Clinching the doubles point in five consecutive matches to kick off the season, the Gators had a newfound strength pushing them forward. However, that strong point suddenly shrank when conference play began, and the Gators shouldered the responsibility of rebuilding confidence in the home stretch of the season.
After going a combined 5-over-par in the first two rounds, the Gators were out of the top 15. It looked as if they wouldn’t even make it past the top-15 cut. However, No. 2 UF prevailed as it has all season, posting a 284 (-4) in Round 3. Then, the Gators scored a tournament-best 276 (-12) in Round 4, advancing to match play.
Eddie McLendon works a camera for GatorVision. The UF’s in-house broadcast operation is responsible for putting every pitch, swing and out on the SEC Network. McLendon has been at GatorVision since it started in 2014.
Hogan committed to Starkville, Mississippi, in September 2024 and decommitted 15 months later when the University of Florida hired Zimmerman as its next soccer head coach.He recruited Hogan to the Gators later that month, and she signed with them at the beginning of the new calendar year.
After graduating from Stanford with one year of eligibility remaining, Houghton chose to spend her final collegiate season at Florida. The move was completely different from the collegiate sports experience she had on the West Coast.
When Nadi’ya was as young as 10 years old, she began seeking out extra training on her own, running with her brothers and finding ways to improve her athleticism.
Troy exploded for nine runs in the sixth, turning a competitive contest into a rout as Florida (41-20) fell to the Trojans (35-30) 16-11, in the Gainesville Regional on Sunday at Condron Ballpark.
The Gators erupted for seven runs in both the sixth and eighth innings, powering Florida (41-19) to a 22-10 victory over Miami (39-19) Saturday night in the Gainesville Regional.
Across two days of competition in Lexington, the Florida women’s track and field team earned 16 bids to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, set to be held inside Hayward Field at the University of Oregon from June 10-13. The Gators will send 17 women’s entries in total, as sophomore Pauline Bikembo had already qualified in the heptathlon.
There were plenty of nice moments for the Florida men’s track and field team in Lexington, as the University of Kentucky played host to the NCAA East Regional. Across two days of competition, the Gators secured 11 bids – 10 individual and one relay – to the NCAA Championships, hosted in Eugene, Oregon, from June 10-13.
Lawson’s blast capped off a dramatic comeback as Florida (40-19, 18-12 SEC) survived Rider (33-19, 22-8 MAC), 8-7, Friday in the opening game of the Gainesville Regional.
The Gainesville Regional begins Friday as Florida returns home to face Rider University in its first game of the weekend. Florida secured a top-eight national seed and hosting rights for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
UF powered its way to dominant wins over No. 12 seed Vanderbilt and No. 4 seed Alabama behind explosive hitting performances from multiple players, but a late-game collapse against No. 1 seed Georgia ended the Gators’ run one game short of the SEC Championship game.
To say the least, the 2026 campaign has been a whirlwind of a time for Florida softball. Despite the raw power and long-term dominance the Gators flashed throughout the season, they fell short of their 14th Women’s College World Series. After three hard-fought games in the NCAA Super Regionals, UF saw its season end at the hands of the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
With guard Xaivian Lee graduating and multiple Gators expected to test the waters of the NBA Draft, questions arose about whether Florida could rebuild a championship-caliber roster. Nonetheless, four out of five starters will make their return for the 2026-27 season, providing the Gators with a promising, experienced core and a high level of continuity.
Solutions by The State News
