Florida softball coach Tim Walton hasn’t been shy about Keagan Rothrock’s workload.
“When you look at the No. 1 pitcher for the Florida Gators, it’s Keagan Rothrock,” Walton said. “Keagan’s carried that load for us (in a way she hasn’t the last two years).”
Fortunately for the Gators, the junior rose to the occasion in the NCAA Gainesville Regional. In 15 innings pitched over the weekend, she allowed two runs and five hits. She took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in Sunday’s 5-2 win over Georgia Tech.
Walton offered additional praise due to Sunday’s conditions. The “Reelfeel” temperature during Sunday’s game rose to over 100 degrees in the sun, and lovebugs swarmed the field in Gainesville’s latest attack.
“It was one of our hotter games all season. For her to throw 99 pitchers,” Walton said. “She’s gotten better. There are moments when she could have folded under pressure, but she didn’t.”
Keagan Rothrock locks in the postseason
This isn’t a new trend for the Indiana native. Her postseason run in 2024 was the stuff of legends. The then freshman put the team on her back and led them to the Women’s College World Series semifinals. She didn’t allow more than three runs in a game UF won. Last season, despite nagging injuries, she delivered similar “clutchness.”
Her shutout streak, which reached 13 2/3 innings before the Yellow Jackets broke it up, was the longest since non-conference play in February. It gives her a boost of confidence, of course, but Rothrock wants to focus on the moment.
Obviously it helps with confidence a lot but at the same time it’s just flushing this game and just moving on to the next,” Rothrock said. “Whoever the next opponent is just focusing on them and again just going back out there and making good pitches
That mentality is essential for Supers and a likely matchup vs. Texas Tech — which holds a lethal offense and NiJaree Canady, one of the best pitchers in the sport.
Second baseman Gabi Comia described an “aura” surrounding Rothrock.
“She carries herself so well, and she’s really good about talking to us and making eye contact, so we’re all good in our relationship,” Comia said.
Florida softball has a defense to back her up
If Rothrock is a car, Florida’s defense is the engine. The Gators success defensively under Walton is well-documented, and this season’s been no different. The squad ranks top five in the country in fielding percentage and errors. As Comia mentioned, her and Rothrock are “simpatico,” which has helped allow the sophomore to rank as one of the best fielders in the SEC.
“She knows that, as long as we have her back, she doesn’t need to strike out everyone,” Comia said. “We have a really good defense, and she can trust us with everything.”
Rothrock said the Gator defense thinks about the next play, while the current play is transpiring.
“That’s really special,” Rothrock said. “For them, it’s just move onto the next play and the next out.”
When asked about Rothrock, Yellow Jackets coach Aileen Morales instead spoke about the defense and how actions like playing the short game with bunts are difficult against the Gators.
“Rothrock looks like she’s ready for a run. She’s a dog in the circle,” Morales said.
A delicate balance for coach Tim Walton?
Walton’s reliance on Rothrock is not only out of necessity, but the coach wants other pitchers to receive time, in case they are needed during Super Regionals and beyond. Some might think that’s a tough decision for a coach, but Walton wants to ride Rothrock, especially since he’s said she pitches better the more reps she has.
“I don’t enjoy people second guessing my decisions,” Walton said. “If we throw someone else out there and lose momentum, then you got all these articles about what was he thinking. It’s almost a no-win situation. We just need to trust the training and make the right decisions.”
Whenever Walton takes Rothrock out or doesn’t pitch her, he also needs to deal with her frustration. She yearns to pitch vs. the best like Alabama and Tennessee, and when that didn’t happen, she was angry.
“That’s why I don’t ask for the ball,” Walton said. “I ask her to give it to her teammates because I know how that feels, but we didn’t think that was needed today.”
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: How Florida softball’s Keagan Rothrock has elevated her pitching in the postseason
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
