Florida softball is on a roll.
The Gators have won nine straight games, eight of which were at home, and have swept Southeastern Conference teams in consecutive weekends.
But No. 2 UF (41-4, 11-4 SEC) will have its work cut out for it when the team travels to Athens, Georgia, to square off against No. 11 Georgia (35-11, 11-7 SEC) for the first of three games on Friday at 6 p.m.
"It’s gonna be a big test for us," coach Tim Walton said. "It’s probably gonna be one of the more dynamic teams that we’ve seen since maybe LSU."
Florida hasn’t dropped an SEC series since the middle of March, when LSU took two of three games from the Gators in Gainesville.
UF pitchers will have to keep the Bulldogs’ hitters in check on and off the bases.
Four Georgia batters are hitting higher than .400. Two of those batters, sisters Cortni and Sydni Emanuel, have stolen a combined 60 bases.
To put that in perspective, the Gators have stolen 60 bases as a team.
Florida’s offense will be tasked with facing Georgia pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson, who is 21-7 with a 1.85 ERA this season.
In her career against the Gators, the junior has a 1.65 ERA and 28 strikeouts in just 17 innings.
"Chelsea Wilkinson is a good pitcher," Walton said, "and we haven’t had the answer for her yet."
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Coach Tim Walton was more than happy to empty his bench in Florida's 19-3 win over Florida A&M on Wednesday. “I think overall the main priority is to get everybody at-bats and to keep our timing right," he said.
