Florida A&M softball is playing its first NCAA Tournament game since 2017.
The Rattlers (32-20) are facing the Gainesville Regional host and No. 6 overall seed, the Florida Gators (48-10), to open day one of the four-team double-elimination slate at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
FAMU is fresh off winning its first Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament championship and 14th conference title. Florida was picked as an at-large bid after not winning the Southeastern Conference and is one of the top seeds.
FAMU is led by two-way standouts Amari Brown and Samantha Smith. Brown, a pitcher, shortstop, and utility player, was picked as the SWAC Player of the Year. Smith, a pitcher and utility player, won the SWAC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Zoryana Hughes serves as the Rattlers’ ace pitcher.
Florida’s top players are pitcher Keagan Rothrock and outfielder Taylor Shumaker, both finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. They headline the Gators’ host of All-SEC honorees.
The winner of FAMU-Florida will play against the winner of the Georgia Tech-Texas State Gainesville Regional game on Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. FAMU-Florida’s loser will head to an elimination game against the loser of the Georgia Tech-Texas State game on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
The Gainesville Regional title game is set for Sunday, May 17, at noon, with a winner-takes-all game scheduled for 2:30 p.m. if necessary.
The regional winner heads to the NCAA Super Regionals for a chance to head to the Women’s College World Series.
Follow along for live updates as FAMU looks to pull off an upset over SEC powerhouse Florida.
FAMU softball vs Florida NCAA Tournament, Gainesville Regional Score
Florida A&M at Florida ― NCAA Softball Tournament, Gainesville Regional
- When: Friday, May 15 at 11 a.m.
- Where: Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Florida
- TV Channel: SEC Network via the ESPN App
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU softball vs Florida in NCAA Gainesville Regional updates, score