2019 Gator Softball: A Year in Review

The Florida Gator softball team came into 2019 with the usual national championship expectations that the program has become accustomed to. It was a shakier campaign than past seasons, as Florida failed to top 50 wins for the first time since 2012 and suffered five series losses in SEC play.

Despite a 49-18 overall record and 12-12 mark in conference play, the Gators were still able to make something of this season with their fifth SEC Tournament Championship and 10th appearance in the Women's College World Series.

SEC Tournament

In the SEC Tournament, the No. 6 seeded Gators used an exhilarating four-run 7th inning to walk off against the No. 5 seeded South Carolina Gamecocks (38-19). The game-winning double came off the bat of sophomore Jordan Matthews, who sent a missile off the left field wall.

In the next two games, senior Kelly Barnhill registered outstanding pitching performances as the Gators blanked the Tigers of No. 3 seeded LSU (43-19) and No. 10 seeded Auburn (39-21) by scores of 3-0 on route to the SEC Championship.

In a rematch with No. 1 seeded Alabama (60-10), who had swept Florida in Gainesville in mid-April, senior Amanda Lorenz hit a clutch two-run double with two outs in the sixth inning to propel the Gators to a 2-1 victory and an SEC Tournament title.

NCAA Regionals

Earning the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Gators were back at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium hosting the Gainesville Regional. Florida did not allow a run throughout the entire regional as they blanked Boston University (37-20) by a mark of 3-0 and Boise State (36-16) by scores of 8-0 and 5-0 to advance to their seventh consecutive super regional.

NCAA Super Regionals

In supers, the Gators were paired up with a familiar SEC foe in the No. 12 seeded Tennessee Volunteers (43-17). The Vols had taken two out of three from the Gators in Gainesville in the first SEC series of the year, so this was no pushover opponent for Florida.

The Gators rode a solid outing from Kelly Barnhill to take Game 1 by a margin of 3-0. Game 2 would need extra innings as the Vols literally walked off 3-2 with a game-winning bases loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning. Game 3 would require an extra frame as well, but junior Jamie Hoover made sure the Gator faithful went home happy as she smoked a line drive over the shortstop's head into left field to plate Amanda Lorenz and send the Gators to Oklahoma City for the third straight year.

Women's College World Series

Once the Gators got to Oklahoma City, their magic began to fade. The No. 13 Oklahoma State Cowgirls (45-17) narrowly defeated Florida 2-1 in the opening round and then Alabama enacted their revenge with a 15-3 thrashing of the Gators in five innings. For the second straight season, the Gators had failed to even reach the semifinals of the College World Series.

Season Accomplishments

Despite another tough ending in Oklahoma City, the 2019 Florida Gator softball team accomplished much over the course of the season. Here are some of their noteworthy achievements from 2019:

• SEC tournament champions for the 5th time in program history
• Posted over 40 wins for the 20th time in school history and for the 17th consecutive year
• 25 shutout victories
• 11 run-rule victories
• Notched 21 victories over 14 ranked opponents (Part I). They were (at the time): No. 14 Michigan, No. 6 Arizona, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 17 Oregon, No. 5 Washington, No. 7/12 Tennessee (thrice), No. 8/10 LSU (twice)
• Part II: No. 19 Minnesota, No. 22 Ole Miss, No. 22 Arkansas (thrice), No. 4 Florida State, No. 19/24 Auburn (thrice), No. 20 South Carolina, No. 4 Alabama 
• 2 series sweeps (Arkansas, Texas A&M)
• 3 series wins (Arkansas, Texas A&M, Auburn)
• Won their 12th regional title
• Reached the Women's College World Series for the 10th time in program history.

Award Winners

After highlighting the team's success, let us now look at the individual Gator players who garnered recognition and accolades for their performances this season:

NFCA

• NFCA First Team All-Americans 
• OF - Amanda Lorenz

• NFCA Second Team All-Americans
• P - Kelly Barnhill

• NFCA Third Team All-Americans
• UT/DP - Kendyl Lindaman (Junior)

• NFCA Southeast All-Region First Team
• P - Kelly Barnhill
• OF - Amanda Lorenz
• UT/DP - Kendyl Lindaman

SEC

• First Team All-SEC
• IF - Amanda Lorenz
• DP/UT - Kendyl Lindaman

• Second Team All-SEC
• P - Kelly Barnhill

• Freshman All-SEC Team
• P - Elizabeth Hightower

• SEC All-Defensive Team
• 1B - Amanda Lorenz

• SEC All-Tournament Team
• P - Kelly Barnhill (MVP)
• IF - Amanda Lorenz
• IF - Hannah Adams (Sophomore)
• IF - Sophia Reynoso (Junior)

Offense

Now that we have highlighted the award winners, let us take a look at the stat leaders from the 2018 campaign:

Hits: Amanda Lorenz (78)

RBI's: Kendyl Lindaman (54)

Doubles: Amanda Lorenz (14)

Triples: Amanda Lorenz (4)

Home Runs: Kendyl Lindaman (15)

Batting Average: Amanda Lorenz (.422)

Slugging Percentage: Amanda Lorenz (.719)

On Base Percentage: Amanda Lorenz (.562)

Stolen Bases: Sophia Reynoso (6)

Runs Scored: Amanda Lorenz (57)

Total Bases: Amanda Lorenz (133)

Strikeouts: Jordan Roberts (55) (Junior)

Walks: Amanda Lorenz (62)

Hit By Pitch: Sophia Reynoso (19)

Sacrifice Bunts: Hannah Adams (11)

Sacrifice Flies: Amanda Lorenz (4)

Defense

Assists: Hannah Adams (97)

Putouts: Jordan Roberts (325)

Errors: Hannah Adams (5)

Fielding Percentage: Jordan Roberts/Jaimie Hoover (1.000) 

Pitching

Wins: Kelly Barnhill (34)

Losses: Kelly Barnhill (14)

Strikeouts: Kelly Barnhill (358)

Walks: Kelly Barnhill (81)

Earned Run Average: Kelly Barnhill (1.61)

Shutouts: Kelly Barnhill (11)

Complete Games: Kelly Barnhill (14)

Saves: Kelly Barnhill (3)

Appearances: Kelly Barnhill (52)

Innings Pitched: Kelly Barnhill (287.0)

No-Hitters & Perfect Games

This year the Florida Gators had two instances where their opponent failed to record a hit. Here's a brief breakdown of those games:

• April 26th - In their last SEC road series of the regular season, Florida set the tone against Auburn in the series opener as Kelly Barnhill no hit the Tigers while striking out 10 batters.
• May 18th -  In an abridged five-inning game in the regional semifinal, Florida's pitching kept Boise State confused all game as Kelly Barnhill (2.0 IP and 3 K's) and sophomore Natalie Lugo (3.0 IP and 2 K's) combined for the postseason no-no.

