No. 4 Florida Gators softball (46-8) has advanced to its fourth straight 2010 NCAA Super Regional appearance with three straight victories over the weekend as the home team in the Gainesville Regional. After defeating Bethune-Cookman (32-23) 6-0 on Friday, Florida shutout the Central Florida Knights (36-15) 6-0 on Saturday and topped the Florida International Panthers (38-21) 13-3 in the clincher on Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Junior Stephanie Brombacher (32-6) notched her second and third wins of the tournament on Saturday and Sunday, pitching complete games in all three weekend contests. She helped the Gators finish 10-1 against in-state rivals on the season.

Saturday, junior outfielder Kelsey Bruder (2-4) led the way with three RBI and a home run – her second in as many games, 13th of the season and 98th for the team this year. Sophomore OF Michelle Moultrie (3-4, two runs) and junior second baseman Aja Paculba (2-3, two RBI, one run) provided solid offensive contributions.

A different set of Florida players led the way Sunday with freshman OF Brittany Schutte (1-2) hitting her first career grand slam while totaling five RBI, two runs and two walks. Junior first baseman Megan Bush (3-4) smacked three RBI and came home for two runs, while Bruder (2-3) added another nice performance with three runs scored.

The Gators will face the winner of the No. 13 Arizona State-Long Island game in Super Regional action (likely to be held in Gainesville, FL) May 28-30. The NCAA has announced that all games will be aired live by ESPN.

Tags: Aja Paculba, Brittany Schutte, Central Florida Knights, Florida International Panthers, Gainesville Regional, Kelsey Bruder, Megan Bush, Michelle Moultrie, NCAA, Pressly Stadium, softball, Super Regional

1 » Facing the No. 19/16 Florida State Seminoles in a doubleheader Wednesday, No. 3/4 Florida Gators softball swept their rivals with consecutive 8-4 and 9-2 victories on the road at JoeAnne Graf Field in Tallahassee, FL. Florida (32-4, 12-2 SEC)’s winners were starters junior Stephanie Brombacher (21-4) and freshman Ensley Gammel (10-0), who tallied a combined 13.3 innings and eight strikeouts against FSU (36-10, 8-4 SEC). Freshman shortstop Brittany Walker went 4-7 on the day with two RBI, as junior second baseman Aja Paculba extended her hitting streak to 16 games – tying the longest in school history.

2 » “It was great to have all of that work,” Gators freshman cornerback Josh Shaw said of his playing time in the 2010 Orange & Blue Debut last weekend. “Some of it was good, some bad, but I feel like I’m getting better each time out.” Shaw, according to The Gainesville Sun is adjusting to his competitors’ speed and athleticism but is confident he will be able to follow in the footsteps of some of the team’s best cornerbacks.

3 » Florida men’s basketball may have lost out on two recruits Wednesday, but the women’s basketball and softball teams each brought in a new name. JuCo transfer guard Deana Allen (Houma, LA) has decided to join the Gators after averaging 19.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game at Pensacola Junior College. She is the fifth new recruit for the women’s team. Joining softball is utility player Chelsea Howell (Plantation, FL), the fourth player of her new team’s 2010-11 class.

4 » Interesting blog post today from Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald on new Kentucky Wildcats five-star guard commitment Brandon Knight, who had been leaning away from the Gators for quite some time. Some of the potential reasons he chose Kentucky aside from coaching and the school? “Exposure, creating the Brandon Knight brand, getting ready for the NBA, making money” and not playing with Kenny Boynton, Goodman writes.

Tags: Aja Paculba, Brandon Knight, Brittany Walker, Chelsea Howell, Deana Allen, Ensley Gammel, Florida State Seminoles, JoeAnne Graf Field, Josh Shaw, Kenny Boynton, Kentucky Wildcats, Orange & Blue Debut, Pensacola Junior College, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, women's basketball

Florida Gators athletics took home two titles and 10 overall victories this past weekend from Fri., April 9 to Sun., April 11. Get all the details…after the break!

