Gators Softball Opens Season Against UNF

The Florida Gators softball team begins the season against North Florida at 6 p.m. today at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The Gators are 16-0 all time against the Ospreys and won 14-to-0 in five innings in  last year’s matchup. Hopeful for another Women’s College World Series appearance, the Gators look to start off strong.

It all starts tomorrow 👀#GoGators https://t.co/sJsBgQpvwm

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 5, 2025

Fresh Florida Faces

With a team full of returning players, Florida’s expected lineup will only feature a couple of new faces. Replacing graduate Skylar Wallace at shortstop will be graduate transfer Rylee Holtorf. Last season at Washington, Holtorf was a First-Team All Pac-12 player, posting a .336 batting average. She also tallied 11 homers last season for the Huskies and was solid defensively with .942 fielding percentage. The team hopes Holtorf can fill Wallace’s spot up the middle.

Another transfer in the lineup will be Kenleigh Cahalan at third base. The junior was an All-SEC Second Team pick last season at Alabama and started all 59 games. She brought in 25 runs as a sophomore, batting .296.

The final new addition to the lineup is Taylor Shumaker in right field, the only freshman predicted to be in the lineup. As a high school senior, Shumaker batted .620 and drove in 18 homers in 25 games. The California native hopex to make a splash early in her career and will have senior stars Korbe Otis and Kendra Falby for guidance in the outfield.

WEST COAST ➡️ EAST COAST

Meet our outfielder from Fullerton, CA, Taylor Shumaker! Drop a 🐊 in the comments if you're excited to see Taylor play!

Details » https://t.co/z8lRrhLDhe | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/9PdjYKWRM0

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) January 2, 2025

Keys for UNF

UNF will come out swinging against the Gators. The Ospreys are projected to finish first in the Atlantic Sun Conference Coaches Poll and have the conference preseason player of the year senior Allison Benning, who is a presence on the mound for UNF and doubles as a utility player in the field. Last season, she posted a sub-two ERA and batted .347 for the Ospreys. In the field, Benning recorded just one error on her way to a .979 fielding percentage.

𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗔𝗦𝗨𝗡 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿. pic.twitter.com/2koqKZVrtY

— UNF Softball (@OspreySB) January 30, 2025

Another notable player for the Ospreys is Kirsten Caravaca, the junior catcher who, along with Benning, was named to the Preseason All-ASUN Team. She is a force behind the plate with a career fielding percentage of .991 and a solid piece in the lineup. If the Ospreys hope to give the Gators a run for their money, they’ll need to see solid play from the circle and behind the plate.

First Pitch

Thursday’s opener will air on the SEC Network+. Florida will travel to Tampa for the USF-Rawlings Invitational this weekend.