Softball Adds Three Newcomers on Signing Day
Herb Brooks
11/10/2021
Florida softball and head coach Tim Walton announced the additions of Olivia Gigante, Kaila Pollard and Samantha Roe on national signing day Wednesday morning.
I’m excited to announce that Olivia, Kaila and Samantha have signed National Letters of Intent this morning to join our program.” Walton said. “These three have worked extremely hard to reach this point in pursuit of their goals and dreams. We look forward to helping them develop as Gators.Head Coach Tim Walton
Gigante and Pollard are the 29th and 30th players in program history from California to sign with the Gators, while Roe is the program’s 99th signee from the state of Florida.
In 2021, Florida won its ninth Southeastern Conference Regular Season Championship as the team finished with a 19-5 SEC record and was the only team in the league to win every conference series. The Gators nine SEC regular season titles are also the most by any program in the conference.
Hometown | San Diego, Calif.
B/T – R/R | Position – RHP/1B
High School | Patrick Henry
Travel Team | OC Batbusters
- 2021 South San Diego CIF First Team
- 2021 All-East County First Team
- 2021 League MVP
- 2016 USA Elite Select 30 All-American Team
It has been a dream of mine to be a Gator since I was 10 years old. I remember watching them on TV win the Women’s College World Series and now I want to help the team win more national championships.Olivia Gigante
Hometown | Riverside, Calif.
B/T – L/R | Position – INF
High School | Martin Luther King, Jr.
Travel Team | Athletics Mercado
- 2021 Alliance Fastpitch 18U National Champion
- 2019 Martin Luther King, Jr. High School Offensive Player of the Year
- 2019 Martin Luther King, Jr. High School Freshman of the Year
- 2019 Inland Sports All-Area Team
I chose Florida because it has always been my dream school. The environment in Gainesville felt like home and holding a conversation with any of the coaches is very easy. I know I can, and will, win a national championship as a Gator!Kaila Pollard
Hometown | Destin, Fla.
B/T – R/R | Position –C
High School | Niceville
Travel Team | Lady Dukes
- 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year Nominee
- 2021 USA Today Sports Florida Panhandle Player of the Year - Top 3 Finalist
- 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year Nominee
- 2019 Miracle Sports All-State First Team
- 2019 Northwest Florida Daily News All-Area First Team
- 2019 Niceville High School MVP – Offense
- 2018 Northwest Florida Daily News Hitter of the Year – Small School
- 2018 Miracle Sports 3A Offensive Player of the Year
- 2018 Miracle Sports All-State First Team
- 2018 Rocky Bayou Christian MVP
- 2017 All-Area First Team
- 2017 USA Elite Select 30
- 2016 Northwest Florida Daily News All-Area First Team
- 2016 Rocky Bayou Christian Rookie of the Year
- 2016 USA Elite Select All-American Top Performer
I chose Florida because it feels like home and everyone treats each other as family. My goals at Florida are to graduate with good grades and to win the Women’s College World Series.Samantha Roe
