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  • FB: Freshman QB Jake Allen announces decision to transfer

    FB: Freshman QB Jake Allen announces decision to transfer

    Jake Allen was Jim McElwain‘s first quarterback commit. Had Allen been a year older, this story could be entirely different.

    Instead, on Tuesday, Allen announced his intention to transfer from the University of Florida program via Twitter.

    Allen was the #23 ranked prostyle quarterback in the 2017 recruiting cycle. He redshirted his freshman year and will have three years of eligibility after sitting out one year per NCAA requirements.

    Allen alluded to the move to a more spread offense as a key in his decision to transfer and it was clear that he was burined on the depth chart.

    Allen played in Saturday’s Orange and Blue spring game, but was the last QB to enter (even behind walk-on Nathan Sproles), finishing 4-7 for 7 yards while rushing three times for 18 yards.

    Florida now has three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, redshirt sophomores Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask and true Freshman Emory Jones, but could elect to recruit a graduate-transfer.

    Florida will begin Fall camp in August with the season opener set for September 1.

    (Photo via 247sports.com)

  • SB: Kelly Barnhill named SEC Player of the Week for fourth time of 2018

    SB: Kelly Barnhill named SEC Player of the Week for fourth time of 2018

    Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Kelly Barnhill was named the SEC’s Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday.

    For the fourth time this year, and the ninth time in her career, Barnhill has earned the weekly honor.

    Barnhill (19-1) threw two complete game, one-hitters against a previously lethal South Carolina offense.

    In the Sunday finale, Barnhill pitched her ninth shutout of the season, and twenty-eighth of her career. Barnhill is now fifth in program history in career shutoits.

    In addition to her nearly perfect record in the circle, Barnhill sports a microscopic ERA of only 0.74 and has struck out 209 batters in 132 innings of work.

    Florida will play at home Wednesday against Florida A&M before traveling out to Mississippi State for a three game set beginning Friday.

    *Information for this article was provided by the official UF softball press release.

  • BSB: JJ Schwarz named SEC Co-Player of the Week

    BSB: JJ Schwarz named SEC Co-Player of the Week

    Florida senior JJ Schwarz was named the Co-Player of the Week by the Southeastern Conference on Monday.

    Schwarz finished the four game week hitting 7-14 (.500) with two home runs, two doubles, and a team high six RBI.

    For the week, Schwarz had a .536 on-base percentage and an amazing 1.071 slugging percentage.

    Florida defeated #10 Florida State on Tuesday and swept Missouri in a three game set last weekend.

    Schwarz is hitting .305 on the season with nine homers and a team leading 36 RBI.

    Before the season, Schwarz was named the first captain in program history and proudly wears the “C” on his jersey.

  • WTN: Gators earn #2 seed and double-bye in SEC Tournament

    WTN: Gators earn #2 seed and double-bye in SEC Tournament

    The University of Tennessee will host the 2018 SEC Women’s Tennis Tournament this week with a champion to be determined Sunday afternoon.

    Florida finished the season 16-7 overall and 11-2 in league play to earn the number two seed and a double-bye.

    The Gators will open a full day of tournament action on Friday against either #7 seed Mississippi State or #10 seed LSU.

    Florida has won the SEC Tournament twenty times in the thirty year history of the event, last winning in 2016.

    The 2017 Gators finished as the runners up to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament before moving on and earning the program’s seventh National Championship.

    The post-season starts now. Stay tuned with @GatorChompBlog on Twitter and Facebook for the latest on Florida’s journey through the tourney.

  • SB: Pitching leads #6 Gators to series sweep against #11 South Carolina

    SB: Pitching leads #6 Gators to series sweep against #11 South Carolina

    #6 Florida and #11 South Carolina faced off on Orange and Blue Weekend at the University of Florida campus. The weather forecast for Sunday forced a Saturday double-header, but the Gators earned a sweep of the series. Florida topped the Gamecocks 3-1 on Friday and swept the double-header by scores of 7-0 and 3-0.

    FRIDAY:

    FLORIDA 3, SOUTH CAROLINA 1

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    USC 1 1 0
    GATORS 3 5 0

    Gainesville, FL– On Friday night, the Gators offense supplied pitcher Kelly Barnhill with some early run support, and Barnhill did her thing as Florida earned the series opening victory over the Gamecocks.

