The #2 Florida Gators opened SEC play against #23 Kentucky this weekend and swept the competition. Kelly Barnhill earned two wins and Florida improved to 22-1 on the season and earned a good start in league play.
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Chomping at the bit for Florida Athletics
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The Florida Gators learned their NCAA Tournament fate on Selection Sunday. Florida will head to Dallas as the six seed of the East Region and will play in the late game.
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Haley Hicklen had quite the week in net for the #3 Florida Gators. For her efforts, Hicklen was named the Brine/US Lacrosse Player of the Week on Monday.
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Florida completed a 3-0 trip to California for the annual Judi Garman Classic last weekend. On Monday, the SEC announced that Gators pitcher Kelly Barnhill was named the conference’s Pitcher of the Week.
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On Monday, the Southeastern Conference announced weekly superlatives for men’s basketball. After going 2-0 against two of the top teams in the conference, Florida junior Jalen Hudson was named co-Player of the Week.
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The Florida Gators took their annual trip to California for the Judi Garman Classic this week and came away with a 3-0 record. Florida defeated Loyola Marymount and Cal State Fullerton by run-rule on Thursday before topping the #8 Baylor Bears on Saturday. Florida was also supposed to play Michigan State and Charlotte on Friday, but the contests were cancelled due to weather across the country (Michigan State was unable to make the trip).
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The Florida Gators defeated the #23 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday to secure the #3 seed in this week’s SEC Tournament.
Florida struggled through the middle of the conference slate losing six of eight before going on a three game winning streak against much of the strength of the SEC.
Florida entered the final three games with their NCAA tournament hopes in peril, but seems to be firmly planted in the field entering conference tournament play.
As the #3 seed, Florida receives a double-bye and won’t play until the latest game Friday.
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Florida’s offense proved to be too much in the series opener against Stony Brook. Although the Seawolves scored more runs than any Florida opponent thus far, a career day by sophomore Wil Dalton propelled the Gators to victory.
Dalton went 4-5 with three home runs and drove in six RBI as Florida won by a 12-5 margin.
Dalton, leading off for the third straight game, led off the bottom of the first with a solo shot to left to give the Gators an early lead. In the fifth, Dalton hit a two-run blast to center, and he finished his night with a three-run dinger in the eighth.
Dalton is a 6-0 sophomore outfielder who transferred to Florida from Columbia State Community College in Tennessee. As a freshman he smacked 15 homers in the TJCAA. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 29th round of the MLB Draft out of high school.
Dalton is hitting .429 with four home runs and a team-high 15 RBI on the season.
Florida returns to action Saturday in the second game of the series with Stony Brook. The game is set for the first pitch to be delivered at 4:00 PM. Jackson Kowar is scheduled to be on the mound for Florida.
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Florida freshman gymnast Megan Skaggs landed career bests in both events she competed in last Friday and earned recognition from the SEC as the Freshman of the Week for her performances.
Skaggs competed in the uneven bars and the balance beam for the Gators in Friday’s win against Arkansas. Skaggs scored season highs of 9.9 in each event and helped secure Florida’s victory
The Marietta, Georgia resident became the third Gators gymnast to be named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week joining Jazmyn Foberg and Alyssa Baumann (twice).
Florida is back in action on Friday as they take on #20 Missouri in Columbia on Friday. The meet is set to take place at 8:00 PM and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
*Photo was used with permission from Tim Casey of the UAA.
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Mississippi 48, Florida 43
Florida fell to the Ole Miss Rebels on Wednesday in the opening round of the SEC Tournament to end the season for the Gators.
I could give a standard recap on this game, but I don’t think now is the right time. Instead, I’d like to reflect and think about the many positives. So, here is a letter to the entire program:
To whom it may concern;
First and foremost, I want to say thank you. Following and covering this team has been the opportunity of a lifetime. This experience (covering a team that I’ve always been passionate about) has been something I never envisioned, though something I had always hoped for.
Last year I was sitting in the stands during SEC play oftentimes my voice grew hoarse complaining about the officiating. At least one time I had an official eye me down as if to say, “c’mon man!”
Ms. Cafazzo, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity you presented me. I truly enjoyed this and really loved hearing about your decades of experience.
Coach Cam, thanks so much. Without our first conversations via Twitter (and your candor with the fans) this would never have happened. I truly believe in the direction of your program and look forward to engaging more during the press conferences throughout next season.
To the players, thanks for not calling me out when I asked silly questions. I was told there are no dumb questions, but I don’t think I believe that and I am sure I made my share.
To the seniors, thanks for laying the foundation for the underclassmen. Your relentless effort is something that made every night special regardless of the result.
Good times are coming. I truly believe that.
How it happened:
Although I had started this blog prior to the 2016-17 season, I actually had very little direction with the exception that I wanted to put a heavy emphasis on women’s sports.
Don’t get me wrong. I love football, men’s basketball, and baseball as much as anyone else. But there is something special about attending the women’s sports here. Too often the men’s programs seem to be run like a business. Many of the fans are so far away from the action that they don’t feel a part of what is happening on the field/court. It’s the exact opposite with the women’s programs.
I got lucky. I reached out to new head coach Cameron Newbauer prior to the start of the season seeking an interview via Twitter. I had serious doubts that he would even see my tweet. He did. He referred me to Kathy Cafazzo and we arranged an interview.
I had no idea what I was doing. I was expecting to message him a few questions and have him send back answers, I did not think I’d be able to meet him. I was a nervous wreck. In fact, I was so nervous that I had a friend join me for the interview so I couldn’t back out.
I was able to ask coach a few questions prior to the team’s open practice / fan day event. It was so informal and confortable, I really appreciated that. Ms Cafazzo then offered me credentials for the games. I didn’t even know how that worked, but was absolutely thrilled.
I decided to make this a learning experience. I wanted to watch everything and see how it was handled by the other press members and learn from there. I was so scared to ask a dumb question that I rarely asked anything.
I really feared Christmas break when I was the only one in the room to ask questions. Fortunately, Ms Cafazzo would ask questions so it wasn’t crickets / uncomfortable the entire time.
All in all this experience was amazing and I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to everyone involved in this program.
This opportunity has also opened the door to others. I am now credentialed for gymnastics, softball, and lacrosse. I feel much more comfortable doing these than I did just a few months ago. The women’s basketball program will always have a special place in my heart thanks to opening these doors for me.
I can’t wait for next season! Go Gators!
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