GAINESVILLE — The Gators’ pursuit of another trip to the Women’s College World Series will begin in a familar place — UF’s Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, where Florida will host an NCAA regional.
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Coach Tim Walton’s Gators (48-10) earned the tournament’s No. 6 national seed and will open play at 11 a.m. Friday against Florida A&M (38-20). Texas State (38-20) and Georgia Tech (30-27) will meet in the other game of the double-elimination regional.
The winner advances to next week’s Super Regionals, where eight teams will earn spots in the WCWS — set for May 28-June 5 in Oklahoma City.
Florida aims for its 13th appearance since Walton arrived in 2006.
Odds are the Gators will advance to host the winner out of the Lubbock Regional, led by No. 11 seed Texas Tech. Florida is 33-1 at home in NCAA Regional play under Walton.
A matchup with Texas Tech would add intrigue, if the Red Raiders get past Ole Miss, Boston U and Marist.
All-American pitcher NiJaree Canady led Texas Tech to a runner-up finish at the 2025 WCWS. Former Gators second baseman Mia Williams, daughter of former Florida basketball star Jason Williams, transferred to Texas Tech and leads the Red Raiders with 22 home runs and 73 RBI.
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Florida’s offense is fueled by senior catcher Jocelyn Erickson, who has 20 home runs and 71 RBI, and sophomore center fielder Taylor Shumaker, who leads the team with a .443 batting average and 81 runs from the leadoff spot, while adding 16 home runs and 52 RBI.
The consistency of junior pitcher Keegan Rothrock (26-6, 2.55 ERA) will be critical. After yielding just three earned runs in four games, Rothrock allowed nine during two SEC Tournament games, including five in four innings during a 10-9 quarterfinal win against Auburn.
Florida then fell 9-1 to Alabama in the semifinals. The Crimson Tide later lost to Texas in the SEC title game, but still earned the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.
The Gators’ opening game will appear on SEC Network, with the remainder of coverage available on ESPN’s app.
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]