Florida hosts the South Carolina Gamecocks to start its sixth SEC series Friday and honor its seniors Saturday.
South Carolina carries a 23-18 record with a dismal 2-13 fate in the SEC. The Gamecocks hover just one spot above the trenches of the SEC rankings.
Freshman pitcher Leah Powell sits at the helm of the Gamecock staff with a 7-2 record and .251 opponent batting average. Sophomore Bailey Betenbaugh, who holds a 5-0 record, follows Powell.
The Gamecocks notched only three wins against ranked opponents, two of which came against then-No. 20 University of Central Florida and the last against then-No.16 Tennessee. Since then, each team dropped in the rankings.
The No. 3 Gators continue to dominate opponents as they bring a 33-6 record into the weekend. Even more daunting, they boast the second-best record in conference play with a 12-3 record against SEC opponents.
Pitchers Elizabeth Hightower and Natalie Lugo own two of the top three ERAs against conference foes. The duo sits behind Arkansas’ Autumn Storms, the current front-runner. Lugo boasts a 1.22 and Hightower follows behind with a 1.35.
Florida enters the weekend fresh off a 3-0 shutout against Florida Gulf Coast University. The game marked head coach Tim Walton’s 950th career victory and improved his overall win percentage to .798.
Seniors Katie Chronister, Jaimie Hoover, Kendyl Lindaman and Jordan Matthews will be recognized on the field Saturday. 2020 seniors Jordan Roberts, Sophia Reynoso and Jade Caraway will also be acknowledged.
Chronister, Hoover and Lindaman all opted to use their extra year of eligibility to return for the 2021 season.
Friday and Sunday’s games will broadcast on SEC Network+ at 6 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. The Saturday game will broadcast on ESPNU at 6 p.m.
Contact Rachel Slay at rslay@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @racheljslay