Senior Sendoff

In their four years playing for the Orange and Blue, the quintet of Kelly Barnhill, Amanda Lorenz, Alex Voss, Lily Mann, and Theresa Swertfager experienced the privilege of a Women's College World Series appearance in three of their four seasons. In the four years they all played at Florida, the Gators posted an overall record of 219-36 (.859 winning percentage).

Kelly Barnhill

Photo Credits: Pinterest

Kelly Barnhill will be remembered as one of the greatest pitchers in Florida Gator softball history.  In her four years on the bump she has equaled and even surpassed many of elite arms that have come through this program before her.

Despite a rough outing in her final start in Oklahoma City, Kelly finishes her remarkable UF career with a 104-22 record, a 1.26 ERA, 7 saves, 1205 strikeouts, and 170 walks in 787.1 innings pitched. In addition, she tossed one perfect game, six no hitters, and nine one hitters in her tenure for the Orange and Blue.

The lengthy list of her career accolades include:

NFCA

• 2019 All-American Second Team
• 2018 & 2017 NFCA All-American First Team
• 2019, 2018, 2017 NFCA Southeast All-Region First Team
• 2018 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
• 2018 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Pitcher of the Week for the week of February 27
• 2017 Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 18
• 2016 NFCA Freshman of the Year Top Three Finalist
• 2016 Third Team Southeast All-Region

SEC

• 2019 SEC Tournament MVP
• 2019 All-SEC Tournament Team
• 2018 & 2017 SEC Pitcher of the Year
• 2018 & 2017 All-SEC First Team
• 2018 SEC Community Service Team
• 2018, 2017, 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2018 SEC Pitcher of the Week for the weeks of February 26; March 5 & 27; & April 17
• 2017 SEC Pitcher of the Week for the weeks of February 20; April 11, 18, 25; & May 2
• 2016 SEC All-Freshman Team
• 2016 SEC Freshman of the Week for the weeks of March 21, & May 9

USA Softball

• 2018 USA Softball Player of the Year Top 4 Finalist
• 2018 USA Softball Co-Player of the Week for the week of February 27
• 2018 Team USA Member
• 2017 USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Year
• 2017 USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week for the week of  April 18

Miscellaneous Honors

• 2018 CWSA Honda Sports Award Top 4 Finalist
• 2018 Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year
• 2018 Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team
• 2017 Honda Sport Award Winner
• 2017 EspnW Player of the Year
• 2017 ESPY – Best Female Collegiate Athlete
• 2017 WCWS All-Tournament Team
• 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team
• 2017 EspnW Player of the Week for the week of April 19

Statistically, Kelly leaves the Gators as Top 5* in:

• Strikeouts – 1,205 (First)
• Shutouts – 52 (Second)
• Wins – 104 (Third)
• Starts – 137 (Third)
• ERA – 1.26 (Fifth)

Kelly graduated with a degree in Public Relations, but may not have to use that degree just yet as the Chicago Bandits selected her first overall in the 2019 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft. If she decides to play, Kelly would be the only Gator on the Bandits after the departure of Aleshia Ocasio (Class of 2018) to go coach at Howard University. Thank you for these last four years, Kelly!

*Could not calculate Opponent's Batting Average, Strikeouts Per 7 Innings, Combined Shutouts, Strikeouts Looking, & Lowest Stolen Base Percentage because I don't have the necessary data available to me.

Amanda Lorenz

Photo Credits: Ventura County Star

Earning the nickname "Mandy Softball", Amanda Lorenz has been one of the integral pieces of the Gator offense since the time she stepped on campus as a freshman. In her four years in Gainesville, Amanda finishes with a slash line of .403/.550/.686, 294 hits, 245 runs, 40 home runs, 192 RBI's, 31 stolen bases, and a .996 fielding percentage. Her collegiate honors include: 

NFCA

• 2019, 2018, 2017 NFCA All-American First Team
• 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 NFCA Southeast All-Region First Team
• 2018 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
• 2016 NFCA All-American Third Team
• 2016 NFCA Freshman of the Year

SEC

• 2019 SEC Tournament MVP
• 2019 SEC All-Defensive Team
• 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 All-SEC First Team
• 2019 & 2018 All-SEC Tournament Team
• 2018 SEC Player of the Year
• 2018 SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player
• 2018, 2017, 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2018 SEC Player of the Week for the week of February 26
• 2016 SEC Freshman of the Year
• 2016 SEC All-Freshman Team
• 2016 SEC Freshman of the Week for the week of March 28

USA Softball

• 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 4 Finalist
• 2018 Team USA Member

Miscellaneous Honors

• 2018 CWSA Honda Sports Award Top 4 Finalist
• 2017 WCWS All-Tournament Team

Statistically, Amanda leaves the Gators as Top 10* in:

• Batting Average – .403 (First)
• On Base Percentage – .550 (First)
• Doubles – 59 (First)
• Walks – 238 (First)
• Hits – 294 (Second)
• Total Bases – 507 (Second)
• Slugging Percentage – .686 (Third)
• Runs – 245 (Third)
• Triples – 12 (Third)
• RBI's – 192 (Sixth)

Amanda graduated with a degree in Sports Management but will most likely continuing playing as the USSSA Pride selected her second overall behind Kelly Barnhill in the 2019 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft. She will be the third Gator to join the Pride along with pitcher Hannah Rogers (Class of 2014) and Kirsti Merritt (Class of 2016). Thank you for these last four years, Amanda!

