When Florida players hit the field the last two weekends, Kelsey Bruder noticed they seemed to be playing “without the wind in their sails.”
After suffering back-to-back sweeps, the senior left fielder called a two-hour, players-only meeting Tuesday night to rectify the Gators’ recent struggles.
“We really figured out there’s not much of a problem,” Bruder said. “We still have the same chemistry. We’re still the same talented players. We just need to pick up the pieces and put them back together right now.”
Maintaining confidence has been a challenge during the recent slide, but after the players’ meeting, Florida is regaining its swagger.
Following a six-game losing streak, No. 10 Florida (30-7, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) will try to right the ship as it hosts Arkansas (10-29, 1-15 SEC) for a three-game series, which begins today at 5 p.m. in Pressly Stadium.
Even though Florida’s seniors haven’t experienced a slump like this before, the recent struggles don’t overshadow the team’s past success.
“We have a losing-streak record, but we also hold multiple positive records,” Bruder said. “When you’re on a losing streak, a lot of people point fingers, but that’s not what we’re about. We’re remaining true to ourselves and sticking together.”
Still without senior Stephanie Brombacher, the Gators will continue to rely on freshman Hannah Rogers this weekend.
The young righty started her career 16-1 but has taken the loss in four straight games.
UF coach Tim Walton said the biggest key for Rogers is to rely on her defense and not try to do too much.
“She’s been the center of attention as the pitcher her whole career,” he said. “The better she pitches, the better we’ll play.”
Getting off to a quick start will be key for the Gators, as the Razorbacks’ pitching staff goes four deep.
While they haven’t put up great numbers in the win column, sophomore Hope McLemore and senior Kim Jones are effective strikeout pitchers. They have fanned 144 batters in 159.1 innings, which could be a problem for a Gators lineup that has struck out 218 times this year.
Although the team hasn’t played to the best of its abilities recently, this weekend is a chance for UF to fight through adversity.
“You have to learn to deal with failure,” Walton said. “Most people’s true character is defined in moments of crisis.”
