Looking Back at the NCAA Champions: 2014 Florida Gators

Photo courtesy Florida Athletics

The beginning of the 2024 season is just weeks away in Division I, which allows us to fully turn our attention to the season to come.

Early focus will be centered on the University of Oklahoma as they begin the quest to become the first team in Division I history to win four consecutive national championships.

The Sooners tied UCLA (1988, 1989, 1990) as the only teams to ever win three consecutive titles when they defeated Florida State to claim the 2023 title.

Extra Inning Softball will be reviewing the 41 national champions that have previously hoisted the trophy.

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2014 Florida Gators

The Venue: ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Head Coach: Tim Walton

The Players (Women’s College World Series Roster): Aubree Munro, Jessica Damico, Kathlyn Medina, Kelsey Stewart, Stephanie Tofft, Taylore Fuller, Hannah Rogers, Lauren Haeger, Chelsea Herndon, Francesca Martinez, Kirsti Merritt, Lindsey Spatola, Taylor Schwarz, Justine McLean, Briana Little, Bailey Castro, Delanie Gourley

The Regular Season: Entering the 2014 season, Florida was a program that was knocking on the door of winning its first-ever national championship having made the championship finals in 2009 and 2011. The Gators finished the regular season with a 45-11 record and placed fourth in the Southeastern Conference with a 15-9 record. The Gators began the season by winning their first 22 games and went through the postseason with only one loss. The Florida offense was led by Kelsey Stewart who batted .438 and hit seven home runs and drove in 57 runs. Stewart also scored 68 runs and was 36-for-41 in stolen base attempts. Stephanie Tofft hit .356, scored 54 runs, hit 11 homers and drove in 65 runs, while Lauren Haeger hit 20 home runs and drove in a team-high 67 runs. Hannah Rogers had an outstanding season in leading the Gators pitching staff. Rogers went 30-8 with a 2.06 earned run average and threw 12 shutouts. Haeger and Delanie Gourley rounded out the Florida pitching staff as Haeger went 10-3 with a 2.30 ERA and Gourley was 15-1 with a 3.43 earned run average. Stewart earned First Team All-America honors and Rogers was named Third Team All-America.

The Regional: Florida began the postseason by hosting the NCAA Gainesville Regional which featured Florida A&M, Stetson, UCF and the Gators. Florida faced Florida A&M in the postseason opener and Delanie Gourley began an outstanding string of pitching performances by tossing a no-hitter against the Rattlers in an 8-0 win. Gourley went 5.0 innings and struck out seven and walked one in narrowly missing a perfect game. Taylor Schwarz and Lauren Haeger each hit home runs to power the offense and Kelsey Stewart added three hits. Hannah Rogers took to the circle in the Gators second game against Stetson and she threw a shutout and Florida pounded out 17 hits in a 14-0 win. Rogers allowed four hits and struck out four, while Haeger homered for the second straight day and drove in four runs and Stewart webt 2-for-4 and had four RBIs. The Gators used a four-run third inning and a seven-run sixth inning to cruise past the Hatters. Haeger threw the Gators third consecutive shutout in a 7-0 victory over UCF to secure Florida’s berth in the Super Regional. Haeger allowed five hits and struck out five batters in 7.0 innings and also homered and drove in three runs. Kirsti Merritt had two hits and drove in two runs and Stewart added two hits and a run scored in the victory.

The Super Regional: Florida stayed at home for the Super Regional as it hosted Washington in Gainesville, Fla. The Gators reeled off their fourth consecutive shutout from the pitching staff as Hannah Rogers allowed four hits and struck out five batters in a 9-0 Gators win. Aubree Munro staked Florida to a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI double and the Gators took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a bases-loaded walk by Bailey Castro. The Gators then blew the game open by scoring seven runs in the fourth inning highlighted by RBI singles by Munro, Stephanie Tofft and Kathlyn Medina. Looking to secure a berth in the Women’s College World Series, Lauren Haeger gave Florida a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning of game two with a two-run homer but the Huskies would rally. Kaitlin Inglesby answered with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth and Washington went on to a 4-3 win to even the series at a game apiece. Rogers turned in a dominant performance in the winner-take-all third game as the Gators rolled to an 8-0 victory. Rogers went 5.0 innings, allowed just one hit and struck out six batters in throwing the fifth shutout in the last six games. Kelsey Stewart and Kirsti Merritt each hit three-run home runs to spark the Florida offense. The Gators took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Briana Little and then added three runs in the fourth inning and closed out the series with a four-run fifth inning. With the victory, Florida punched its ticket for Oklahoma City, Okla., and the Women’s College World Series.

The Field at the Women’s College World Series: Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oregon

The Gators at the Women’s College World Series: Florida opened the WCWS against Baylor and the Gators dominant run of pitching continued as Hannah Rogers threw a three-hit shutout leading UF to an 11-0 victory over Baylor. Florida jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back as Stephanie Tofft hit a sacrifice fly and Bailey Castro added a two-run double giving the Gators the early lead. Florida closed out the Bears when Chelsea Herndon hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning. Florida faced Oregon in its second game of the WCWS and Rogers turned in another brilliant performance. In 7.0 innings, Rogers allowed only three hits and struck out five batters in a 4-0 victory over the Ducks. Castro gave the Gators a 1-0 lead in the second inning when she homered to centerfield. Florida increased the lead by scoring three times in the top of the third inning. Castro singled to left to bring in one run and Briana Little followed with a two-run double pushing the lead to 4-0. It marked the Gators seventh shutout over an eight-game stretch. A rematch with Baylor awaited Florida in its third game of the WCWS and Taylor Schwarz and Stephanie Tofft led the Gators to a 6-3 win. Tofft gave Florida a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the third inning and Schwarz pushed the Gators lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning with a three-run double. Baylor answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to get right back in the game, but Tofft was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to increase the lead to 6-3 and Rogers closed out the Bears to clinch the win. With the victory over Baylor, Florida earned a spot in the championship finals.

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