Alex Voss

Photo Credits: Daily Commercial

Hailing from my hometown of Coral Springs, Florida, Alex Voss was one of those players who began to see more playing time in her junior and senior seasons at Florida.

A fantastic utility player, Alex finishes her four years for the Orange and Blue with a slash line of .210/.275/.299, 47 hits, 56 runs, 1 home run, 19 RBI's, 10 stolen bases, and a .982 fielding percentage. Her collegiate merits include:

• 2018 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
• 2018, 2017, 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll

Alex graduated with a degree in Sports Management and will not be pursuing a professional softball career. Thank you for these last four years, Alex!

Lily Mann

Photo Credits: FloridaGators.com

Lily Mann saw plenty of action throughout her collegiate career as she appeared in 120 games. Unfortunately she was never given a start in any of those contests. Nevertheless, Lily concludes her Gator career with a slash line of .250/.421/.353, 6 hits, 29 runs, 3 RBI's, 5 stolen bases, and a .1000 fielding percentage. Her collegiate honors include:

• 2018 NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
• 2018, 2017, 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll

Lily graduated with a degree in Applied Kinesiology & Physiology and will not be playing professional softball after college. Thank you for these last four years, Lily!

Theresa Swertfager

Photo Credits: Instagram

Rounding out another great UF senior class is Theresa Swertfager. In her four years in Gainesville, Theresa ends her collegiate career with a triple identical slash line of .286/.286/.286, 4 hits, 1 RBI, 4 sacrifice hits, and a .1000 fielding percentage. Her collegiate honors include:

• 2018 NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
• 2018, 2017, 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll

Theresa graduated with a degree in Education and will not be playing softball professionally. Thank you for these last four years, Theresa!

Final Takeaway

It definitely felt like a different season than I was accustomed to for Gator softball, but at the end of the day the girls still made it to the Women's College World Series. A team that finished sixth overall in the SEC regular season standings found a way to win the conference tournament, run the table in their regional, get back to Oklahoma City, and be competitive in one of the two games during their short stint in the WCWS.

The loss of Barnhill will be a tremendous blow to the pitching staff while Lorenz's absence in the lineup will absolutely be felt on the offensive side. As it stands right now, the 2020 squad is set to boast six seniors, six juniors, eight sophomores (which includes transfer infielder Charla Echols from Michigan State), and probably six to seven freshmen in the incoming recruiting class.

As always, head coach Tim Walton will figure it out and the expectations of making the Women's College World Series should remain the same at the University of Florida for the foreseeable future.

Thank you for everything, 2019 Gator Softball! Go Gators!

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com
**All awards & honors accredited to NFCA.org & SECSports.com

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2018 Gator Softball: A Year In Review

The Florida Gator softball team entered the 2018 season with a chip on their shoulder after losing in the Women's College World Series Finals the previous season. The Orange and Blue picked up where they left off from last year as they went 56-11 (20-4 SEC) and won both the SEC regular season and tournament championships.

As No. 2 overall seed, the Florida Gators advanced to their fourth WCWS in five years before again having their season end at the hands of No. 4 seeded Oklahoma (57-4) in the loser's bracket. Here's a rundown of Florida's postseason run.

SEC Tournament
As the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, Florida faced off against Alabama (36-20) for the fourth time this season. Having won the series down in Tuscaloosa, the Gators dispatched the Tide in the quarterfinals with a three-run sixth inning to take the game by a score of 5-2.

In the SEC semifinals, the Gators saw rival Tennessee (48-14) for the first time this season and throttled the Vols with a 10-2 run-rule victory. Making their first SEC Championship appearance since 2013, the Gators would be pitted against South Carolina (49-16) for the fourth time this year. Florida swept the Gamecocks down in Gainesville and the result here would be no different as a three-run third inning propelled the Gators to a a 3-1 victory and an SEC tournament title.

NCAA Regionals
Once regional play was under way, the Gators were awarded the No. 2 overall seed and run-ruled both Bethune-Cookman (31-25) and Ohio State (36-16) in their first two games. The Gators would again face the Buckeyes for the regional title and senior Aleshia Ocasio would toss a no-hitter to send Florida to super regionals for the sixth straight season.

NCAA Super Regionals
In super regionals, No. 2 Florida had a very favorable matchup against No. 15 Texas A&M (44-18). Despite sweeping the Aggies at home in fairly convincing fashion, the Gators would be pushed to their limits with a WCWS berth on the line.

Game 1 saw Florida enter the bottom of the seventh down 4-2 and score three runs for a stunning walk off victory. Senior catcher Janell Wheaton would be the hero, as she drew a two-out bases loaded walk with the a full count to bring home the winning run.

The Gators would drop Game 2 by the same score of 5-4, setting up a winner-take all matchup in Game 3. Florida again trailed in this game due to a two-out two-run home run from Texas A&M in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the frame down 3-2, the Gators were down to their last strike of the season as freshman Jordan Matthews faced an 0-2 count with runners on first and second.

After working the count to 2-2, the left-handed Matthews drove an outside pitch to left field for a walk-off home run to send the Gators to Oklahoma City!

Women's College World Series
Back in familiar territory for the second consecutive year, the Gators hooked up with SEC rival No. 7 Georgia (48-12) in the first round of the WCWS. Forgetting about their two losses in Athens, the Gators unleashed the bats on the Dawgs as they run-ruled their rival by a score of 11-3.

In the second round, the Gators took on the No. 3 UCLA Bruins (58-6) in what would become probably the most controversial game of the whole tournament. Florida led this game by a 4-0 margin at one point until a five-spot in the fourth inning helped the Bruins take the lead. This was allowed to happen partially because of a blown call at the plate.