    Hannah Adams, batting leadoff for the first time since conference play started, began the game with a four-pitch walk and eventually scored on a passed ball by South Carolina pitcher Cayla Drotar.

    The Gators got another run in the second inning when centerfielder Alex Voss doubled to left over the drawn in outfield. Voss was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple, but Sophia Reynoso scored before the out, and the Gators took the 2-0 lead.

    Nicole DeWitt (1-1, HR, BB) had the highlight of the night with a home run to center that was very nearly caught by SC RF Tiara Duffy.

    Barnhill was cruising through the game, having not allowed a base hit until the final inning when Duffy double to right-center to score Kennedy Clark, who had walked and stolen second just before.

    Barnhill finished with a complete game one-hitter while striking out thirteen and walking four.

    W: Barnhill (18-1)

    L: Drotar (15-3)

    SATURDAY (GAME ONE):

    FLORIDA 7, SOUTH CAROLINA 0

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    USC 0 2 0
    GATORS 7 8 1

    Gainesville, FL– Florida earned the series win with a 7-0 victory in the first game of the Saturday double-header against South Carolina.

    After a scoreless first frame, the Gators scored a pair of runs in the second inning when Jordan Roberts singled to the wall in left-center to plate Janell Wheaton and Jordan Matthews.

    Florida added another three runs in the third inning highlighted by Nicole DeWitt’s single that scored Hannah Adams. Aleshia Ocasio, then perfectly executed a squeeze play that scored DeWitt from third to increase the lead to 5-0.

    Florida tacked on two runs in the fourth to put the game away.

    Ocasio tossed a complete game, allowing only two hits. In the second inning, Ocasio got out of a bases loaded jam by striking out USC pinch hitter Alyssa Kumiyama.

    The Gamecocks were handcuffed when scoring opportunities occured going 0-3 with runners in scoring position and 2-6 with chances to advance runners at all.

    W: Ocasio (15-5)

    L: Cayla Drotar (15-4)

    SATURDAY (GAME TWO):

    FLORIDA 3, SOUTH CAROLINA 0

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    USC 0 1 0
    GATORS 3 5 0

    Gainesville, FL– Florida earned the double-header (and series sweep) thanks to another complete game one-hitter by Kelly Barnhill and a walk-off, three run homer by Nicole DeWitt.

    The final game of the series was a true pitcher’s duel. Barnhill and USC freshman Kelsey Oh dominated the opposing hitters all game.

    Despite the dominance in the circle, the Gators #1 and #2 hitters were able to get on base frequently. Freshman Hannah Adams, batting leadoff, went 3-4 while Amanda Lorenz earned three walks. Both scored on DeWitt’s homer.

    For DeWitt, the home run was her team leading tenth of the year and the first of the walk-off variety of her career.

    Barnhill improved to 19-1 on the season and managed to pitch two complete games in the series while only allowing a potent USC lineup two hits in 14 innings of work.

    W: Barnhill (19-1)

    L: Oh (10-3)

    _______________

    The Gators are now 37-7 overall and 12-3 in conference play with only three series (nine games) remaining in conference, regular season play. Florida will face Florida A&M (19-23, 11-1) on Wednesday at 6:00 PM before traveling to Starkville, MS for a conference tilt against Mississippi State (30-11, 4-8) beginning Friday.

  • LAX: GK Haley Hicklen named Big East Defensive Player of the Week

    LAX: GK Haley Hicklen named Big East Defensive Player of the Week

    Florida junior goalkeeper Haley Hicklen was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday.

    Hicklen went 2-0 as Florida topped Temple and Villanova in league play.

    The Baltimore, MD native posted a 5.55 goals against average and a .526 save percentage, both marks were league highs for every day starters in the Big East.

    This is the second time Hicklen has earned the weekly honor as she did March 6 as well.

    Hicklen is 10-3 in the cage this season and has made 127 saves thus far. Her season GAA is 11.13 while her save percentage sits at .485.

    Florida faces Marguette in a battle for first place at noon on Saturday at Dizney Stadium.

    *Information for this article was provided by the official UF lacrosse press release.

  • BSB: #1 Gators sweep #10 FSU with 6-3 road victory

    BSB: #1 Gators sweep #10 FSU with 6-3 road victory

    FLORIDA 6, FLORIDA STATE 3

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    GATORS 6 11 0
    FLORIDA STATE 3 5 3

    Tallahassee, FL– If only football and basketball could have the same success against Florida State that the Gators baseball team has enjoyed. For the second straight year, Florida has swept their in-state rivals from the state’s capital.

