Lorenz and Barnhill named to Preseason All-SEC team

Special report on the Florida Gators softball team

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Thursday morning the Southeastern Conference announced the 2019 Preseason All-SEC Team, which included Florida seniors Kelly Barnhill & Amanda Lorenz.

Barnhill, the two-time and reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year, and Lorenz, the 2018 SEC Player of the Year, were also top four finalists for last year’s USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and Collegiate Women in Sports Award (CWSA) presented by Honda.

Florida begins its’ 2019 campaign at the USF Opening Weekend Invitational in Tampa against Illinois State (Feb. 8) at 4:45 p.m. with the first SEC series slated against Tennessee (March 8-10).

The Gators are also set to host conference opponents Arkansas (April 5-7), Alabama (April 19-20) and Mississippi State (May 3-5) in 2019.

The first home contest in the newly renovated Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium is an exhibition set for Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m. against Team Japan.

Single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the Gator Ticket Office.

Over the phone:  1-800-34-GATOR or (352)-375-4683

In person: At the Gator Ticket Office, located on the West side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

2019 Florida Preseason All-SEC Team Selections

Kelly Barnhill

Senior | RHP | Marietta, Ga.

2018 Honors

  • 2018 USA Softball Player of the Year Top 4 Finalist
  • 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
  • 2018 NFCA All-American First Team
  • 2018 NFCA All-Southeast Region First Team
  • 2018 SEC Pitcher of the Year
  • 2018 All-SEC First Team
  • 2018 SEC Community Service Team
  • 2018 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
  • 2018 SEC Academic Honor Roll
  • 2018 SEC Pitcher of the Week – 4x (2/26, 3/5, 3/27 & 4/17)
  • 2018 USA Softball Co-Player of the Week (2/27)
  • 2018 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Pitcher of the Week (2/27)

Amanda Lorenz

Senior | OF | Moorpark, Calif.

2018 Honors

  • 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 4 Finalist
  • 2018 CWSA Honda Sports Award Top 4 Finalist
  • 2018 NFCA All-American First Team
  • 2018 NFCA All-Southeast Region First Team
  • 2018 SEC Player of the Year
  • 2018 SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player
  • 2018 SEC All-Tournament Team
  • 2018 All-SEC First Team
  • 2018 SEC Player of the Week (2/26)
  • 2018 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
  • 2018 SEC Academic Honor Roll

2019 Preseason All-SEC Softball Team

Name, School Position Cl. Hometown
Alyssa DiCarlo, Georgia IF Sr. Glendale, Ariz.
Katie Reed, Kentucky IF Sr. St. Louis, Mo.
Amanda Sanchez, LSU IF Sr. West Covina, Calif.
Mackenzie Boesel, South Carolina IF Jr. Yorba Linda, Calif.
Aubrey Leach, Tennessee IF Sr. The Woodlands, Texas
Kaylee Tow, Alabama OF So. Madisonville, Ky.
Amanda Lorenz, Florida OF Sr. Moorpark, Calif.
Aliyah Andrews, LSU OF Jr. Oldsmar, Fla.
Kylan Becker, Ole Miss OF Sr. Miami, Fla.
Mary Haff, Arkansas P So. Winter Haven, Fla.
Makayla Martin, Auburn P Sr. San Diego, Calif.
Kelly Barnhill, Florida P Sr. Marietta, Ga.
Mia Davidson, Mississippi State C So. Hillsborough, N.C.
Bailey Hemphill, Alabama DP/UT Jr. Lafayette, La.
Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.