Florida Softball turns the Sun Devil Classic into batting practice
Heading into the Sun Devil Classic in Arizona, Florida Softball probably felt like it had something to prove. The Gators dropped their first game of the season last Sunday against Duke and had their midweek game against UNF rained out.
And while the Sun Devil Classic didn’t have any of the elites in college softball, the Gators did what great teams are supposed to do to weaker competition and obliterated the field en route to a 5-0 weekend.
Florida Softball: Hit Show
Four of Florida’s five wins were by at least eight runs, and three of their wins were five-inning affairs. Florida knocked off California Baptist 11-0 and New Mexico State 12-1 while also using a late surge to beat Arizona State 9-1.
But the highlight of the weekend for Florida was their finale when they smoked Iowa State 24-3.
That is a softball score, not a football score.
The Gators set a program record for runs, hits, and RBIs in a single game. 13 batters for Florida had at least one hit.
The closest game for Florida over the weekend was against Grand Canyon, which is ranked in the top 40 in RPI. Florida jumped out to a 6-0 lead before giving up four runs in the 5th inning. The Gators were able to hang on for a 6-4 win.
The end result is some eye-popping stats with Florida’s lineup. Kendra Falby exits the weekend with a .500 batting average for the season. Freshman Taylor Shumaker is continuing her hot streak with home runs and is up to ten home runs on the season.
In fact, Florida has seven batters who have met the minimum requirement for at-bats who are sitting above .380 batting average and above 1.100 OPS.
Sitting at 18-1 on the season, Florida is currently 3rd in RPI. The Gators have one more week of non-conference play and will host the Florida Invitational this upcoming weekend against Samford, Troy, Western Michigan, and FAMU.
After that SEC play begins and Florida will open at Texas A&M, who are currently 2nd in RPI.
