Following an early exit in the NCAA Regionals in 2012, the Florida softball team was expected to have a down year. Sixty-four games later, the Gators are entering the Women’s College World Series as the No. 2 national seed. With Florida preparing for its fifth appearance in the WCWS, alligatorSports editors Adam Lichtenstein and Landon Watnick will decide which player was the most important in getting the Gators there.
Adam: Clearly the Gators have a lot of good players. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be going to Oklahoma City.
But the answer to this question is Kelsey Stewart.
To understand why, we need to wind the clock back to the beginning of the season. The Gators were panned at the start of the year because they lost a big chunk of their offense.
Senior Michelle Moultrie, arguably the greatest player in the program’s history, graduated after hitting .385 and knocking 22 homers in four years. Oh, and she stole 83 bases for good measure.
Slugger Brittany Schutte left the team after suffering a career-ending injury.
Then, right before the NCAA Tournament, UF suspended the Fagan sisters and Cheyenne Coyle.
The Gators needed someone to spark the offense. Stewart did exactly that and did it quickly, going 10 for 18 in her first weekend of college softball and never looking back.
Landon: Every young team in the postseason needs a seasoned veteran. The Gators have found their’s this year on the mound.
Junior right-hander Hannah Rogers has been the driving force behind this team in 2013 – especially in UF’s past eight contests. When Florida’s underclassmen made uncharacteristic errors in the NCAA Tournament, Rogers remained cool and collected.
This season, Rogers has tallied an ERA of 1.48 – 15th in the nation. Thanks to her effective pitching, Florida is ranked eighth in the country with an ERA of 1.68.
She also has 238 strikeouts, which is 33rd nationally. Her 33 wins, maybe the most impressive number of all, tie for third in the country.
On Wednesday, Rogers was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s All-American First Team along with sophomore Lauren Haeger. I didn’t see Stewart on that list.
Rogers may not be the MVP of the press conference (Her most introspective response this year has been: “I just stayed confident and knew that my team was behind me.”).
But she’s certainly the main reason why Florida is 57-7, a No. 2 seed in the WCWS and only five wins away from its first national title.
Adam: Stewart is a better quote and a better athlete. Have you seen her run? She hits a chopper that you’re sure is going to be an easy groundout, and she’s already running past the bag by the time the ball reaches first.
And when she gets on base, look out. She’s been incredibly valuable for Florida on the base paths. Her 36 steals are the most in Gators history, breaking the record set by none other than Moultrie. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she smashes that record again next year.
Stewart’s speed has contributed to many of Florida’s rallies this season. She turns singles into doubles and scores from second on any hit into the outfield.
She even hit an inside-the-park homer earlier in the year. That’s just exciting.
Lauren Gibson is the second baseman on the All-American team. She hit .407 with 18 homers. That’s just ridiculous. Gibson’s incredible season doesn’t diminish what Stewart did for UF.
Landon: Adam, I didn’t see you at last weekend’s Super Regional games. While you were soaking up the sun and kayaking at Siesta Key, I was schvitzing my butt off in the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium press box.
I know you didn’t catch Rogers’ consecutive complete games, or her 11 scoreless innings.
Sure, Stewart made a fantastic play at the end of Game 2, but she went 1 for 6 at the plate against Alabama-Birmingham. The freshman second baseman hasn’t recorded an RBI in the NCAA Tournament.
Don’t get me wrong – Stewart has been pretty good recently. But she hasn’t been Florida’s best athlete.
In two contests facing the Blazers, Rogers fanned 11 batters, walked six and allowed only three runs.
This postseason, she has pitched 41 of UF’s 54 innings – allowing 2.21 earned runs per seven. Against some of the nation’s best squads, that’s terrific.
Rogers has been so durable and reliable, No. 2 pitcher Lauren Haeger hasn’t even seen the mound during NCAAs, letting her focus more on her hitting.
I know this is petty, but after Stewart’s gem to seal the UAB series, the Gators formed a dogpile on top of Rogers – not Stewart.
Adam: Although I may not have been in town this past weekend, I did catch the entire softball season. And while Rogers pitched a lot, she wasn’t out there every day like Stewart.
Stewart started every game and was consistent throughout the season, leading the team in batting average for the entire year.
Her on-base percentage is third on the team. Florida needs people on base – solo Haeger bombs don’t get the job done.
Rogers is great, but even she can’t win without runs.
So while the Gators dogpiled Rogers, they would have been sitting on their couches watching the WCWS if not for Stewart.
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org. Contact Landon Watnick at lwatnick@alligator.org.
Junior pitcher Hannah Rogers (13) celebrates with her teammates following Florida’s 2-0 win against South Florida on Sunday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
