The Gators’ 2016 outfield is shaping up to be a mixed bag in terms of experience. After losing two key players from last year’s senior class in Bailey Castro and Briana Little, Florida will look to make up some ground with the addition of two highly-touted freshmen along with three upperclassmen returning as veterans.
Kirsti Merritt — Senior
Merritt was a big part of the Gators’ success in 2015. Starting in all 67 games she played in, Merritt can hit for power and contact, as she hit nine home runs and sported a career-best .325 batting average. Even when she’s not hitting she’s able to get on base. She set the single-season record for most times getting hit by a pitch (35). In the end, Merritt had the team’s second highest on-base percentage, reaching base safely at a .498 rate. On the defensive side of the ball, Merritt totalled 72 putouts and just one error, giving her a .987 fielding percentage.
Justine McLean — Junior
In 2015, McLean saw action in 60 games and started in 33. In the games she played in, McLean had a huge impact. Her .360 batting average was second-best on the team, behind only Kelsey Stewart. The Rancho Cucamonga, California, native got her hits in bunches, as she notched five multi-hit games over the course of the season. When she got on base, she usually made the most of her opportunities, successfully stealing base 10 out of 11 times, making her one of only four Gators with double-digit swipes. She’ll look to make use of that speed in the outfield, where she held a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, logging 35 putouts in the process.
Chelsea Herndon — Junior
From Carrollton, Texas, Herndon finished her sophomore season with 31 appearances and two starts for the Gators. Although she only had 19 at bats for UF last season, she holds a career batting average of .257. Herndon’s biggest hit came against Baylor, when she launched a walk-off grand slam into the stands to open UF’s championship run in 2014.
Amanda Lorenz — Freshman
Coming from Moorpark, California, Lorenz is one of the new faces for the Gators. Before coming to UF, the freshman was ranked the No. 1 recruit in FloSoftball's Class of 2015. When she attended Moorpark High School, Lorenz had a .592 batting average and hit a whopping 39 home runs for her career, according to MaxPreps. In the field, she capped off her high school career by only committing two errors over four seasons, giving her a solid .969 fielding percentage, according to MaxPreps. Lorenz will be looking to continue the same success at UF that she saw in high school, which earned her 2014 Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year honors.
Lily Mann — Freshman
The Gators will be getting a new outfielder in freshman Lily Mann. From St. Cloud, Florida, Mann graduated from Harmony High School, where she held an impressive .660 batting average during her senior season, according to MaxPreps. Her hitting also won her 2015 Florida Class 7A Offensive Player of the Year honors. Mann brings a combination of speed and power to the plate, as she stole 30 bases and hit three home runs last year. She also tied for second in her classification for steals in 2014. She’ll need to take advantage of that speed in the outfield; she had a .952 fielding percentage over her junior and senior seasons, only making three errors in that two-year span.
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
UF junior outfielder Kirsti Merritt smiles as she goes up for an at-bat during Florida's 2-1 win against North Florida on April 1, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