On a foul ball that was hit down the left field line, redshirt sophomore shortstop Sophia Reynoso tracked the ball down and spun around to throw a dart to the plate. Janell Wheaton received the throw at the plate and put the tag on UCLA's runner coming home. The home plate umpire (out of position to make the call), erroneously signaled she was safe at the plate despite replay reviews showing otherwise. Because there is no replay review in the WCWS, it was tough luck for the Gators.

With the inning continuing and the score now 4-2, the next UCLA batter would hit a three-run home run to push it to 5-4. The Bruins would never look back and the Gators would lose a heartbreaker by a final of 6-5.

Needing to win three elimination games just to get to the WCWS Finals, the Gators did not have it the next day against the defending champion No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners. Florida was shut out 2-0 to end both their season and dreams of a third national championship in five years.

Season Accomplishments
Despite a controversial and lackluster ending in Oklahoma City, the 2018 Florida Gator softball teams has much to be proud of. Here are some of the feats they accomplished in 2018:

• SEC regular season champions for the eighth time in program history and for the fourth straight season.
• SEC tournament champions for the fourth time in program history.
• Posted over 50 wins for the 12th time in school history and for the sixth consecutive year.
• Posted 20 SEC wins for the eighth time in school history and for the second straight year.
• 30 shutout victories
• 20 run-rule victories
• Notched 28 victories over 12 ranked opponents (Part I). They were (at the time): No. 18 Michigan, No. 16 UL-Lafayette (twice), No. 8 Baylor, No. 23 Kentucky (thrice), No. 10/7 Georgia (twice), No. 8/15 Texas A&M (five times)
• Part II: No. 15/13 Alabama (thrice), No 11/12 South Carolina (four times), No. 19 Mississippi State (thrice), No. 8 Florida State, No. 14 LSU (twice), No. 7 Tennessee 
• Five series sweeps (Kentucky, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Missouri)
• Won their 11th regional title.
• Reached the Women's College World Series for the ninth time in program history.

Award Winners
After highlighting the team's success, let us now look at the individual Gator players who garnered recognition and accolades for their performances this season:

NFCA

• NFCA First Team All-Americans 
• P - Kelly Barnhill (Junior)
• OF - Amanda Lorenz (Junior)
• UT/P - Aleshia Ocasio (Senior)

• NFCA Second Team All-Americans
• 3B - Nicole DeWitt (Senior)

• NFCA Southeast All-Region First Team
• P - Kelly Barnhill
• 3B - Nicole DeWitt
• OF - Amanda Lorenz
• UT/P - Aleshia Ocasio (Senior)

• NFCA Southeast All-Region Third Team
• C - Janell Wheaton (Senior)

SEC

• SEC Player of the Year
• OF - Amanda Lorenz

• SEC Pitcher of the Year
• Kelly Barnhill

• First Team All-SEC
• P - Kelly Barnhill
• IF - Nicole DeWitt
• OF - Amanda Lorenz
• DP/U - Aleshia Ocasio

• Freshman All-SEC Team
• IF - Hannah Adams

• SEC All-Defensive Team
• C - Janell Wheaton
• 2B - Hannah Adams

Offense
Now that we have highlighted the award winners, let us take a look at the stat leaders from the 2018 campaign:

Hits: Amanda Lorenz (74)

RBI's: Amanda Lorenz (61)

Doubles: Amanda Lorenz (19)

Triples: Amanda Lorenz (4)

Home Runs: Nicole DeWitt (14)

Batting Average: Amanda Lorenz (.416)

Slugging Percentage: Amanda Lorenz (.753)

On Base Percentage: Amanda Lorenz (.582)

Stolen Bases: Amanda Lorenz/Hannah Adams (6)

Runs Scored: Amanda Lorenz (75)

Total Bases: Amanda Lorenz (134)

Strikeouts: Aleshia Ocasio (33)

Walks: Amanda Lorenz (70)

Hit By Pitch: Nicole DeWitt (14)

Sacrifice Bunts: Sophia Reynoso (14)

Sacrifice Flies: Aleshia Ocasio (5)


Defense

Assists: Sophia Reynoso (97)

Putouts: Janell Wheaton (470)

Errors: Sophia Reynoso/Kayli Kvistad (5) (Senior)

Fielding Percentage: Hannah Adams/Jordan Roberts/Jaimie Hoover/Danielle Romanello (1.000) (Sophomores/Freshman)

Pitching

Wins: Kelly Barnhill (29)

Losses: Aleshia Ocasio (7)

Strikeouts: Kelly Barnhill (324)

Walks: Kelly Barnhill (76)

Earned Run Average: Kelly Barnhill (1.08)

Shutouts: Kelly Barnhill (11)

Complete Games: Kelly Barnhill (23)

Saves: Aleshia Ocasio (2)

Appearances: Kelly Barnhill (41)

Innings Pitched: Kelly Barnhill (214.1)

No-Hitters & Perfect Games
This year the Florida Gators had nine instances where their opponent failed to record a hit. Here's a breakdown of those games:

• February 14th - In the home opener, Kelly Barnhill gave all 1,310 of the fans in attendance a performance for the ages as she notched 12 strikeouts in her five inning no hitter over the UNF Ospreys.
• February 24th - Tossing her second no-no of the year, Barnhill struck out nine Iowa State Cyclones as the Gators won in five innings.
• February 25th - It would be deja vu for Barnhill. In her third no-hitter in February ALONE, the junior right-hander again no-hit Iowa State as she punched out 12 Cyclones in another five-inning Gator win.
• March 3rd - In the first combined no-hitter of the year for Florida, Kelly Barnhill (6 IP and 13 K's) and Aleshia Ocasio (1 IP and 3 K's) tag-teamed as they struck out 16 batters and no-hit the Baylor Bears in the finale of the Judi Garman Classic.
• March 9th - In the first game of conference play, Kelly Barnhill continued her dominance over Kentucky as she no-hit the Wildcats for the second straight season.  She fanned 13 of the 22 batters she faced as the game went a full seven innings. It would be her fourth no-hitter of the year.
• March 21st - Barnhill's fifth and final no-no came against the USF Bulls in a midweek game. She struck out 12 batters as Florida won in five innings.
• March 28th - Aleshia Ocasio joined Barnhill as a member of the 2018 no-hitter club with a five-inning gem against the FIU Panthers.
• May 18th - In the regional opener, the Barnhill/Ocasio duo tossed the second combined no-hitter of the season for Florida. Barnhill pitched four innings (with 10 K's) while Ocasio finished out the last two (4 K's) in a run-rule victory.
• May 20th - As mentioned earlier in the article, Aleshia Ocasio took care of Ohio State in the regional final. In a full seven innings, she struck out 12 Buckeyes and put up a goose egg in the hit column.

