Although the Gators and Seminoles rivalry has proved contentious on the football field, the matchup between the foul lines has proved to be just as competitive.
UF is 15-13 overall against their in-state rival. With No. 6 Florida (31-4) riding an eight-game winning streak against No. 21 Florida State (33-6), there won’t be a lack of hatred today at 6 p.m. in Tallahassee.
The Gators have faced the Seminoles three times in the past two years, winning every time.
“We hate FSU,” Kelsey Horton said. “I know some people that play for them and right before the game, we’re smiling and waving but once it starts we want to kill them. And as soon as it’s over, we’re smiling and waving again. But this game is very important to us, it is a big rivalry.”
Florida has come out on top for the last five years against its Atlantic Coast Conference foe. And extending that success against Florida State is especially important with UF losing to South Florida on March 28.
The team’s self-proclaimed vocal leader, sophomore Cheyenne Coyle, still feels the sting of the last couple losses and wants to redeem those with a win on Wednesday.
“We’re all excited to get a midweek game against FSU, especially after last week’s loss,” Coyle said. “We want to show we can get a midweek win. And of course, it’s FSU. So anytime we play FSU, I think there’s going to be that rivalry there.”
This year, the annual matchup returns to the state capital where the Gators are an even 7-7. And with seven fresh faces on coach Tim Walton’s squad this year, a trip to JoAnne Graf Field will be a eye-opening experience.
With UF in town, the Seminoles drew a school-record 933 fans in their 1000-seat stadium on April 14, 2010.
“They are a rowdy crowd,” Coyle said. “And they are in-state so a lot of people will go. ... Playing on the road has helped us so far for preparing us for FSU, since a lot of our players haven’t seen it before.”
One of those players, freshman Lauren Haeger, picked up the loss in last week’s matchup against USF. But she came back on Saturday against Georgia to grab her 10th victory of the season in the circle. Whether or not she is pitching, Haeger is eager to leave behind her the losing mindset and move on to helping her team climb up in the win column.
“I’ve always heard a lot about Florida State,” Haeger said. “They are very aggressive and they don’t care who you are. We’re not going to take anyone lightly, if they are conference or not. So you have to really focus and do what you are there to do.”
