Florida's softball team stand in line and chomp their arms in celebration of their win against Auburn at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, April 17, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WRUF)

Florida A&M Softball Not Afraid of No. 6 Gators Ahead of Regionals

Florida A&M softball coach Brittany Beall won’t back down — not even against the Florida Gators.

Joining WRUF’s “Sportscene” with Steve Russell on Tuesday, Beall didn’t mince words about the Rattlers’ potential in the 2026 Gainesville Regional against the No. 6 Gators on Friday at 11 a.m.

“We’re going to shock the world,” Beall said about her approach to the regional.

The Rattlers (32-20, 19-5 SWAC) ended their season as Southwestern Athletic Conference champions for the first time in program history, beating Southern 2-1 in walk-off fashion.

FAMU will face another test against the Gators, who are 23-0 all time against the Rattlers entering Beall’s first matchup as coach of the program. The teams last played each other in 2025, when Florida run-ruled Florida A&M, 9-1, in six innings.

However, the Rattlers enter the tournament red hot behind SWAC Player of the Year Amari Brown. The senior had a .411 batting average in 2026 with 66 RBIs and 10 home runs. Not only is Brown the starting shortstop, but she is also a pitcher, bolstering a 4.78 ERA in 12 appearances.

“Brown is a true athlete, she can hit and she can pitch,” Beall said. “Having her be a leader and an impact player for us is huge.”

In non-conference play, FAMU had early troubles as it started SWAC play with a 9-11 record including blowout losses to UCF and FSU, two teams the Gators beat. Florida had a very different non-conference slate prior to SEC play, as they went 23-1 with a loss to a ranked UCLA.

Both the Rattlers and the Gators had successful league campaigns in 2026. FAMU ended the regular season as SWAC East champions with a 19-5 record while Florida was in the hunt for an SEC regular season championship but a series loss to Georgia cemented the Gators to third in the SEC with a 17-7 record.

In the postseason, Florida would not see the same success that FAMU did. After just edging past Auburn in a 10-9 quarterfinal slugfest, the Gators fell in the semifinals 9-1 in five innings to Alabama, now the NCAA’s overall one seed.

Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Softball, NCAA, NCAA Tournament