Senior Sendoff
In their four years playing for the Orange and Blue, the quartet of Aleshia Ocasio, Kayli Kvistad, Nicole DeWitt, and Janell Wheaton embodied a senior class that had experienced many highs and lows.

From winning the 2015 national championship, to losing on a walk-off in the 2016 super regionals, to losing in the 2017 WCWS Finals, to having a blown call send them to their fate in the 2018 WCWS loser's bracket, these girls have been through it all. In the four years they all played at Florida, the Gators posted an overall record of 230-35 (.867 winning percentage).

Aleshia Ocasio

Photo Credits: ESPN.com

Aleshia was an asset to the Gators the moment she arrived on campus. As a two-way player, Ocasio was a threat from both the pitcher's circle and the batter's box. She finishes her UF pitching career with a 69-13 record, a 1.42 ERA, 10 saves, 532 strikeouts, and 89 walks in 500.1 innings pitched.

From the offensive side, Aleshia concludes her batting career with a slash line of .278/.357/.434, 111 hits, 10 home runs, 73 RBI's, 17 stolen bases, and a .955 fielding percentage. Her career accolades include:

• 2015 National Champion
• 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015 SEC Regular Season Champion
• 2018 SEC Tournament Champion
• 2018, 2017, 2016, & 2015 NFCA All-Southeast Region First Team
• 2018, 2017, and 2016 All-SEC First Team
• 2018 & 2016 NFCA First Team All-American 
• 2017 WCWS All-Tournament Team
• 2016 USA Softball Player of the Year Top Three Finalist
• 2015 NFCA Third Team All-American
• 2015 NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 Finalist
• 2015 All-SEC Freshman Team
• SEC Pitcher of the Week for March 28, 2016

Aleshia graduated with a degree in African-American Studies, but will also have an opportunity to play at the next level. In the 2018 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft, the Chicago Bandits selected her with the 10th overall pick in the second round. If she decides to play, Aleshia would be the lone Gator on the Bandits. Thank you for these last four years, Aleshia!

Kayli Kvistad

Photo Credits: Twitter

Kayli saw playing time very early in her career as she worked her way towards the starting job at first base. In her four years in Gainesville, Kayli finishes with a slash line of .323/.496/.547, 190 hits, 113 runs, 32 home runs, 193 RBI's, five stolen bases, and a .993 fielding percentage. Her collegiate honors include:

• 2015 National Champion
• 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015 SEC Regular Season Champion
• 2018 SEC Tournament Champion
• 2017 NFCA Third Team All-American
• 2017 NFCA All-Southeast Region Second Team
• 2017 & 2016 All-SEC First Team
• 2017 & 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-American Second Team
• SEC Player of the Week for April 25th, 2017
• 2017 All-SEC Community Service Team
• 2016 First Team Academic All-American
• 2016 NFCA Second Team All-American
• 2016 First Team All-Southeast Region
• 2015 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2015 NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete

Kayli graduated with a degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders. She will not be pursuing a professional softball career. Thank you for these last four years, Kayli!

Nicole DeWitt

Photo Credits: Pinterest

Nicole's versatility as a utility player gave her the opportunity to get on the field immediately. To many Gator softball fans, Nicole's lasting legacy will be as a WCWS hero. In the 2015 WCWS semifinals during Nicole's freshman season, Florida and Auburn were tied at 2-2 in the ninth inning.

Needing just one win to advance to the championship series, Florida would look no further than to Nicole. Despite being 0-4 up to that point, she delivered the game-winning single to send the Gators to back-to-back WCWS Finals. Florida would go on to defend their title as they swept Michigan.

Nicole finishes her four years for the Orange and Blue with a slash line of .330/.475/.534, 219 hits, 190 runs, 28 home runs, 161 RBI's, 27 stolen bases, and a .982 fielding percentage. Her collegiate merits include:

• 2015 National Champion
• 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015 SEC Regular Season Champion
• 2018 SEC Tournament Champion
• 2018 NFCA Second Team All-American
• 2018 & 2017 NFCA All-Southeast Region First Team
• 2018 & 2017 All-SEC First Team
• 2017 SEC All-Defensive Team
• 2016 All-Southeast Region Third Team
• 2015 WCWS All-Tournament Team
• 2015 All-SEC Freshman Team

Nicole graduate with a degree in Family Youth & Community Sciences, but has the option to prolong her playing career if she so chooses. In the 2018 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft, the USSSA Pride selected her with the 17th overall pick in the third round.

Nicole would be the third Gator to play on the Pride's roster, joining Hannah Rogers (Class of 2014) and Kirsti Merritt (Class of 2016). Thank you for these last four years, Nicole!

Janell Wheaton 

Photo Credits: Twitter

Rounding out the senior class is catcher Janell Wheaton. When she first arrived at UF, Janell had to wait behind star catcher Aubree Munro for two years before seizing the starting backstop job as a junior. From that moment on, there was no looking back as Janell was a wall behind the plate and solid with the bat.

