Florida Gators
South Carolina
Softball Travels to Palmetto State For Series At RV/No. 24 South Carolina
Thursday, April 9, 2026 | Softball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 6/7 Florida Gators head north to Columbia, S.C. for a three-game series against the Gamecocks in their third SEC road series from April 10-12.
The first two games will air on SEC Network, with the series opener set for 6 p.m. on Friday night, followed by a 3 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. Sunday's series finale will stream on SEC Network+ at 1 p.m.
Fans can also listen to all three games on FloridaGators.com/Gators+, where Ryan Urquhart and Lance Williams will have the radio call.
Making their first trip to Columbia since 2023, The Gators (37-5, 11-4 SEC) are looking for their fifth SEC series victory of the season and second on the road. Florida leads the all-time series over the Gamecocks 55-24 and are 24-11 against them in Columbia.
The Gators have won 15 of their last 16 series against South Carolina, with 10 of those series wins being sweeps. Under head coach Tim Walton, Florida has won 13 of 14 series against the Gamecocks going back to 2006.
| RV/No. 24 South Carolina | 23-17, 3-9 SEC |
| Head Coach | Ashley Chastain Woodard |
| Career Record | 221-130 (.630) |
| Florida All-Time Record vs. | 55-24 |
| Streak | The Gators have won six of the last 10 meetings |
| Last Meeting | April 21, 2024 - UF 7, SC 6 - Gainesville, Fla. |
| Florida Record vs In Columbia | 24-11 |
History vs. South Carolina | Last 10 Results
RV/No. 24 South Carolina
55-24
Date
Location
W/L
Score
April 21, 2024
Gainesville, Fla.
W
7-6
April 20, 2024
Gainesville, Fla.
L
6-2
April 19, 2024
Gainesville, Fla.
W
11-6
April 2, 2023
Columbia, S.C.
L
3-0
April 1, 2023
Columbia, S.C.
W
8-1
March 31, 2023
Columbia, S.C
L
13-10
April 25, 2021
Gainesville, Fla.
W
4-2
April 24, 2021
Gainesville, Fla.
W
6-0
April 23, 2021
Gainesville, Fla.
L
2-1
May 8, 2019
College Station, Texas
W
6-5
Weekend Schedule
| Friday | South Carolina | 6 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Saturday | South Carolina | 3 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Sunday | South Carolina | 1 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
Notables:
- Florida is looking to clinch its fifth Southeastern Conference series win of the season. The Gators come in with SEC series wins over Kentucky, Missouri, No. 1 Tennessee and No. 13/16 Mississippi State
- Taylor Shumaker leads the nation in runs scored (63) and fifth in overall hits (66). Jocelyn Erickson ranks ninth in the NCAA in home runs (17) and fifth in RBIs (59)
- Giulia Desiderio played for the Gamecocks from 2022-24. She Graduated in May 2025 with a bachelor's degree in public health
- The graduate student made her first start as a Gator at catcher on Wednesday night. It was her first start since May 19, 2024 at Duke when she was a junior at South Carolina
- Against USF, Cassidy McLellan made her first start of the season in right field, while Shumaker made her second straight start in center and Townsen Thomas made her second straight start in left field
- Katelynn Oxley earned her fourth win of the season on Wednesday night, earning a complete-game victory over USF, allowing just one run with five strikeouts in seven innings of work
- Oxley is 2-1 in four starts in SEC play, with wins over Kentucky and No. 1 Tennessee
- As a team, Florida ranks third in the nation in field percentage (.986)
- The Gators have turned 14 double plays this season, including eight in conference play
- Over Florida's past two SEC series, versus Arkansas and Mississippi State, Kenleigh Cahalan hit a team-best .318 with seven RBIs. Five of her seven hits in those games went for extra bases - including three home runs and two doubles
- With 49 RBIs on the season, Cahalan is just one RBI shy of a new single-season career best. The senior has already set a new single-season record for home runs (14) and matched her single-season career best for doubles (10)
- Cahalan has reached base in all but three games this season (39 of 42)
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