The sky was perfectly clear on the beautiful early March Saturday afternoon, and for the Gators, that was a good thing. It helped the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium crowd identify where the neon yellow ball went when sophomore Ava Brown swung.
Brown entered the day with the lowest batting average of any Gator to have 20 or more at-bats (.227). But in the first leg of Florida’s double-header, as UF entered the bottom of the sixth leading 8-2, no one would’ve thought that.
After clearing the dirt of the batter's box, Brown readied herself and launched. That’s when the sky’s color mattered, as she sent the ball flying over the left field bullpen’s roof, never to be seen again.
On what was a picture-perfect afternoon — an image of the spring season to come — Florida softball put on an offensive showcase, besting Troy 11-2 in six innings before leveling Western Michigan 10-2 in six as well.
Scoring hasn’t been a struggle for Florida this season, as the Gators lead the nation in runs per game with 9.2. However, UF's second day of the Florida Invitational featured a lot of highs.
After transferring from Alabama this offseason, junior third baseman Kenleigh Cahalan took some time to settle in at UF. Over the last week, though, she had shown her potential, batting .533 with three home runs. That stat line pales in comparison to what she did on Saturday.
Only 12 minutes into the early 11:30 a.m. contest, Cahalan stepped up to the plate, nodding to each of UF’s three batters that lined the bases. With an exhale, she swung.
The “SEC Champions” logo of the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium right field wall saw a lot of action Saturday — the first of which was a visit from Troy freshman right fielder Reaghan Oney, who stumbled into it watching Cahalan’s homer.
While Cahalan’s afternoon was headlined by her second grand slam this season, she had a career day in the doubleheader, notching a .714 batting average (4-for-4 against Troy) to drive in four runs.
She wasn’t the only Gator to hit a grand slam, as senior first baseman Reagan Walsh notched her second of the year as well in the first inning against Western Michigan. The senior recorded a solo shot against Troy as well, before adding another only two innings after her grand slam to continue a big week that’s seen her batting average rise over 30 points to .294. She finished the afternoon 5-for-7 with six RBIs.
Florida tallied seven home runs, with five different Gators getting in on the long ball action. UF leads the nation in home runs with 43 through nearly three weeks of play.
“I love the fact that they work really hard and that they appreciate the grind,” Florida head coach Tim Walton said on Friday about UF’s continued offensive improvement.
Sophomore second baseman Mia Williams, who started the year slowly, continued her recent improvement with a solo homer in the first inning against Troy, following Cahalan’s grand slam. She finished the afternoon with three hits and three runs, solidifying her slot as UF’s fifth starter batting over .400 (senior center fielder Kendra Falby, senior left fielder Korbe Otis, freshman right fielder Taylor Shumaker and Cahalan).
As of Saturday afternoon, Florida’s the only Division I team with that many (possibly soon-to-be six with Erickson sitting at .393), and four of the five performed up to their typical standards on Saturday. The one that didn’t? The freshman phenom Shumaker.
The right fielder entered the day batting .491, leading 11 home runs and 37 RBIs. However, across the pair of games, Shumaker went 1-for-8. She drove in UF’s first run against Western Michigan but disappeared for the rest of the afternoon.
After her final at-bat — a fly out to center field in the fifth inning against Western Michigan — her frustration was palpable. She slowly trotted to the dugout, shaking her head as she passed from the late afternoon light into the shade provided by the west side of the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium press box. Her afternoon was disappointingly done, unable to contribute to the Gators’ offensive dominance, which saw the entire lineup get up to bat in the first inning of both contests.
Meanwhile, on Friday night, Walton shared that sophomore ace Keagan Rothrock would be out for the remainder of the Florida Invitational (undisclosed injury). With an already fluctuating staff, Saturday was going to be a test for Florida.
“Keagan is going on the IL. It doesn't appear to be serious, but we're going to take the necessary precautions to get her back to 100%,” Walton said. “In our program, we have her listed as day-to-day, and she will return to practice and game activity shortly."
Brown stepped up in her place in the circle. To accompany her two walk-off at-bats (she ended the Western Michigan game with a single), the sophomore pitcher put together a complete game against the Broncos, allowing six hits with five strikeouts on an efficient 64 pitches. While she appeared disoriented early, allowing two runs in the first inning, she only let four batters reach base in the remaining five innings. She’ll likely take the mound again on Sunday, looking to build on her improved 1.53 season ERA.
The first game of the doubleheader wasn’t nearly as smooth on the mound, though. Freshman right-hander Katelynn Oxley trotted out for her third start of the season, having not allowed a run through nine innings of work. However, that changed quickly against Troy.
Trojans sophomore second baseman Makaley Boswell notched a triple on a shot to right field that pushed Troy into the scoring column. Oxley gathered herself, brushing her hand against the white paint of the back of the pitching circle, and escaped the inning with an impressive double play by Cahalan. The junior third baseman gathered a line drive to tag out a Troy base runner on third and then threw the batter out at first.
However, Oxley’s struggles continued as the game wore on, and sophomore lefty Olivia Miller pitched the sixth and final inning.
Florida’s pitching will get another test without Rothrock as the Gators will look to sweep the Florida Invitational when they face Florida A&M at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Contact Noah White at nwhite@alligator.org. Follow him on X @noahwhite1782.
Noah is a Spring 2025 Assistant Sports Editor and Copy Desk Chief. He's a second-year journalism major who enjoys reading and shamefully rooting for Tennessee sports teams. He is also a Liberty League Women's Soccer expert.
