Sometimes, it is best to play the waiting game.
Florida’s ability to be patient is allowing the Gators to become an even more potent offensive threat.
Coach Tim Walton has stressed in practices this season the value of going after the right pitch. The result: a squad with the best ratio of walks-to-strikeouts in the Southeastern Conference. With a 1.1-to-1 ratio, the Gators are the only SEC team to have more walks than strikeouts.
“Walks are part of our game,” Walton said. “Most people think we take a lot of pitches, but that’s not the goal. The goal is to get you a good pitch early in the count, but if the team doesn’t throw strikes, then don’t chase. That’s our M.O.”
In Sunday’s 7-3 win against South Carolina, Florida (26-2, 7-1 SEC) took its time to find the right pitches, and the wait was worth it. Sixteen of the 32 UF batters saw two-ball counts. Those 16 batters combined for four walks and three key hits: an RBI single, a home run and a double late in the game to put away South Carolina (19-12, 2-6).
Alyssa Bache started and pitched three scoreless innings while Hannah Rogers closed things out for her 14th win of the season.
Sophomore Cheyenne Coyle demonstrated patience and power Sunday, hitting a homer and drawing a walk.
“(We did better by) looking at strikes and taking balls,” Coyle said. “When people try too hard, maybe that’s when things mess up. It’s hard to be patient and wait for your pitch, though. Some pitches look good, then they break, and then it’s not the same pitch you saw. I think definitely you have to keep your weight back and look for your pitch. You’re bound to get it.”
When Florida takes advantage of the right pitches, the results are impressive. The Gators have the second-most home runs in the SEC (34), the second-highest batting average (.332), and they have scored the second-most runs (183).
“That’s what we’ve been working on since our first day of practice,” Walton said when asked how difficult it is to wait for the right pitch. “It’s definitely a discipline; I call it ‘aggressively disciplined.’ That’s why we can hit some home runs, too.”
A prime example of what composure at the plate can do is junior Kelsey Horton, who leads the SEC with nine home runs and 29 RBI. Horton also has one of the best walk-to-strikeout ratios on the team with 1.2 walks for every strikeout. Freshman Lauren Haeger, who went 3 for 4 Sunday with a home run, has the highest ratio, drawing 2.4 walks for every strikeout.
“We have strong people on our team,” Coyle said. “There are a lot of girls who can hit the ball; even our little tiny players have pop. But we’re disciplined, and we go over everything in practice. And when we are not hitting as well, we can always play small ball to get those things going.”