    The Seminoles actually started the scoring by plating a run on a solo home run by Cooper Swanson. Florida responded in the next frame, as they did each time the Seminoles scored. The Gators scored three runs in the fourth as Wil Dalton doubled down the right field line to score Jonathan India. India had doubled just before to extend his hitting streak to a surreal twenty games.

    Dalton would score two batters later when Austin Langworthy hit an RBI single to left and push the Gators ahead 2-1. Second baseman Blake Reese (a Tallahassee native) followed with an RBI single that scored Langworthy.

    The Seminoles closed the gap to 3-2 in the fifth inning, but the Gators answered quickly, adding two more runs in the sixth highlighted by Langworthy’s double to left center that scored Dalton and increase Florida’s lead to 5-2.

    Following a Jackson Lueck solo homer to bring the ‘Noles to within two, the Gators countered with a solo shot from senior captain, JJ Schwarz.

    Freshman Tommy Mace earned the win despite only pitching four innings for the Gators. Mace allowed two earned runs while walking two and striking out two more. Michael Byrne earned a four-out save for his eighth of the year. Byrne already owns the career record for saves in program history.

    The Gators have now defeated the Seminoles in eight straight contests and thirteen of the last fourteen meetings overall.

    Florida defeated Florida State 12-6 in Gainesville in March before taking the annual neutral field game in Jacksonville 1-0 just two weeks ago.

    The Gators are the only team in the nation with 29 wins and hold a 29-6 overall record. Florida returns home this weekend for a conference showdown with Missouri that begins Friday at 6:30 PM.

    W: Mace (3-0)

    L: Andrew Karp (5-3)

    S: Byrne (8)

  • SB: Danielle Romanello named SEC Freshman of the Week

    SB: Danielle Romanello named SEC Freshman of the Week

    Florida’s Danielle Romanello made the most of her appearance in Monday’s rubber match against Alabama.

    Romanello had a pinch hit 2-RBI double in the fourth to tie the ball game, and remained in the game as the designated player. In her second at-bat, the 5’9 freshman from St. Petersburg, crushed her first career homer over the right field fence. This was her first collegiate career home run, and it represented the game winning score.

    Romanello’s two base hits were all the Gators could muster against Alabama ace Alexis Osorio (though her teammates did walk eleven times).

    The performance, in front of a capacity (and chirpy) Alabama crowd of 3,156, earned Romanello the SEC’s Freshman of the Week honor.

    The honor is the first such award of Romanello’s career.

    Romanello has appeared in 25 games for the Gators, including four starts. She has 7 RBI and has scored three runs thus far in 2018.

    Florida will travel to Tallahassee on Wednesday for a midweek battle against the rival Seminoles before returning home against South Carolina in a three-game weekend series.

  • SB: #4 Gators take two of three from #15 Alabama

    SB: #4 Gators take two of three from #15 Alabama

    It certainly wasn’t the prettiest series the Gators have played this year, but a Monday series win put #4 Florida back atop the SEC standings (by percentage points). The Gators defeated #15 Alabama two games to one to take an important SEC series. Florida topped Alabama 6-1 on Saturday in game one, but fell to the Tide in Sunday’s game two, 3-2. Monday’s nearly three hour finale went to Florida, also by a 3-2 score, but saw the starting pitchers combine for more than 300 pitches and sixteen walks. Monday’s win also represented the 700th win for head coach Tim Walton in the orange and blue.

    SATURDAY:

    FLORIDA 6, ALABAMA 1

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    GATORS 6 8 1
    ALABAMA 1 3 0

    Tuscaloosa, AL– The Gators defeated Alabama in the series opener by a 6-1 final behind the pitching of Kelly Barnhill and a two-run first inning.

    Using a different lineup that featured Amdand Lorenz and Kayli Kvistad batting 1-2 in the lineup, Florida took the early lead with a Hannah Adams single to right that scored Lorenz. Aleshia Ocasio also got an RBI on a fielder’s choice that scored Kvistad.

    The Crimson Tide battled back and scored an unearned run in the second do to a throwing error by Barnhill.

    Florida scored in the fifth and the seventh on sacrifice flies by Ocasio. Sophia Reynoso finished the scoring with an RBI single to left that scored Jordan Matthews.

