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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Golden Gators: Florida softball's Falby, Erickson Gold Glovers again, Shumaker earns top honor
OKLAHOMA CITY — Taylor Shumaker has made history all season for Florida softball. In her maiden voyage with the Gators, she set not only freshman records, but also overall program records. Tuesday night, on the sport's biggest stage, she added one more, and it was more prestigious one of all. Advertisement Shumaker was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Freshman of the Year on Tuesday in Oklahoma City – two days before the Gators kick off the WCWS vs. Texas. Shumaker became the second freshman to claim the award for the Gators – joining Amanda Lorenz. Lorenz, a UF legend, grew up in Moorpark in Southern California, not far from Shumaker's hometown of Fullerton. The two played in many of the same AAU circuits. She currently sits at 23 home runs and 86 RBIs. Both of those tie program records. For home runs, she ties with Brittany Schutte in 2011, and RBIs with Jocelyn Erickson last season. During Florida's pre-WCWS press conference Wednesday, Shumaker touched on what the experience of OKC has been like. Advertisement 'It's all really surreal. It's crazy to think I'm here after watching it for so many years,' Shumaker said. 'It's an unreal venue, so many amazing softball fans. We're growing the game we have been playing since we were five, six years old.' Shumaker wasn't the only Gator to leave Wednesday with hardware. Kendra Falby and Erickson made history by going back-to-back with Gold Gloves, becoming just the second and third player to do so. Falby was a no brainer. She awed players, coaches and fans alike with a new home run-stealing catch almost every week. This season, though, came with the new honor of All-American as she was named a second teamer – the first of her career. The speedster said she credits her teammates more than anyone for her success. Advertisement 'The numbers that I've been able to put up when it comes to runs wouldn't be any help without Jocelyn and Taylor Shumaker and like the list goes on,' Falby said. 'It's really thanks to my teammates and pushing me every single day.' Erickson credited outfielders like Falby for pushing her. Falby, along with fellow outfielders Shumaker and Korbe Otis, have mentioned how competitive the outfielders are in practice. Erickson said that mantra rubs off on the rest of the team. 'Our team feeds off of each other. When the outfield makes insane plays, like when Kendra robs a home run, it just makes me want to be so much better,' Erickson said. 'Having teammates around you that want to push you to be your best is honestly surreal.' In total, Shumaker was named as a first team All-American by the NFCA, and Falby and Mia Williams were named second team. Advertisement Florida begins its WCWS journey vs. Texas at 12 p.m. ET from Devon Park in Oklahoma City. Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@ Follow him on X @Noah_ram1. Read his coverage of the Gators' national championship basketball season in 'CHOMP-IONS!' — a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Sun. Details at This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida softball's Kendra Falby, Jocelyn Erickson, Taylor Shumaker win awards
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida softball's star outfielder named Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist
Florida softball's star outfielder named Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist The 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award were announced on Wednesday, a list that included Florida Gators senior outfielder Kendra Falby. It is the first time the three-time All-SEC selection from Odessa, Florida, has been among the top 10 in her illustrious collegiate career. Falby earned SEC All-Defensive Team honors over the past two campaigns and was the 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove award winner in centerfield. The UF standout is also the NCAA active career leader in hits and runs scored, while ranking in the top-12 nationally this season in hits (82), runs scored (63) and stolen bases (35). She leads Florida in batting average for both the overall season (.439) and Southeastern Conference play (.393) this season as well, currently ranking second in program history in career hits (329) and stolen bases (117) and third in runs scored (251). Lauren Haeger (2015) and Kelly Barnhill (2017) are the only members of the Orange and Blue to have won the prestigious award. The top 10 finalists will be narrowed down to three athletes on May 19, followed by the announcement of the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year before the NCAA Women's College World Series, which is scheduled to take place from May 29-June 6 in Oklahoma City. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