1 » GYMNASTICS: No. 4 Florida Gators gymnastics captured the 2010 NCAA North Central Regional Championship.
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Gators weekend wrap-up 4/9 – 4/11

Tags: Aja Paculba, Alex Panteliodis, Alexandre Lacroix, Allie Will, Antoine Benneteau, Arkansas Razorbacks, Ashanée Dickerson, Austin Maddox, baseball, Brian Johnson, Caroline Chesterman, Caroline Cochran, Colgate Raiders, Daniel Pigott, Ensley Gammel, Georgia Bulldogs, Hudson Randall, Jerico Weitzel, Josh Adams, Justin Poovey, Kevin Chapman, Kitty Cullen, lacrosse, Lauren Embree, Le Moyne Dolphins, Marrit Boonstra, NCAA, NCAA Championship, NCAA North Central Regional, O'Connell Center, SEC, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, Tennessee Volunteers, tennis

1 » Sunday night, the Philadelphia Eagles traded star quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins for two draft picks. Monday, Florida Gators fans are trying to connect the dots to Tim Tebow and the 2010 NFL Draft. Here is what you need to know: (a) The Redskins acquiring McNabb makes it unlikely they draft Tebow, even after paying him plenty of attention. (b) The Eagles, with two QBs on one-year deals, are more likely to consider Tebow or any available passer for that matter – but not likely until the second round. (c) Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen may fall in the first round, potentially pushing Texas’ Colt McCoy and Tebow into later draft selections.

2 » Looking to salvage a road season in which they already lost the first two games, No. 20/17 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball (24-6, 5-4 SEC) shutout the No. 8/11 Gators (20-7, 5-3 SEC) 7-0 on Sunday in the series finale at McKethan Stadium. Starter Jack Armstrong (4-0) tossed six innings of four-hit ball for Vanderbilt, which also benefited from a pair of solo home runs by third baseman Jason Esposito (2-5, three runs). Freshman Hudson Randal (2-3) earned the loss for Florida, giving up two earned runs and seven hits in 5.2 innings with six strikeouts.

Two more BITS on Gators softball and tennis’ weekend sweeps…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: McNabb, baseball, softball, tennis

Tags: Aja Paculba, Alexandre Lacroix, Anastasia Revzina, Antoine Benneteau, baseball, Boone Tennis Center, Brittany Schutte, Colt McCoy, Donovan McNabb, Draft, Ensley Gammell, Hudson Randal, Jack Armstrong, Jason Esposito, Jimmy Clausen, Kentucky Wildcats, Lauren Embree, Linder Stadium, LSU Tigers, Marrit Boonstra, McKethan Stadium, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Ring Tennis Complex, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, tennis, Tim Tebow, Vanderbilt Commodores, Washington Redskins

No. 3/9 Florida Gators softball (9-1) took home the 2010 Lipton Invitational title Saturday, winning five straight games in the tournament by an average of over five runs.

Check out all five game recaps and much more after the jump!
Continue Reading » Florida softball sweeps, wins Lipton Invitational

Tags: Aja Paculba, Brittany Schutte, Campbell Camels, East Carolina Pirates, Ensley Gammel, Erin Schuppert, Francesca Enea, Kansas Jayhawks, Katie Murphree, Kelsey Bruder, Kelsey Horton, Lipton Invitational, Marshall Thundering Heard, Megan Bush, Michelle Moultrie, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, Tiffany DeFelice

1 » No. 3/9 Florida Gators softball (5-1) shutout the Campbell Camels (1-4-1) 7-0 Friday night on the back of a school-record six home runs. Leading their team to victory, junior first baseman Megan Bush had lead-off home runs in back-to-back plate appearances, and junior starter Stephanie Brombacher (4-1) blanked Campbell over five innings while compiling a season-high 11 strikeouts. Six of Florida’s seven runs came on solo homers from five different Gators including Bush (4th, 6th), sophomore outfielder Michelle Moultrie (4th), junior catcher Tiffany DeFelice (6th), freshman C Kelsey Horton (6th) and junior outfielder Kelsey Bruder (7th).