She finishes her Gator career with a slash line of .260/.390/.415, 131 hits, 80 runs, 15 home runs, 117 RBI's, seven stolen bases, and a .997 fielding percentage. Her collegiate honors include:

• 2015 National Champion
• 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015 SEC Regular Season Champion
• 2018 SEC Tournament Champion
• 2018 NFCA All-Southeast Region Second Team
• 2018 SEC All-Defensive Team
• 2017 & 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2015 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
• 2015 NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete

Janell graduated with a degree in Sports Management and will not be pursuing a professional softball career after college. Thank you for these last four years, Janell!

Final Takeaway
Even though the Florida Gators did not win a national championship this year, any season that ends in Oklahoma City should be considered a success to some degree. It was unfortunate how some of the games played out in this year's WCWS, but best know Florida will have the personnel to replicate another championship run for years to come.

Head coach Tim Walton just inked a 10-year contract extension, so he's not going anywhere anytime soon. Both Amanda Lorenz -one of the greatest hitters in UF history- and Kelly Barnhill -on track to be one of the greatest pitchers in UF history- will be returning for their senior seasons.

The 2019 Gator softball squad will boast five seniors, four juniors, six sophomores (barring any transfers), and five or six studs in the 2019 recruiting class. There will be some holes to fill at the No. 2 pitcher (probably rising left-handed junior Katie Chronister) behind Barnhill, catcher, first base, and third base, but as always Tim Walton will replenish these positions with the right players.

Thank you for everything, 2018 Gator Softball! Go Gators!

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com
**All awards & honors accredited to NFCA.org & SECSports.com

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2018 WCWS: No. 2 Florida Run-Rules No. 7 Georgia in Opener

In the first round of the Women's College World Series, the No. 2 Florida Gators (56-9) nabbed their second victory of the season over the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs (48-12) by a romping score of 11-3.

Pitching
Senior right-hander Aleshia Ocasio (23-7, 1.44 ERA) got the nod on the mound and ran into trouble early. The Dawgs tagged her for two runs in the top of the first inning and then tacked on an additional run in the third inning.

Fortunately for Ocasio, these early struggles would not matter as Gator offense lit up the scoreboard. In a brisk five-inning outing, she would finish with a stat line of three earned runs on seven hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts.

Batting
The Gator offense nearly beat their entire run output during super regionals (12) as they put up 11 on the Dawgs tonight! Florida climbed out of their early 2-0 deficit with a five-run first inning, added one more run in the second, put up two in the fourth, and then pushed across three in the final frame for the WCWS mercy rule win.

Gator Dingers
The Gators may have only had seven hits, but three of them were home runs! Aleshia Ocasio made up for her pitching miscues with a three-run bomb out to right field in the bottom of the first inning to make it 5-2 Florida. In the fourth inning, sophomore designated player Jordan Roberts hit a pinch-hit two-run home run to center field to push the lead to 8-3. In the game's final frame, freshman second baseman Hannah Adams led off the fifth inning with a solo shot to right field to push the margin to 9-3 Florida.

Offensive Performers
Hannah Adams was the lone Gator with multiple hits as she went 2-3 with her solo home run and a run scored. The remaining Gators with base hits were senior third baseman Nicole Dewitt (1-3 with two runs scored), junior first baseman Kayli Kvistad (1-1 with a run scored, an RBI, and two walks), and Jordan Matthews (1-2 with a double and two RBI's).

In addition, junior left fielder Amanda Lorenz, senior catcher Janell Wheaton, redshirt sophomore shortstop Sophia Reynoso, and sophomore right fielder Jaimie Hoover all scored a run without registering a base knock.

Wheaton had the game-winning at-bat as her hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded brought home the final run needed to mercy Georgia by eight. Both Lorenz and Kvistad also had half of the team's eight walks with two a piece.

Fielding
The lone error came from Georgia as freshman first baseman Alysen Febrey misplayed a grounder off the bat of Nicole Dewitt in the bottom of the first inning. This would come back to hurt the Bulldogs as super regional hero Jordan Matthews tied the game up with a double three batters later.

Final Takeaway
After dropping the regular season series in Athens, the No. 2 Florida Gators (56-9) got revenge in the best way possible with a convincing victory over the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs (48-12) in the Women's College World Series. Before previewing their second round matchup against the No. 3 UCLA Bruins (57-5), here are some final tidbits from Florida's victory over the Bulldogs:

• The Gators are now 40-27 all-time against Georgia.
• The Gators are now 26-14 all-time in the Women's College World Series.
• The Gators are now 6-3 all-time in the first round of the WCWS.
• This is the third time in program history that the Gators have run-ruled their opponent in the first round (11-0 over Baylor in 2014, 8-0 over Texas A&M in 2017).
• The Gators have now won four consecutive first round games in the WCWS.
• Florida's 11 runs equates the most runs they have ever scored in the opening round of the WCWS.

Advancing into the winner's bracket, the Florida Gators will now turn their attention to the UCLA Bruins. The Gators are 1-1 against the Bruins in the WCWS and have not them played them since the 2017 regular season. Junior right-hander Kelly Barnhill (29-1, 1.06 ERA) will probably get the start for Florida and UCLA will most likely counter with sophomore right-hander Rachel Garcia (23-9, 1.87 ERA). The game is set for 9:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN.

As for Georgia, they will fight to keep their season alive in an elimination game against the No. 6 Florida State Seminoles (52-12). Game time for this matchup is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on June 2 and it can be seen on ESPN as well.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com*

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2017 Gator Softball: A Year In Review

Entering the 2017 season, the Florida Gator softball team was yet again one of the favorites to win the Women's College World Series as they posted a 58-10 (20-3 SEC) record and won the SEC regular season title.

As the No. 1 overall seed, the Florida Gators advanced to their third WCWS in four years before losing to No. 10 seeded Oklahoma (61-9) in the National Championship. Here's a rundown of Florida's postseason run!

SEC Tournament
Similar to years past, the Florida Gators struggled in the SEC Tournament. Their opponent in the first round was the Ole Miss Rebels (43-20), who the Gators had shut out in a three-game sweep at home. This time around, it was the Gators who got shut out as the Rebels defeated them by a score of 2-0.

