Florida’s softball team has little time to rest. The team is taking a trip to Tallahassee to take on Florida State tonight following a series win against the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The Gators (34-6, 9-3 SEC) will face the Seminoles (33-7, 11-1 ACC) at 7 at JoAnne Graf Field.
Florida State is coming off its own series win against the Pittsburgh Panthers at home. With Sunday’s game ending in an 8-0 shutout victory, the Seminoles will look to replicate their success as they carry that momentum into another home game.
Like Florida, FSU has a deep bullpen and is selective with its aces. For the most part, Florida State depends on redshirt senior Kylee Hanson and redshirt junior Meghan King.
Together, Hanson and King have a 32-7 record on the season and ERAs of 0.77 and 1.14, respectively.
The duo allowed three hits against the Panthers on Sunday in five shutout innings.
However, the Gators have a pair of tough pitchers on their own staff in junior Kelly Barnhill and senior Aleshia Ocasio.
Over the weekend, Barnhill and Ocasio helped lead UF to a series win over Alabama. On Monday, Barnhill logged her 17th win of the season, but not without some minor errors in the circle.
The Marietta, Georgia, native walked five batters, struck out four and threw three wild pitches.
From a hitting perspective, FSU heavily depends on Sydney Sherrill. The freshman utility player carries the highest batting average on the team at .429 and a slugging percentage of 0.810. She also leads the team in hits (54), doubles (22) and RBIs (41).
Florida will continue to rely on junior left fielder Amanda Lorenz. The Moorpark, California, native comes into the midweek matchup with a .398 batting average and .690 slugging percentage.
Lorenz also leads the team in runs (47), hits (45), doubles (14), and RBIs (36).
The Gators have also been more dependent on utility player Danielle Romanello lately. The freshman has had some crucial hits for the Gators over the past few games, including the weekend series at Alabama.
One of her most notable hits of the season came in her second at-bat of the night against the Crimson Tide in Monday’s matchup. She sent a homer to right field, securing a 3-2 victory and the series for the Gators.
Tonight’s matchup against the Seminoles will mark the last of five away games in a row for the Gators before they take on South Carolina at home this weekend.
Follow Mari Faiello on Twitter @faiello_mari and contact her at mfaiello@alligator.org.
UF left fielder Amanda Lorenz has a .398 batting average heading into Florida’s midweek matchup with Florida State. She leads the Gators in runs, hits, doubles and RBIs.
