Special report on the Florida Gators softball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Florida softball team heads to Fayetteville, Ark. to take on No. 12 Arkansas for a three-game Southeastern Conference series this Friday through Sunday at Bogle Park. The first and last game of the series is set to air on SEC Network +, while Saturday’s game will air on ESPN2 with Kevin Brown and Amanda Scarborough on the call.
The Gators (23-5, 2-1 SEC) step back in to conference play against the Razorbacks (22-8, 3-3 SEC) after the team downed Stetson, 4-1, Wednesday evening in DeLand, Fla. at Patricia Wilson Field. Sophomore right-hander Lexie Delbrey (5-2) hurled her second one-hitter of the season in the midweek win over the Hatters.
Arkansas enters the weekend after their program took the series, 2-1, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. against the Crimson Tide for the first time in program history. Chenise Delce (11-4, 1.85 ERA) returns as the ace of the pitching staff and is complimented by Robyn Herron (6-2, 1.80 ERA) and Callie Turner (5-1, 3.05 ERA) as the feature pitchers in the rotation.
Florida will look to combat Arkansas’ pitchers with their offense that is averaging .356 at the plate this year and is scoring 7.89 runs per game, which ranks fourth nationally in the category.
Leading the way at the plate is Skylar Wallace (.441 BA) Charla Echols (.432 BA) and Kendra Falby (.425 BA). The trio has accounted for 95 of the team’s 243 hits, but the core supporters of Avery Goelz (.365 BA), Kaila Pollard (.341 BA), Katie Kistler (.339 BA), Reagan Walsh (.338 BA) and Sam Roe (.321 BA) are right behind the star-studded trio.
Both Goelz and Walsh have 20 RBI on the year, which is tied for third best on the team behind Echols’ 37 and Wallace’s 29 RBI. Freshman Olivia Gigante has also contributed heavily to the Gators lineup as the San Diego, Calif. native has 15 RBI on the year to go along with graduate transfer Pal Egan’s 14 RBI and Sarah Longley’s 12 RBI.
The Gators pitching staff looks to continue to develop and build on their seasons as well. So far on the year the Orange & Blue has hurled five one-hitters and two no-hitters. Elizabeth Hightower (10-2) leads the way with 59.0 innings pitch and is followed by Rylee Trlicek’s (7-1) 45.0 innings pitched. Delbrey holds a team-best 1.47 ERA with the third most amount of innings in the circle with 43.0 innings of work.