Gators Softball Ready For T-Mobile Tournament

This weekend, the No. 16 Florida Gators will host Colgate, Lafayette and UIC in the T-Mobile Softball Tournament.

Gators On A Roll

The Gators (10-2) are firing on all cylinders to start the season, as eight of their 10 wins were ended early by the run rule, including their last six. Starting pitchers Keagan Rothrock and Ava Brown have been spectacular, posting ERAs of 1.02 and 0.28 respectively. Rothrock has allowed 16 hits over 41 innings pitched, while Brown has allowed 8 hits in 25 innings. The offensive side is also clicking, as Florida hits .357 as a team. Jocelyn Erickson is second nationally in RBIs with 20, while Skylar Wallace is hitting an insane .514 with a 1.622 OPS in 35 at bats so far.

Last Series

Florida is coming off of a particularly excellent midweek series versus North Florida, having won 10-0 in six innings and 14-0 in five innings during a Wednesday doubleheader. Ava Brown threw a complete game shutout and also hit a three-run home run in the first game, while Katie Kistler, Baylee Goddard, Jocelyn Erickson, and Brooke Barnard all homered in the second game.

Brooke keeps the home runs coming 🤯

📺 ESPN + | @BBarnard2021 pic.twitter.com/pkx3Ya5xLa

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 22, 2024

The Visitors

None of the three teams traveling to Gainesville for the tournament have started the season well. Colgate has the strongest record of the trio at 3-6, and is led by senior pitcher Bailey Misken and freshman outfielder Kiley Shelton. Catcher Regan Dillon and outfielder Mary Grace O’Neill lead the way for Lafayette (2-3), while UIC (1-9), led by junior outfielder Grace Fleming, has been shut out four times so far this season. This is the sixth meeting between Florida and UIC, with the Gators holding a 4-1 all-time series advantage. This will be the first time the Gators have played Colgate or Lafayette.

Schedule

As a four-team tournament held across three days, Friday and Saturday will feature four games at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators will play Colgate and Lafayette at 3:00 and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, the same teams again on Saturday at 12:30 and 3:00 p.m., and finally UIC at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.