ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
Coming off a conference-series win against No. 17 Alabama, the No. 8 Florida softball team will stay home to play USF on Wednesday. The teams last met on Feb. 9 when the Gators (39-10, 11-7 SEC) made easy work of the Bulls in five innings, 8-0.
Morning victory highlights for your feed pic.twitter.com/KhLJgzZH4n
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) April 20, 2025
Scouting the Bulls
The Bulls (36-12-1, 15-5-1 AAC) are no team to look over. They are on a six-game win streak with back-to-back conference wins. They also have a top-25 win under their belts against No. 23 FAU.
USF is led by junior Alexa Galligani and sophomore Alex Wilkes at the plate. Galligani leads the team with a .373 average and has 50 hits this season. She’s also a wall in the outfield with a perfect fielding percentage. Wilkes has a team-best 53 hits and nine home runs. The sophomore is batting .344 and leads the team in total bases with 89.
The Bulls ace is senior Belle Sardja. She earned her second-straight American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week award on Monday by boasting a 0.00 ERA last week. Sarja has 68 strikeouts in 105 innings pitched with an ERA of 1.93 on the season. She is a presence to look out for in the circle.
Last Meeting
Back in February, Florida made easy work of the Bulls in Tampa. The game featured two Taylor Shumaker home runs and Kendra Falby’s first homer of the season.
The Gators offense has slowed down since the beginning of the season, especially through a gauntlet of SEC play. While USF is no SEC team, it is not a team to be overlooked. With a solid pitcher in the opposing circle, the Gators need to get on base early. If they wait too long, they struggle to bring in runs, something the Bulls will take advantage of.
Florida’s Keys
Not only will hitting early be important, pitching will also be a key for Florida. Keagan Rothrock had an up-and-down series against Alabama. In Game 1, she gave up seven runs in the first inning and was pulled early. But, in Game 3, the sophomore threw lights out, picking up seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings. This midweek game could be an opportunity for Rothrock to continue working out the kinks after coming back from injury. If she doesn’t play, the game gives the bullpen behind her some more crucial reps before heading into more tough conference matchups.
(K)EAGAN X @_kea01
Five strikeouts on the day!
ESPN2 | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/6jCiJsuFQY
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) April 19, 2025
Game Time and Where to Watch
Wednesday’s game is set for 6 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. It is available to watch on SEC Network+. Live coverage is also available on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF starting at 5:45.
SEC Honors
Shumaker earned her third SEC Freshman of the Week honor on Tuesday. The freshman outfielder hit .500 in Florida’s series win against Alabama to drive in a team-best seven runs with a pair of home runs. Shumaker recorded a pair of doubles and now holds the Florida freshman record for doubles (16) and RBI.
