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  • SB: Aleshia Ocasio’s no-hitter leads Gators to doubleheader split with FIU

    SB: Aleshia Ocasio’s no-hitter leads Gators to doubleheader split with FIU

    Senior Aleshia Ocasio pitched a five inning no-hitter and hit an RBI triple to lead Florida to a split of the midweek doubleheader with Florida International on Wednesday. Florida run-ruled the Panthers in the first game, before being shut out by FIU’s Shannon Saile in game two.

    Florida, now 28-4 overall, will remain home and will play doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday against Jacksonville and Hampton before traveling to Orlando for a non-conference tilt against UCF next Wednesday.

    GAME ONE:

    FLORIDA 9, FIU 0 (5)

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    FIU 0 0 0
    GATORS 9 9 0

    Gainesville, FL– Aleshia Ocasio led Florida to a 9-0 shutout of Florida International with her first complete game no-hitter of the year. Ocasio had her perfect game bid interrupted by a fifth inning walk, which she responded to by striking out the next two Panthers hitters to end the game.

    Ocasio received plenty of run support as Florida took the early 1-0 lead when Hannah Adams singled to score Amanda Lorenz, who had walked to leadoff the game for the Gators.

    Florida erupted for seven runs in the fourth inning that put the game into run-rule territory. Ocasio helped her own cause with an RBI triple in the inning that scored freshman Jordan Matthews.

    Ocasio threw five innings (55 total pitches) in the win while striking out six to earn her twelfth win of the season.

    Lorenz finished 1-1 at the plate, drawing a pair of walks and scored three runs. Matthews went 2-2 with 2 RBI and a run scored.

    W: Ocasio (12-2)

    L: Hannah (5-3)

    GAME TWO:

    FIU 5, FLORIDA 0

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    FIU 5 9 0
    GATORS 0 3 2

    Gainesville, FL– The second game of the evening was almost the reverse of the first game. This time it was the Panthers that scored the early run. FIU got a single by Tatyana Forbes to lead off the game, who then came around to score on an error by right fielder Jordan Matthews. Kasandra Castle followed that with a two run homer to right, and the Panthers were up 3-0 before an out was recorded. Florida starter Katie Chronister was able to battle back and retire the next three in order.

    However, FIU added a pair of runs in the second off freshman Natalie Lugo (who relieved Chronister after a leadoff walk) as Jackie Schoff hit a double down the line in left that scored Vanessa Gallegos (whose walk and run were charged to Chronister) and Tori Jones.

    Unfortunately, the Gators offense wasn’t able to make up the deficit. The Gators tallied only three hits for the game and went down 1-2-3 three separate times (although the fifth inning saw Amanda Lorenz walk, but Nicole DeWitt lined into an inning ending double play immediately after).

    Lorenz finished one for three and has reached base safely in every game this year.

    Lugo would pitch the final six innings for Florida allowing only one run while striking out five.

    W: Shannon Saile (10-7)

    L: Chronister (2-1)

  • BSB: #2 Gators take (another) bite out of #4 Seminoles

    BSB: #2 Gators take (another) bite out of #4 Seminoles

    FLORIDA 1, FLORIDA STATE 0

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    FLORIDA STATE 0 3 0
    GATORS 1 4 0

    Jacksonville, FL– The Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles met in Jacksonville on Tuesday for their second contest of the three game set. The Gators, once again, defeated the Seminoles, this time using incredible pitching performances by Jack Leftwich, Jordan Butler, and Michael Byrne. Florida has now won seven straight against the Seminoles and twelve of the last thirteen.

    The freshman Leftwich pitched a solid five innings and allowed only a single hit while striking out five Seminoles hitters and only walking one to earn the win. Leftwich left after the fifth due to a blister on his pitching hand. Butler provided two innings of relief allowing only one batter to reach base via a walk. Byrne came in and closed the game with two more innings of relief.

    The game got dicey in the ninth when Florida State had runners on first and third with one out and the power of the order up, but Byrne struck out Rhett Alpin and forced Seminoles catcher Cal Raleigh to ground out to first baseman to Keenan Bell. Byrne recorded his 25th career save to tie a program record set by John Pritcher from 1988-1992.

    The Gators scored the only run of the game in the fourth when sophomore Austin Langworthy singled to right to score Wil Dalton. Dalton had doubled to right to get on base for the winning run.

