Previewing the Judi Garman Classic for the Florida Gators softball team

The No. 2 ranked Florida Gators softball team went undefeated in the Aquafina Invitational last weekend at home.

The Gators take their 16-1 record into another weekend tournament this time it’s the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California where the Gators will be tested with the long travel.

This weekend the Gators will play five games in three days against five different teams in California. The Gators will start play on Thursday before finishing on Saturday afternoon.

Florida will be facing these teams this weekend in Fullerton, California. Loyola Marymount, Cal State Fullerton, Michigan State, Charlotte and Baylor.

Here’s the schedule for this weekend’s game.

  • #2 Florida vs. Loyola Marymount on Thursday at 5:30 P.M
  • #2 Florida vs. Cal State Fullerton on Thursday at 8:00 P.M
  • #2 Florida vs. Michigan State on Friday at 12:30 P.M
  • #2 Florida vs. Charlotte on Friday at 8:30 P.M
  • #2 Florida vs. #8 Baylor on Saturday at 1:00 P.M.

That’s a look at this weekend’s games, but let’s dig a little deeper into this weekend’s opponents in our scouting report. Here’s a quick scouting report on the Florida Gators softball team as well.

 

Scouting the Florida Gators:

The Gators are starting to heat up at the plate after scoring 48 runs in six games at home last weekend.

At the plate Amanda Lorenz paces Florida with a .444 batting average and has 18 RBI’s and 10 doubles already this year.

Jordan Matthews and Nicole DeWitt lead the team with two home runs a piece this year and both hitters are hitting over .300 on the year.

In the circle the Gators have a team ERA of 0.30 on the year and Kelly Barnhill is pacing them. Barnhill has a 0.30 ERA this year and has struck out 74 hitters in 46.2 innings pitched. Barnhill is coming off of a weekend that saw her throw a perfect game and a no-hitter in back to back games.

 

Scouting the Loyola Marymount Lions:

The Lions enters the weekend with a 7-6-1 record but have won five out of their last six games.

At the plate Irma Sanchez leads Loyola Marymount with a .340 batting average but has just six RBI’s on the year.

Delanie Wisz and Andrew Gonzales both lead the Lions with two home runs a piece and both have six RBI’s on the year.

In the circle Hannah Bandimere leads the Lions with a 1.79 ERA on the year and sports a 5-1 record and has thrown seven complete games this year.

Florida leads the all-time series 3-0 against Loyola Marymount

 

Scouting the Cal State Fullerton Titans:

Cal State Fullerton comes into the game with a 6-8 record and are just 2-6 in neutral site games.

At the plate Ari Williams leads the Titans with a .342 batting average and driven in eight runs on the year.

In the circle Taylor Dockins leads the Titans with a 2.24 ERA and is 4-2 on the year with six complete games. Dockins has walked just seven batters in 34.1 innings pitched.

Florida trails in the all-time series against Cal State-Fullerton 3-4.

 

Scouting the Michigan State Spartans:

Michigan State enters the tournament with a 8-6 record but are on a six game winning streak to enter the weekend.

Ebonee Echols leads the Spartans with a .409 batting average and is slugging .500 on the year with eight RBI’s.

Caitie Ladd leads Michigan State with two home runs on the year but has driven in just four on the year.

In the circle Kristian Zalewski leads the Spartans with a 0.93 ERA and is 3-3 on the year five complete games and has pitched 37.2 innings.

Florida leads the all-time series against Michigan State 7-3.

 

Scouting the Charlotte 49ers:

The 49ers enter the weekend with a 6-7 record and on a one game losing streak but they’re perfect away from home on the year.

Haley Pace leads Charlotte with a .442 batting average on the year and she has one home run and has driven in 13 runs. Pace has hit the only home run of the year for the 49ers.

In the circle Haley Wiseman is the 49ers go to pitcher and she has a 2.36 ERA on the year and 4-3 on the year. Wiseman has started eight games and went the distance in all eight games.

This is the first meeting between Florida and Charlotte.

 

Scouting the Baylor Bears:

Baylor enters the game ranked #8 in the country and a perfect 9-0 on the year with a 3-0 record in neutral site games.

Jessie Scroggins is the Bears best hitter and she’s hitting .548 on the year with eight RBI’s and 13 runs scored on the year. Baylor as a team has only hit four home runs on the year.

Gia Rodoni is the Bears leading pitcher with 0.50 ERA and a 5-0 record in 28 innings pitched. The Bears will use a three-man pitching staff but Rodoni gets most of the work.

Florida trails the all-time series against Baylor 4-6.

 

Stay tuned to GatorCountry.com all weekend for updates on the Gators softball team.

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.