Every team benefits from a little blip in their schedule.
After an exhibition bout with Team USA Tuesday night, the Gators return to their 2021 season Wednesday night when they host North Dakota at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
This past weekend, Florida opened SEC play after stealing two of three from Kentucky. UF clinched games one and two of the series due to excellent pitching. Elizabeth Hightower and Natalie Lugo shut down the Wildcats to the tune of two combined runs. The Gators’ offense struggled Sunday, and Kentucky won 4-2 in nine innings.
Wednesday’s contest becomes UF’s fifth in the last six days. Coach Tim Walton said he doesn’t worry about team energy level.
“If I can say anything about my team, it is that our work ethic is really good,” Walton said. “in fact, I think we conserve too much energy in the dugout. I’m more concerned about what kind of competitors we will be.”
On paper, it appears the Gators won’t have much trouble with the Fighting Hawks. North Dakota maintains a .213 batting average, while Florida’s pitching staff curbs opposing hitters to a .150 average. Hightower, Lugo, and Katie Chronister ERAs all reside under 1.65. North Dakota hitters belted just three home runs this season.
On the other side, the Fighting Hawks pitching staff should help Florida get out of its offensive rut. Their unit ERA stands at 3.48. UF knocked in just eight runs over the weekend. Its 92 RBIs rank second-to-last in the SEC. North Dakota’s top two pitchers in terms of innings hurled, Jannay Jones and Adrianna Dilal, preserve ERAs under 2.20, but the numbers diminish as the staff narrows.
“The first thing you have to do is look at their opponents,” Walton said. “They played Georgia over the weekend and had a couple of tough games with them. Obviously, they practice and play in cold weather, and it will be hot, so that is a challenge for them.”
The Fighting Hawks (8-13) played four games in Athens, Georgia, over the weekend. It lost both to Georgia but picked up two wins versus East Carolina. North Dakota’s yet to play a game in the Roughrider State as all its games took place in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida.
First pitch flies at 7 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network.
Contact Noah Ram at nram@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Noah_ram1
Noah is a third year journalism-sports and media student from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He has been with The Alligator since Spring 2019 and has covered men’s and women’s tennis, gymnastics and volleyball. When he isn’t on his beat, Noah is usually sadden over his beloved South Florida sports teams, such as the Heat and Dolphins.
