FSU softball: Noles look for regular season sweep over Florida Gators

No. 3 FSU softball (45-5,16-5 ACC) will look for their eighth consecutive win as they host No. 10 Florida Gators (38-13, 13-11 SEC) Wednesday evening. FSU topped the Gators in early April, 4-2 in 10 innings.

The Noles swept  top-10 Oklahoma State in a two-game series last week, with Florida winning two of three against LSU. The Gators are 14-3 on the road and bring a team batting average of .338 into the game.

They have five batters hitting .300 or better, with 31 home runs, 58 doubles, and 17 triples.

Their on-base percentage is .392, which is lower than the .419 mark in their first meeting. Florida’s pitching staff brings a 2.50 ERA while allowing a .208 batting average.

They have allowed 29 home runs and have 302 strikeouts and 164 walks in 344.2 innings. Defensively, they have 27 errors for a .981 fielding percentage.

FSU softball has five batters hitting over. 300, with 51 home runs, 68 doubles, and 10 triples.

Their on-base percentage is .387, and they walk (204) nearly as much they strike out (215). FSU’s pitching staff brings a 1.85 ERA while allowing a .196 batting average.

They have allowed 28 home runs and have 318 strikeouts and 86 walks in 348 innings. Defensively, FSU has 24 errors for a .984 fielding percentage.

Keys To Victory

FSU softball has been playing some solid ball in their seven-game winning streak. They play superb defense, have good pitching, and can manufacture runs in a variety of ways. Florida pitchers are not strikeout machines, but will give out free passes, which is where FSU batters excel. FSU will need to have quality at-bats by putting the ball in play to stress Florida’s defense, which is usually superb as well.

FSU pitchers will need to work ahead in the count and keep the Gators off the base paths. Florida is aggressive, stealing 109 of 120 attempts. I’m not sure who will be on the mound for the Noles Wednesday night.

Danielle Watson got the start against them last time and pitched well, getting out of several jams. She pitched well against Oklahoma State, which was a good sign after not looking as dominant in her last few outings. It should be another good win so be sure to tune in at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU and support the Noles!