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Friday, January 31, 2025
<p>Kelsey Stewart bats during Florida's 7-6 win against Auburn on April 5 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Stewart finished her sophomore season with a team-best .438 batting average while setting UF's single-season record for hits (102) and tying her record for stolen bases (36).</p>

Kelsey Stewart bats during Florida's 7-6 win against Auburn on April 5 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Stewart finished her sophomore season with a team-best .438 batting average while setting UF's single-season record for hits (102) and tying her record for stolen bases (36).

It’s been a common motif all season: Florida goes where Kelsey Stewart goes.

All season, the Gators’ leadoff hitter has been the driving force of their offense, leading the team in hits (82), batting average (.421), doubles (13), stolen bases (30) and runs scored (55). Her stats only improved in Southeastern Conference play, where she boasted a .464 clip at the plate and a .690 slugging mark en route to making the All-SEC First Team.

With a player as dynamic as Stewart, coach Tim Walton has a simple motto for the sophomore: just do it.

“I just want her to play,” Walton said.

“Don’t worry about other people. Just take care of yourself and really control what you can control and work hard.“

When Stewart found success at the plate this season, UF has reaped the benefits. Florida is 21-3 this season and boasts a .370 team batting average in games where Stewart has multiple hits.

But in games when the sophomore failed to get a hit, the rest of UF’s lineup seemed to suffer.

The Wichita, Kan., native failed to log a hit in eight contests this season. In those games, UF’s combined batting average was a meager .188 — far below its season average of .307 that ranks 44th in the nation.

“That’s kind of been the trend for us,” Walton said. “If she doesn’t get on base for us, we have a tough time — not because we don’t have other players, but that just tells you something about our opponent and it tells you something about her. We need her to be successful.”

Walton will look to Stewart to provide that spark for No. 5 seed Florida (45-11) as it opens NCAA Regional action on Friday against Florida A&M (24-27) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

“She’s got a lot of God-given talent and ability and things that she does on the bases that I couldn’t even teach,” Walton said. “I’m sure there are a lot of coaches that coached her before that didn’t teach her. She’s got really some high-level skills that she’s just born with.”

UF is undefeated against FAMU — winning all 11 contests, with six coming by mercy rule. In the Gators’ last outing against the Rattlers — a 9-0, five-inning win on April 11 in Gainesville — Florida posted a .500 clip at the plate.

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Freshman left-hander Delanie Gourley limited FAMU to just one hit in the outing while striking out seven batters.

From the leadoff spot, Stewart logged two hits, a run and her 25th stolen base of the year. The game against FAMU was the second baseman’s 16th multi-hit game of the year. She would go on to add eight more to that total before the regular season finished.

And if Walton knows his second baseman, he knows she’ll want to do better on Friday.

“She’s a perfectionist,” Walton said. “She wants to get a hit every time she gets up there, and to do that and have those goals and expectations, you have to work like that. You can’t just show up.”

Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126

Kelsey Stewart bats during Florida's 7-6 win against Auburn on April 5 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Stewart finished her sophomore season with a team-best .438 batting average while setting UF's single-season record for hits (102) and tying her record for stolen bases (36).

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