Florida Softball Captains, Lineup Revealed for 2026 Season
Florida softball’s first game of the season is days away at the USF-Rawlings Invitational.
This team suffered the loss of senior stars Kendra Falby, Kara Hammock and Korbe Otis, so new players are stepping into the leadership positions to keep the Gators on track in 2026.
Coach Tim Walton announced in media availability Tuesday that senior catcher Jocelyn Erickson and junior utility player Ava Brown were voted by their teammates as captains.
“It’s one thing for your coach to vote you captain, but your teammates voting you captain is something completely removed from the coaching staff,” Walton said. “They see you when the coaches don’t, they hear you when the coaches don’t.”
This is Erickson’s third season with the Gators after spending her freshman season at Oklahoma. The senior is a two-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner and was named to the All-SEC Preseason Team.
“I voted for Jocey as a captain because I felt like in the two years that I have been around her and I have known her as a player, she has truly evolved as a person,” captain Ava Brown said. “She’s learned how to communicate better, she’s learned how to compete in better ways, she’s learned how to handle failure in better ways.”
Brown, who led the SEC with five saves last season and was ranked the No. 7 two-way player in Softball America’s preseason positional rankings, was also voted a captain in her junior season after being hurt for the majority of the fall.
“We’re two big leaders on the team, but we’re also able to converse and be like, ‘Hey look we need to get on the same page,’” Brown said. “Then people see us doing that, and we’re able to bring everybody together.
Walton also announced during Tuesday’s media availability that the Gators’ lineup 1-7 is “pretty set.”
- Townsen Thomas
- Taylor Shumaker
- Jocelyn Erickson
- Kendall Grover
- Kenleigh Cahalan
- Ava Brown
- Cassidy McLellan
“I’m excited to see what they can do, and then we’ve got opportunities for Giulia Desiderio, Kalie Matsuno, Ella Wesolowski, and Madison Walker,” Walton said. “We’ve got 12 hitters and nine spots, so we’re figuring out what that looks like.”
Walton also mentioned that Brown will get more playing time at first base, and Gabi Comia will play more shortstop and second base.
First pitch for the Gators’ first game of the season is at 7 p.m Friday against Illinois State.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Softball
