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The No. 8 Florida Gators play host to No. 22 Alabama for a three-game conference series beginning Thursday. Both teams are coming of SEC series victories with the Gators taking down No. 19 Ole Miss and the Crimson Tide pulling off the upset against No. 2 Oklahoma.
SERIES IS SECURED
No. 8 @GatorsSB clinches the series against No. 19 Ole Miss with a 14-3 win in game two!#NCAASoftball pic.twitter.com/GxnssQQJMA
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) April 12, 2025
Familiar Foes
The Gators (37-9, 9-6 SEC) have a long history against the Crimson Tide (30-16, 7-8). Alabama leads the all-time series by just one game, 45-44. Last season, Florida knocked Alabama out of the Women’s College World Series to advance to the semifinal. Jocelyn Erickson led the Gators in the 6-4 postseason win with a three-run homer and four RBIs.
Florida is 14-22 at home against the Tide. Last season, the Gators won the series in Tuscaloosa. But, the Crimson Tide took the previous series in Gainesville. These teams often go toe to toe, plain and simple. In a revenge series for Alabama, Florida has to stay composed to come away with a win.
Assessing Alabama
Against Oklahoma over the weekend, freshman outfielder Audrey Vandagriff came up big for Alabama, hitting a walk-off home run in extra innings to secure the series win. Vandagriff has been a key player for the Crimson Tide by leading the team with a .430 batting average and 55 hits. The freshman leads college softball in stolen bases with 46. Florida’s leading base stealer, Kendra Falby, is eighth in the NCAA with 33.
Batting just behind her is the team’s home run leader, infielder Kali Heivilin. The senior has hit 12 out of the park while hitting .375. Overall, Alabama’s lineup is strong, top to bottom.
Alabama’s pitching staff is another thing for coach Tim Walton and the Gators to worry about. All three leading pitchers have sub-3 ERAs and opposing batting averages under .270. Florida has struggled against good pitching and Alabama has lots of it.
Florida’s Factors
A key word for the Gators going into this series is confidence. Against Ole Miss, they had lots of it. They had their bats going and hung in against good pitching and a solid opposing lineup. Especially in Game 1, Florida had to match the Rebels run for run and did so well. The team will need this level of energy against Alabama, which has no trouble scoring and taking advantage of mistakes.
The Gators also need their pitchers to be in control in the circle. Alabama’s lineup leaves no room for mistakes. On top of that, the Crimson Tide are rolling into Gainesville on a high after beating the second-best team in the country. If the pitchers let things get out of hand, their offense might not be able to help them. Limiting free bases will be key for the Gators, especially with Vandagriff at the top of the Alabama lineup. Letting her on base is basically giving up a free double, if not a free triple. Florida needs to put all the pieces together to escape this series with a win.
Game time and Where to Watch
First pitch on Thursday is set for 6 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The game is available to watch on SEC Network. Live coverage is also available on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF starting at 5:45 p.m.
