On Monday afternoon, coach Tim Walton received a phone call from Sophia Reynoso.
She needed help moving a recently purchased pingpong table that was too heavy for her and her friends to lift.
Reynoso knew Walton had a truck, so she called him up.
“I drove over and picked them up and drove them back to their apartment, and I’m just laughing the whole way,” Walton said. “Because for a freshman to have that kind of courage and confidence and guts to call their coach to help them in that situation, I thought that was pretty cool.”
Reynoso shows that same confidence and savvy on the diamond.
The 5-foot-4 redshirt freshman from Palmdale, California, already has 10 hits and eight RBIs on the season, posting a batting average of .435. She is also one of three players on the roster to hit a triple this year. Once on base, she’s tied for third on the team in stolen bases (3).
And while she’s showed off her skill at the plate early, she’s also showcased skills on defense.
As the team’s starting shortstop, Reynoso has come up with several key defensive plays, playing a major role in a Florida defense that has allowed 11 runs in 11 games.
In comparison, the Gators have scored 73 runs.
“I can guarantee you that our left field, our center field…they like looking out there and seeing her at shortstop,” Walton said. “Because she gives them confidence because she knows what she’s doing. She’s the catalyst. She’s the leader on our infield to really kind of help everybody do their job better.”
Reynoso, who opted to redshirt last season due to an ACL injury, is finally able to see her skills on display at the college level.
“It feels really good to see all the hard work I’ve put in is finally paying off,” she said.
“But it’s also knowing I have a lot more improving to do and a lot more to keep working towards.”
Success as a young member of the team seems to be a trend on the Florida roster. Jaimie Hoover, for example, has already hit two grand slams as a freshman and has 12 RBIs.
Fellow freshman Katie Chronister has struck out 10 in two starts.
And while it is Reynoso’s first season on the field, she’s still not afraid to present her “instinct and confidence,” according to Walton.
“I think she’s probably one of the friendliest competitors I’ve ever been around,” Walton said. “I think for (a) young kid to have that kind of savvy and that kind of instinct and that kind of confidence, who wouldn’t want to coach a kid like that?”
Contact Cassie Amundson at camundson@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @camundson_.
UF shortstop Sophia Reynoso bats during Florida's 9-3 win over Northwestern State on Feb. 17, 2017, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
