Brown’s Return Reignites Florida Softball
Ava Brown returned to Florida softball’s lineup last weekend after suffering an ankle injury back in late February. The Gators faced then-No. 13 Mississippi State, winning the series 2-1, with Brown as the pinch and designated hitter in the three games.
As soon as she stepped up to bat, Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium erupted Friday, purely with many celebrating her first game back. Her presence both on the field and in the circle — Brown is also one of Florida’s starters, when healthy — were missed for the five weeks she was out.
During Florida’s game against Cal on Feb. 26, Brown was playing first base when she suffered a seemingly extreme injury. Immediately, the crowd went silent and the team was devastated as it lost its captain and one of its best all-around players. However, the Gators had a sigh of relief when they found out that Brown’s injury would only temporarily sideline her. Thus, her return was even more special.
“I think it was probably one of the most surreal moments I’ve ever experienced in my career,” Brown said Friday. “I felt the love. I needed love. It felt good to feel that support.”
Brown still hasn’t pitched since Feb. 21, leaving the Gators to rely on an inexperienced bullpen. The combination of junior Keagan Rothrock and Brown on the mound led the team to a 21-game winning streak to start the season, with the Gators’ first loss coming the day after her injury.
What used to be a starting rotation of one, two or three pitchers (depending on the opponent) with Brown and Rothrock starting almost every game, turned into a 4-5 pitcher rotation in the stretch without Brown.
Before her injury, she was 5-0 with a 0.49 ERA and a WHIP of .74, allowing only 14 hits in the nine games pitched. All nine ended in a win for the Gators.
Brown’s more than just a great pitcher, though, as she doubles as a first baseman and frequently serves as Florida’s designated hitter when not on the field. This season, she’s totaled 15 hits, knocking in five home runs. Defensively, Brown is the only designated first baseman, resulting in utility player Madison Walker and catcher Jocelyn Erickson filling her role during the injury. She had two run-scoring walks in Wednesday’s win against USF.
No more of that, and all the better for Florida, though her return has made more noticeable waves in the circle. The Gators’ overall pitching dropped in her absence, never allowing more than six runs when she was active to now hitting highs such as 14 and 9. In addition, the bullpen earned a 0.00 ERA over the 10 games that Brown pitched in and earned only three games with a 0.00 ERA with her not in the lineup. Furthermore, the pitchers gave up only 11 home runs prior to her injury and 21 while she was out.
Getting her back to full health and eventually back in the bullpen is key to the Gators’ success deep in this season, though it could provide immediate value with South Carolina (23-17, 3-9) this weekend. Ranked teams have been a problem for No. 7 Florida (37-5, 11-4 SEC), especially with Brown out. Getting her back in the rotation could lead to an improvement in the team’s pitching as well as larger, more cemented wins for the Gators.
So once Brown is back to pitching, Florida, which sits in fourth place in the SEC standings with three league series to go, is in a great position to end the regular season strong before heading to the SEC tournament (May 5-9) and, with enough luck, the College Softball World Series.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Softball
