classic.  Over the weekend, the Hatters fell twice to Iona, 5-4 and 4-3 (8 innings), but split with the Bears.

Stetson lost the first game to Mercer 6-4, but came back to win the final game of the weekend 8-6.

Offensively, the Hatters have four batters hitting over .300 with Brianna Clary leading the way with her .311 (28-of-90) average.

In the circle, the Stetson pitching staff holds a 4.65 ERA over 184.0 innings with 99 strikeouts.

https://twitter.com/StetsonHatters/status/1503800760462721024

What to expect

Following Wednesday’s game against the Hatters, the Gators will continue on the road with a trip to Texas A&M for a three-game series against the Aggies.

All three games are set to be streamed via SEC Network+.