PREVIEW: No. 1 Florida Softball Hosts Jacksonville in Home Opener

The 4-0 Florida Gator softball team is returning to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Wednesday for its first regular-season home game since they won the 2015 national championship. Florida will host the Jacksonville Dolphins (3-1) in a double header.

The two-time defending champion Gators started off their season last weekend in Tampa, defeating all four opponents outscoring them 38-1, including number two ranked Michigan. The Gators shut out and run-ruled their first three opponents for the first time since 2012.

Florida pitcher Aleshia Ocasio tossed a three-hit six-inning shutout against Virginia Tech in the opening game. Fellow pitchers Kelly Barnhill and Delanie Gourley combined for seven punch outs while allowing just one run on two hits in a win over USF.

Ocasio says the team has a few things to work on going into their next game.

Florida has run-ruled Jacksonville five times, including three of its last five meetings.

Jacksonville finished its opening weekend with three wins and one loss. All three of the Dolphins’ victories were mounted on comebacks. In their last win against Coastal Carolina, Dolphin Adrienne Ramsay scored on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the seventh for the game-winning run.

The Dolphins have a .280 batting average, .385 on-base percentage and 19 runs scored.

Florida head coach Tim Walton says the team is ready for the challenge of tonight’s double header.

As a team, Florida ranks fourth in the league in hitting (.376), third in one-base percentage (.543) and fifth in runs scored (38).

The first pitch is set for 5:00 p.m.