Softball Unveils 2010 Schedule
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 | Softball
University of Florida head softball coach Tim Walton announced the 2010 schedule on Tuesday afternoon. The Gators will face two teams who also competed in the 2009 Women's College World Series, both SEC oppponents, including Alabama, who the Gators defeated in the SEC Tournament Championship and WCWS. The schedule also features three early-season tournaments, including one hosted by the Gators and one in California, where the seven players will have a chance to play in their home state.
Florida comes off one of the best seasons in the program's history, as the Gators amassed a 63-5 record and made their second trip to the WCWS and their first to the championship series. The 2009 Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament champions return 11 starters, including four All-Americans. They will be facing 13 teams that played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
The Gators kick off their season with the USF-DeMarini Tournament in Clearwater, Fla., where they will play five games. The first game is against Georgia Tech on Feb. 12, with whom the Gators lead the series 5-0. They return home to Gainesville their first home game, against Jacksonville on Feb. 17. Florida then hosts the Lipton Invitational at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium from Feb. 19-21. Kansas, Marshall, East Carolina and Campbell will travel to UF for the three-day, round-robin tournament. The Gators then head to Cal State Fullerton to play five contests, including facing off against Stanford and Cal State Fullerton, which both played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament with Stanford advancing to the Super Regionals.
The Gators open the SEC season with a doubleheader against Georgia on the road on March 10. Georgia finished last season with a WCWS appearance and ranked fourth, but Florida has won the past eight contests. The team returns home that weekend to a three-game series against Ole Miss and then hosts Auburn in another doubleheader on March 17. The Gators went through Auburn to capture their second straight SEC Tournament title last season. They then hit the road to face off against Big-12 rival Baylor on in a three-game series starting March 20.
After a short trip back home to play in-state rival USF on March 25, the Gators head to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a much-anticipated matchup with Alabama on March 27-28. After having a record-breaking crowd witness the doubleheader defeat of the Tide at Pressly Stadium last March, the Gators beat Alabama, 8-5, in the SEC Tournament Championship. The two teams met again in the WCWS and then-senior Ali Gardiner's (Waccubuc, N.Y.) walk-off grand slam won the game for the Gators, 6-5, advancing them to the championship series against Washington.
Before returning home, the Gators head to Orlando, Fla., to play UCF on March 31. Back in Gainesville, Florida will play three games against conference-opponent LSU beginning on April 3. Last season, the Gators shut out the Tigers in all games of the series to clinch the regular-season SEC title. Conference play continues on the road the following weekend when the Gators play Arkansas, with whom Florida leads their all-time series, 26-10.
The Gators head to Tallahassee on April 14 to play Florida State, who ended last season ranked in the top 25. They look to get even in the all-time series, as they currently trail 12-13. UF is back in Gainesville to play three contests against Kentucky the following weekend as they look to continue their nine-game win streak over the Wildcats. On April 20, the Gators play FIU before leaving for six-game road trip.
Florida begins in Knoxville, Tenn., as it takes on previously-ranked 20/16 Tennessee, whom the Gators swept in the regular season and SEC Tournament with a combined score of 29-4. The Gators kick off the month of May with three games at Mississippi State beginning May 1. While the series record of 20-17 is close, the Gators have won the past eight contests. Florida ends their regular season with a doubleheader against North Florida on May 5 and then a series against South Carolina on May 8-9.
The SEC Tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 13, in Fayetteville, Ark., with the championship game being played on May 15. The NCAA Tournament will begin with Regional action on May 20 at 16 sites across the country. Super Regionals will take place the following weekend at eight different venues. The eight-team WCWS in Oklahoma City, Okla., runs from June 3-9.
Please visit http://www.gatorzone.com/sched.php?sport=softb for all dates and times.