    While Florida limited the Seminoles to just three hits in the contest (including the two in the ninth), the Gators only made contact four times. This sent FSU’s Andrew Karp with a complete game loss for the second straight year.

    UP NEXT: Florida moves to 22-5 and will face Vanderbilt at home this weekend to continue the SEC slate. Friday’s game is set for a 6:30 PM start while Saturday and Sunday are scheduled for noon starts.

    W: Leftwich (3-1)

    L: Karp (4-2)

    S: Byrne (6)

  • SB: Kelly Barnhill earns third SEC Pitcher of the Week honor of season

    SB: Kelly Barnhill earns third SEC Pitcher of the Week honor of season

    Florida junior Kelly Barnhill was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday, the conference announced.

    This marks the third time this season that Barnhill has earned the weekly honor and the eighth time in her career.

    Barnhill led Florida to three wins this week including a five inning no-hitter against South Florida on Wednesday in midweek action. The no-hitter was the fifth (including a perfect game) of her season, which is the most by any pitcher in program history in one season.

    For the week Barnhill finished with 34 strikeouts in 19 innings of work to improve to 14-1 on the season. Barnhill has thrown 9 complete game while striking out 154 in 92.2 innings this season.
    *Information for this article was provided by the official UF softball press release.

  • LAX: Shannon Kavanagh named Big East Midfielder of the Week

    LAX: Shannon Kavanagh named Big East Midfielder of the Week

    On Tuesday the Big East announced their weekly award winners for lacrosse and Florida’s Shannon Kavanagh was among the honorees. Kavanagh was named the Big East Midfielder of the Week.

    The freshman from Smithtown, NY accumulated six points (three goals and three assists) in the Gators thrilling comeback victory against Georgetown on Saturday. Kavanagh earned an assist on the game tying score by Grace Haus.

    Kavanagh finished her high school career amassing 303 goals and 426 points before joining the Gators. This season she ranks tied for third on the team with 24 points with 18 of those being goals.

    Florida (7-3, 2-0) will face Connecticut (5-5, 1-1) on Saturday at home in a Big East battle at Dizney Stadium.
    *Information for this article was provided by the official UF lacrosse press release.

  • SB: #6 Florida sweeps #8 Texas A&M with offensive explosion

    SB: #6 Florida sweeps #8 Texas A&M with offensive explosion

    #6 Florida faced off against a very good #8 Texas A&M team in a weekend series that wrapped up on Monday. The Gators swept the Aggies, who were undefeated in conference play entering the series. Florida received quality starts from Kelly Barnhill and Aleshia Ocasio, but the bats were the real story. Florida combined for twenty-three runs in the series and improve to 27-3 overall and 7-2 in SEC play.

    SATURDAY:

    FLORIDA 6, TEXAS A&M 1

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    TAMU 1 3 0
    GATORS 6 8 0

    Gainesville, FL– Florida opened a big conference series with Texas A&M on Saturday with a 6-1 win.

    The Gators jumped on the Aggies early scoring four runs highlighted by Janell Wheaton’s two-run home run in the bottom of the first to give junior pitcher Kelly Barnhill a 4-0 lead. All four first inning runs were charged to A&M’s starter Samantha Show, who was relieved after getting a single out.

    Florida struck for two more runs in the fourth inning to extend their lead to six. Jaimie Hoover hit an RBI double that scored Hannah Adams and Amanda Lorenz followed that with an RBI single.

    Kelly Barnhill was in cruise control with the big lead, and didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning. In the sixth inning, the Aggies’ Sarah Hudek connected with a pitch and sent it over the right-centerfield fence for Texas A&M’s lone run.

    Barnhill finished the night with a complete game, allowing two hits and striking out 12 hitters.

    Lorenz hit 2-3 in the game adding two singles to a stat line that included a run scored and an RBI.

    W: Kelly Barnhill (13-1)

    L: Hannah Parker (5-3)

    SUNDAY:

    FLORIDA 10, TEXAS A&M 0 (5)

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    TAMU 0 1 1
    GATORS 10 9 0

    Gainesville, FL– Nicole DeWitt led an offensive barrage on Texas A&M as Florida tagged Aggies starter Kayla Poynter with five runs in the first inning including homers by DeWitt and Hannah Adams. Adams’ two run bomb was the first of her career. Poynter was relieved after only recording two outs.

