June2015
Haeger made her mark at Florida
June 3, 2015
Oklahoma City, OK
OKLAHOMA CITY - Lauren Haeger made her presence felt in the 34th annual
Women's College World Series in more ways than one and because she did
the Florida Gators repeated as NCAA softball champions.
The 5-11 Haeger compiled a 4-1 pitching record jn the WCWS with an eye
popping 1.18 ERA and also starred on offense batting .571 with 15 total
bases, six walks and six RBI.
For the year, Haeger was the third leading hitter on the team with a
..348 batting average and led in homers (19) and RBI (71). As a pitcher,
she compiled a 32-2 record losing only to Tennessee and Michigan. She
hurled 12 shutouts and fanned 214 batters in 222.1 innings pitched.
Opponents batted only .185 against her and she finished with an ERA of 1.63.
Haeger was a double-threat all the way around and head coach Tim Walton
perfectly summed up Haeger's performance.
“Lauren left her mark,†Walton said of the only player in college
softball history to win at least 70 games as a pitcher (73) and hit at
least 70 homers (71). “She’s one of the greatest Gators that ever played
and put a uniform on.â€Â
For her career at Florida, Haeger was 73-12 from the mound with an ERA
of 1.72. She struck out 531 batters in 572.1 innings and hurled 23
shutouts. She won more games this year that she did her first two years,
31-7, as she became the stopper for the Gators and it was her time to
shine in the circle as well as at-bat. Offensively, she had a career
..326 batting average with 243 hits including 71 homers with 260 RBI and
388 total bases.
With Haeger graduating, don't worry about the Gators not being a
contender once again for top honors. They have two quality pitchers in
Aleshia Ocasio (18-3) and Delanie Gourley, (10-2), who will anchor the
pitching staff next year plus incoming freshman kelly Barnhill, rated as
the No. 1 prospect in the country. Barnhill compiled a 29-5 record her
senior year of high school with an ERA of 0.59 striking out 534 batters
in 224 innings.
The Gators aren't rebuilding. They are just reloading and will try for a
three-peat in Oklahoma City.
