A loss to Florida International wouldn’t derail Florida from its postseason-bound track. But it would hurt nonetheless.
This season, the Gators have dropped games to in-state rivals South Florida and UCF. And although UF’s record against Florida teams is still a respectable 4-2, losing any of its games against FIU starting today at 4 p.m. would be disappointing.
Freshman Lauren Haeger knows the sting of losing to an in-state school, having dropped her start against the Bulls on March 28.
That loss is UF’s only at home this season, and she said it would be a big deal to even lose one game to the Panthers.
“We’re supposed to win,” Haeger said. “We can’t say, ‘Oh, it’s OK that we lost a game.’ We’re going to take (FIU) seriously just like anyone else.
“When we do play our best, we can beat anyone, so I would be disappointed if we didn’t win. We all expect a lot out of each other and I know coach (Tim Walton) expects a lot out of us, too.”
Haeger said it would be easy for her team to overlook this series against FIU because it has no major implications on what’s to come in the Southeastern Conference Tournament or NCAA Championships.
But she doesn’t want to let that happen.
“We looked over some teams this season already, some Florida teams, and we’re definitely not going to let it happen again,” Haeger said. “We’re really going to focus on this weekend. Yeah, we play LSU next week and Alabama and Kentucky in the future, but we are really going to focus on this weekend.”
Historically, the Gators have always had a dominating grip on in-state teams.
Since 1997, Florida has chalked up a 128-40 record.
The last time UF lost at least two games to Florida schools was 2006, when it dropped five matchups against Florida State, Stetson and Florida Atlantic.
But the Gators have never been swept in a three-game series against a school from the state of Florida in their 16-year history.
Junior Kelsey Horton would like to keep it that way.
“Our in-state rivals have been playing us pretty tough this season,” Horton said. “It wouldn’t be a huge disappointment (to lose), but I don’t think anyone wants to lose. So we’re going to play as hard as we can. You don’t want to get nervous; you don’t want to get anxious. Just stay loose and play softball.”
Lauren Haeger stands in the circle between pitches during Florida's 4-1 home loss to USF on March 28, 2012. Haeger struck out five in the Gators 9-1 win against the Bulls on Wednesday.
