For the 19th time under head coach Tim Walton, Florida softball is hosting an NCAA Regional.
The Gainesville Regional begins from Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium this weekend. The program’s success has been stunning. UF has hosted a regional all but one season since 2008 and hasn’t lost in a hosted regional since 2012. In fact, Florida hasn’t lost a regional game at home since 2017.
Walton and Co. will look for similar success this season as the No. 6 overall seed and the No. 2 seed their quadrant due to the new seeding format. The orange and blue is paired with No. 7 Texas State, Georgia Tech and Florida A&M.
Texas State – the No. 2 seed in the regional – holds wins over Texas Tech and A&M along with a narrow one run loss to Texas. Georgia Tech is Gainesville bound for the third time in five years, and FAMU will bus to Alachua County as the automatic qualifier from the SWAC.
The Gators, meanwhile, enter the postseason in a bit of a rut. They’ve lost five of their last 11 and were run-ruled by Alabama in the SEC Tournament semifinals for the first time in 14 years. Still, this Florida team is loaded with talent and hold wins over Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida State – all top 10 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Full 2026 NCAA Softball Gainesville Regional schedule
*All times eastern
Friday, May 15
Game 1: No. 2 Florida vs. Florida A&M; 11 a.m.; SEC Network
Game 2: No. 7 Texas State vs. Georgia Tech; 1:30 p.m.; ESPN+
Saturday, May 16
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner; 10 a.m.; TV TBD
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser; 12:30 p.m.; TV TBD; loser of this game eliminated
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner; 3 p.m.; TV TBD; loser of this game eliminated
Sunday, May 17
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner; 12 p.m.; TV TBD
Game 7 (If necessary): Rematch of Game 6; 2:30 p.m.; TV TBD; Only will be played if the Game 3 winner loses Game 6
*All games will be played at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida softball: 2026 NCAA Gainesville Regional full schedule