Florida Gators Softball: Made for the Postseason
Unless you've been living under a rock for the last decade, you know that this Gators Softball team is the cream of the crop in all of college softball.
For that, we have Tim Walton to thank.
Since taking over the program in 2006, Gators Head Coach, Tim Walton, has made this team a consistent national title contender. Walton boasts an impressive winning percentage during his tenure with Florida at over .800 and growing with each season. Since 2008, Florida has only missed the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) in Oklahoma City, twice. Coach Walton has built a winning culture here in Gainesville with this program and I don’t see that changing for as long as he is around.
Each year with this Florida softball program I’m certain that there is no way that they could be any better than they were in the previous year, but they always prove me wrong. I’ve been invested in this program for over a decade now so I have gotten to see some softball legends roll through. But, what I have noticed though is that there always seems to be new legends developing in this program each and every year. I don’t know his secret, but somehow Walton and his coaching staff bring in the country’s most talented ballplayers to Gainesville year after year.
In 2017, the Gators finished their season with an overall record of 58-10 and would also claim the title of WCWS Runner-Ups. Florida lost the national championship series to the Oklahoma Sooners in two heartbreaking games: the first game a 17-inning loss of 5-7 and the second another close loss of 4-5. After being the number one-ranked team in the country for most of the season, the way Florida lost the national championship was awful and unexpected. The way I see it though, those losses can only make them better.
Florida lost just three seniors from their 2017 team and so far, it hasn’t slowed them down. The Gators currently sit at 40-7 on the season with just 8 regular season games left. Leading the SEC standings with a 14-3 conference record, Florida looks like they’ll be the number one seed headed into the SEC Tournament pending the two in conference series they have left with LSU and Missouri.
The Division One softball Top 25 is dominated by the SEC and the Pac-12 with 18 out of the 25 teams being from those two conferences. Florida is the highest ranking SEC team sitting at number five after four straight Pac-12 teams: Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and Arizona State. The NCAA Tournament is set to begin in the middle of May and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see all five of these teams in the WCWS. While the SEC has been an impressive and strong conference this year, the Pac-12 has a rich history in Division One softball. The Pac-12 has claimed 23 WCWS Championships and the next closest conference is the Big-12 with four, then the SEC with three. Florida won the WCWS National Championship back-to-back in years 2014 and 2015. What this Florida team has accomplished over the last decade behind their chief Tim Walton has been nothing short of remarkable.
The Gators had what it took to win the National Championship in 2017, they arguably were the better team, they just didn't play that way. This 2018 team is bringing back 2017 memories for me. In the preseason polls, Florida was ranked at number two and stayed there for a while. After dropping a few games due to some cold bats, they have fallen to their current place at number five…for now. The Gators haven't seen any of the Pac-12 teams that are dominating the top spots and they most likely won’t until they, hopefully, reach the WCWS. The Pac-12 is dominant and deserves high-praise, but this Florida team is no stranger to a challenge, in fact, it’s typically welcomed.
Florida is more than ready for the post-season. One of the best pitchers in the country happens to reside in Gainesville, Florida and she suits up in the orange and blue- Kelly Barnhill. If you follow college softball even in the slightest, you know that name. Barnhill is the Gator ace and for good reason. Kelly is nearly untouchable on the mound with an Earned Run Average (ERA) of .74. They are also led by two of the SEC’s top 15 hitters in Amanda Lorenz, batting a .409 and Nicole Dewitt who's batting a .381. Florida truly has everything working for them right now. With each game they play, what is more clear is how talented they are physically, but also mentally. Florida is hitting, they have a rock star on the mound in Kelly Barnhill, and their defense is nearly flawless with their .985 fielding percentage.
Florida has some unfinished business in Oklahoma City that I know they’re itching to take care of. Although they sit at No. 5 behind the Pac-12’s top four, this is a dangerous team and they shouldn’t be taken lightly. As the regular season comes to a close and the postseason draws nigh, this Florida team is only getting more prepared for their return to the postseason.