    Florida added a run in the second on a Jordan Matthews single to third base that scored DeWitt.

    The Gators then added three more scores in the third when DeWitt hit a bases loaded double off the top of the wall. The ball actually hit the top of the wall, but the backspin caused it to return to the playing field, plating three instead of four.

    Florida would add the tenth run in the fourth when Haven Sampson scored on an Amanda Lorenz groundout to second.

    DeWitt finished the game 2-3 with a walk, 5 RBI and two runs scored.

    Aleshia Ocasio pitched well in the circle and said after the game that it’s much easier to pitch with the lead like she has much of the year. Her final line read: 5 IP, 6 K, 0 BB, 1 H.

    Adams said that hitting her first home run was “the coolest thing ever!”

    Gators head coach Tim Walton stated that he expected TAMU to turn to senior Trinity Harrington to start the game, but that he believed A&M coach Jo Evans was playing matchups and Poynter pitched 2.2 innings of no-hit ball at the end of the previous night’s contest.

    W: Ocasio (11-2)

    L: Barnhill (11-1)

    MONDAY:

    FLORIDA 7, TEXAS A&M 3

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    TAMU 3 6 2
    GATORS 7 3 0

    Gainesville, FL– For the third straight game Florida’s got runs early and the Aggies were forced to make a pitching change before the first inning had expired.

    The Gators took a 4-0 lead to the second inning thanks to five walks to six hitters by TAMU starter Lexi Smith. Smith was removed with a 2-0 count on Hannah Adams, reliever Trinity Harrington came in and finished the at-bat by walking in the fourth run for Florida.

    Harrington cruised through a pair of 3-up, 3-down innings before the Gators were able to tag her with two runs in the fourth frame. Jordan Matthews hit the 2-RBI single to score Amanda Lorenz and Nicole DeWitt.

    Janell Wheaton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth to give the Gators an insurance run.

    Matthews went 1-2 with two walks, 3 RBI and a run scored. For Texas A&M Samantha Show went 2-3 with a solo homer and and RBI single.

    Kelly Barnhill pitched six innings in earning her 14th win of the year. She allowed three runs and five hits while striking out ten before giving way to Aleshia Ocasio to finish the game.

    W: Barnhill (14-1)

    L: Lexi Smith (5-1)

    _______________

    The Gators are now 27-3 and 7-2 in conference play. Florida is tied with Georgia for second place in the SEC standings.

    Florida will face Florida International in a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday and will take on Hampton and Jacksonville in back to back doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday.

    SEC STANDINGS (THROUGH MARCH 26):

    TEAM SEC W SEC L OVERALL W OVERALL L
    S. Carolina 5 1 28 4
    Georgia 7 2 29 3
    Florida 7 2 27 3
    LSU 3 2 26 5
    Auburn 5 4 31 6
    Tennessee 3 3 30 4
    Miss State 3 3 27 6
    Texas A&M 3 3 29 7
    Alabama 3 3 22 8
    Arkansas 2 4 25 6
    Kentucky 2 6 19 9
    Mississippi 2 7 16 12
    Missouri 2 7 19 17
  • GYM: Gators earn #5 seed by NCAA Gymnastics Committee

    GYM: Gators earn #5 seed by NCAA Gymnastics Committee

    On Monday the Florida Gators learned their fate as far as the NCAA Gymnastics Championships. Florida earned the five seed and will travel to Pennsylvania for the Gymnastics Regionals.

    Florida’s regional partners will include #8 seed Washington, #15 Missouri, #17 Arizona State, #27 West Virginia, #29 (host) Penn State, and #30 New Hampshire. The meet is set to begin at 4:00 PM on Saturday, April 7.

    The top two scoring teams will advance to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis on April 20 & 21.

    The Gators finished with a 13-4 record this season and finished third in the SEC Championship meet despite having the winner of each apparatus. A pair of falls on the floor routine hurt Florida in the meet.

  • CBS Sports: Tebow inching closer to MLB with Double-A assignment

    CBS Sports: Tebow inching closer to MLB with Double-A assignment

    On Monday, CBS Sports reported via MLB.com Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo, that New York OF prospect Tim Tebow will be assigned to Double-A Binghamton to start the 2018 season.

    The left-handed hitting Tebow split last season between Low and High A ball. In Low-A Tebow hit .220 with 3 homers and 23 RBI in 64 games. While in St. Lucie, Tebow carried a .231 average while smacking five homers and accumulating 29 RBI.

