Gator Country

University of Florida sophomore second baseman Kim Waleszonia (Fontana, Calif.) was named the Southeastern Conference Softball Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. Waleszonia earned the honor after outstanding performances against SEC foes South Carolina and Mississippi State, while leading the Gators to a 4-1 record last week.

Waleszonia capped a successful week at the plate by hitting the walk-off, game-winning double in Florida’s 3-2, 9-inning win over Mississippi State to hand the Gators the series win two games to one. She also had the game-winning hit in Florida’s first win over South Carolina and scored the game-winning run in the second game of the South Carolina series Waleszonia finished the week .444 on 8-for-18 hitting with a team leading eight RBI, two runs scored, two walks, a double, two triples and a home run over Florida’s five games. Six of Waleszonia’s eight RBI came against South Carolina. Four of her eight hits on the week were for extra bases, earning her a .889 slugging percentage. With her triple in the first game of the Mississippi State series, she tied the school record for triples in a season with five and career triples with eight. Waleszonia is now on a five-game hit streak and leads the Gators in nearly every offensive category. Over the weekend Waleszonia, grabbed her 73rd hit of the season, setting the Florida sophomore record, she needs only four more hits to set Florida’s single season record.

This is the first SEC Player of the Week honor for Waleszonia. She did earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors twice last y ear on March 27 and April 4. This marks the second weekly honor for the Gators this season as sophomore Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on March 26.

The No. 20 Gators secured their fifth 40-plus win season last weekend. The Gators have three more regular season games remaining which they will play this weekend at Kentucky. Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m., as will Sunday’s single game. The Gators need to win just one of those games to secure the No. 4 seed in the Southeastern Conference tournament.

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