GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 11
th-ranked Florida softball team is set to conclude its regular season with a three-game series against Southeastern Conference foe No. 8 Texas A&M this Friday through Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The Gators (40-12, 14-7 SEC) enter the weekend slate of game against the Aggies (39-9, 15-6 SEC) ranked third in the conference standings just one game behind TAMU, who currently sits in second just one game behind SEC leader Tennessee.
UF's offense is primed for the matchup with Texas A&M after it posted the most runs ever in program history against No. 12 Florida State during its midweek 15-13 (9) extra-inning win. The previous record for runs scored against the Seminoles was 14 runs in a win during the 2008 season. Leading the way in the effort that snapped a six-game skid against FSU was junior outfielder
Kendra Falby. Falby tallied a career-high five hits, tied her career mark with four RBI and belted her first home run of the season, which was the game winner, en route to the victory.
In addition to Falby's historic night in Tallahassee, Fla., junior
Reagan Walsh was tabbed this week's SEC Player of the Week after a successful string of games last week against FSU and Georgia. Over the last 10 games, Walsh is hitting .438 (14-for-32) with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI and sports a .813 slugging percentage.
Walsh isn't the only Florida hitter enjoying a productive stretch at the plate over that span. Fellow junior
Korbe Otis has posted an average of .467 (14-for-30) with four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI, while sophomore
Jocelyn Erickson is hitting .344 (11-for-32) over that stretch with three doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI.
Continuing the historic trend is
Skylar Wallace, who set the new program record for stolen bases against FSU. The Woodstock, Ga., native surpassed Kelsey Stewart's mark of 113 stolen base late in the game against the Seminoles and has stolen 114 bases in just three seasons playing with the Gators.
As a team, Florida's offense this season is on pace to be one of the most dynamic in program history. UF so far ranks in the top 10 in program history in runs (420 – 7
th), doubles (92 – 4
th), triples (17 – 3
rd), home runs (75 – 7
th) and RBI (394 – 6
th).
The production will need to continue at the plate as Texas A&M enters this weekend with a team batting average of .309 with 319 runs scored including 66 doubles, 10 triples and 57 home runs. Leading the way for the Aggies offensively is Amari Harper. Harper leads the team with a .386 average at the plate with six of her teammates also batting above the .300-mark.
In the circle, Emiley Kennedy (20-7) serves as the ace of the staff as she sports a 1.51 ERA with 156.2 innings pitched. Kennedy has notched eight shutouts on the season and recorded 165 strikeouts compared to just 65 walks. Shaylee Ackerman (8-1) and Emily Leavitt (9-1) round out the main rotation with 69.0 innings and 53.1 innings respectively.
Keagan Rothrock (21-6) earned her 21
st win of the season against the Seminoles and is the first pitcher since Kelly Barnhill in 2019 to record 20-plus wins in a single season. Two-way standout
Ava Brown (14-5) joins Rothrock as a major contributor in the circle as she recently cleared the 100-inning mark and currently has 102.1 innings on the year. Brown offensively is having a standout season as she is slugging .611 with six doubles and 12 home runs, all of which have occurred on the road away from KSP Stadium.
Following the conclusion of the series with the Aggies, the Gators will then set focus to the 2024 Southeastern Conference Tournament which is held at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Ala. from May 7-11.
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