This loss made Florida the first No. 1 seed to ever lose in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. If it was any consolation though, Ole Miss would go on to win the tournament for the first time in program history.

NCAA Regionals
Once the postseason began, Florida was awarded the No. 1 overall seed for the third consecutive year. Their regional consisted of Florida A&M (23-32-1), Oklahoma State (38-25), and Florida International (46-15). The Gators soundly run-ruled/no-hit FAMU by a score of 8-0 in the opener before blanking Oklahoma State by a score of 2-0 in the semifinal.

In the regional final, it would be a rematch with Oklahoma State that the Gators lost 1-0. It would be Florida's first regional elimination game since 2012. In the do-or-die Game 7, the Gators prevailed as they shutout the Cowgirls 5-0.

NCAA Super Regionals
Hosting a super regional for the fifth straight season, the Gators played host to the No. 16 Alabama Crimson Tide (46-18). The Tide stole the first game in a 3-0 victory propelled by two throwing errors on sacrifice bunts.

In Game 2, the Gators fought back and shut the Tide out 2-0 to set up a winner-take-all matchup. In the decisive Game 3, the Gators prevailed by a score of 2-1 to clinch their eighth trip to the Women's College World Series.

Women's College World Series
In Oklahoma City, the Gators continued to face SEC competition as their opening round opponent was the No. 9 seeded Texas A&M Aggies (47-13). They made quick work of the Aggies, as they run-ruled them 8-0 to kickoff their title hunt in OKC.

In the quarterfinals, the Gators kept it within the conference as they faced off against the rival No. 13 seeded LSU Tigers (48-22). Yet again, this SEC foe would pose no threat Florida shut out LSU by a score of 7-0 to advance to the semifinals.

In the semis, the Gators hooked up with the No. 6 seeded Washington Huskies (50-14). They would soundly beat the Huskies 5-2 to reach their third National Championship in four years.

In the WCWS Finals against the defending champion Oklahoma Sooners, the Gators ran out of gas. They lost a record-setting opener 7-5 in 17 innings and fell in the second game by a score of 5-4, giving OU back-to-back titles.

The opening loss was tough to stomach as the Gators rallied twice to tie the game with two strikes and two outs in the seventh and 12th innings. It was Florida's third time losing in the National Championship series (Washington in 2008 and Arizona State in 2011).

Season Accomplishments
A loss in the National Championship by no means puts a damper on what was yet another phenomenal season from coach Tim Walton and this Gator softball team. Here are some of the accolades they accomplished in 2017:

• SEC regular season champions for the seventh time in program history and for the third straight season
• Posted over 50 wins for the 11th time in school history.
• Made it to the National Championship for the fifth time in school history.
• 39 shutout victories
• 17 run-rule victories
• Notched 27 victories over 16 ranked opponents (Part I). They were (at the time): No. 6 Michigan, No. 24 USF, No. 23 California, No. 7 UCLA, No. 24 Missouri (twice), No. 4 Auburn (twice), No. 24 Arkansas (thrice), No. 18 Georgia (thrice)
• Part II: No. 2 FSU, No. 22 Kentucky (twice), No. 20 Ole Miss (thrice), No. 8 Tennessee (twice), No. 14 Alabama (twice), No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 19 LSU, and No. 7 Washington
• Six series sweeps (Missouri, South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, Ole Miss, and North Texas)
• Won all eight of their SEC series while dropping just one game a piece to Auburn, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
• Won their 10th regional title.
• Reached the Women's College World Series for the eighth time in program history.
• Defend Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium well as they went 28-3 at home.
• Won over 20 SEC games for the eighth time in school history.
• Played in the longest game in WCWS history (five hours and 28 minutes) in their Game 1 loss against Oklahoma.

Award Winners

Now that I have finished highlighting the team's success, let's look at some of the hardware that the players themselves brought home:

USA Softball

• USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
• P - Kelly Barnhill (Sophomore)

NFCA

• NFCA First Team All-Americans
• P - Delanie Gourley (Senior)
• P - Kelly Barnhill
• OF - Amanda Lorenz (Sophomore)

• NFCA Third Team All-Americans
• 1B - Kayli Kvistad (Junior)

• NFCA Southeast All-Region First Team
• P - Kelly Barnhill
• 2B - Nicole DeWitt (Junior)
• OF - Amanda Lorenz
• UT/P - Aleshia Ocasio (Junior)

• NFCA Southeast All-Region Second Team
• P - Delanie Gourley
• 1B - Kayli Kvistad
• OF - Justine McLean (Senior)

SEC

• SEC Pitcher of the Year
• Kelly Barnhill

• SEC Coach of the Year
• Tim Walton (fifth time)

• First Team All-SEC
• P - Kelly Barnhill
• P - Delanie Gourley
• IF - Nicole DeWitt
• IF - Kayli Kvistad
• OF - Amanda Lorenz
• DP/U - Aleshia Ocasio

• Second Team All-SEC
• OF - Justine McLean (Senior)

• Freshman All-SEC Team
• IF - Sophia Reynoso

• SEC All-Defensive Team
• 2B - Nicole DeWitt

With all the award winners honored, here's a look at the stat leaders for the 2017 season:

Offense

Hits: Amanda Lorenz (76)

RBI's: Kayli Kvistad (53)

Doubles: Nicole DeWitt (15)

Triples: Amanda Lorenz/Aleshia Ocasio/Jamie Hoover (3) (Freshman)

Home Runs: Amanda Lorenz (11)

Batting Average: Amanda Lorenz (.388)

Slugging Percentage: Amanda Lorenz (.648)

On Base Percentage: Kayli Kvistad (.554)

Stolen Bases: Justin McLean/Jacqui Switzer (18) (Freshman)

Runs Scored: Amanda Lorenz (60)

Total Bases: Amanda Lorenz (127)

Strikeouts: Jordan Roberts (38) (Freshman)

Walks: Kayli Kvistad (67)

Hit By Pitch: Nicole Dewitt (18)

