Gators Softball Opens SEC Play At Texas A&M

After a month of invitationals, the No. 3 Florida Gators softball team will finally begin conference play this weekend— and it’s a heavyweight tilt.

Florida will head to College Station to face off against No. 5 Texas A&M for its first taste of SEC softball.

A Look at the Aggies

TAMU fell just short of Oklahoma last season, dropping two against Texas in the Super Regionals. This year, the Aggies are looking for redemption. They’ve stormed to a 20-2 record, with the two losses coming against ranked Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

Like other top-ranked teams in the nation, TAMU boasts an offense that can fully dismantle a team when firing at all cylinders. The Aggies have put up 190 hits and 19 home runs in their first 22 games.

However, their biggest strength comes in the circle— specifically, in the form of freshman phenom Sydney Lessentine. Lessentine has a 0.91 ERA on the season, ranking her 22nd in the nation. She recorded her first career no-hitter against Abilene Christian, a feat that saw her named SEC Freshman of the Week.

Well deserved 👏

Congrats @sydlessentine on your first career SEC weekly honor!

📰 https://t.co/FxA1pvICmC#GigEm pic.twitter.com/s4ewHfJqCz

— Texas A&M Softball (@AggieSoftball) March 3, 2025

The rest of TAMU’s rotation isn’t anything to scoff at, either. Of the team’s three other starters, two of them have ERAs under 2.00.

Breakdown of the Gators

The Gators (24-1) had a bit more preparation going into the weekend, coming off a mid-week routing of Houston for their seventh consecutive run-rule victory.

Since dropping its first game against Duke during the Bubly Invitational, Florida has been all gas, no breaks. The Gators lead the nation with a .403 batting average, spearheaded by none other than Kendra Falby, who is batting a whopping .500 this season. They also have more hits, home runs, and total runs than any other team.

When it comes to recent performances, Taylor Shumaker has continued her spectacular freshman campaign. She led the way against Houston with a career-best six RBI, going yard for the 12th time this season. Jocelyn Erickson has also been lights out recently. Despite a slow start to the season, she picked up the pace in the Sun Devil Classic and Florida Invitational, tallying four homers in that span.

Shumaker goes 3-4 with a career-high 6 RBI x @shumaker_taylor

📺 ESPN+ | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/LTgCRN0dpi

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) March 6, 2025

Meanwhile, Katelynn Oxley has already slotted herself into the starting lineup as a freshman and will only get more and more starts as Florida begins conference play.

Looking Ahead

Florida faces a gauntlet of teams to kick off SEC play. After TAMU, the Gators will host No. 2 Texas and then head to Alabama to take on Auburn.

The SEC is the toughest conference in the nation. Everybody knows the Gators are good, but they have the rest of the season to prove that they’re great.

Friday’s game against the Aggies starts at 7 p.m. It will be broadcasted on SEC Network+.