(SB) Ongoing UF Softball Commentary

Hightower, Echols, Bender, Egan and Kinsey Goelz are all 5th year seniors. Aren't they included?

 

Yep. The announcers said they were honoring 2 today and will be spreading out the Senior Day celebrations over several home games.

 

Longley is the only other senior on the roster, so it's probably her.

 

Gotta win several games against upcoming quality opponents, though. Every W counts towards that goal. I wonder how longer it's been since we failed to host a regional?

 

Gators have a lot of games left against ranked teams and need to win their share. I think we're 6-7 right now against teams in the top 25. At least that's what I read somewhere.

 

Some current info. on incoming softball recruits:

Ava Brown, RHP/1B, Lake Creek HS, Montgomery, TX - The #1 team in the state is 31-0 this year. Brown has 15 wins in the circle with a 0.53 ERA, 92 innings, 175 K's, on base average .113. She's hitting .512 with 44 hits, 6 HR, 12 doubles and 53 RBI. In her 4 year varsity career, she is 69-0 pitching, 0.56 ERA. In 388 innings, she's given up 136 hits, only 51 walks with 727 K's facing 1323 batters. Her career batting average (4 years) is .512, exactly what she's hitting this year, 357 at bats, 188 hits, 196 RBI, 37 HR, 57 doubles, 45 walks and only 39 K's.

Keagan Rothrock, RHP, Roncalli HS, Indianapolis, IN - Their season just started April 3, but she is 4-0, 0.42 ERA in 33 innings, 15 hits, 6 BB, 65 K's. In her 3-year career at this high school, she is 56-2 in 61 appearances with an ERA her junior season of 0.70 and her sophomore year of 0.13. In 363.2 total innings pitched, she has given up 108 hits, 30 BB with 811 K's. 45 complete games and 36 shutouts. She was 2021-2022 National POY.

Signing Day: Here are the Top 50 College Signing Classes for the 2023's... - Extra Inning Softball

This is a link to the 6 signees coming to Gainesville over the summer: Gators Sign Six to Talented 2023 Class - Florida Gators
Rothrock & Brown should step right in and be in the pitching rotation next year. And I expect Mia Williams to earn a starting position, plus Alyssa Hovermale and Ariel Kowalewski to seriously challenge for playing time and a potential position in the starting lineup. And who knows, maybe even Cassidy McLellan gets a chance for playing time. This is an extremely talented group, with Rothrock, Brown & Williams rated by some in the Top 5 players in the nation and Hovermale and Kowalewski in the Top 20.

I'm still excited to see how this year's team ends up, but am truly pumped about what next year's team might accomplish. I know it's putting a lot of hope in freshmen, but these ladies combining with those coming back will give the Gators a totally new, potentially super strong look for 2024.