The Florida softball team prides itself on doing the little things well.
While so much attention is being paid to the Gators’ big-time power numbers, they are quietly tops in the Southeastern Conference and fourth in the nation with a .977 fielding percentage.
If they want to put a stop to No. 12 LSU’s (29-4, 8-0 SEC) 24-game winning streak, No. 6 Florida (24-4, 6-2 SEC) will need to be clicking on all cylinders when the Tigers visit Gainesville for a weekend series starting Saturday at 1 p.m.
While solid performances in the circle and batter’s box will be crucial, the Gators know they can’t afford to make mistakes in the field.
“Being able to support our pitching staff is key,” junior right fielder Kelsey Bruder said. “If we get a ground ball, we’re supposed to make the play.”
The often-overlooked aspect of the sport is not neglected by the Gators, who have yet to commit an outfield error.
That stems from the three to four hours of defensive work the team puts in each day at practice.
“Every single day we put a lot of emphasis on our fielding,” senior third baseman Corrie Brooks said. “We take fly balls, ground balls to the forehand, ground balls to the backhand, pretty much everything.”
All the work UF does on fielding is designed to make life easier for the pitching staff. Instead of going into every at-bat looking for a strikeout, the Florida pitchers only have to keep their opponents from making solid contact.
“A lot of the time when I’m cheering them on I’ll scream ‘just get us a ground ball,’” senior left fielder Francesca Enea said. “It makes them feel better to know they can leave a pitch over the plate a little bit, they don’t have to be so picky.”
Junior pitcher Stephanie Brombacher — a solid fielder in her own right — realizes how crucial Florida’s fielders to her success.
“I love our defense,” Brombacher said.
“They make awesome plays for me and when I need them I know that they’re going to be there.”
The defense has played a major role in a number of key wins this season.
In UF’s Feb. 21 game against East Carolina, it was a sliding stop from Brooks followed by a throw across the diamond from her knees that went for the final out and preserved the team’s 1-0 win.
More recently, in Saturday’s 7-5 extra-innings win over Alabama, a first-inning triple play from Brittany Walker, Aja Paculba and Megan Bush helped limit the early deficit to two and kept the Gators in range for their late-inning comeback.
The defensive gem was the program’s first triple play since April 21, 1999, when Florida accomplished the feat against Stetson.
