After two sweeps against Missouri and Kentucky to begin conference play, the No. 5 Florida Gators are about to face their toughest test this season: the No. 1 Tennessee Lady Volunteers.
Additionally, the Gators will be seeking revenge in the series after being eliminated by the Vols in last season’s Women’s College World Series, 11–3. Florida will look to flip the script, as it has gone 2–8 in its last 10 meetings against Tennessee, with its most recent win coming in 2022.
There will be plenty of celebration in the air Saturday, as the Gators host their annual Yellow Game in honor of Florida’s Sunflower Saturday tradition.
Sunflower Saturdays are in remembrance of Heather Braswell, an honorary member of the club from 2009-14 and a fixture in the team's dugout. Braswell was diagnosed with Brain Cancer in 2009 and passed away 10 weeks before Florida’s first National Championship in 2014. Her mother Terri will throw out the first pitch on Saturday.
“I think our players have embraced that the sunflowers is a big deal, and hearing from young people to hear them talk about how much of an impact it has is pretty fun to see,”, UF head coach Tim Walton said.
Moreover, Florida is seeking its second series victory over a No. 1-ranked team in the past two seasons, following last year’s home finale in which the Gators took two of three from top-ranked Oklahoma.
With that being said, here are two keys for Florida to win its third consecutive SEC series of the season.
Early offensive production
It’s no secret that the recipe for success this weekend for Florida comes in the batter’s box. Coming into Friday, UF leads the nation in doubles (70), with sophomore Taylor Shumaker leading the charge (11). Shumaker also leads the nation in runs scored (49).
They also rank in the top-5 in hits (338), home runs (67), on-base percentage (.501), RBIs (286), scoring (9.83), pitching shutouts (12), slugging percentage (.728), and total runs (295)
Florida has thrived on plate discipline early in the season, leading the country in drawn walks (155).
Junior Jocelyn Erickson has been on a tear over the last seven games, slugging six home runs, including one in each game against Kentucky. She now has 16 home runs this season, a new single-season career high.
The Lady Vols have a trio in the circle that is arguably the most dominant pitching staff in the nation thus far. The trio of Karlyn Pickens, Sage Mardjetko, and Erin Nuwer are the three projected starters for Tennessee this weekend and all have earned run averages under one.
Nonetheless, for Florida's success, it will need to get to the Vols’ bullpen early; otherwise, it could be a long weekend if Tennessee continues to dominate in the circle.
Dominance in the circle
The start of the 2026 campaign has been nothing short of dominant for Florida ace Keagan Rothrock, and her performance will be pivotal this weekend. The junior has already matched her 2025 win total with a nation-leading 16 victories in the circle.
Out of the bullpen, junior Olivia Miller will be a vital piece of the puzzle in the circle. In 19.1 innings of work this season, the southpaw holds a 1.09 ERA and, in her last appearance, tossed a career-high 7.1 innings in a walk-off victory against Missouri on March 8
With the injury to junior Ava Brown, the Gators were in search of a reliable No. 2 starter in the circle. Despite early-season struggles, sophomore Katelynn Oxley found her stride last weekend. She tossed a season-high five innings in the series victory over Kentucky and struck out seven batters, the second-highest total of her young career as a Gator.
In fact, the magic number for the Lady Vols has been three for quite some time. Since 2023, UT is 157-9 when scoring three or more runs.
Limiting the Vols to fewer than three runs is a tall task, but Florida has proven up to the challenge, holding opponents to under three runs in 20 of its 30 games this season.
The marquee series begins today. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Contact Zach Moore at zmoore@alligator.org. Follow him on X @zach_moore27.
Zach is a sophomore sports journalism student in his first semester at The Alligator, covering softball. He also has experience as an intern in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Zach enjoys watching sports in his free time, primarily the Minnesota Vikings, Orlando Magic, and Arsenal FC.
