Former Florida pitcher Kelly Barnhill will spend parts of the spring and fall playing professionally in Taiwan, the Gator legend announced on social media on Monday.
“Very excited to announce that I will be playing in professionally in Taiwan for the [Xinliwang Lions] this spring and fall! So thankful for this opportunity. Can’t wait for all the adventures that await,” Barnhill wrote, adding a globe and lion emojis.
Barnhill later confirmed to JWOS that she will play in Taiwan from April 6-May 30 before returning to play domestically for the Chicago Bandits in the National Pro Fastpitch league and in the new Athletes Unlimited venture. She will return to Taiwan in early October, and complete her tenure there on November 18th.
Widely considered one of the best to come out of the Florida program and the SEC, Barnhill finished her Gators career as a four-time all-Region selection and earned three all-American awards. She was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year in both 2017 and 2018, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament in 2019. She ended her collegiate career in the top five of thirteen program statistical categories, including standing atop the Gators’ career strikeouts (1,208) and opponent’s batting average (.134) charts.
