The UF softball team is ready for a little March Madness of its own.
The No. 1 Gators (29-2, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) are entering one of the toughest stretches of the season with back-to-back series against two talented in-conference rivals. With No. 2 Alabama coming to town next weekend, UF will face No. 6 Tennessee (24-3, 2-0 SEC) in a three-game home stand at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium this weekend, starting with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.
"We're in the toughest part of our season," UF coach Tim Walton said. "This is probably where the SEC will be won and lost - in the next two weeks."
The Gators only dropped one conference matchup last season - a 1-0 loss at the Crimson Tide - and although the team knows the next few weeks will be the biggest test so far this season, Walton hopes his players to take a more emotional outlook on the two SEC showdowns.
"I think the winning ways are almost becoming expectations and becoming part of a businesslike mentality," he said. "The majority of players on this team are 99-7 over a two-year period, and you can't argue with the success that they've had. I just want them to play with a little more enthusiasm and play with a little more excitement."
UF might also want to play with a little more aggressiveness at the plate after getting out to a slow start against Florida International on Wednesday. The Gators were outhit 7-4 by the Golden Panthers in their first game Wednesday.
"If we're going to be successful against Tennessee, we're going to have to do a much better job swinging the bat and swinging at good pitches and putting a team away really, really early," Walton said after Wednesday's games.
Sophomore pitcher Stephanie Brombacher (14-0, 0.72 ERA) said she expects her teammates to return to their early-season form at the plate in the upcoming conference series, but the team's performance out in the field will be most critical to its success.
"It's going to be a fight to the end. Every game's going to be close, and we need to play defense like we did tonight," Brombacher said. "We need to hit the ball a little bit better, but I think our hitters are ready, and I know our team's ready for Tennessee."
