Gators Softball Set for NCAA Regional in Palo Alto

The Gators softball postseason is set to begin in Palo Alto, California, on Friday in the Palo Alto Regional. Florida (36-20) will face Loyola Marymount University (27-20) in its first game at 6 p.m. The ninth ranked Stanford Cardinal and Long Beach State are also in the regional.

The Road to Oklahoma City starts in Palo Alto‼️ #GoGators pic.twitter.com/mNYB15Cn1I

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 15, 2023

Florida heads back to the west coast for the second time this season where they hope to see better results.

The Gators played in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic back in February, going 1-3. The team fell to UCLA, Oregon and Cal State Fullerton, and defeated UC Riverside.

Gators on the Road

Florida Softball will be in enemy territory to begin postseason play. The Gators have gone 8-10 on the road and are 4-4 in neutral site games.

Gator Nation we present to you @Wallace2Skylar, the 2023 @SEC Player of the Year‼️

Wallace is the 7th Gator to be selected for the prestigious award! #GoGators pic.twitter.com/wT4xiM5crn

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 12, 2023

The Gators are led by Skylar Wallace, the SEC Player of the Year, who comes into the tournament hitting .460 with 19 home runs and 55 RBIs. Additionally, Charla Echols comes into the tournament hitting .360 with 11 home runs and a team high 63 RBIs. Echols was named to the All-SEC First Team and the SEC All-Defensive Team for a second time.

Loyola Marymount

https://twitter.com/lmulionsSB/status/1657564823696338944?cxt=HHwWgMDTyZmb7YAuAAAA

This is LMU’s second NCAA Tournament in school history and their second consecutive appearance after winning the West Coast Conference in back-to-back seasons.

The Lions are 7-4 on the road and 9-8 in neutral site games, this season.

Offensively, the team is led by Morgan DeBord. She ended the season hitting .322 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs, and Izzy Jamgotchian comes in hitting .287 with six home runs and 34 RBIs.

History

The Lions and Gators face off for the fifth time in program history. The Gators have won all four of the matchups. The last time the two teams played each other was in 2018, and Florida came out victorious with a 13-0 win.

First pitch is at 6 p.m. on Friday.