As Florida third baseman Nicole DeWitt stood on deck, she could hear the screams and cheers of every Florida fan sitting behind her at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
But as soon as she stepped into the batter’s box, she tuned it all out.
Smack.
DeWitt socked a pitch over the center-field wall, securing a mercy-rule victory for the Gators against South Florida on Wednesday night.
Now, DeWitt and the rest of her teammates are preparing for a tough weekend series against No. 8 Texas A&M.
Florida (24-3, 4-2 SEC) will host the Aggies (29-4, 3-0 SEC) in a three-game set starting on Saturday at 5 p.m.
“(Texas A&M is) playing really well this season,” coach Tim Walton said. “They’re a very seasoned team… and they’ll be prepared.”
On Wednesday, the Gators took down the Bulls in quick fashion. Florida finished the contest with a 9-0 shutout victory, and pitcher Kelly Barnhill recorded her fifth no-hitter of the season.
Barnhill emphasized that timely hitting and defense have been assets for the team so far this season.
Florida leads the SEC in fielding percentage (.982) this season and also has the fewest number of hits, runs, earned runs, doubles and triples allowed.
“Good defense wins championships,” she said. “That’s the goal, and we’re just taking it one game at a time.”
Texas A&M is on a five-game winning streak where it defeated non-conference teams such as Michigan State and Marist. Its sole loss of a six-game outing last weekend came against Connecticut, which defeated the Aggies 6-1.
Follow Mari Faiello on Twitter @faiello_mari and contact her at mfaiello@alligator.org.
Junior Kelly Barnhill and the Gators are set to take on Texas A&M in a three-game series starting Saturday.
