Skylar Wallace – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Florida softball moves on to SEC Tournament semifinal round

The Gators will play the winner of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas A&M Aggies matchup later next.

Florida’s softball program advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament Semifinals on Friday afternoon with a victory over the Georgia Bulldogs at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Alabama.

The second-seeded Gators (44-12) prevailed, 9-4, quarterfinals over the seventh-seeded ‘Dawgs (39-16) to keep their SEC title hopes alive. The two teams erupted for a combined six home runs, with three coming from three UF’s [autotag]Skylar Wallace[/autotag], [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] and [autotag]Emily Wilkie[/autotag].

SEC Freshman of the Year winner, pitcher [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] (24-6), took the ball in the circle to start for Florida and held UGA scoreless for 5 1/3 innings. Back-to-back hits with one out tied the game 2-2, but the Gators came storming back in the next innings.

The Orange and Blue grabbed a 6-2 lead after the fifth inning on a rally that began with a hit-by-pitch and a walk. Wallace drove in her third run of the game with a drive off the left-field wall for an RBI single on a full count, followed by Erickson’s 12th home run of the season over the right-field wall that scored three more for the Gators.

The Bulldogs bounced back to cut into the lead with back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the sixth. But those would be the last runs they could muster.

Florida extended its lead to 9-4 with a three-run frame in the bottom of the sixth inning, and from there as they say, that is all she wrote. Georgia attempted to rally and loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh, but reliever [autotag]Ava Brown[/autotag] settled in and retired the heart of the UGA lineup in order for her second save of the spring.

Florida will play the winner of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas A&M Aggies following the conclusion of the LSU Tigers and Missouri Tigers semifinal game on ESPN2 later on Friday.

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Top 3 finalists for 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of Year revealed

Surprisingly, despite having three players in the Top 10 list, softball powerhouse Oklahoma players were not among the Top 3.

Initially, the field was narrowed down to just ten Division 1 players for the prestigious 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. And now, the field was again narrowed to the Top 3 finalists. The award “aims to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by Division I softball players over the course of the entire season.”

Surprisingly, despite having three players in the Top 10 list, softball powerhouse Oklahoma players were not among the Top 3.

The finalists include Clemson’s Valerie Cagle (ACC), UCLA’s Maya Brady (Pac-12), and Florida’s Skylar Wallace (SEC). Each of these players will be in regional play this weekend.

Clemson’s Valerie Cagle

Cagle was named a USA Softball Top 10 Finalist in 2021 and is a two-time ACC player of the year. She was also named the freshman of the year in 2021. Cagle is a two-way player and has shined on and off the mound. She has a .457 batting average, .889 slugging percentage and 23 wins in the circle which places her at No. 11 on the NCAA leaderboard.

UCLA’s Maya Brady

There have only been two UCLA players to win the award. With Rachel Garcia (2017-21) winning the award twice, in 2019 and 2018, and Stacey Nuveman in 2002. Brady won the 2023 Pac-12 batting title with a .456 average following all conference regular-season games and was named the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year.

Florida’s Skylar Wallace

Rounding out the finalists is Florida’s Skylar Wallace. She is the 2023 SEC Player of the Year and a three-time SEC Player of the Week. She has a 1.036 slugging percentage which ranks first in the nation. Additionally, her .460 batting average is fifth in the nation.

The player of the year will be announced on May 30 at the athlete banquet prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS).

Florida’s Skylar Wallace named SEC Softball Player of the Year

The Florida Gators have the best softball player in the SEC, and now Skylar Wallace has the hardware to prove it.

Gators shortstop [autotag]Skylar Wallace[/autotag] is the best softball player in the Southeastern Conference.

That statement became fact on Friday afternoon when the conference announced its postseason awards and crowned Wallace the SEC Player of the Year.

Wallace is the seventh Gator to win the award and first since Amanda Lorenz did it in 2018. She is slashing .463/.613/1.052 and has belted 19 home runs, drove in 55 runs and stolen 30 bases. Her batting average, slugging percentage, eight triples and 141 total bases lead the SEC as well.

Naturally, the conference player of the year also earned an All-SEC First Team nod, as did teammate Charla Echols for a second-straight season. Kendra Falby and Reagan Walsh were named to the All-SEC Second Team, too.

The Gators were knocked out of the SEC tournament a few hours after Wallace received the good news. A 4-0 loss to top-seeded Tennessee end the conference title run for Florida, but the NCAA Tournament still awaits. Regional placements will be announced on Sunday.

Wallace should get a chance to tie the program record for homers during the tournament. At 19, she sits just three behind Brittany Schutte’s 2011 record of 22 big home runs. Florida is guaranteed at least two more games this season with it being double-elimination, and Wallace has gone deep three times in one game before.

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Gators softball player among top 10 finalists for 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award

This Gator is in line for the most prestigious award in college softball.

The field has been narrowed down to just 10 Division 1 players for the prestigious USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, which “aims to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by Division I softball players over the course of the entire season.” Among the finalists for the 2023 edition of the honor is Florida Gators infielder Skylar Wallace, who put together a fantastic campaign this spring for the Orange and Blue.

The University of Oklahoma — a perennial powerhouse in the sport — earned three spots on the list while UCLA and Tennessee have two players each. The other schools represented are Clemson, Wichita and, of course, the fighting Gators.

Three finalists will be revealed May 17 and the recipient of the award will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series slated for Jun. 1-9 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.

Player	School	Position
Jordy Bahl	Oklahoma	Pitcher
Maya Brady	UCLA	Utility
Valerie Cagle	Clemson	Pitcher/Utility
Jayda Coleman	Oklahoma	Outfield
Megan Faraimo	UCLA	Pitcher
Tiare Jennings	Oklahoma	Infield
Sydney McKinney	Wichita	Infield
Kiki Milloy	Tennessee	Outfield
Ashley Rogers	Tennessee	Pitcher
Skylar Wallace	Florida	Infield

Don’t miss a single game of the 2023 Women’s College World Series. Read more about the broadcasting schedule here.

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