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Gator Softball 2024

Good article. I think you're right Ocala, probably not very active in the portal unless a marquee player becomes available.
Another site from a source who has connections inside the softball program says we have very good chance of getting NiJaree Canady, the Stanford Pitcher National Player of the Year, sophomore, as a portal transfer.
 
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Another site from a source who has connections inside the softball program says we have very good chance of getting NiJaree Canady, the Stanford Pitcher National Player of the Year, sophomore, as a portal transfer.
Wow...that would be amazing.
 
I realize this is a softball thread, but Stricklin has turned us into Miss St. I follow track closely and this is one of Holloway's weakest units, primarily due to youthfulness. So I don't expect much out of them in Oregon. I noticed that Tennessee has now won the last 3 SEC all sports trophies too. We need to make a change at the top ASAP.
It’s a question of what is the goal of your UA. By all accounts, Stricklin is a great fund raiser and gets a bunch of cranes moving and shovels in the ground. Whether that’s all directed at winning games/matches/meets is another question. I would say it doesn’t appear that is the priority.
 
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Alabama's Shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan, with 2 years of eligibility left, has transferred to Florida. She was the #1 ranked recruit in the 2022 class. Hasn't played up to that level, but is still a quality player and a good get for Coach Walton.

 
Alabama's Shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan, with 2 years of eligibility left, has transferred to Florida. She was the #1 ranked recruit in the 2022 class. Hasn't played up to that level, but is still a quality player and a good get for Coach Walton.

She hit .296 last year. Not bad. Good pickup
 
Got another SS in the portal.



Have to like the trajectory Holtorf was on at UW:

2022: 42 games, .228/.344/.316, 1 HR, 29 Ks, 10 BBs
2023: 59 games, .277/.350/.475, 5 HRs, 24 Ks, 16 BBs
2024: 47 games, .336/.420/.632, 11 HRs, 18 Ks, 22 BBs

Was UW's starting shortstop each of the past two seasons. Eight errors last season for a .942 fielding percentage.
 
Got another SS in the portal.



Have to like the trajectory Holtorf was on at UW:

2022: 42 games, .228/.344/.316, 1 HR, 29 Ks, 10 BBs
2023: 59 games, .277/.350/.475, 5 HRs, 24 Ks, 16 BBs
2024: 47 games, .336/.420/.632, 11 HRs, 18 Ks, 22 BBs

Was UW's starting shortstop each of the past two seasons. Eight errors last season for a .942 fielding percentage.
Those are really good numbers this past season in a really good conference.
 
With the returning players, incoming freshmen and transfers, competition for playing time is going to be fierce. I hope they can keep the team cohesiveness in 2025 like they did in 2024. Tons of talent.
We seem to be putting together a very talented team...and I agree. Need for it to Jel.
 
So who’s playing SS next year? This one, the Bama one or Mia Williams? Nice problem to have.
My guess is that after fall practice a couple of our ladies will transfer out. They'll all want to play and the fact is there are only so many slots and too many talented players.
 
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D1Softball Coach of the Year: Florida’s Tim Walton
AWARDS D1Softball Staff - July 1, 2024

Florida head coach Tim Walton is the D1Softball Coach of the Year following the 2024 college softball season.

Walton led the Gators to an SEC tournament title, a return to the Women’s College World Series, and finished the year one win away from playing for the national championship.

To properly contextualize the Gators’ 2024 season, it’s important to remember the program’s 2023 campaign. In that 2023 season, Florida finished below .500 in conference play and did not host a regional – the latter was previously unheard of during Walton’s years-long tenure at the program’s helm. Instead of being caught in a downward spiral, as so often happens, Walton led his Gators back to the top just one year later.

So many things went right along the way and Walton deserves a lot of credit for those that did. Freshmen pitchers Keagan Rothrock and Ava Brown had been committed to Florida for years, products of the once-allowed early recruiting. Both players remained loyal to the Gators through their high school years and the Gators stayed loyal to them; that faith paid off when Rothrock became an immediate star upon reaching college and Brown proved herself a viable second option in the circle and an everyday lineup piece.

Transfers are not an arena that the Gators have often lived in. Over the years, they’ve picked up valuable additions through the transfer process, to be sure – look no further than Skylar Wallace for proof – but Walton and Florida took the transfer portal by the horns and embraced it last summer. That attention and eye for talent also paid off, with catcher Jocelyn Erickson earning SEC Player of the Year honors while outfielder Korbe Otis took her own stardom to a new level.

And what would a Tim Walton-led team be without a look at the defense? The Gators posted a .975 team fielding percentage this season, with 28 double plays turned. Two players earned Rawlings Gold Gloves at as the best defensively at their respective positions, with Erickson and center fielder Kendra Falby both taking home the award for their stellar play in the field.

For his ability to build a championship-caliber team, for his eye for talent and how it paid off for the Florida program, and for his ability to lead a team in a rebound from a “down” year to a conference championship in the span of one offseason, Tim Walton is the D1Softball Coach of the Year.
 
D1Softball Coach of the Year: Florida’s Tim Walton
AWARDS D1Softball Staff - July 1, 2024

Florida head coach Tim Walton is the D1Softball Coach of the Year following the 2024 college softball season.

Walton led the Gators to an SEC tournament title, a return to the Women’s College World Series, and finished the year one win away from playing for the national championship.

To properly contextualize the Gators’ 2024 season, it’s important to remember the program’s 2023 campaign. In that 2023 season, Florida finished below .500 in conference play and did not host a regional – the latter was previously unheard of during Walton’s years-long tenure at the program’s helm. Instead of being caught in a downward spiral, as so often happens, Walton led his Gators back to the top just one year later.

So many things went right along the way and Walton deserves a lot of credit for those that did. Freshmen pitchers Keagan Rothrock and Ava Brown had been committed to Florida for years, products of the once-allowed early recruiting. Both players remained loyal to the Gators through their high school years and the Gators stayed loyal to them; that faith paid off when Rothrock became an immediate star upon reaching college and Brown proved herself a viable second option in the circle and an everyday lineup piece.

Transfers are not an arena that the Gators have often lived in. Over the years, they’ve picked up valuable additions through the transfer process, to be sure – look no further than Skylar Wallace for proof – but Walton and Florida took the transfer portal by the horns and embraced it last summer. That attention and eye for talent also paid off, with catcher Jocelyn Erickson earning SEC Player of the Year honors while outfielder Korbe Otis took her own stardom to a new level.

And what would a Tim Walton-led team be without a look at the defense? The Gators posted a .975 team fielding percentage this season, with 28 double plays turned. Two players earned Rawlings Gold Gloves at as the best defensively at their respective positions, with Erickson and center fielder Kendra Falby both taking home the award for their stellar play in the field.

For his ability to build a championship-caliber team, for his eye for talent and how it paid off for the Florida program, and for his ability to lead a team in a rebound from a “down” year to a conference championship in the span of one offseason, Tim Walton is the D1Softball Coach of the Year.
Well deserved based on pre season expectations.
 
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