FLORIDA SOFTBALL: Florida Gators receive #4 National Seed for NCAA Tournament

The Gators will host Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Atlantic and South Alabama in the Gainesville Regional

Gators will host Florida Gulf Coast Fiday (Gatorbait photo)

After taking home the SEC Tournament title in dominant fashion the Florida Gator softball team returned to Gainesville to await their marching orders for the NCAA Tournament that begins this week.

The Gators, who began the month of May on the bubble for a national seed have strung together 8 straight wins and will enter the regional rounds as one of the hottest teams in the country. Coach Tim Walton enters the tourney with arguably his most athletic and best hitting team of his Florida tenure. The Gators are led by SEC Player of Year catcher Jocelyn Erickson, SEC Tournament MVP shortstop Skylar Wallace, SEC Freshman of the Year Keagan Rothrock, along with outfielders Kendra Falby and Korbe Otis who bring versatility to the lineup.

The Gators will open the road to Oklahoma City Friday at 12 p.m. against Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles won the ASUN Tournament on Saturday with a walk-off home run by tournament MVP catcher Neely Peterson. The graduate student who spent a year at Santa Fe College in Gainesville was named First Team ASUN for the regular season as well.

Following the Gators opening game the Florida Atlantic will play South Alabama in the second half of the regional. Should the Gators ultimately face Florida Atlantic it will be a special game for several Gators as their former teammate Elizabeth Hightower is currently a graduate assistant coach for the Owls. Hightower pitched for the Gators from 2019 to 2023 earning SEC honors in three seasons. 

The winner of the Gainesville Regional will face the winner of the Lafayette Regional that features Louisiana (host), Princeton, Baylor and Ole Miss.