Through his first eight seasons at Florida, softball coach Tim Walton has worked with some top-notch pitchers.
It started with Stacey Nelson, a three-time All-American who now holds UF career records for wins (136), strikeouts (1116), lowest ERA (0.99) and shutouts (60). Nelson’s 136 career wins from 2006-2009 tie for the sixth-most victories in NCAA history as of the start of the 2014 season.
Then came Stephanie Brombacher, who averaged 7.05 strikeouts per game while walking only 1.78 batters per contest during her stint with Florida from 2008-11. The Pembroke Pines native went 42-0 through her first two years with the Gators and posted a career winning percentage of .898 — good enough for the fourth-best in NCAA softball history.
During Brombacher’s senior year, Hannah Rogers arrived, and Lauren Haeger joined UF’s pitching staff one year later. Through the 2013 season, Rogers, now a senior, and Haeger, now a junior, teamed up for a 128-30 record in the circle, accruing a combined 1.76 ERA and striking out 914 batters in the process.
But when Delanie Gourley joined the team in the 2014 season, the freshman provided the Gators a tool that they haven’t had since Walton became head coach — a lefty.
Gourley has tasted success before.
As a pitcher at Lakeside El Capitan (Calif.) High School, she struck out 1,352 batters — the 10th-highest total in California high school history. Gourley also led her travel team, the Southern California Athletics, to three straight Premier Girls Fastpitch National Championships from 2011-2013.
Since arriving at Florida, Gourley has not skipped a beat.
On the season, the 5-foot-4 freshman leads UF’s pitching staff with 98 strikeouts and is averaging a team-best 1.14 strikeouts per inning — the second-highest mark among freshmen in the Southeastern Conference and the sixth-best tally among all freshmen this season. She holds a 2.45 ERA through 19 game appearances and has pitched seven complete games, three of which were shutouts.
After Gourley’s first collegiate appearance — a one-inning save in Florida’s 3-2 win against Illinois State on Feb. 7 — Walton wasted no time pitching his new weapon against stout competition.
The freshman made her first collegiate start against then-No. 5 Michigan on Feb. 8. Despite facing the task of pitching against Florida’s toughest opponent at that point in the season, Gourley wasn’t fazed.
“I really wasn’t that nervous because I think I just transfer that into excitement and adrenaline,” she said. “And I just really wanted to get started and kind of show what I had.”
Gourley got off to a fast start, striking out three Wolverines in the first two frames and giving up only one hit.
But then came the third inning. With the bases loaded, Michigan shortstop Sierra Romero hit a grand slam to give Michigan an early 4-0 lead.
“I knew exactly, right when I threw the pitch, I thought, ‘Oh no. This is going really far,’” Gourley said. “But it’s bound to happen. That was just unfortunately right there and ended up a grand slam.”
But Gourley remained calm in the circle after surrendering the home run, holding the Wolverines scoreless in the ensuing five innings and giving up only three additional hits as Florida earned a 9-4 victory in extra innings.
In her 12 starts following the Michigan game — which included a 15-2 win against then-No. 22 Minnesota — Gourley has only given up 26 earned runs while fanning 91 batters in 76.2 innings.
“She’s faced some good at-bats. She’s faced some good hitters,” Walton said. “I think it’s going to give her a lot of experience. The main thing we’ve got to be able to shape her into is the confidence. She’s got to be able to have the confidence to go out there and throw her pitches — any location, any pitch, any spot, any situation.”
Veteran pitchers Rogers and Haeger think Gourley is doing all the right things in the circle in her first campaign.
“I thought she’s done excellent,” Rogers said. “It’s tough coming in here and being a young pitcher.”
Haeger feels that Gourley’s presence brings a new dynamic to the team, and with UF now having a third pitcher in the starting rotation, it will only work in Florida’s favor.
“Delanie is so much different from me and Hannah,” the Peoria, Ariz., native said. “We all bring something super different to the table, which as a hitter in my mind, that’s really hard to adjust to. … Delanie has a great change-up. She throws hard. She’s a lefty and that’s already coming at you in a different way. All the pitches are going in a different direction, so I think everyone, all three of us, go together well because we are so different.”
Working alongside Rogers and Haeger keeps Gourley focused.
“They keep me driven every day,” she said. “And every day it gets that much better.”
The two upperclassmen have helped Gourley adapt to collegiate softball, even though her ability to remain collected in the circle during tough situations has been visible from the start of the season.
“She’s doing so great and just no matter what happens, she has a smile on her face and that’s just kind of how she is,” Haeger said. “She’s just going with the flow. She doesn’t really think about who the opponents are or anything, and I think that’s a really good thing that she has.”
Walton hopes that composure will remain with Gourley throughout her time at Florida.
“Delanie definitely adds a totally different perspective on the game of softball,” Walton said. “Left-handed pitchers are really hard to come by, especially good ones, and she’s one of the best we’ve ever had to recruit, let alone coach.”
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Delanie Gourley walks off the field during UF’s win against Ole Miss on March 9 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
