No. 1 Gator Softball Prepares for No. 18 Aggies

The top-ranked Gator softball team takes on another top-25 opponent when they play a series against No. 18 Texas A&M this weekend.

The Gators (45-3) are riding an 11-game win streak with wins over No. 5 Louisiana-Lafayette, No. 23 USF, and Mississippi State in that span.

Florida head coach Tim Walton said following their sweep-completing win over Mississippi State that this would be a tough week of preparation as the players take their final exams throughout the week.

The pitching staff? Absolutely dominant. The Gators’ three-headed monster of junior Delanie Gourley, sophomore Aleshia Ocasio, and freshman Kelly Barnhill have a combined ERA of 0.85 through 312.2 inning pitched.

Gourley (15-2) is on a current 19.2 scoreless innings streak and she’s still away from reaching her season high for consecutive scoreless innings (27.0). She racked up two wins and a save last weekend against Mississippi State as she pitched her way to SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. Walton says Gourley has done a nice job of mixing up her pitches.

At the plate, freshman Amanda Lorenz has been leading the charge for the Gators. Walton has been very pleased with the development of his left-fielder. Last Sunday, she hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to secure a 1-0 win over the Bulldogs. Last week, her five RBI on .364 batting earned her SEC Freshman of the Week honors.

The Gators have had great success against the Aggies in recent memory. Florida is on a current eight-game winning streak against Texas A&M.

First pitch on Friday in College Station is set for 7:30 p.m.