Florida Gators

Game Notes
Interviews: Walton, Ocasio & Barnhill, Merritt & McLean, Schwarz, Voss & Wheaton
 
TAMPA, Fla. – No. 1 Florida returns to the diamond this weekend for the first time since capturing the 2015 national championship. The USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament in Tampa, Fla., will kick off the 20th season of Gator Softball and the 11th season of Tim Walton's tenure as head coach.
 
The season opens Friday at 6:45 (all times p.m. and Eastern), when UF faces Illinois State. On Saturday, the Gators play No. 2 Michigan at 11:45 and Sunday features contests against Virginia Tech at 1:30 and tournament host USF at 4:00.
 
Coaches' Corner
Head Coach Tim Walton:
"I'm looking forward to the 2016 season. I'm excited to not only have our freshmen take the field for the first time, but also our last opening weekend for our five seniors who've meant so much to program with their consistent play they've played with."
 
Quick Hits

• UF enters the season ranked first in the ESPN/USA Today preseason polls for the second consecutive year. Last season, Florida became the first team since Arizona in 2007 to be ranked No. 1 in the first and last polls of the year.
• The defending SEC Champion Gators have been picked by a vote of the league's head coaches as the preseason favorite for 2016, announced by the conference office on January 21. Florida received 10 first-place votes from the SEC's 13 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own teams.
• Florida returns 14 letter winners from last year's squad, including eight starters (2015 average, HR, RBI) - C Aubree Munro (.225, 2, 15), 1B Taylor Schwarz (.231, 2, 14), INF Kelsey Stewart (.435, 2, 41), UT Taylore Fuller (.276, 14, 56), OF Kirsti Merritt (.325, 9, 47), OF Justine McLean (.360, 0, 5), UT Nicole DeWitt (.331, 2, 28) and 1B Kayli Kvistad (.241, 6, 36).
• The Gators bring back two contributors from their 2015 pitching rotation (2015 record, Saves, ERA): UT Aleshia Ocasio (18-3, 2, 2.01) and LHP Delanie Gourley (10-2, 5, 2.13) are back from the 2015 title team.
• The UF roster includes seven incoming freshmen - RHP Kelly Barnhill, C Brooke Clemens, OF Amanda Lorenz, OF Lily Mann, INF Sophia Reynoso, INF Theresa Swertfager, INF Alex Voss
• UF will open the season with 14 neutral-site contests in its first 15 games before the Gators host the annual Aquafina Invitational at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in the beginning of March.
• Florida excelled in neutral-site games in 2015, posting an 18-2 mark. Florida's lone two losses came against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament and in Game 2 of the Women's College World Series Championship Series against Michigan, before UF beat the Wolverines in Game 3 to claim its second-straight NCAA Championship.

 
Setting the Stage: USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament

• 2015 marks the sixth time in the last seven years that the Orange and Blue have begun the season at a tournament hosted by USF (2010-12, 2014-16).
• The Gators have advanced to the Women's College World Series in four of the five previous years that they opened the season at the Bulls' tournament (all except 2012).
• Since 2010, UF is 24-1 when playing in Tampa/Clearwater during the season's first weekend (only loss: Feb. 13, 2010, 0-3 vs. Georgia Tech).
• UF comes to Tampa with winning records against Illinois State (4-2), Va. Tech (5-0) and USF (41-13).
• Despite defeating Michigan in the WCWS Championship Series last season, UM still holds a slight 9-8 advantage over UF in the all-time series.
• UF will face the Wolverines in its second game down in Tampa. Every NCAA Champion since 2009 has won its first rematch with its WCWS Championship Series opponent since Washington, who beat the Gators in the 2009, but then fell to UF in its first meeting since a few years later.
• The Orange and Blue faced three of this weekend's foes a season ago, compiling a 7-1 record:
• UF went 5-0 last season in Tampa, outscoring USF, Jacksonville, Illinois State, Michigan and Hampton 46-6.
• Kirsti Merritt led the Gators offense with a .545 average, three home runs and nine RBI; Ocasio and Gourley recorded three of the five wins.

 
Broadcast Information
All 2016 Florida Softball games can be heard on Florida Sports Talk (WGGG-AM & WMOP-AM/FM). Joel Sebastianelli will have the call from Tampa, with former Gator All-American Megan Bush providing analysis.
 
Live Stats
Live stats links for the weekend can be found on the Gators' schedule page.
 
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