Two freshman outfielders walked onto UF’s campus in fall 2024 for Florida softball.
Their names? Taylor Shumaker and Townsen Thomas.
Thomas, rated as the nation’s top outfielder in the Class of 2024, was expected to see the most playing time.
But then Thomas suffered an injury in fall ball. She redshirted her freshman season, and Shumaker stepped into the void. When the season ended, Shumaker was the country’s top freshman.
In their sophomore seasons, Thomas is finally receiving her moment in the sun and offering, along with Shumaker, a dynamic punch to the Gators offense.
Thomas was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week Tuesday after she hit .667 (6-for-9) in the sweep over Kentucky with four doubles, four RBIs and a stolen base in Lexington.
She’s now up to 26 RBIs and a .391 batting average with 34 hits and 26 runs in the 2026 season for the Gators in center field.
Thomas was not a complete stranger in 2025
Once her redshirt was official, coach Tim Walton found a new role for the Humble, Texas, native: coaching first base.
It’s rare for a coach to have any player coach first base – let alone a freshman.
Walton, though, has shown faith in her from the beginning. Before the 2026 season began, he said Thomas was in place to potentially start in 2025 before her injury.
“We decided to redshirt her with Taylor Shumaker, Kendra Falby and Korbe Otis in the outfield,” Walton said.
Thomas said she was shocked when Walton came to her with the suggestion, but it offered her a unique opportunity to see the field from a different vantage point since, it was the first time in her career, she took a step back from the game.
“It was kind of special because I was able to get a feel of the vibes and the energy,” Thomas said. “Understanding that situations aren’t perfect and still translating your skills from practice into the games.”
She added the experience helped her become a better baserunner. She ranks second on the team in stolen bases.
It helps that she, along with all Gators, is being supported by the queen of all baserunners – Kendra Falby. The program legend, who stole 118 bases in her career, is Florida’s first base coach this season.
“Her expertise is unmatched and just being able to pick her brain and have efficient conversations with her,” Thomas said. “It’s cool to have a resource like her.”
According to Walton, she still makes earth-defying catches in the outfield, which Thomas said inspires her to be a better outfielder.
Overcoming early season blues
Thomas’ first weekend of the season in Tampa was anything but smooth. She totaled two hits and two RBIs in 13 at-bats at the Rawlings Invitational. The Gators won every game, and Thomas’ teammates remained supportive of her.
“I’m at this school for a reason,” Thomas said. “At the end of the day, softball is a game, and you’re not always going to perform how you want.”
Her turnaround began immediately after. In the squad’s next game at Jacksonville, she drove in a team-leading five RBIs after she “took a breath.”
Walton moved her to the nine spot in that first week and acknowledged that she was swinging at some bad pitches. That’s to be expected, he said, from a freshman. That’s why he pushed her down there to “alleviate the pressure.”
At the time, he said that would be his lineup for a while, but Thomas slowly worked her way back up. She hit sixth vs. Kentucky.
A delicate balance with coaching
When Walton last spoke to the media after the series sweep over Missouri on March 9, he said Thomas, who homered in the first game of the series, needed to be coached more since she didn’t receive much in travel ball.
“She said to me ‘Coach I’ve been on some really good teams before, but I’ve never been coached,’” Walton said.
Thomas elaborated on that. Due to the stress of travel ball with the sheer amount of games played, she did her own thing.
“We just kind of had fun on the field and figured things out as they went,” Thomas said. “At Florida, things are more structured, but that’s exactly what I needed to take my game to the next level.”
Thomas faces her toughest test yet in the circle this weekend with a visit from Karlyn Pickens and No. 1 Tennessee to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Action begins Friday at 6 p.m.
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. 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 Florida.ChampsBook.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: How Townsen Thomas became Florida softball’s new threat in the outfield
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