    Florida hitters walked nine times in the contest.

    Both starting pitchers, Barnhill and Alabama’s Alexis Osorio hurled complete games, but Florida made Osorio work, throwing well more than one-hundred pitches.

    Barnhill earned her sixteenth win allowing only three base hits but walking five while striking out seven Tide hitters.

    W: Barnhill (16-1)

    L: Osorio (8-4)

    SUNDAY:

    ALABAMA 3, FLORIDA 2

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    GATORS 2 8 0
    ALABAMA 3 7 1

    Tuscaloosa, AL– Alabama evened the series with a 3-2 victory over Florida Sunday afternoon.

    The Crimson Tide got out in front early with a single by freshman Kaylee Tow that scored Elissa Brown before an out had been recorded.

    The Gators struck back in the fourth frame when Sophia Reynoso cranked her first homer of the year to tie the game.

    The tie didn’t last long as Bailey Hemphill took an Aleshia Ocasio rise ball (that didn’t rise) over the fence in left in the bottom of the fourth inning.

    Ocasio would go on to score the tying run in the next inning on Janell Wheaton’s double down the left field line.

    Alabama would score the winning run on Sydney Booker’s homer to left center.

    Ocasio picked up her fourth loss of the year, but only gave up three runs and striking out six.

    Alexis Osorio picked up her ninth win of the year, relieving Courtney Gettins after 4.2 innings of work. Gettins gave up both runs and walked six Gators.

    W: Osorio (9-4)

    L: Ocasio (14-4)

    MONDAY:

    FLORIDA 3, ALABAMA 2

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    GATORS 3 2 1
    ALABAMA 2 4 1

    Tuscaloosa, AL– It sure wasn’t easy, but then again this is the SEC.

    The Gators earned the series win despite only notching two hits, both from pinch hitter Danielle Romanello.

    Florida trailed the Tide 2-0 after three innings, but Romanello, pinch hitting for Alex Voss, roped a two run double down the right field line to score Nicole DeWitt and Hannah Adams in the top half of the fourth. Romanello stayed in the game as the designated player.

    Romanello followed that at-bat with her first career homer, a two-out solo shot to right that put Florida up for good.

    Kelly Barnhill and Alexis Osorio struggled with command for much of the game. Barnhill walked five while only striking out four. Osorio walked 11 while striking out nine Gators. Osorio threw 181 pitches while Barnhill threw 130.

    W: Barnhill (16-1)

    L: Osorio (9-5)

    _______________

    Florida moves to 34-6 overall and takes over first place with a 9-3 SEC mark. Florida will face #13 Florida State in Tallahassee on Wednesday before returning home to take on #12 South Carolina in SEC play. The Gamecocks took two of three against Arkansas last weekend and sit in third place in the SEC with an 8-4 record in conference play.

    SEC STANDINGS (THROUGH MARCH 18):

    TEAM SEC W SEC L OVERALL W OVERALL L
    Florida 9 3 34 6
    Georgia 11 4 35 5
    South Carolina 8 4 33 7
    LSU 7 4 32 7
    Auburn 9 6 36 8
    Texas A&M 7 5 34 9
    Arkansas 6 6 29 8
    Alabama 6 6 25 11
    Tennessee 5 7 33 8
    Mississippi St 4 8 29 11
    Kentucky 3 8 24 11
    Mississippi 4 11 19 16
    Missouri 4 11 21 21
  • BSB: Gators SS Deacon Liput named NCAA Player of the Week

    BSB: Gators SS Deacon Liput named NCAA Player of the Week

    Florida SS Deacon Liput got a late start to the season, but that hasn’t stopped the junior from a torrid pace at the plate.

    On Monday, Liput was named the NCAA Player of the Week for his performance. Liput finished the week 9-20 (.450 average) with two homers and seven RBI against FGCU and Tennessee. Liput also maintains an eight game hitting streak.

    Liput, who has played in twenty of Florida’s thirty two games, is hitting .329 overall, good for second on the team. Liput has hit three home runs on the year and averages a team high 1.0 RBI per game.

    Liput has performed well in the field as well only committing one error (a .986 fielding percentage) while playing at short.

    The Gators are 28-6 overall and sit atop The SEC East standings with a 9-3 mark in league play. Florida will face rival Florida State in Tallahassee on Tuesday before returning to Gainesville for a weekend series with Missouri.