Tim Walton said it’s possible to win without depth. The Gators will just take his word for it.
With an extensive and deep bench, Walton is not afraid to bring in substitutes if it means helping his team win. Through 14 games, Walton has batted every player on his roster at least once, and the trend looks to continue Thursday night at 6 when UF plays Eastern Michigan.
“There’s not a whole lot of separation between our worst hitter and our best hitter,” Walton said.
“So you’re going to see a good mix this weekend, and you know, ultimately, that’s the hard part. When you’re recruiting, you tell kids this, this and this, and to be honest with them, they have to perform.”
In the No. 3 Gators’ trip last weekend to Palm Springs, Calif., for the Cathedral City Classic, junior Ensley Gammel was one of several players to come off the bench. She belted two homers, knocking in three runs to help Florida notch four wins in a difficult tournament.
“It’s great,” Gammel said. “Everyone gets to play. Having depth definitely makes a better softball team.”
Walton’s constant changes to the lineup and fielding positions have not only gained popularity with the bench players, but also the regular starters.
Sophomore Hannah Rogers, who now has two up-and-coming freshmen pitchers behind her in Lauren Haeger and Alyssa Bache, said she is all for having fresh legs give the starters a break.
“Everyone on our team is just as good as one another,” Rogers said.
“So I feel like just being able to give them more playing time will help them in the season. If someone was to get hurt, [it would] help them know the game, the players and teams throughout the season.”
Sophomore shortstop Cheyenne Coyle said she shares Rogers’ opinion.
“Everyone on this team works really, really hard,” Coyle said. “On a lot of teams, people work hard and never get a shot to show themselves. I think it’s different on this team and it’s great, especially when a player can come off the bench and get a home run or a hit.
“It shows that everybody, that if you work hard, they can get a chance to prove themselves.”
From the beginning of the season, Walton expressed that permanency does not exist in his team’s lineup. He has relied mostly on the veteran Gammel when going to a player on the bench but has proven that anyone, at any time, can enter the game.
Briana Little, one of seven freshmen, has already played in six of Florida’s 14 games. The outfielder has received playing time despite Walton already having a more experienced fielding lineup that includes former Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team member Kelsey Horton and All-American Michelle Moultrie.
Even freshman Bailey Castro recorded an at-bat this year despite hobbling to the plate, still recovering from a broken foot.
“If we have players that are just beating down the walls with their swings, it would be a lot easier to play them a lot more consistently,” Walton said.
“I think that’s the only thing I’m looking for right now, is trying to find a consistent lineup."
Florida junior Ensley Gammel said the third-ranked Gators are enjoying coach Tim Walton’s approach to using the entire roster.