    Tebow has shown flashes of promise and power at the plate, but has had many shortcomings including striking out 126 times in his 430 at-bats last season.

    Mets general manager Sandy Anderson stated during the off-season that he wanted to be more aggressive with Tebow’s development and with his promotion to Double-A, Tebow has a real chance to impress the New York brass.

    Tebow went 1-11 in Major League Spring Training with the Mets this year before being sent to Minor League camp.

    The Rumble Ponies will open the season against Portland on April 5.

  • BSB: #2 Gators earn series victory over #4 Arkansas

    BSB: #2 Gators earn series victory over #4 Arkansas

    #2 Florida earned an important three game series victory against #4 Arkansas. The Razorbacks won the first game, but the Florida bats came alive in the second and third games. Arkansas topped Florida 6-3 on Friday, giving Brady Singer his first loss of the season. Florida exacted revenge on Saturday, exploding for 17 runs and giving Arkansas their worst loss since 2011. On Sunday, a pair of two-run homers and a dominant relief outing by Michael Byrne propelled the Gators past Arkansas 5-4.

    FRIDAY:

    ARKANSAS 6, FLORIDA 3

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    ARKANSAS 6 10 0
    GATORS 3 7 1

    Gainesville, FL– The Razorbacks took game one of the series with a 6-3 victory.

    Arkansas tacked on a trio of runs in the second inning as Heston Kjerstad hit an RBI double to score Dominic Fletcher. The Razorbacks scored two more runs after Carson Shaddy ripped a liner that bounced off Florida pitcher Brady Singer and went into left field.

    Arkansas added two runs in the fourth highlighted by Fletcher’s solo homer to right.

    The Gators added a pair of scores in the bottom of the fourth as Deacon Liput hit a two-run shot to right center to close the gap to 5-2.

    Both teams would add one more tally to the scoreboard on solo homers to finish the game. Kjerstad put Arkansas up 6-2 in the sixth while Wil Dalton hit his tenth of the year for Florida in the seventh.

    Jonathan India went 2-3 with a walk and a run scored. Brady Singer earned his first loss of the season, but battled through seven innings of work. Singer’s final line read: 7 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 7 K, 2 BB.

    W: Blaine Knight (4-0)

    L: Singer (5-1)

    S: Matt Cronin (4)

    SATURDAY:

    FLORIDA 17, ARKANSAS 3

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    ARKANSAS 2 8 2
    FLORIDA 17 15 0

    Gainesville, FL– Florida rebounded from the series opening loss against Arkansas with a big 17-2 win. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan switched his lineup a bit as Deacon Liput ledoff the order. Wil Dalton moved to fourth in the lineup thanks to the power he’s displayed with 10 homers entering the game.

    The change appears to have worked. Liput finished the game 4-5 with a walk, 3 runs, and 3 RBI. Dalton went 2-5 including a double that turned into a run thanks to an error by Arkansas LF Heston Kjerstad.

    The Gators jumped all over the Razorbacks from the onset of the contest as Jonathan India hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning.

    Despite that being all the Gators needed, they didn’t settle and the bats were especially hot.

    Florida added two runs in the second, six runs in the third, and five in the sixth.

    Jackson Kowar pitched a solid six innings, allowing only four hits and two earned runs. Kowar struck out six but walked four.

    Florida’s bullpen pitched three scoreless innings with Kirby McMullen and Connor Churchill combining for the effort.

    The big lead allowed the Gators to play some of the younger players in the final few innings. 3B Brady Smith, LF Shane Shifflett, C Cal Greenfield al saw action in the field and each got a turn at bat. Jonah Girand got to see action at first base.

    W: Kowar (4-1)

    L: Isiah Campbell (2-3)

    SUNDAY

    FLORIDA 5, ARKANSAS 4

    RUNS HITS ERRORS
    ARKANSAS 4 10 1
    GATORS 5 5 1

    Gainesville, FL– The Florida Gators earned the series victory over Arkansas on Sunday with a 5-4 victory.

    Florida used a pair of two-run bombs by JJ Schwarz and Nelson Maldonado to overcome ten hits from the Razorbacks.

    The Gators got on the board first in the second inning when Blake Reese hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Jonathan India.

    Arkansas responded with back-to-back solo homers by 1B Jared Gates and DH Evan Lee to take a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning.

