Gator softball has been great for the past decade – one could even call them dominant.
The program has seen its teams reach the Women’s College World Series five times since 2008, including the 2009 team that finished second and won 70 games – an NCAA record. But none of those teams ever accomplished what the 2014 Gators did for the first time in the program’s 18 seasons – win a national championship.
The Gators, who finished 55-12, opened the season ranked third in the nation and kicked off the year with a 22-game win streak.
But the road to Oklahoma City and the WCWS was not a smooth one.
During that 22-game win streak, Florida defeated fourth-ranked Michigan, then-No. 22 Minnesota and then-fourth-ranked Oregon, propelling the team to the top spot in the rankings. Florida went on to win series against Ole Miss and LSU to open Southeastern Conference play before Alabama took two of three in Gainesville.
The Gators struggled midseason when Tennessee swept them in a three-game series, followed by a loss to rival FSU. But the group recovered and won its next 10 games, including sweeps of Auburn and Texas A&M and a payback victory against FSU.
Florida lost two of three from Missouri but ended the regular season on a high note with a sweep of Arkansas, moving Florida to No. 5 in the rankings.
After losing to Georgia in the second round of the SEC Tournament, the Gators regrouped and proved their worth in the NCAA Tournament.
The team hosted and breezed through the Gainesville Regional, pummeling Florida A&M, Stetson and UCF. Freshman southpaw Delanie Gourley stole the limelight in the FAMU game, tossing Florida’s first-ever postseason no-hitter.
In the Super Regional, the Gators split the first two of three games against Washington before winning the rubber game on a Kirsti Merritt walk-off home run that sent the team to the Women’s College World Series for the sixth time in program history.
In Oklahoma City, the Gators went a perfect 5-0, defeating Oregon once and Baylor twice before steamrolling SEC-rival Alabama for two straight games and the national championship.
Senior pitcher Hannah Rogers was the star of the tournament, as she earned the save in the final game and was named 2014 WCWS Most Outstanding Player. Rogers, who went 7-0 with a 0.64 ERA in the NCAA tournament, ended the season 30-8 and finished her career with 127 victories. She was named 2014 SEC Female Athlete of the Year, adding her name to a list of Florida SEC athletes of the year that includes Tim Tebow, Danny Wuerffel, Ryan Lochte and Dara Torres.
Dominant pitching was the key to UF’s success throughout the season as Rogers, Gourley and Lauren Haeger each threw no-hitters.
Although the Gators will be without Rogers, who graduated in the fall, the team will look to Gourley and Haeger to help continue its dominance and repeat as national champions in 2015.
Follow Patrick Pinak on Twitter @Pinakk12
Hannah Rogers holds the trophy as the Gators celebrate their first NCAA championship after defeating Alabama 6-3 in Oklahoma City, Okla., on June 3. Florida sweeped the final series in two games.
