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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Gators advance to NCAA Super Regional ‘The Florida Way’

“The Florida Way.”

It’s the phrase UF softball senior Aleshia Ocasio used to describe her team’s play in its SEC Tournament Championship victory over South Carolina on May 12.
Tough pitching, stingy defense and patient plate appearances highlighted the Gators’ performance against the Gamecocks, and they displayed the same pillars of play in this weekend’s NCAA Gainesville Regional against opponents Bethune-Cookman and Ohio State.

Pitching
Florida threw two no-hitters while hosting regional play. 

Junior Kelly Barnhill and Ocasio combined to pitch a no-hitter against the Wildcats on Friday, while the senior held the Buckeyes hitless for seven innings in Sunday’s regional finale.

“(Ocasio) definitely had her best stuff,” junior Amanda Lorenz said. “When you see the ball moving like that from left field, you know something’s working good.”
The upperclassmen united to pitch all of UF’s 19 innings, picking up 36 strikeouts and allowing only six walks. Barnhill gave up the only earned run of the tournament – a solo home run by senior Ashley Goodwin – in Florida’s first matchup with Ohio State on Saturday.
As a staff, the Gators posted an ERA of 0.36 in the three games.

Defense
Defensive sharpness on the clay complimented Ocasio’s brilliant no-hit performance. The UF infield played errorless softball behind its senior pitcher, who forced 10 ground outs in Sunday’s game.

Third baseman Nicole DeWitt and shortstop Sophia Reynoso each picked up four assisted outs. Second baseman Hannah Adams made a spectacular play readjusting to a ball that ricocheted off Ocasio’s glove for her only assist of the game but was outdone by Reynoso. In the bottom of the fifth, the sophomore adjusted to a ball knocked up the middle by the mitt of Ocasio, scooped it up and made a sidearm throw to first for the out.

DeWitt, Reynoso and Adams have a combined eight errors on the season. Florida ranks second in the nation in fielding percentage (0.984), behind only the reigning national champions, Oklahoma (0.988).

Plate Discipline
The Gators were a walk-generating machine last weekend.

They drew 34 bases on balls over the three-game stint and set a single-game season-high with 15 on Saturday. They were also hit by seven pitches in regional play.

Despite only batting 0.229 with runners on-base and 0.243 with runners in scoring position, Florida manufactured 22 runs. Eleven UF batters reached base via walk or hit-by-pitch and came around to score in the Gainesville Regional.

“The stats don’t matter,” Lorenz said. “That’s why I love postseason. It doesn’t matter how it happens. All that matters is the outcome.”

You can follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr or contact him at mstine@alligator.org.

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