It’s evident that heading into 2026, the strongest unit on the Florida softball team was in the circle. Over the weekend, it showed. Over the five-game stretch, the pitching staff hurled four shutouts.
On Sunday, Florida junior Keagan Rothrock recorded her ninth start of the season and it was her most impressive thus far. The Gator ace threw her fourth complete game of the year and had a season-high 11 strikeouts.
“We've really been working hard on getting the lead off out, getting first pitch strikes, getting ahead, not working behind stuff like that's really important,” Rothrock said postgame.
Behind Rothrock, No. 4 Florida (19-0) cruised to a 7-0 win over Middle Tennessee (5-9) on Sunday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Florida’s offense got the scoring started in the first inning. Sophomore Taylor Shumaker led the game off by drawing a walk. Then, senior Jocelyn Erickson and junior Kendall Grover singled, and the Gators loaded the bases.
As a result, that brought up the cleanup hitter, senior Kenleigh Cahalan, and she barely missed her eighth longball of the year, but the fly out brought home Shumaker to give Florida a 1-0 lead.
That wasn’t it for Cahalan on Sunday. In the bottom of the third, she launched a three- run homer that hit the right field foul pole to extend the Gators advantage 4-0. She leads Florida with eight home runs and 32 RBIs this year.
“I just trusted my preparation, because that's where I get my confidence when I get a lot of work in before the game throughout the week. So I was very, very thankful for that.” Cahalan said.
Florida’s offense stalled until the bottom of the sixth, but Missouri transfer junior Madison Walker launched another three-run homer to extend the lead to 7–0. Walker continues to be a vital piece in Florida’s lineup and has emerged as the team’s top pinch-hitting option if on the bench.
After the game, UF head coach Tim Walton reflected on the opportunity ahead for the Gators at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California.
“I'm excited for our team. I always enjoy going out west, you know, not only because of the competition, but for our fans. We get a lot of former players and their families,” Walton said.
Florida returns to action on Thursday in the Judi Garman Classic against California. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, California.
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.
