Florida is set to take on the Crimson Tide for a three-game series that is scheduled for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 13 Florida softball team will travel to take on No. 11 Alabama at Rhoads Stadium this Saturday through Monday for SEC Opening Weekend. Saturday’s game will be streamed via SEC Network+, while Sunday and Monday’s contests will air on SEC Network.
The Gators (19-3) and the Crimson Tide (19-1) meet for the first time in Tuscaloosa, Ala. since the 2021 season. The Orange & Blue trail in the all-time series 45-40, but have won the last three series at Rhoads Stadium including the 2021 series where UF won 2-0 and 9-2 before UA took the series finale 4-2. The last time the program lost a series on the road against Alabama was during the 2012 season.
Florida enters the weekend after a successful trip to the Judi Garman Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton. While out on the west coast, UF defeated the host Titans, Long Beach State and DePaul in shutout run-rule fashion, earned its first Top 25 win over UCLA, 1-0, before it closed out the weekend with a loss to Michigan.
UF received standout performances from a several players, but two stood out and were recognized for their efforts by the SEC this week. Junior Korbe Otis was tabbed SEC Player of the Week after she went 9-for-11 (.818) at the plate and started the Judi Garman Classic a perfect 5-for-5 in the pair of games against host Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State. The Littleton, Co., native ended the week on a six-game hit streak.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Keagan Rothrock also earned her second SEC Freshman of the Week award after she notched her second complete-game no-hitter of her career against Cal State Fullerton and produced a complete-game two-hit shutout for her first Top 25 win over UCLA.
The Whiteland, Ind., native extended her scoreless inning streak to 29 2/3 innings, which is the longest scoreless inning streak held by a UF pitcher single Kelly Barnhill tallied a 37-inning scoreless streak back in 2018.
Overall as a program, Florida currently leads the nation in three different categories: fielding percentage (.987), shutouts (14) and walks (99). The program also ranks inside the top five in batting average (.391 – 3rd), doubles (43 – 2nd), ERA (.98 – 5th), on base percentage (.489 – 2nd), scoring (9.45 – 2nd) and slugging percentage (.665 – 4th).
In the circle, the Gators lead the nation in shutouts with 14 on the year so far. Leading the way are the freshmen arms of Rothrock, Ava Brown and Olivia Miller. The trio are the only freshmen pitchers in the SEC to produce multiple complete-game shutouts as Rothrock ranks third nationally with four, Brown ranks ninth with three and Miller ranks 24th with two.
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