The Gators softball team (6-0) heads out to Tempe, Arizona, to partake in five games at the Littlewood Classic following two mid-week games against Team Japan and North Florida. Here are three things to know about Florida’s start to the season:
Pitching depth shines
The Gators knew going into the season that they had one of the nation’s best pitchers in the country: Kelly Barnhill.
The senior from Henrietta, Georgia, has performed as advertised, allowing only two runs across 20 innings of regular-season play and is tied for the ninth-most strikeouts in the country with 26.
She is 4-0 on the season along with saves against Arizona and North Florida.
Sophomore Natalie Lugo, however, hasn’t been very far behind.
Lugo started against North Florida Wednesday night after a rough relief outing against Team Japan. She went six innings and allowed only two hits and one earned run while dishing out one walk in the Gators’ 3-1 win.
It’s performances like that, along with solid games against Arizona and South Florida, that give Gators coach Tim Walton confidence whenever Barnhill isn’t in the circle and the ability to limit Barnhill’s innings and keep her fresh for later in the season.
And that’s not mentioning the team’s two freshman pitchers, Danni Farley and Elizabeth Hightower, both of whom Walton wants to use more in the future.
Early offensive struggles
It’s a good thing that the Gators have options in the circle, because their offense is off to a slow start. Aside from its season-opening 15-0 win over Illinois State, Florida has struggled to hit with runners in scoring position.
After hitting 7 for 14 against the Redbirds, the Gators have gone 8 for 43 (.178) at the plate with runners in scoring position in the regular season.
Their best game in regards to hitting with runners in scoring position in that stretch was a 3-for-14 (.214) performance against then-No.19 Michigan.
The good news is that the Gators haven’t struggled to put runners in scoring position in the first place.
Florida has batted .325 as a team, which is 50th in the country, while also playing against two ranked teams already.
There’s simply too much power and skill between outfielders Amanda Lorenz and Jaimie Hoover, catcher Kendyl Lindaman and designated player Danielle Romanello for the Gators’ offensive slump to continue, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on in Tempe.
Dancing with the (Sun) Devils
Florida’s biggest challenge at the Littlewood Classic is going to be against No. 14 Arizona State (5-1). The Sun Devils’ high-octane offense will pose an interesting challenge for Florida’s pitching staff.
They were shut out by Missouri but have scored 60 runs in their other five games. Arizona State has three batters hitting over .400 and no one is below .300.
Junior catcher Maddi Hackbarth leads the team with three home runs, and her 10 RBIs are tied for first on the team with senior outfielder Morgan Howe.
Comparatively, Jaimie Hoover is the only Gator batting above .400, Danielle Romanello leads the team in home runs with two and Hannah Adams is the only player with more than five RBI’s.
Florida’s advantage, however, is in the circle with its 10th-best team ERA and depth. Arizona State has gotten a few decent starts from junior Samantha Mejia (4-0, 2.14 ERA) but has struggled to find quality pitching performances from redshirt junior Cielo Meza (1-1, 8.81 ERA).
Playing Illinois State first on Friday and then Arizona State’s pitching staff later in the night presents a great opportunity for Florida to get out of its offensive funk.
The Gators round out the weekend by playing a doubleheader against San Diego and Utah State on Saturday and Central Michigan Sunday morning.
Follow Brendan Farrell on Twitter @Bfarrell727 and contact him at bfarrell@alligator.org.
UF third baseman Jaimie Hoover leads the Gators with a .400 batting average this season.