Florida softball (6-1) continued its dominance Friday with a 12-4 win over the Kansas Jayhawks (2-5) in the Gators’ second game of the night. Junior second baseman Aja Paculba went 4-4 with a career-high five RBI. In all, seven UF players accounted for 14 hits and freshman pitcher Erin Schuppert (1-0) earned her first career win in four innings of relief with seven strikeouts while allowing only two runs. Freshman Ensley Gammel started for the Gators.

2 » Florida’s newest sport, women’s lacrosse, is set to debut Saturday against the Jacksonville Dolphins (0-2) at 6 p.m. in the brand new Donald R. Dizney Stadium for the first regular season game in school history. Head coach Amanda O’Leary has done a terrific job preparing the Gators, including recruiting the No. 1–ranked signing class in the nation according to Inside Lacrosse Magazine. The team, which fell 17-8 in its first exhibition match against the U.S. National Development team before rallying to a 7-7 tie at Rutgers and a 10-8 win over Princeton, is made up of two seniors, one junior, two sophomores and 24 freshmen. Admission is free for all home games, so be sure to go out and support this up-and-coming team in its first season!
- Athletic director Jeremy Foley is proud of the school’s newest sport.
- The Florida lacrosse team was years in the making.
- Everything you need to know about how lacrosse is played.

Gators swimming & diving and gymnastics also impressed on Friday…
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Softball sets record, lacrosse debuts

Tags: Aja Paculba, Amanda O’Leary, Campbell Camels, Conor Dwyer, diving, Dizney Stadium, Ensley Gammel, Erin Schuppert, Gemma Spofforth, Georgia Gym Dogs, gymnastics, Jacksonville Dolphins, Kansas Jayhawks, Kelsey Bruder, Kelsey Horton, lacrosse, Megan Bush, Michelle Moultrie, NCAA Championship, O'Connell Center, SEC Championship, Shaune Fraser, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, swimming, Teresa Crippen, Tiffany DeFelice

1 » Having to sit out the 2009 season due to a hamstring injury, Florida Gators redshirt freshman wide receiver Andre Debose is on the road to recovery. Debose, who underwent surgery months ago, was last reported to be able to run in a pool on Jan. 3. Now, Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Debose can now run on a treadmill at full speed and is not expected to need a second surgery as rumored. OGGOA reached out to Debose for an update on his injury, but he did not wish to speak about it. Though he will not be a full participant in spring practices next month, he will likely be able to workout in non-contact drills.

2 » Former Florida forward/center David Lee, in the middle of a career season with the New York Knicks, has been named as one of 27 players on the U.S. National Team. Lee will have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot in the 2010 World Championships and 2012 Olympic Games.

3 » The Southeastern Conference released its 2010 Preseason All-SEC softball team Wednesday, and four Gators have been honored on the squad. Florida led all programs with four of 12 total selections, including junior pitcher Stephanie Brombachter, senior outfielder Francesca Enea, junior utility player Kelsey Bruder and junior second baseman Aja Paculba. For Enea and Pachulba, this is the second consecutive year they have been named to the team.

4 » Women’s tennis players senior Marrit Boonstra and freshman Caroline Hitimana were named Player and Freshman of the Week, respectively, by the SEC on Wednesday. Both Boonstra and Hitimana went 4-0 in their respective matches last week.

Tags: Aja Paculba, All-SEC, Andre Debose, Caroline Hitimana, David Lee, Francesca Enea, Kelsey Bruder, Marrit Boonstra, New York Knicks, Olympics, Player of, SEC, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, tennis, U.S. National Team, World Championships