At first glance, Florida and Mississippi State may not have much in common.
But don’t tell that to UF coach Tim Walton.
No. 3 Florida (30-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) travel to Starkville, Mississippi, to face off against Mississippi State (24-8, 4-5 SEC) this weekend, and Walton feels the two teams mirror each other.
"They must preach a lot of the same things that we do in regards to just getting on base," Walton said. "Find a way to get to first base and that’s our goal and we’ll figure out how to second, third and home.
"I don’t know what their offensive approach is but by looking at their numbers, you can tell that they do praise the on base percentage part of the game."
UF should expect a heavy dose of Mississippi State pitcher Alexis Silkwood.
Silkwood has appeared in 25 games in the circle while making 17 starts.
She is tied for first in the SEC with 17 wins and ranks second in strikeouts with 140.
Silkwood tossed a no-hitter her last time out in the circle in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Southern Mississippi.
While Silkwood doesn’t have the same number of games and at-bats as Florida’s Lauren Haeger, both of them have a batting average of more than .330 and an on base percentage of more than .460.
As teams, both Florida and Mississippi State have the same type of numbers at the plate.
Both rank fifth and sixth in the SEC in slugging percentage, runs scored, runs batted in and sacrifice flies, while both of them are tied for third in the conference in total plate appearances with 1030.
The Bulldogs will look to apply pressure on the base paths and test the arms of Florida’s catchers. Mississippi State is second in the SEC in stolen bases with 65, but the Gators will look to junior catcher Aubree Munro, who is one of the best in the nation at nailing down runners trying to steal.
"I think overall they’re an aggressive type team," Walton said. "I think they like to steal bases, they embrace getting hit by pitches. They like to walk, they have a high on base percentage team."
After taking two out of three from Alabama last weekend, Walton and his team didn’t have much time to get geared up and ready to play the Bulldogs.
After getting back to Gainesville early Tuesday morning, Florida was only able to practice one time this week before heading to Starkville.
Walton wants the team to have the same line of thought heading into its third SEC series and minimize mistakes.
"Our mindset is going into Starkville is no different than Tuscaloosa," Walton said. "The Gators have to control what the Gators can control and go out and play our style softball and we have good chance to win.
"If we play poorly, Mississippi State is gonna beat us."
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Lauren Haeger pitches during Florida's 14-10 loss to LSU on Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
