Softball Hosts No. 11 Florida for Weekend Series

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina softball team hosts No. 11 Florida for an SEC series beginning March 31 at the Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. Saturday’s game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

The Gamecocks have not hosted the Gators since the 2017 season. The two teams were supposed to meet in Columbia during the 2020 season that was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Series History: Florida leads 52-21
Last Meeting: Florida 4, South Carolina 2 | April 25, 2021 | Gainesville, Fla.

South Carolina Gamecocks 24-8, 1-5 SEC
Coach: Beverly Smith | 13th Season
AVG Leader: .421 | Brooke Blankenship
RBI Leader: 32 | Riley Blampied
Home Run Leader: 6 | Jordan Fabian
ERA Leader: 2.93 | Leah Powell
Strikeout Leader: 83 | Donnie Gobourne
Wins Leader: 6 | Jori Heard

#11 Florida Gators 25-7, 3-3 SEC
Coach: Tim Walton | 18th Season
AVG Leader: .420 | Charla Echols
RBI Leader: 43 | Charla Echols
Home Run Leader: 9 | Skylar Wallace
ERA Leader: 1.92 | Lexie Delbrey
Strikeout Leader: 40 | Elizabeth Hightower
Wins Leader: 10 | Elizabeth Hightower

LEADING OFF

• The 2023 season will be the 50th season of Carolina Softball.
• The Gamecocks are 38th in the most recent RPI.
• Head coach Bev Smith earned her 400th career win against UNC.
  • She became the 29th active head coach in Division I to amass 400 career victories while only coaching at one school.
• Entering the week, the Gamecock offense ranks 15th in the country in scoring per game (6.68 runs).
• As a team, Carolina leads the SEC in stolen bases per game (2.48), total stolen bases (77), fielding percentage (.981), and fewest hit batters (8).
  • They are sixth in the nation in fielding, 10th in on-base percentage (.422), 11th in total stolen bases, 11th in doubles (51), 14th in stolen bases per game, and 15th in doubles per game (1.65).
  • They are also 24th in slugging (.517), 22nd in winning percentage (.774), 29th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.15), 28th in batting average (.314), and 27th in walks (112),
• Donnie Gobourne leads the nation in strikeouts per 7 innings (13.5). She also ranks 71st in total strikeouts with 80.
  • Her four saves rank sixth in the nation and first in the SEC.
  • She ranks 76th in hits per 7 (4.91) and 105th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.81).
• Jen Cummings leads the nation in total HBP (13) and is fifth in per game (0.42).
  • She ranks among the NCAA leaders in four different categories.
  • She is 15th in the nation in on-base% (.553), ranks 75th in walks per game (0.65) and 149th in slugging % (.652)
• Riley Blampied ranks 47th in the nation in RBIs per game (1.03). She is also 79th in stolen bases (13), 114th in stolen bases per game (0.42), 141st in total bases (56), and 191st in home runs (5).
• Brooke Blankenship ranks 39th in the nation and fifth in the SEC with a .432 batting average. She is 114th in on-base % (.476)
• Jordan Fabian 65th in stolen bases (13), 76th in hit by pitches per game (0.23), 86th in stolen bases per game (0.45), 122nd in home runs (6), and 125th in walk per game (0.58).
• Karsen Ochs ranks 33rd in the nation in K-to-BB ratio (6.60) and 29th in walks per 7 innings (0.91).
• Jori Herd ranks 109th in strikeouts per 7 innings (7.6).
• Against Mercer (Feb. 24), the Gamecocks hit back-to-back-to-back home runs for the first time under Bev Smith.
• Against Tennessee Tech (Feb. 25), the Gamecocks hit four home runs, which were the most since 2020.
  • The 21 runs scored against TTU were the most since 2016.
• Haley Simpson hit a home run against WKU (Feb. 19), her first home run in nearly three years (1,086 days) after missing the last two seasons due to injury.
• The Gamecocks played five consecutive days (Feb. 15-19) for only the second time in program history. They played six straight days in 1987 (March 10-15; 14 games).
• The roster features 25 total players, with of seven different states represented.

OUCH…THAT HURT!

• The Gamecocks have three players listed among the current active NCAA leaders in hit by pitches entering the week.
• Natalie Morgan ranks 17th in DI and 33rd among all Divisions with 34.
• Jordan Fabian ranks 17th in DI and 33rd overall with 34.
• Jen Cummings ranks 24th in DI with 29.

JUST WALK ON BY…

• Jordan Fabian ranks 39th among active career leaders in Division I for walks with 82.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

• South Carolina is 235-113 (.675) at home during the Beverly Smith era, which includes a 4-1 record at home while hosting a regional at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• Carolina has finished .500 or better at home eight of Beverly Smith’s 12 years.
• Prior to 2021, South Carolina had not lost double digit games at home in seven years and has won 20 or more six of the past seven seasons (2020 included).

GAMECOCKS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

• South Carolina is 151-367-1 (.292) against opponents ranked in the NFCA top 25 since 1995.
• Broken down by site, the Gamecocks are 73-126 (.367) at home, 36-168 (.177) on the road and 43-72-1 (.375) in neutral-site outings.
• In 2022, the Gamecocks went 4-22 against ranked opponents. Earning victories over #13 Kentucky, #15 Georgia, #19 Auburn, and #24 UCF.

For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.