The UF softball team has dominated Florida State over the last decade.
Since head coach Tim Walton took command of the program in 2006, the Gators are 15-3 against the Seminoles and have won 15 of the last 16 meetings.
No. 1 Florida (38-3) will look to further its success at 7 p.m. in a home matchup against No. 8 FSU (31-4), the first of two meetings this season between the in-state rivals.
"Tomorrow’s game against Florida State and this weekend’s series with (Louisiana at Lafayette) is a good out-of-conference challenge for us," coach Tim Walton said in a release.
"Playing Florida State at home drew the largest crowd in our school’s history, so I can’t wait to see another great scene tomorrow night."
After falling to No. 2 last week — the first time in a year the Gators didn’t own the nation’s top spot — Florida regained its position atop the polls with a convincing sweep of Ole Miss.
UF outscored the Rebels 18-3, hit .314 and slugged eight home runs in the series.
But Florida State presents a greater challenge.
Like the Gators, the Seminoles boast a top-10 pitching staff. FSU’s team ERA of 1.96 is ninth best in the country, while Florida’s 0.85 ERA is first.
Even with the top ERA, FSU will test Florida’s pitchers.
The Seminoles rank highly in a number of offensive categories, coming in second in on-base percentage (.456), fifth in batting average (.352) and sixth in scoring (8.11 runs per game).
On the flip side, Florida ranks inside the top 10 in only one of those categories — ninth in on-base percentage (.448) — and has scored two fewer runs per contest (5.98).
However, Florida has faced a more arduous schedule and experienced consistent success against elite competition.
All three of the Gators’ losses this season have come against current top-five teams.
"FSU is a team and program that plays very good defense, has great pitching and a dynamic offense," Walton said. "They present a lot of challenges all the way around. (Today’s) game should be a very good softball matchup for not only the state of Florida but for everyone."
The game can be seen on the SEC Network.
Contact Brian Lee at blee@alligator.org and you can follow him on Twitter @brianlee_17.
Tim Walton talks with Taylor Schwarz during Florida's doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville on Feb. 17, 2016, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
