GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Florida softball team steps back into non-conference midweek action with a single game Wednesday, April 20, at 6 p.m. against USF at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The game will be streamed via SEC Network + with Kyle Crooks and Francesca Enea on the call.
The Gators (34-9) are set to take on the Bulls (35-11) for the second time this season and the 72
nd time in program history. Historically, the Orange & Blue holds a 28-9 record at home against USF and won the most recent meeting, 12-0, between the two programs in Tampa during opening weekend.
In the last meeting, Florida's
Elizabeth Hightower and
Rylee Trlicek combined to throw a three-hit shutout with five strikeouts and one walk. Offensively, the team produced 12 hits and drew eight walks via 11 different batters in the lineup. USF trotted out six different pitchers in the matchup, but not its ace Georgina Corrick.
Corrick, arguably the most decorated pitcher in USF's history, holds an immaculate 0.48 ERA on the season with 27 wins, 204 innings pitched, 25 shutouts and 315 strikeouts.
Florida's offense has show it is able to combat other team's best pitchers as it ranks 18
th nationally in scoring offense with 6.37 runs per game and has scored 36 runs (9.0 runs per game) over the current four-game win streak.
Redshirt-junior
Skylar Wallace leads the charge for the Gators at the plate as she holds a .414 (48-of-116) average, with 55 runs scored, 35 RBI, 34 walks and 36 stolen bases. Wallace's 36 stolen bases is currently tied for the program's single-season record, which was set by Kelsey Stewart in 2013 and replicated during the 2014 season.
Following Wallace is freshman
Kendra Falby (.396), senior
Cheyenne Lindsey (.351), sophomore
Katie Kistler (.337), freshman
Sam Roe (.333) and senior
Charla Echols (.298).
In the circle, Florida's pitching staff enters the midweek with a 2.52 ERA that includes 12 shutouts. Hightower leads the staff with 11 wins, which is followed by freshman
Lexie Delbrey's 10 wins and fifth year graduate
Natalie Lugo's eight wins.
Offensively for the Bulls, junior Alexis Johns paces the offense as she holds a team-leading .376 batting average with, 50 hits and 44 runs scored.
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