Seven games.
Florida catcher Aubree Munro and her teammates did the math. The Gators softball team could win their next seven games and be crowned national champions once again.
"It’s crazy to think seven more games and we’re champions, but we don’t get there without winning the first two," Munro said.
Come this weekend, Florida will have a chance to win those first two games against Kentucky in the NCAA Super Regionals at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Saturday’s game between the Gators and Wildcats is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU. Sunday’s will begin at noon and will air on ESPN.
Unlike UF’s regional pool last weekend that featured three teams Florida hadn’t faced this season, UF and UK have played each other three times this year.
Florida swept Kentucky on April 11-13 with a combined score of 9-3 and owns a 45-13 overall record and 23-6 home record all-time against Kentucky.
Florida’s sweep of the Wildcats was not an easy one, as the Gators had trouble scoring runs against pitcher Kelsey Nunley.
"I thought our at-bats were good," coach Tim Walton said. "We scored early in both games. Kelsey Nunley doesn’t give up a lot of home runs so you gotta keep the ball out of the air."
Nunley tossed a total of 12 innings against the Gators in the series, allowing just three earned runs while striking out eight batters. Though she’s 14-14 this year, Nunley boasts a 2.39 ERA.
"She can get on your hands pretty good, and the off-speed pitches she was featuring were better than in the past," Walton said. "She’s a really strong competitor, so we gotta do a good job of not wasting our at-bats."
One matchup that could work out in favor for the Gators is their pitching versus Kentucky’s hitting.
For starters, Florida has arguably the best pitcher in the Southeastern Conference in Lauren Haeger. Haeger is 26-1 in the circle while compiling an SEC-leading 1.34 ERA.
In two starts against Kentucky this season, Haeger threw two complete game shutouts, allowing four hits in 14 innings.
Haeger spearheads a Florida pitching staff that leads the conference with a 1.73 ERA.
Comparing that with some of Kentucky’s offensive numbers might lead one to believe that another Florida sweep is in order this weekend.
In the SEC, Kentucky ranks second to last in most offensive categories including batting average (.255) and runs per game (3.98).
"I think all we need to do is work on hitting our locations, being aggressive and going at every batter," Munro said. "We’re confident in our pitchers’ abilities and what they can bring, and they’ve obviously had some success against Kentucky before."
Despite Kentucky’s shortage of offense and its 5-19 conference record, the Wildcats have proven both this year and last year that they can hang with teams like Florida.
The Wildcats went 3-0 in the NCAA South Bend Regional last weekend, taking down the No. 16-seed Notre Dame. This year will mark UK’s third straight NCAA Super Regional appearance.
As the No. 14 seed in 2014, Kentucky defeated No. 3-seeded UCLA in Super Regionals to advance to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, where they won their first game before being eliminated.
Because Kentucky has the ability to upset Florida, Walton said he and his team aren’t taking Kentucky lightly.
"Coming off of a national championship, the target’s on your back," Walton said. "It’s easy to go through and think, ‘oh hey, we’re gonna do it again,’ and I don’t think we’ve prepared that way."
That’s why Munro and the Gators are just focusing on winning a pair of games this weekend, no matter how they do it.
"I don’t care if it’s a one-run game. I don’t care if it’s a run-rule game," Munro said. "All I care about is winning two games."
Follow Patrick Pinak on Twitter @Pinakk12
Aubree Munro catches during Florida's 7-1 win against Kansas on Feb. 21 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
