It’s the eighth consecutive season that Florida has received preseason top 10 national rankings in both major polls.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida softball program has received multiple Top 10 national rankings heading into the 2022 season. UF was tabbed No. 6 in the 2022 USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Preseason Coaches’ Poll and No. 5 in the 2022 ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Collegiate Top 25 poll.
Additionally, the Gators also received a No. 5 ranking in the D1Softball.com Top 25 Poll and ranked No. 6 in Softball America’s 2022 NCAA Preseason Top 25.
The pair of national rankings issued by the NFCA and USA Softball mark the eighth-consecutive season that Florida will start its season nationally ranked inside the top 10. The Gators have also been nationally ranked inside the top 25 of both polls for 217 consecutive weeks, a mark that dates back to 2007.
Florida’s 2022 schedule also boasts eight teams that have received preseason top 25 rankings. The program is set to take on No. 2/2 Alabama, No. 4/6 Florida State, No. 8/9 Arkansas, No. 16/13 Michigan, No. 14/15 LSU, No. 22/16 Tennessee, No. 20/18 Duke and No. 17/22 James Madison.
Historically the Gators have fared well when facing ranked opponents. UF holds a record of 345-261 (.569) against competition ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and is 303-172 (.638) against teams ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.
Those marks only improve under the leadership of Head Coach Tim Walton as squads holds records of 281-132 (.680) and 277-134 (.674) against opponents ranked in the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls respectively.
This year the program returns a plethora of players from last year’s squad, which includes NFCA All-Americans Charla Echols, Hannah Adams and Elizabeth Hightower. That trio anchors a group of 16 returning contributors from last season, along with the addition of 2021 transfer Skylar Wallace and six newcomers.
Entering their first year with the program is graduate transfer Marissa Mesiemore, and freshmen Cali Decker, Lexie Delbrey, Kendra Falby, Sam Roe and Reagan Walsh. Roe, a catcher, joined the program this January as an early enrollee and Mesiemore is a graduate transfer from FGCU.
Florida opens its 2022 season Friday, Feb. 11, at 5:30 p.m. against Illinois State in Tampa, Fla. at USF’s tournament. The program’s first home game is set for Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m. against Jacksonville.
Regular Season Ticket Information
Single-game tickets are currently on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online or by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683. Single-game ticket prices and availability can also be directly accessed here<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__am.ticketmaster.com_gators_buy-3FfilterType-3D43&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=yLzI0-FcULVlFGg28NfHn5Q7S1lTBnOEhOXCWNlAxn0Itq7stYkMTSu6isOuxKex&s=XEnpN-Pp6XBqUb-ihRfcUI-FE2TiQNhGTLrC-QGomog&e= >.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
FloridaGators.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.floridagators.com_softball_&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=yLzI0-FcULVlFGg28NfHn5Q7S1lTBnOEhOXCWNlAxn0Itq7stYkMTSu6isOuxKex&s=v9Lfen8PGy9j7E9x1269Twg3Zc4uf_kC53AHyDSMr8Q&e= >
Florida Softball on Twitter<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__twitter.com_GatorsSB&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=yLzI0-FcULVlFGg28NfHn5Q7S1lTBnOEhOXCWNlAxn0Itq7stYkMTSu6isOuxKex&s=OxUULquGStiLm-LGAqf6-ow1EyoqBTqXrIOxknNFjfM&e= >
Head Coach Tim Walton on Twitter<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_-5FTimWalton&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=yLzI0-FcULVlFGg28NfHn5Q7S1lTBnOEhOXCWNlAxn0Itq7stYkMTSu6isOuxKex&s=YoRnjkBOrCWUJ8lV86K1ntTCOdkMSOO066X_fts7z6k&e= >
Florida Softball on Facebook<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.facebook.com_GatorsSB&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=yLzI0-FcULVlFGg28NfHn5Q7S1lTBnOEhOXCWNlAxn0Itq7stYkMTSu6isOuxKex&s=VVx1jjoNlJ3kiYbeviig-yNjyF5_RZFweeOkldcEQ9U&e= >
