Gainesville Super Regional: Schedule & Updates
The 2025 NCAA Softball Super Regionals feature a compelling SEC rivalry as the No. 3 national seed Florida Gators host the Georgia Bulldogs in Gainesville.
Florida, with a 46–14 record, advanced by sweeping the Gainesville Regional, including a decisive 8–0 victory over Mercer. Georgia earned its spot by eliminating Duke in a winner-take-all game, setting the stage for this high-stakes series.
The series begins Friday, May 23, at 11 a.m. ET at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium and will be broadcast on ESPN2. Both teams aim to secure a berth in the Women’s College World Series, adding intensity to this storied rivalry.
Florida and Georgia softball have a storied history facing each other in the post season as they have faced each other five times in the NCAA Tournament.
These encounters include: 2010 (WCWS), 2016 (Gainesville Super Regional), 2018 (WCWS), 2021 (Gainesville Super Regional), and this year's matchup. Georgia leads in their head-to-head post season matchups, winning in 2010, 2016, and 2021.
The winner will advance to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, starting May 29.
Game 1: Florida 6, Georgia 1
The Gators demonstrated why they are a force to be reckoned with in the post season as they handed Georgia a 6-1 loss to start Friday morning regional play.
Florida got out to an early lead with senior first baseman Reagan Walsh blasting a three-run home run to put the Gators on top with an early lead, 3-0. Florida struck again in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ava Brown tattooed a ball to center field on a two-run home run which extended the lead to 5-0. Senior outfielder Kendra Falby added another insurance run off a double which pushed the lead to 6-0.
Sophomore pitcher Keagan Rothrock went the distance for the Gators and only allowed one run (unearned), two hits, and struck out seven Bulldog batters. Rothrock had a no-hitter as she went into the sixth inning when Georgia inked their only two hits of the day and scored off a throwing error.
Game 2: Georgia 2, Florida 1
With the pressure to tie up the series, Georgia answered and defeated Florida, 2-1 to force game three. The Bulldogs got out to an early lead in the first with a home run from designated player Lyndi Rae Davis followed by a second inning home run from shortstop Emily Digby. Both home-runs were drilled off Keagan Rothrock who had pitched a near flawless game on Friday.
Georgia pitcher Lilli Backes pitched the first six innings with one run, eight strikeouts, and five walks. However, in the bottom of the seventh, Florida put the pressure on the Bulldog defense, singling to Backes who committed a costly throwing error. Head coach Tony Baldwin would go to the bullpen and Randi Roelling delivered, securing the win.
The Gators scored their only run of the game off a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning from left fielder Kobe Otis.
Florida 5, Georgia 2
Florida softball heads to their 13th appearance at the Women's College World Series after they defeated Georgia in the winner-takes-all third game which included a one hour lightening delay in the fourth inning.
The Gators scored one run in the first inning as Georgia starting pitcher Lilli Backes struggled to open the game. Backes hit Kendra Falby to start the bottom of the first inning and sensational freshman Taylor Schumaker drove Falby in with a single up the middle. Reagan Walsh would follow with another single to left field and that ended the day for Backes.
ENERGY IS FELT BY @kendrafalby 😤 pic.twitter.com/IEy6nFTSJt
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 25, 2025
Bulldogs head coach Tony Baldwin called on Randi Roelling, the game one starter to stop the damage. Roelling got out of the first without giving up another run. Roelling would throw a scoreless second, third, and fourth inning, but then the came the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the fifth Rylee Holtorf who hadn't had a hit all weekend (0-for-8) powered a ball over the left field fence for a solo home-run which put the Gators up, 2-0.
🗣️ OVER THE FENCE AND IT'S OUT #RoadToWCWS x 🎥 ESPNU / @GatorsSB pic.twitter.com/qmHJnrC1KY
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 25, 2025
Schumaker followed Holthorf and pulled a ball over the right field fence for a two-run home-run which ended the day in the circle for Roelling and put the Gators up, 5-0.
ANOTHER ONE FOR THE GATORS 🔥#RoadToWCWS x 🎥 ESPNU / @GatorsSB pic.twitter.com/aXkztKl5da
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 25, 2025
Georgia mounted a late seventh inning rally with a Jaydyn Goodwin two-run home-run but Rothrock and the Gator defense ended the rally. Rothrock went the distance for Florida and allowed four hits, two runs, one walk and five strikeouts.
THE GATORS ARE GOING BACK TO THE #WCWS 🎉#RoadToWCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @GatorsSB pic.twitter.com/lTIQ7Q5DRT
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 25, 2025
The Gators will be back in action on Thursday, May 29 at the start of the World Series that runs until Friday, June 6.
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Katie Burkhart is a former professional softball pitcher and Arizona State University alumna, where she was a three-time All-American and led the Sun Devils to a national championship. She played professionally in the U.S., Japan, and Italy, and has coached at the Division I level. She now provides private pitching instruction and mindset training for athletes of all levels. Katie is also the author of Mental Muscle and Beyond the Game, books focused on athletic performance and life after sports.
Allison Smith is an expert in leadership and organizational behavior in collegiate and professional women’s sports. Smith is a professor (Georgia State University), researcher, and writer. Smith holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in Kinesiology and Sport Studies. Smith’s research centers on combatting the underrepresentation of women leaders in sport, lack of organizational structure for work life integration for sport employees, and lack of programming and oversight for preparing athletes to transition to life after sport. Since graduating with a bachelor’s in journalism in 2011, Smith has sought opportunities to write about sports as a contributing writer focused on the growth of women’s collegiate, Olympic, and professional sports in this new age and movement for multiple outlets including Athletic Director U, and now Forbes.com. As a former Division I and II pitcher and Division III pitching coach Smith will bring unique insight and expertise to Softball on SI.
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