GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Four Gators earned preseason recognition from Softball America and D1 Softball, the organizations announced this week.

Ava Brown, Jocelyn Erickson, Keagan Rothrock and Taylor Shumaker were among the top players in the country recognized.

 

Ava Brown – Jr., 1B/Pitcher

• D1 Softball Preseason Top-100 Players – No. 87
• D1 Softball Positional Rankings – Pitcher/Utility – No. 5
• Softball America Positional Rankings – Two-Way – No. 7

After being named to the All-SEC Second Team as a freshman in 2024, Brown continued to be one of the most dominant two-way players in the NCAA in 2025. She appeared in 58 games, making 46 starts, primarily as the designated hitter and made a team-high 33 appearances in the circle. She led the SEC in saves, including picking up back-to-back saves against No. 1 Oklahoma on May 2/3. Her five saves are tied for fourth-most in a single-season in program history. Brown, who held an 11-3 record in the circle, improved both her ERA (3.59 to 2.90) and batting average (.241 to .290) in 2025.

 

Jocelyn Erickson – Sr., Catcher

• D1 Softball Preseason Top-100 Players – No. 40
• D1 Softball Positional Rankins – Catcher – No. 3
• Softball America Preseason Second Team All-American
• Softball America Positional Rankings – Catcher – No. 2

As a junior, Erickson repeated as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner at catcher, joining former teammate Kendra Falby as just the second and third pair of repeat winners in the award’s history. She batted .303 (53-for-175) with 59 RBI, 55 runs, 15 home runs, two triples and three stolen bases in 2025 and held a team-high .490 on-base percentage in SEC play. Behind the plate, the 2024 NFCA Division I Player of the Year threw out nine runners trying to steal and held a .997 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 315 chances.

 

Keagan Rothrock – Jr., Pitcher

• D1 Preseason Softball Top-100 Players – No. 62
• D1 Softball Preseason Positional Rankings – Pitcher – No. 19
• Softball America Preseason Positional Rankings – Pitcher – No. 18
• Softball America Preseason Top-100 Players – No. 81

The 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year had another strong season as a sophomore in 2025. Despite missing more than a month due to injury, Rothrock started a team-high 27 games in the circle, leading Florida in innings pitched (131.2), strikeouts (105) and complete games (9). She finished the season with a 16-7 record, including a victory over No. 1 Oklahoma on May 3. She shined in the postseason, earning complete-games victories in both of Florida’s wins over Georgia in Super Regionals (May 23 & 25).

 

Taylor Shumaker – So., Outfield

• D1 Preseason Softball Top-100 Players – No. 8
• D1 Softball Preseason Positional Rankings – Outfield – No. 1
• Softball America Preseason First Team All-American
• Softball America Preseason Positional Rankings – Outfield – No. 1
• Softball America Preseason Top-100 Players – No. 8

Shumaker, the 2025 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Freshman of the Year, became the first Gator freshman to earn First Team All-America honors last season. An All-SEC First Team selection, Shumaker had one of the best offensive seasons in program history. She tied the UF single-season RBI (86) and home run (22) records and set a new single-season total bases (164) mark. Nationally, she ranked in the top-10 in RBIs, runs, total bases and home runs. She batted .389 (79-for-203) with 72 runs, 22 home runs, 17 doubles, a triple, 41 walks, three hit by pitches and four sacrifice flies in her first season in Orange & Blue.

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