Senior first baseman/catcher Jocelyn Erickson has had a decorated collegiate career thus far. But the 2024 NFCA Division I Softball Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year has turned it up a whole other notch in 2026.
Hitting in her usual No. 2 spot in the lineup, the Phoenix native sent her 15th longball of the season past the fence of the John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
With that round-tripper, Erickson has already matched the 15 home runs she hit in both 2024 and 2025. And the season is only about halfway through.
Behind Erickson’s usual excellence, No. 5 Florida (28-1, 5-0 SEC) dispatched Kentucky (19-8, 1-4 SEC) 8-0 for its second-consecutive run-rule win. With that, the Gators secured their second straight series victory in conference play.
Erickson wasn’t the only Gator hitter who delivered as usual on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore outfielder Taylor Shumaker continued to be an on-base machine, recording two hits and drawing a walk. That brought UF’s leadoff hitters' batting average to a staggering .510 mark.
Florida’s offense was on point all game, scoring a run in each of the five innings of play.
In the opening frame, senior infielder Kendall Grover fired a double into center field, scoring senior infielder Kenleigh Calahan. Then, in the second inning, redshirt freshman outfielder Townsen Thomas showcased her effective baserunning skills, stealing third base and then scoring on a fielding error by UK junior infielder Emory Donaldson.
The Gators then tallied three runs in both the third and fourth frames. Erickson’s two-run bomb to deep left field scored Shumaker, before Thomas delivered her third double of the series to score Calahan.
In the fourth, Florida earned its runs in some unconventional ways. Grover was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, which scored Shumaker. Then, both junior designated player Madison Walker and Thomas hit into fielder's choice groundouts, which scored Erickson and Calahan, respectively.
With the gap 8-0, the Gators put the icing on the cake in the fifth frame. Junior outfielder Cassidy McLellan hit a solo shot on a full-count to extend the lead to nine.
While Florida’s offensive output was impressive, it's expected from a unit that averages over 9.5 RBIs per game. What was unexpected, however, was the outstanding performance by sophomore pitcher Katelynn Oxley.
The last time Oxley saw the circle was Feb. 27, where she earned UF’s only loss of the season after giving up six earned runs in two innings against UCLA.
But the right-hander from Bartow, Florida, responded in fashion Saturday. She dealt for five scoreless innings, racking up seven strikeouts while only allowing two hits.
The Gators will finish off the series against the Wildcats Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET at John Cropp Stadium.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @maxbernstein23.
Max is a junior sports journalism student in his seventh semester at The Alligator. He serves as The Alligator's assistant sports editor and football beat coordinator. He previously served as The Alligator's sports editor and as a reporter for football, women's tennis, volleyball, lacrosse and sports enterprise. He also has made multiple appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. Max wants to shoutout his cats, Scooter and Zoe, and niche former Florida Panthers players (shoutout Maxim Mamin).