    In the bottom half of the fourth, Schwarz connected to again put Florida on top. That lead would be short lived however, as Arkansas CF Dominic Fletcher hit a sacrifice fly to score Heston Kjerstad in the fifth to force another tie.

    Tyler Dyson pitched four innings for the Gators allowing five hits and 3 runs. Dyson walked four and struck out four as well.

    Michael Byrne threw 3.2 innings out of the bullpen and entered to a bases loaded jam with one out, but retired the next two Razorbacks on three pitches. Byne had thrown 26.2 innings without allowing a run, but that streak ended in ninth after he allowed consecutive doubles, but recovered to retire the final three hitters of the game and earn his first victory of the season.

    W: Byrne (1-0)

    L: Kacey Murphy (3-1)

    _______________

    Florida improves to 21-5 on the season and 4-2 in SEC play. The Gators will face Florida State in Jacksonville on Tuesday before returning to conference action against Vanderbilt at home this weekend.

  • LAX: #6 Gators come back to top #24 Georgetown 16-11

    LAX: #6 Gators come back to top #24 Georgetown 16-11

    FINAL: FLORIDA 16, GEORGETOWN 11

    1st 2nd OT FINAL
    GATORS 5 11 X 16
    G’TOWN 8 3 X 11

    Washington D.C. – Florida overcame a four goal deficit for the third time this year to defeat Georgetown 16-11 and secure the 300th win of Amanda O’Leary’s coaching career.

    Georgetown scored the first goal of the game less than forty seconds into the contest, and the Hoyas continued scoring from there, taking a 3-0 lead 5:15 into the match.

    The Gators trailed 8-4 late in the first half, but a Grace Haus score moved the Gators to within three at half.

    With momentum on their side, Florida scored three of the first four goals of the second half to get within one at 9-8. The two teams would take turns scoring until the Gators mounted a 7-0 run to finish the game.

    Haus led Florida with four goals in the game while Shannon Kavanagh and Sydney Pirreca added a hat-trick each.

    Florida is now 7-3 on the season and 2-0 in Big East play. The Gators have now won 24 straight conference games. The loss puts the Hoyas at 5-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

    Team Stats:

    GATORS G’TOWN
    SHOTS 36 29
    SOG 24 21
    SAVES 10 8
    DRAW CONTROLS 16 13
    TURNOVERS 15 19

    What’s Next:

    Florida will face Connecticut at home on Saturday at 12:00 PM from Dizney Stadium. The Huskies fell to Denver 13-5 on Saturday and are 5-5 overall this season.

    BIG EAST STANDINGS (Through March 24)

    SCHOOL Big East W L Overall W L
    Florida 2 0 7 3
    Marquette 2 0 6 4
    Temple 1 0 7 3
    Denver 1 1 5 3
    Georgetown 1 1 5 3
    UConn 1 1 5 5
    Cincinnati 0 1 6 3
    Vanderbilt 0 1 5 3
    Butler 0 1 1 8
    Villanova 0 2 5 4
  • SB: Florida softball program finally getting home they deserve

    SB: Florida softball program finally getting home they deserve

    In 1996, the University of Florida spent $2.6 million to build Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Outside of minor renovations in 2001 and 2012, the stadium looks much like it did on opening day, February 8, 1997.

    That’s going to change in a big way next season. The University of Florida announced an $11 million renovation that is set to take place upon the completion of this season and is expected to be ready in time for the beginning of the 2019 season.

    The renovation will now include a 360-degree open concourse as well as shade in several sections of the stadium seating bowl. Gone will be the uncomfortable bleachers, instead the seating area will be entirely chairback fixed seating. The overall capacity of the stadium will increase to approximately 2,800.

    Another noticeable change will be an elevated press box, which will allow for extra shade behind home plate, as well as the ability to watch the game from the concourse.

    For the student-athletes, modern amenities such as locker room and medical facilities will be enhanced.

    Florida head coach Tim Walton tweeted his excitement upon the announcement:

    As did several current and former Gators:

    Kelly Barnhill:

    Amanda Lorenz:

    Katie Chronister:

    Justine McLean:

    Aubree Munro:

    The Gators have won two National Championships and have attended the Women’s College World Series eight times.
    *Information for this article was provided by the official UF softball press release and Twitter timeline.

    +Photos courtesy of the University Athletic Association.