For the Florida softball team, the journey to its third consecutive national championship begins tonight. And for the third consecutive year, the campaign kicks off in South Florida.
The Gators’ season starts tonight at 6:45 p.m. with a game against Illinois State, the first of four matchups this weekend at the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament. The competition will intensify on Saturday as No. 1 UF takes on No. 2 Michigan — the first meeting between the two teams since Florida’s championship-clinching win in the final game of the 2015 Women’s College World Series. Florida will also face Virginia Tech and South Florida in a doubleheader on Sunday.
The opening tournament marks the final chapter for a decorated class of seniors and the opening act for an anxious troupe of freshmen.
"These kids have been committed to us for a long time," coach Tim Walton said. "I’m sure they’ve all run this through their head what the first weekend’s gonna be like."
Nerves aside, the tournament is a good omen for the Gators, who are 24-1 in the tournament since they started playing it in 2010.
UF’s opener against Illinois State is the first of three games this season against the Redbirds, with the Gators holding a 4-2 advantage all-time. The last time the teams met, pitcher Aleshia Ocasio threw a complete game one-hitter en route to a 4-1 win.
Florida’s matchup against Michigan on Saturday will fan the flames of a brewing rivalry between the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked programs in the country.
Against the Wolverines, the Gators will look to set a positive tone for the season against an opponent it will likely see later this Spring.
Since 2009, every champion except one has won its first rematch against the team it defeated. The lone exception was Washington, who lost to the runner-up Gators the next time they faced off.
Both teams retained an abundance of talent from last season’s squads. Florida returned 14 players, compared to 16 for Michigan.
In 2015, the teams boasted impressive pitching staffs. Florida ranked fourth nationally with a 1.63 earned run average, while Michigan was slightly higher at 1.66 — good enough for fifth-best.
The tournament will be an opportunity for the freshmen to start their careers with a win, just like the seasoned senior class they share the field with.
"There’s nothing like your first ever time putting that uniform on and your first at bat." Walton said. "Those are things that you’ll remember forever."
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
Contact Brian Lee at blee@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @brianlee_17.
Sights from Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium June 4, 2015, as the UF softball team returned home from Oklahoma City as back-to-back national champions.
