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Gator softball takes aim at Tennessee in Super Regional

By Matthew Clark

The Florida Gators are preparing to take on SEC foes Tennessee in the Gainesville Super Regional. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)
The Florida Gators are preparing to take on SEC foes Tennessee in the Gainesville Super Regional. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images) /
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The No. 5 Florida Gator softball team will face off with Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee in the Gainesville Super Regional beginning Friday.

It certainly isn’t an easy draw … but, it really isn’t supposed to be.

When No. 5 Florida squares off with No. 12 Tennessee Friday in the first of a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional, it will mark the fourth time the two teams have played against each other this season.

If the first three games are any indication, the Gators will have their work cut out for them against the Volunteers.

Back in March, Tennessee took two of three in their conference series in Gainesville, showing that home-field advantage may not be as strong a factor as some might think.

Tennessee took it to Florida and starting pitcher Kelly Barnhill in the first game of the series in March, winning 9-1. The Gators managed just three hits in a 3-0 loss on day two while coming back to avoid the sweep with an 8-0 win in the rubber match.

However, a lot has changed since that meeting.

While the Gators limped into the SEC tournament with a 12-12 conference record, Florida has rattled off eight straight wins – including four straight to win the tournament and three wins in the NCAA Regional last week. In those seven games, the Gators have given up just six runs – including blanking Boston University and Boise State twice in the regional.

The Volunteers, on the other hand, have gone 6-6 in their last 12 games, needing a second game to dispatch of North Carolina in their regional finals. Their SEC tournament run ended early after a 2-0 loss to 10th-seeded Auburn in the second round. Tennessee was the No. 2 seed for the tournament.

This weekend’s super regional will pit the second-best team in the conference in batting average (Tennessee – .307) against the team with the best earned-run average in the SEC (Florida – 1.78). Florida is also first in the conference in opponents’ batting average (.176) and fielding percentage (.987), however, the Volunteers are second on both categories (.198 opponent BA and .977 fielding).

Players to watch

  • Kelly Barnhill – The Gators’ ace will look to atone for the first game of the March series. Barnhill comes into the super regional with a 1.48 ERA and 327 strikeouts on the season.
  • Ashley Rogers – Tennessee’s starter has had a solid season of her own, collecting a 1.87 ERA and holding opponents to hitting just .183.
  • Amanda Lorenz – Lorenz is leading the Gators in hitting, batting .424 this season with 11 home runs and 41 RBI.
  • Aubrey Leach – The Volunteers’ shortstop has been on a tear this season, hitting .409 with 63 runs and 23 RBI.

NCAA Super Regional schedule

At Gainesville

  • Friday, May 24 – Game 1, 7 p.m. EDT
  • Saturday, May 25 – Game 2, 6 p.m. EDT
  • Sunday, May 26 – Game 3 (if necessary), 2 p.m. EDT

Other super regional matchups

  • Oklahoma vs. Northwestern (Norman, Oklahoma)
  • Alabama vs. Texas (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
  • Florida State vs. Oklahoma State (Tallahassee, Florida)
  • James Madison vs. UCLA (Los Angeles, California)
  • Minnesota vs. LSU (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
  • Mississippi vs. Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)
  • Kentucky vs. Washington (Seattle, Washington)

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Story was corrected with right dates of games.

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