No. 14 Florida Set for Midweek Doubleheader at North Florida
The schedule was adjusted to accommodate a doubleheader after weather impacted a significant amount of games across the state this past weekend.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 14th-ranked Florida softball team heads to Jacksonville Wednesday for a doubleheader against North Florida at the UNF Softball Complex. The first game of the twin bill that will air on ESPN+ is set to start at 4 p.m. with the second game scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
The Gators (8-2) enter the midweek doubleheader against the Ospreys (6-3) after an impromptu Top 25 matchup Monday evening against No. 7 Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls edged the Orange & Blue 3-0 in a pitchers’ duel between UF right-handed freshman Keagan Rothrock (3-2, 1 SV) and OSU’s NFCA All-American graduate senior Lexi Kilfoyl.
Rothrock, who garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors heading into the matchup, spun a two-hitter against the Cowgirls high-powered offense and struck out seven. The Whiteland, Ind. native leads the SEC in strikeouts (38), ranks seventh overall nationally, and is tied for the nation’s lead among freshmen pitchers in the category currently.
Florida’s offense looks to bounce back after the Monday night showdown. Junior Kendra Falby (.500) will lead the charge from the leadoff position as she ranks third nationally in total hits (19), first in the SEC, and she’s accompanied by a potent lineup that includes Skylar Wallace (.483) and this week’s SEC Player of the Week Jocelyn Erickson.
Erickson turned in a solid week at the plate last week as she went 8-for-12 (.667) with 13 RBI, three doubles, a home run and a stolen base. The Phoenix, Ariz. native tallied a season-high five RBI in the Gators win over Loyola at the Bubly Invitational. She is also tied for the nation’s lead in SAC flies with three through 10 games played.
Overall, Florida’s lineup is batting .344 on the year with 94 hits, 79 runs scored, 40 walks, 20 stolen bases and 33 extra base hits on the season. The pitching staff, led by Rothrock and fellow freshman right-hander Ava Brown, sports a 0.66 ERA through a total of 64 innings pitched. The staff has also allowed only five extra base hits this year and have held opposing batters to a .125 average at the plate.
The Ospreys have a pair of .300-plus batters in Hadlee Reichert (.333) and Savannah Channell (.318) and two pitchers with ERAs hovering around 1.00 with Halle Arends (1.03 ERA) and Allison Benning (1.12 ERA) holding a majority of the innings in the circle.
In the series between UF and UNF, the Orange and Blue holds a perfect 14-0 record but have only earned one of those victories at the UNF Softball Complex. The first and only time the two programs have faced each other in Jacksonville occurred Feb. 22, 2022.
The Gators won the game 7-1 with returners Falby notching a multi-hit performance and Wallace, Reagan Walsh and Avery Goelz each earning a hit.
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