By Jim HarvinCorrespondent

The second-ranked Florida softball team has reached the midpoint of the season with just one loss and carries a 19-game winning streak into this weekend's three-game series against fourth-ranked Auburn.

The remainder of the season, however, still looms ahead.

It startsSaturday when the Gators (27-1, 5-0 SEC) and Tigers (27-3, 2-1) square off at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium at 6 p.m.

Senior left-hander and 2016 first-team All-American Delanie Gourley feels it's all about trust.

Our team chemistry is just really, really good this year, she said. That's something that you can't ever force. When that happens like it did this year, that's something really special.

We feed off each other a lot, whether it's from our workouts or from practice or for games. That is really what has set this season off.

Gourley (11-1), the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week, has 105 strikeouts and leads a staff that has posted a 0.54 ERA while holding opponents to a .128 batting average.

Kelly Barnhill (10-0, 0.23 ERA, 119 Ks) and Aleshia Ocasio (5-0, 0.55 ERA) also have been outstanding.

Auburn will counter with pitchers Kaylee Carlson (15-0, 0.93 ERA) and Makayla Martin (12-3, 0.98 ERA).

Five Gators Kayli Kvistad, Sophia Reynoso, Amanda Lorenz, Justine McLean and Nicole DeWitt have started every game this season.

We've been working hard. You can't ask for much more, DeWitt said. We go out here and we want to win games. We can't have any doubt in ourselves, so being able to believe in each other is going to be a huge key.

We don't focus on who is in the other dugout. We focus on ourselves and playing Florida softball.

UF has outscored the opposition by a 199-21 margin.

In addition, the Gators have made just six errors for a nation-leading .991 fielding percentage.

A huge part of how we've been playing is the relationships that we have with each other, DeWitt said. We have such strong bonds that can't be broken. We're constantly together. Even when we have an off day, we're still hanging out. We all enjoy being around each other. That's a huge thing.

UF also is doing the right things off the field.

They're student-athletes, coach Tim Walton said. They know priority number one is to go to school and do the things that they need to do.

The top-five showdown with the Tigers will be the first of six remaining SEC series for UF, which just two weeks into the league schedule is the lone remaining team unbeaten in conference play.

We're going to come out, keep doing what we've been doing and just play how we play, especially when we're playing at home in front of our amazing fans, Gourley said. We're going to come out and have fun.

See more here:
Gators credit team chemistry for strong start to season - Gainesville Sun