Florida softball was named the sixth seed in the NCAA Softball Tournament on Sunday, earning the program the privilege of hosting a regional round. The Gators will host Texas State Bobcats, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Florida A&M Rattlers in the 2026 Gainesville Regional at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium from May 15-17.
The double-elimination regional starts Friday, May 15, and runs through Sunday, May 17. Friday’s games will be broadcast on either the SEC Network or ESPN+ — those shown on the SEC Network can be streamed via Fubo.
The Orange and Blue have now hosted a regional in 19 of 20 of its NCAA appearances under head coach Tim Walton, who is in his 21st season as Florida’s head coach. The last time Florida failed to host a regional was in 2008, while it last lost a hosted regional in 2012; the Gators have not lost a regional game at home since 2017.
Texas State earned the No. 2 seed in the Gainesville Regional after beating three of the six ranked teams it faced in 2026. Florida A&M was the winner of the SWAC Tournament and is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
Georgia Tech is the returner of this regional, having come back to Gainesville for the third time in five years. The Yellow Jackets have already been to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium this season, losing to the Gators twice in the Florida Classic.
Florida’s first game of the regional is set for Friday at 11 a.m. ET against Florida A&M on the SEC Network. If the Gators prevail in Gainesville, they will face the winner of the Lubbock Regional hosted by the 11th-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Gainesville Regional opening round schedule
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida softball earns No. 6 seed, will host Gainesville Regional
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
