March 25, 2026, 5:30 p.m. ET
Florida softball outfielder Taylor Shumaker was named SEC Player of the Week for the second time this season, sharing the weekly honor with Oklahoma’s Isabela Emerling after helping lead the Gators to a 2-1 series victory over the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers.
It is the latest accolade for a sophomore who has looked every bit like one of the best players in college softball through the first month and a half of the season.
Shumaker was at her best when Florida needed her most. She batted .500, going 5-for-10, with a home run, two RBI, a walk and two runs scored across three games against a Tennessee pitching staff that carries the lowest ERA in the NCAA.
In the series-clinching game, she accounted for two of Florida’s three runs, opening the rubber match with a leadoff solo home run before adding an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to seal it for the Orange and Blue.
The performance extended Shumaker’s hitting streak to 15 games, the longest of her career and the best active streak on the roster.
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For the year, the 6-foot sophomore from Fullerton, California, is batting .496 with 13 home runs, 43 RBI and 51 runs scored in 33 games.
Shumaker, the 2025 NFCA Freshman of the Year, broke Florida’s single-season records for home runs and RBI before her first year on campus was even finished. She is already one of the most decorated players in Gators softball history and her sophomore campaign is still very much in its early stages.
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