Gators Begin Season Thursday in Tampa
Wednesday, February 5, 2014 | Softball
The No. 3/4 Gator Softball team will open the 2014 season Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. with a game at No. 23/25 USF before playing at the USF Tournament Feb. 7-9. Florida will play five games over the three days of the tournament, including a game Saturday against No. 4/5 Michigan.
Florida's games on Thursday, Friday and Sunday can be heard locally on WGGG 1230-AM, while ESPN 850 will carry Saturday's contest. Mike Gillespie and former Gator All-American Megan Bush will have the call. Fans can follow the Gators throughout their games in Tampa on Gametracker, which is available on the team's schedule page.
The Orange and Blue own a 26-5 record in season openers all-time, including a 12-3 mark under Head Coach Tim Walton.
The Gators will open the tournament Friday against Illinois State at 11 a.m., followed by Wisconsin at 1:15 p.m. Saturday features the Michigan game at 11:30 a.m. UF wraps up play in the tournament Sunday with a rematch against the Badgers and 1:30 p.m. and a game against Bethune-Cookman at 3:45 p.m.
TIM WALTON PRESEASON PRESS CONFERENCE
Florida Versus Opening Weekend Opponents — more in tournament notes
| Date | Opponent | Series Notes | ||
| Feb. 6 | USF | Florida leads the series, 37-13 | ||
| Feb. 7 | Illinois State | Illinois State leads the series, 2-1 | ||
| Feb. 7 | Wisconsin | Florida leads the series, 2-1 | ||
| Feb. 8 | Michigan | Michigan leads the series, 8-3 | ||
| Feb. 9 | Wisconsin | |||
| Feb. 9 | Bethune-Cookman | Florida leads the series, 14-2 | ||
Gator Bites—Quick Notables
Florida has won 798 games in program history, and could notch its 800th win all-time as early as Friday… Five Gators will officially begin their UF careers this weekend—junior transfer Francesca Martinez (Centreville, Va.) and freshmen Delanie Gourley (Lakeside, Calif.) Chelsea Herndon (Carrollton, Texas), Justine McLean (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Lindsey Spatola (Jacksonville, Fla.)… Florida's senior duo of Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) and Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif.) will open their final collegiate seasons.
Looking Back at 2013
Florida led the nation in wins last year with 58, advancing to the Women's College World Series for the fifth time in six years. The Gators won the SEC regular-season and tournament titles, and Walton earned SEC Coach of the Year honors. Behind the leadership of a pair of First Team All-Americans (Rogers and Lauren Haeger), Florida appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in school history, hosting their 10th Regional.
For more news about Gator Softball, including updates throughout the opening weekend, follow the team on Twitter and visit them on Facebook.
