The University of Kentucky softball team returns to action Southeastern Conference action this weekend, Apr. 22-23, with a trip to face No. 24 Florida. The three-game series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday and wraps up with a single game on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, while Sunday’s game is set to begin at noon.
This weekend marks the 33rd all-time meeting between the two schools. The Gators hold a 27-5 advantage, including a three-game sweep in Lexington last year. Kentucky?s last win in the series came on May 7, 2004, when UK downed UF by a score of 4-0 in Gainesville.
Florida is currently 34-18 on the year and is third in the SEC Eastern Division with a 12-9 SEC record in conference play. The Gator offense is led by Kim Waleszonia with a .323 batting average and a team-high 33 runs scored. Lindsey Cameron has driven in 39 runs and has a team-high 12 doubles while batting .307 on the year. Kristen Butler leads the Gator with 44 RBI and 14 home runs this season. The Gator pitching staff is led by Lindsay Littlejohn who has a team-low 1.72 ERA and a 9-4 record. Florida has a pair of 10-game winners in Stacey Nelson (10-9) and Stacey Stevens (15-5).
UK enters the series with a 20-26 overall record and a 3-18 mark in SEC play which ranks them fifth in the Eastern Division. The Wildcats defeated in-state rival No. 21 Louisville earlier this week by a final of 3-1. Katie Campbell delivered the game-winning double and scored an insurance run in the Cats? second victory over a ranked team this season. The Cats have won six of their last ten games and equaled their win total from a year ago with the victory at Louisville. Campbell is tops on the team with 11 doubles, 39 RBI and a .320 batting average. Meghan Cooper follows with a .303 average and has scored a team-high 25 runs.
Jessica Trueblood leads the Wildcat pitchers with a 2.98 ERA to go along with an 8-13 record and three saves. Trueblood has 99 strikeouts in her freshman season and has tossed 12 complete games this year. Senior Amy Kendall evened her record at 8-8 with the win at Louisville and has 90 punch outs in 103.2 innings of work.
?Florida is a hot team right now and this will be a tough series at a tough place,? said head coach Eileen Schmidt. ?It is important that we feed off that win at Louisville and play hard. We still have a chance to get into the conference tournament, so we need a quality effort this weekend.?
