No. 8 Gators Open Series Against No. 19 Ole Miss

The Gators dropped just their second season series against Arkansas last weekend. Florida softball has tumbled down the NCAA rankings to No. 8 after sitting comfortably in the top five for the whole season.

Now, the team has a chance to rebound against No. 19 Ole Miss.

A Broad Look At The Rebels

The Gators aren’t the only team coming off a fresh series loss.

The Rebels (30-9, 6-6 SEC) most recently lost two against No. 6 South Carolina to drop to 6-6 in conference play. However, Ole Miss’s record doesn’t necessarily reflect the story of its season.

All the team’s losses have been relatively close, with both losses against South Carolina decided by a 6-4 cumulative score. Fittingly, the Rebels have one of the best rotations in the SEC, boasting a team ERA of 2.24. Their ace is freshman Miali Guachino, who blanked UT Martin across four innings pitched in her most recent outing.

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Though Ole Miss has struggled with hitting lately, it still ranks 40th in the nation with a team .319 average. Leading the charge is Jaden Pone, who hit racked up 153 hits at Longwood before joining the Rebels’ program last season; she broke 250 career hits over the weekend in Columbia.

Gators’ Struggles

Even in their wild walk-off win, the Gators (35-8, 7-5 SEC) looked shaky at best against Arkansas. Both of the losses had one thing in common— the Razorbacks scored first.

It’s been a recurring trend throughout the season, where Florida has struggled to recoup momentum if it doesn’t strike first. Combined with the pitching staff’s middling performances as of late, the Gators have been stuck playing catch-up more often than they would probably like.

Looking at the positives, Korbe Otis and Reagan Walsh were far and away the team’s best hitters against the Razorbacks, combining for 11 runs batted in. The Gators then had a huge bounce back against Stetson, scoring 12 or more runs for the first time since early March against Texas A&M. UF has to bring a similar performance against Ole Miss if it wants to break through the Rebels’ rotation.

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Looking Ahead

The Gators open the series on Friday.

The game starts at 7 p.m. and is broadcast on SEC Network+.