Thoughts of the Day: May 18, 2026

(UAA Photo)

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:

This is Tim Walton’s time of the year. Since taking over the helm of the Florida softball program in 2006, Walton has guided the Gators to 14 NCAA super regional appearances. Should the 6^th-seeded Gators (51-10) dispose of 11^th-seeded Texas Tech (55-6) this weekend at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, it will earn a third straight trip to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series, the 14^th overall in Walton’s Florida career.

The road to the super regional was simply business as usual for the Gators, who outscored Florida A&M and Georgia Tech (twice) 25-2 in their three games of the Gainesville Regional. The Gators run-ruled FAMU 12-0 and Georgia Tech 8-0 before taking down Georgia Tech in the championship game, 5-2. The Gators have won 22 straight NCAA regional games. Since 2013 Florida has 18 run-rule wins in NCAA regional play.

Keagan Rothrock (29-6) got all three wins, allowing only five hits while striking out 13 in 15 innings in the circle. She gave up one hit in Sunday’s 5-2 regional clinching win over Georgia Tech. Rothrock’s 29 wins are tops in the SEC and third nationally.

Taylor Shumaker was the hitting star for the weekend, going 5-10 with two home runs and seven RBI. Shumaker has 18 homers and 59 RBI this season. Her .446 batting average is tied for the lead in the Southeastern Conference. As a team, the Gators are hitting .355 (2^nd SEC, 6^th nationally) with 102 home runs (2^nd SEC, 7^th nationally).

Texas Tech reached the super regional by staging one of the most outrageous comebacks in NCAA tournament history. Down 8-0 in the bottom of the seventh to Ole Miss, the Red Raiders scored eight times to send the game to extra innings where they came away with a 10-9 win. As a team, Texas Tech ranks second nationally in batting average (.389) and third in home runs (128). Former Gator Mia Williams is hitting .435 and leads Texas Tech with 22 home runs. The Red Raiders feature the pitching duo of Kaitlyn Terry (24-1, 1.39 ERA) and Nijaree Canady (23-5, 1.43 ERA). Terry also ranks seventh nationally with a .470 batting average.

Super Regional matchups

No. 16 LSU (40-17) at No. 1 Alabama (52-7)

Arizona State (44-16) at No. 2 Texas (45-10)

Mississippi State (41-18) at No. 3 Oklahoma (51-8)

No. 13 Oklahoma State (41-15) at No. 4 Nebraska (49-6)

No. 12 Duke (43-15) at No. 5 Arkansas (45-11)

No. 11 Texas Tech (55-6) at No. 6 FLORIDA (51-10)

No. 10 Georgia (41-18) at No. 7 Tennessee (45-10)

UCF (41-17-1) at No. 8 UCLA (50-8)

UF BASEBALL: GATORS GO TO HOOVER AS THE NO. 5 SEED

With their sweep of LSU, the Gators (37-18, 18-12 SEC) earned the No. 5 seed for the SEC Tournament which begins Tuesday in Hoover, Alabama. Florida finished off the regular season by outscoring LSU 37-20 in three games, taking the final 15-11 thanks to a 6-run ninth inning highlighted by a 2-run home run by Hayden Yost and a 3-run double by Caden McDonald.

Yost hit three home runs and drove in five while Cade Kurland hit two solo homers to cap a weekend in which the Gators left the yard at Alex Box Stadium 10 times. During the weekend Ethan Surowiec went 7-14 with two home runs and 10 RBI. Surowiec has 10 homers and 57 RBI for the season. Brendan Lawson, who went 3-9 with a home run against LSU, leads Florida with 14 home runs.

Liam Peterson pitched a 7-inning complete game Friday night when the Gators run-ruled LSU 11-1. Peterson gave up three hits and struck out 11.

As the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament, the Gators get a first round bye and won’t have to play until Wednesday when they face the winner of the Kentucky-Vanderbilt first round game. Aidan King (8-2, 2.50 ERA) is the likely starter for game one with Peterson going Thursday if the Gators win.

