We usually talk about rankings of a particular team in any given season. But D1Softball this week has now ranked the Top 50 Women’s College Softball programs, as in the entire program as they stand. And the Florida Gators sit at No. 2 overall in the world of college softball program rankings. It is no surprise given head coach Tim Walton’s success in the last 10 seasons and ability to reload the roster, along with other continuous program improvements including facilities.
The results of the ranking were determined by a variety of factors that include success of the different teams over the last decade, current success, and then a projected outlook over the next five to 10 years.
The last 10 years have been huge for the Florida program at the conference and national level. The Gators are only one of two teams to win multiple national championships and play in the championship series at least three times in the last decade. The program won back-to-back titles in 2014 & 2015 and followed up with its fifth overall championship appearance, the third in four seasons, in 2017. Florida finished first in the SEC seven different seasons in the last decade.In the same 10-year period, Florida is tied for the second most Women’s College World Series appearances and the second most USA Softball Player of the Year award winners during that span with seven and two respectively. Lauren Hager was the first of the award winners in 2015 and she led the Gators to their second national title that year. Kelly Barnhill was magic on the hill in 2017 to earn the second of the national awards.
The Gators have been a mainstay on NFCA All-American lists over the last decade. Hannah Rogers and Amanda Lorenz were both four-time NFCA All-Americans and were joined by such popular names around Gainesville as Michelle Moultrie, Kelsey Stewart, Aleshia Ocasio, Delanie Gourley, Kayli Kvistad, Nicole DeWitt, Kendyl Lindaman and Hannah Adams, all of whom earned NFCA All-American honors in the last 10 seasons.
The current Gator roster also has three All-Americans among the ranks. Skylar Wallace had an amazing 2022 season becoming the only known player in NCAA DI history since 2002 to record at least 70 hits (71), score 70 runs (79), drive in 50 RBI (53), steal 50 or more bases (52), and also drew 50 walks last season too.
Charla Echols and Elizabeth Hightower are the other two current Gators that have earned All-American honors, both in the 2021 season.
Florida is looking for another big season from the softball program with Wallace, Echols, and Hightower, leading a group of promising younger players with a good deal of experience like Kendra Falby, Lexie Delbrey, Reagan Walsh, and Sam Roe along with juniors Katie Kistler and Avery Goelz. The Gators want to take things further than they did in the 2022 season when they went to Virginia Tech and won a Super Regional followed by playing three games in the Women’s College World Series.D1Softball.com Top 10 Rankings – All-Time & Last 10 Years
1. Oklahoma
2. Florida
3. UCLA
4. Florida State
5. Alabama
6. Arizona
7. Washington
8. Georgia
9. Tennessee
10. Texas
By Bob Redman.