By BRAD GOLDBACH
When you are the No. 1 team in any sport, you have a target squarely on your back.
The Florida Gators’ women’s softball team was the preseason No. 1-ranked team when it opened the season last weekend. But coach Tim Walton’s team could manage only two victories in its three games against Baylor in Gainesville.
“If you said we were going to win two out of three against Baylor two years ago, we would have been ecstatic,” Walton said earlier this week. “I think that says a lot about where our program is at now.”
Florida dropped to No. 2 in the nation behind Alabama after Sunday’s 1-0 loss and Walton knows the road for his team will not get any easier.
“We didn’t give up an earned run this whole weekend and gave up eight hits in three games and come out 2-1,” Walton continued. “That really just shouldn’t happen. We’re going to face equal talent throughout the year and maybe some better talent with our schedule as we look ahead, but we’re not going to change anything.”
The main adjustment Florida plans on making going into the season’s second week is capitalizing on opportunities and playing up to their potential, especially from a hitting standpoint.
“The one thing we’re going to work on really hard this week is making the two-strike adjustment,” Walton said. “That’s the one thing you talk about, and once you play the games you have to go back to the drawing board as far as some of the things your team needs to work on.”
Another thing the Gators will work on is their fielding. Walton said Le-Net Franklin will see some time at shortstop. Along with making plays, Walton hopes to see someone fill the leadership void left with Mary Ratliff’s graduation.
“As a coach, you really try to prepare them for the moments of leadership,” Walton said. “Sunday was a great opportunity for leadership that we really needed. The one thing you want to have is somebody when you’re losing that you go to, and the only voice I hear still is Mary Ratliff.”
The one positive Walton took from the opening weekend was the performance of his two pitchers, Stacey Nelson and Stephanie Brombacher. The two allowed no earned runs over the weekend, and each threw a one-hitter, including Nelson’s in a losing effort Sunday.
“We have two quality No. 1 pitchers, which is what I’m going to call Stephanie from now on, another No. 1 pitcher,” Walton said. “It’s very hard to face Stacey and Stephanie in the same day. Very, very tough. One throws the ball totally different from the other one so your eye adjustment better be pretty quick. Saturday, Stephanie was as impressive as any pitcher we’ve had.”
The Gators rebounded from the Sunday loss with an 11-0 victory at Jacksonville Wednesday to move to 3-1. (See the separate story).
Following Wednesday’s game with Jacksonville, the Gators play host to the Lipton Invitational. Florida opens with Texas Tech at 5 p.m. and then plays Coastal Carolina at 7:15 p.m. On Saturday, the Gators play Florida Atlantic at 12:30 p.m. and South Alabama at 2:45 p.m. Sunday, Florida meets Georgia Tech at 2:30 p.m.