Sacrifice Bunts: Sophia Reynoso (9)

Sacrifice Flies: Nicole Dewitt (6)

Defense

Assists: Sophia Reynoso (97)

Putouts: Janell Wheaton (588) (Junior)

Errors: Sophia Reynoso (8)

Fielding Percentage: Amanda Lorenz/Janell Wheaton/Jordan Roberts/Chelsea Herndon (1.000) (Senior) 

Pitching

Wins: Kelly Barnhill (26)

Losses: Kelly Barnhill/Delanie Gourley (4)

Strikeouts: Kelly Barnhill (359)

Walks: Kelly Barnhill (40)

Earned Run Average: Kelly Barnhill (0.51)

Shutouts: Kelly Barnhill (19)

Complete Games: Kelly Barnhill/Delanie Gourley (17)

Saves: Kelly Barnhill (3)

Appearances: Kelly Barnhill (37)

Innings Pitched: Kelly Barnhill (193.2)


No-Hitters & Perfect Games

This year, the Florida Gators had four instances where their opponent failed to record a hit. Here's a breakdown of those games:

• March 2nd - Delanie Gourley tossed her first career perfect game against the Iowa Hawkeyes as she struck out 12 of the 15 batters she faced.
• March 17th - Against the South Carolina Gamecocks, Delanie Gourley (4 IP) and Aleshia Ocasio (1 IP) threw the fifth combined no-no in Gator history.
• April 16th - Leaving her mark on an historic sophomore year, Kelly Barnhill struck out 15 batters as she no-hit the Kentucky Wildcats.
• May 19th - In her second no-hitter of the year, Delanie Gourley struck out eight as the Gators downed the Florida A&M Rattlers in five innings.

Senior Sendoff

In their four years for the Orange and Blue, the trio of Delanie Gourley, Chelsea Herndon, and Justin McLean have seen much success. They all played integral roles in helping the program win two national championships while their teams combined for an overall record of 229-36 (.865 winning percentage) from 2014-2017.

With their careers ending in the same place as their freshman seasons, these girls are moving on to bigger and better things after their time at UF.

Delanie Gourley

Personally one of my favorite players on the team, Delanie contributed early as she pitched all four years of college. She concludes her Florida career with a 65-10 record, a 1.36 ERA, 14 saves, 692 strikeouts, and 155 walks in 506.2 innings pitched.

Her collegiate accolades include:

• 2015 & 2014 National Champion
• 2017, 2016, & 2015 SEC Regular Season Champion
• First left-hander to pitch for Tim Walton at Florida.
• 2017 & 2016 First Team All-American
• 2017 NFCA Southeast All-Region Second Team
• 2017 & 2016 First Team All-SEC
• 2016 USA Softball Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist
• 2016 Southeast All-Region First Team
• USA Softball National Player of the Week for April 19th, 2016
• SEC Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 25, 2016 
• NFCA Pitcher of the Week for March 1, 2015
• SEC Pitcher of the Week for March 1, 2015
• Earned the win in Game 2 of the 2014 WCWS Finals for Florida’s first national championship.
• Notched the save in Game 1 of the 2015 WCWS Finals.
• Threw two no-hitters during her junior season in 2016.
• Threw five career no-hitters (including one perfect game and a combined no-no with Aleshia Ocasio in her senior season)

Delanie's playing career does not end with the heartbreaking loss in the National Championship. Earlier this year on April 25th, she was selected by the Scrap Yard Dawgs with the 12th overall pick in the third round of the NPF College Draft.

She is the second Gator to ever play for the Scrap Yard Dawgs -they drafted Taylore Fuller last year before trading her to the Chicago Bandits- as they enter their second season of existence. Thank you for everything you have done for the softball program, Delanie! I wish you the best of luck in your pro career!

Chelsea Herndon

Earning the most playing time in her senior year, Herndon was a more talented defensive player as she made just ONE error in 169 games! She finishes her career with a slash line of .243/.339/.378, 59 hits, 41 runs scored, nine home runs, 48 RBI's, 11 stolen bases, and a .984 fielding percentage! Her career accolades include:

• 2015 & 2014 National Champion
• 2017, 2016, & 2015 SEC Regular Season Champion
• 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2014 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
• Hitting the mercy-rule grand slam against Baylor in the opening round of the WCWS as a freshman.

Chelsea will not be pursuing a playing career after college as she graduates with a degree in Event Management. Thank you for these last four years, Chelsea!

Justine McLean

Last but not least among the graduating seniors is Justine McLean. Seeing significant playing time the moment she arrived on campus, Justine played in over 50 games in all four years and started every game of her senior season.

She finishes her Gator career with a slash line of .323/.391/.335, 164 hits, 129 runs scored, no home runs, 41 RBI's, 55 stolen bases, and a .989 fielding percentage. Her career accolades include:

• 2015 & 2014 National Champion
• 2017, 2016, & 2015 SEC Regular Season Champion
• 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2014 SEC All-Freshman Team
• 2014 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

Justine will not pursue a professional softball career after Florida as she graduates with a degree in Public Relations. Thank you for everything in the last four years, Justine!

Final Takeaway

Losing in the National Championship is a tough way to end even the greatest of seasons, but it does not define the 2017 Florida Gators softball team. They have made every single person in Gainesville very proud and should not at all hang their heads after losing to the defending National Champions in essentially their own backyard.

This team will still have all the pieces needed to win their third title in five years. Kelly Barnhill will be returning for her junior year to embrace her role as the official ace on the mound, sluggers Amanda Lorenz and Kayli Kvistad will be back as the two power threats in the Gator lineup, and head coach Tim Walton is not going anywhere anytime soon.

The Gators will boast four seniors, six juniors, five sophomores, and maybe five or six freshman that Walton brings in for the 2018 squad. Bright days remain ahead for the softball program, and I can guarantee you that they will win another national championship before I finish law school in 2021.

Thank you for everything, 2017 Gator Softball! Go Gators!

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

**All awards & honors accredited to NFCA.org & SECSports.com

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