Florida Softball Freshman Caroline Stanton Celebrates High School Graduation with Gators Ahead of Super Regional

The former Buford (Ga.) star enrolled at Florida in January, allowing her to train with the Gators months before officially graduating high school.

May 15, 2026; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators pitcher Caroline Stanton (1) smiles while being introduced before the game against the Florida A&M Rattlers at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Florida freshman Caroline Stanton celebrated her graduation from Buford High School (Ga.) on Thursday – from Gainesville, Florida.

Stanton is a member of Buford's Class of 2026, but she completed her studies early and enrolled at UF in January so she could begin preparing for her college softball career with the Gators. Florida is set to host Texas Tech in the NCAA Super Regional on Friday, but Stanton was able to celebrate her graduation, on Thursday, from the Gators' team facility.

An Unusual Path to Gainesville

Early enrollment is common in football, but occurs far less often in softball because of the calendar differences. However, since Georgia plays its high school softball in the fall, Stanton was able to make the early transition and spend the entire spring training with Florida.

The extra months of practice within the program should give her a head start over her peers in the 2026 class, many who will join the team only weeks ahead of the start of fall classes.

"When Caroline painted the picture of graduating early, her family and I agreed upon her enrolling early," Florida head coach Tim Walton said in a 2025 press release. "We're looking forward to training Caroline all spring while she redshirts. Having her in the dugout, supporting her teammates, providing feedback and learning a semester early will be a great start to what we're looking forward to in her career as a Gator."

A Decorated Career at Buford

While with Buford, Stanton was rated the nation's No. 1 overall softball prospect by On3 Sports. She helped lead the Wolves to three Georgia High School League (GHSL) Class 6A state championships. Buford won state crowns in 2022 and 2023, before claiming a third in 2025. She was selected to the all-state first team in Georgia three times, and she holds the Buford single game strikeout record at 20.

Success on the International Stage

She was also a member of the 2025 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 team which won the gold medal with a 7-2 win over Japan. In the tournament, Stanton went 3-0 with 17 combined innings pitched. She allowed 12 hits, three earned runs and three walks with 10 strikeouts.

She was selected to the MaxPreps All-American first team three times, won the 2024 MaxPreps Georgia Player of the Year and was the 2024 Alliance Fastpitch national champion.

Next Stop: College Competition

Stanton is set to make her collegiate debut for the Gators in 2027 according to Zach Moore of The Independent Florida Alligator.