SEC Tournament schedule

Tuesday

1. No. 16 Missouri (23-30, 6-24 SEC) vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (36-20, 15-15 SEC)

2. No. 13 Kentucky (31-20, 13-17 SEC) vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt (32-24, 14-16 SEC)

3. No. 15 South Carolina (22-34, 7-23 SEC) vs. No. 10 Tennessee (37-19, 15-15 SEC)

4. No. 14 LSU (29-27, 9-21 SEC) vs. No. 11 Oklahoma (32-20, 14-16 SEC)

Wednesday

5. Winner game 1 vs. No. 8 Mississippi State (39-16, 16-14 SEC)

6. Winner game 2 vs. No. 5 FLORIDA (37-18, 18-12 SEC)

7. Winner game 3 vs. No. 7 Arkansas (36-19, 17-13 SEC)

8. Winner game 4 vs. No. 6 Auburn (36-18, 17-13 SEC)

Thursday quarterfinals

9. Winner game 5 vs. No. 1 Georgia (43-12, 23-7 SEC)

10. Winner game 6 vs. No. 4 Alabama (37-18, 18-12 SEC)

Friday quarterfinals

11. Winner game 7 vs. No. 2 Texas

12. Winner game 8 vs. No. 3 Texas A&M

Saturday semifinals

13. Winner game 10 vs. winner game 9

14. Winner game 12 vs. winner game 11

Sunday championship game

15. Winner game 14 vs. winner game 13

UF TRACK AND FIELD: WOMEN WIN SEC, MEN FINISH THIRD

In winning the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championship Saturday, the Florida women completed the rare triple crown – SEC championships in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field. It was the second triple crown in school history. Floria and Arkansas are the only SEC schools with more than one triple crown.

The Florida women finished the meet with 107 points, outdistancing second place Alabama by 20.5 points. The Florida men finished third with 78 points, trailing SEC champ Arkansas (110.5) and runner-up Alabama (94.5).

Aida Van Daalen won her third straight discuss gold medal, breaking her own SEC Championship record with a 218-10 throw. Van Daalen has the top seven discuss throws in the nation this year. Asia Phillips won the women’s triple jump and Gabrielle Matthews won the 100 with a blazing 10.97 time. Matthews also placed fourth in the 200 meters.

This was the 20^th SEC championship for Florida coach Mike Holloway, who has won eight women’s championships, four each indoor and outdoor.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: At their spring meetings, both the Big Ten and ACC have reaffirmed their support for doubling the current College Football Playoff field from 12 to 24 teams. The Big 12 and Notre Dame are both in favor of the 24-team model presented by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petiti.

Three of the four power conferences and Notre Dame would equal a majority under most circumstances, but not when the 800-pound gorilla in the room is the combination of Greg Sankey, the Southeastern Conference and ESPN. Barring being struck by lightning or by a stray piece of space junk that managed to make it through the atmosphere without being disintegrated, Sankey and the SEC will stand firm at their spring meetings, which take place next week in Destin. Sankey would prefer to stay at 12 teams but is okay expanding to 16. The SEC can afford to stand its ground because it has the full force of ESPN and all the ABC/Disney networks behind them. ESPN holds the contract to broadcast the CFP through 2031 and the network prefers to stay at 12 teams but would go along with expansion to 14 or 16 teams. Figure 16 is in the works.

This is a case when the strength of the SEC/ESPN alliance far outweighs a mob rule attempt by the Big Ten, proving once again that despite the big bucks Petiti negotiated with a three-network deal for media rights, the SEC still holds the power cards.

Meanwhile, as the conferences bicker over the College Football Playoff, something weird is happening in Washington DC. A bipartisan bill that has been agreed to in the Senate could be announced with sweeping changes that could lead to the antitrust exemption that college sports need to institute things such as salary caps and rules enforcement. A memo was circulated last week calling for capping coaches salaries, a Group of Six playoff and protection for the NCAA from litigation.

It is rare to get any kind of bipartisan legislation through the Congress these days and times but it is a beginning. Something needs to be done to get a common sense grip on college sports that seem hell bent on destroying what has made them great. Congress is usually the last thing you want involved in college sports, but the NCAA is so inept that even Congress seems like a better route to take when instituting much-needed reforms.

A better idea would be to scrap the NCAA altogether with this exception – let the NCAA continue to run championship tournaments and events. That is the one thing the organization has proven it has the organization and skills necessary to do at a high level. Everything else? Completely inept.

As long as college presidents, who know little about sports and business, are in charge the idea of seceding from the NCAA might be a pipe dream. Even if the presidents decide to cede control to business and sports people, it will be time consuming. Meanwhile, something needs to be done to reel in the chaos before the NCAA’s lack of vision and power leads to the destruction of college sports as we knew them.

Maybe, just maybe, Congress could save college sports. Wishful thinking perhaps, but every good idea has to have a starting point. Right now, this is the best option available.