Florida Gators
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Mississippi State
Softball Hosts Mississippi State For Top-25 SEC Series
Thursday, April 2, 2026 | Softball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - No. 5/8 Florida welcomes No. 13/16 Mississippi State to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium for the Gators' third straight top-25 Southeastern Conference weekend series.
Friday and Sunday's games will stream on SEC Network+ with Aleshia Ocasio and Ryan Urquhart calling the action. Game two of the series on Saturday will be a national linear broadcast on the SEC Network with Krista Blunk and Ocasio on the call.
Fans can also listen to all three games on either FloridaGators.com/Gators+ (Friday) or 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF (Saturday/Sunday) where Urquhart, Nevada Cullen and Nate Bilgoray will have the radio call.
The Gators (34-4, 9-3 SEC) are looking for their fourth SEC series victory of the season and third in Gainesville.
| No. 13/16 Miss State | 32-7, 4-5 SEC |
| Head Coach | Samantha Ricketts |
| Career Record | 230-126 (.646) |
| Florida All-Time Record vs. | 46-23 |
| Streak | The Gators have won eight of the last 10 |
| Last Meeting | March 30, 2024 - UF 7, MSU 6 - Starkville, Miss. |
| Florida Record vs In Gainesville | 22-11 |
History vs. Mississippi State | Last 10 Results
No. 13/16 Mississippi State
46-23
Date
Location
W/L
Score
March 30, 2024
Starkville, Miss.
W
7-6
March 29, 2024
Starkville, Miss.
W
8-5
March 28, 2024
Starkville, Miss.
L
13-12
March 14, 2022
Gainesville, Fla.
W
3-0
March 13, 2022
Gainesville, Fla.
L
1-0
March 12, 2022
Gainesville, Fla.
W
8-4
May 13, 2021
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
W
6-2
March 21, 2021
Starkville, Miss.
W
8-0 (5)
March 20, 2021
Starkville, Miss.
W
10-0
March 19, 2021
Starkville, Miss.
W
1-0
Weekend Schedule
| Friday | Mississippi State | 6 p.m. | SEC Network + |
| Saturday | Mississippi State | 11:30 a.m. | SEC Network |
| Sunday | Mississippi State | 1 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
Promotional Schedule
| Y2K Night Friday, April 3 |
Join the Gators for our Party at the Plate night with Y2K music and theming |
| Mario Day Saturday, April 4 |
Level Up with the Gators for Mario Day! Enjoy themed activations and music, and one lucky fan will walk home with a Nintendo Switch 2 |
Notables:
- The Gators enter the weekend looking for their fourth Southeastern Conference series victory of the season and fourth-straight series win over Mississippi State
- The last time the Bulldogs and Gators met was during the 2024 season in Starkville. The Gators dropped the opening game 13-12, but took game two and three to secure the 2-1 series win
- Florida is the top fielding team in conference play in the SEC, holding a .997 fielding percentage
- Mississippi State ranks eighth with a fielding percentage of .972. The Gators have committed just one error in 12 conference games
- The Gators are batting .297 in conference play, which ranks fourth in the SEC, while the Bulldogs are ranked 13th with a .209 team hitting percentage
- Mississippi State ranks eighth with a fielding percentage of .972. The Gators have committed just one error in 12 conference games
- Kenleigh Cahalan has reached base in all but two games this season (36 of 38 games)
- Over the last 10 games, Cahalan has slugged three home runs, all in SEC play, tied with Cassidy McLellan for most in that time frame
- With a two-RBI single against Stetson on Wednesday, Jocelyn Erickson became one of just six Gators in program history with 200 RBIs, a feat she accomplished in less than three seasons in Gainesville
- Just over 48% Erickson's hits have gone for extra bases this season. She leads the team with 16 home runs, nine doubles and has Florida's sole triple
- Junior catcher Ella Wesolowski played for the Bulldogs during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. She made 73 starts in her Bulldog career
- Taylor Shumaker leads the NCAA in runs scored (58) and ranks fourth nationally in hits (60) and sixth in total bases (110)
- Of Florida's nearly 400 hits this season, 40% (159 of 397) have gone for extra bases
- The Gators lead the nation in doubles (81) and walks (181) and rank in the top-5 in the NCAA in hits (397), home runs (77), pitching shutouts (12), fielding percentage (.985), RBIs (319) and runs (333)
- Florida is 18-1 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium this season and are looking for their third SEC home series win. They earned series wins over Missouri and No. 1 Tennessee in Gainesville this season
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