Four seniors left the Florida softball program at the end of last season, each one of them critical to a Women’s College World Series appearance.
The departure of the lineup’s second and third batters, third baseman Nicole DeWitt and first baseman Kayli Kvistad, left a hole in the team’s offense. The exit of catcher Janell Wheaton and do-it-all pitcher/outfielder Aleshia Ocasio hurt UF defensively. And the loss of tenured pitching coach Jennifer Rocha to Oklahoma left questions in the circle.
However, the aid of two transfers, a deep lineup and a new pitching coach makes 2019’s ball club stronger and more venomous than last season’s.
The addition of transfers Jade Caraway from North Carolina State and Kendyl Lindaman from Minnesota solved many of the Gators’ problems.
Both factor in as significant assets to the top of the lineup, and they’ll contribute heavily on defense.
Caraway is a speedy center fielder, and she’ll likely bat leadoff. The Winter Garden, Florida, native led NC State in hits the past two seasons. She also made only five errors in 110 career games at center field and gunned down eight runners in the process.
Second baseman Hannah Adams and All-American left fielder Amanda Lorenz did a tremendous job leading off a year ago, but too many leadoff options is not a problem for UF coach Tim Walton. Lorenz is a fantastic option batting second, and Adams can bat ninth and effectively flip the lineup back to Caraway, a combination which should prove lethal.
Lindaman comes to Gainesville as the new starting catcher, but she’s also one of the NCAA’s best hitters. She averaged .393 batting for her career at Minnesota, hit 40 home runs and is a two-time All-American.
Lindaman will likely bat third after Lorenz, and having two multi-season All-Americans hit back-to-back spells trouble for opposing pitchers. But the scary part is that there’s plenty of power to come after Lorenz and Lindaman.
Sophomore Jordan Matthews and junior Jaimie Hoover provide strength in the middle of the order. They’re both viable options at designated player and can play on the infield, but Hoover and Matthews are mainstays in the outfield.
As a freshman, Matthews gave Florida fans only a glimpse of what she’s capable of. She tore her ACL in her last game as a senior in high school and came into 2018 healthy but still not at peak fitness.
This year, she’ll be stronger and more poised for big at-bats. She sent the Gators to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with her walk-off homer against Texas A&M last year, so we know she has it in her.
Hoover came along strong in NCAA play, and she’ll be an important piece to the 2019 team’s success. Not only can she provide power from the plate, she’s also one of UF’s fastest and most athletic players. This speed translates on the base paths and on defense.
Hoover can hunt down balls in the outfield, but she also plays third base, giving her the opportunity to replace DeWitt.
Finally, Mike Bosch comes in as Florida’s new pitching coach after Rocha’s move to Oklahoma.
Bosch comes from Syracuse, where he spent the last three seasons at head coach and served as an assistant during 2011, 2012 and 2015.
The Orange produced two All-American pitchers, Jenna Caira (2012) and Sydney O’Hara (2017), under his tutelage. Last year, Bosch coached Alexa Romero to an NCAA-leading 10.9 strikeouts per seven innings.
Now, Bosch has senior Kelly Barnhill, a two-time All-American, and sophomore Natalie Lugo, who pitched in two combined no-hitters and a combined perfect game last season.
With an experienced coach and two talented hurlers in the circle, the Gators are primed to improve on last season’s World Series team.
Follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr or contact him at mstine@alligator.org.
Senior Amanda Lorenz returns to the Gators 2019 lineup after winning 2018 SEC Player of the Year and SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
