No. 4/5 Florida softball (7-0) stayed undefeated Wednesday after two mid-week matchups against Jacksonville University. 

The Gators are 33-0 all-time against the Dolphins, with their largest margin of victory Tuesday in a 20-0 victory in five innings at Pruitt Softball Complex. Florida won 11-1 for the sweep in Game 2.

Game 2:

Florida ace Keagan Rothrock got the starting nod for the Gators home opener. In the USF-Rawlings Invitational, Rothrock picked up a 3-0 record and a 1.53 ERA.

Rothrock wasted no time picking up where she left off. The junior struck out five of her first seven batters faced. Rothrock ended the game with four innings pitched and 10 strikeouts, her first 10-plus strikeout game since a win against Mercer on March 15, 2024.

“After being out for the amount of time that I was last year, it did take a toll on my mental game,” Rothrock said. “Having this offseason to really hone in and focus on my mental game and find a routine and a reset that works and being able to lean into my fielders has been really huge and, honestly, I think with all of those things combined it’s helped me to throw the game that I did today.”

Designated hitter Ava Brown got the Gators started in the second inning, launching a ball down left field for her second home run of the year. 

In the bottom of the third, with the bases loaded, senior shortstop Kenleigh Calahan hit a grand slam out to center field, extending Florida’s lead to seven. Calahan’s moonshot was the program’s first grand slam in a home opener.

Florida’s home run party was not done yet, as 2025 NFCA Freshman of the Year Taylor Shumaker showed the Gator faithful that a sophomore slump is not in the cards. Shumaker hit a ball to right field and there was no doubt about it. 

With bases loaded once again in the bottom of the fourth, Florida scored three more runs and put the final nail in the coffin for Jacksonville. 

The Dolphins went on to break Florida’s 31 run streak, as 1B Tatum McCool hit a home run off Katelynn Oxley, who was relieving for Rothrock. 

Florida looks red hot as it goes into the Florida Classic. The Gators will face Marshall on Friday, the first game of a double header. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.

Game 1:

Gators coach Tim Walton made a change to the lineup to begin this mid-week matchup, moving freshman outfielder Townsen Thomas from the leadoff spot to the nine-hole.

“I wanted to move her in the South Florida game, I just didn’t have us prepared for that move,” Walton said. “She’s just swinging at bad pitches. I don’t not expect that from a freshman, so I just wanted to take that pressure off her a little bit. I think, right now, this will be my lineup for a while.” 

The Gators batted around twice and had eight hits in the third inning. Their 14-run third inning was the most runs scored in a single inning in program history since they scored 15 against Ohio State nearly 12 years ago. 

The Gators had 10 walks and 16 hits in their 20-run victory. Kendall Grover hit the lone home run of the night, a two-run homer in the third inning. This was Grover’s first long ball as a Gator since transferring from East Illinois. 

Starting in the circle for Florida was Ava Brown, who earned her second win of the season as she pitched three innings and earned two strikeouts. At the plate, the captain had one hit and two walks on the night. 

Category: College Softball, Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Softball