Florida head softball coach Tim Walton, who needs just two victories to reach the 400-victory plateau, released the Gators’ 2011 schedule Wednesday. Four spring tournaments and four home Southeastern Conference three-game series, with visits by fellow 2010 Women’s College World Series participants Georgia and Tennessee, as well as April dates with Arkansas and 2010 SEC champion Alabama, highlight the 2011 lineup.
The Gators will also host league foe Mississippi State in a mid-week doubleheader on March 16 and face an exciting head-to-head match-up with 2010 WCWS champion UCLA at the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., Feb. 25. The Gators’ schedule features 18 teams that played in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Florida is coming off of its third-consecutive WCWS appearance after also garnering a top-five seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year in 2010.
The SEC Tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 12 at Mississippi. The NCAA Tournament will begin with regional action May 19 at 16 campus sites across the country, while the super regionals begin May 26 at eight campus sites. The eight-team WCWS in Oklahoma City, Okla., runs from June 2-8.
2011 FLORIDA SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
FEBRUARY
11-13 (Friday-Sunday): USF Tournament at Tampa, Fla.
11 (Friday): Florida Gulf Coast, 6 p.m.
11 (Friday): Marshall, 8 p.m.
12 (Saturday): North Carolina State, 1:30 p.m.
12 (Saturday): Long Island, 8 p.m.
13 (Sunday): South Florida, 2 p.m.
16 (Wednesday): at Jacksonville, 6 p.m.
19 (Saturday): NORTH CAROLINA (2), 1 p.m.
20 (Sunday): NORTH CAROLINA, 1 p.m.
24-26 (Thursday-Saturday): Cathedral City Classic at Palm Springs, Calif.
24 (Thursday): Indiana, 10:30 a.m.
24 (Thursday): Texas, 8 p.m.
25 (Friday): San Diego State, 1 p.m.
25 (Friday): UCLA, 3:30 p.m.
26 (Saturday): Utah, 10:30 a.m.
MARCH
4-6 (Friday-Sunday): FLORIDA INVITATIONAL at Gainesville
4 (Friday): Valparaiso, 3:45 p.m.
4 (Friday): Syracuse, 5:30 p.m.
5 (Saturday): North Dakota State, 1 p.m.
5 (Saturday): University of the Pacific, 3:15 p.m.
6 (Sunday): Gardner-Webb, 2 p.m.
9 (Wednesday): at Louisiana State (2) (SEC), 5 p.m.
11-13 (Friday-Sunday): USF Tournament at Clearwater, Fla.
11 (Friday): Connecticut, 5:30 p.m.
11 (Friday): Robert Morris, 8 p.m.
12 (Saturday): Ball State, 5:30 p.m.
12 (Saturday): Nebraska, 8 p.m.
13 (Sunday): South Florida, 12 p.m.
16 (Wednesday): MISSISSIPPI STATE (2) (SEC), 4 p.m.
18 (Friday): at Mississippi (SEC), 5 p.m.
19 (Saturday): at Mississippi (SEC), 1 p.m.
20 (Sunday): at Mississippi (SEC), 1 p.m.
25 (Friday): GEORGIA (SEC), 5 p.m.
26 (Saturday): GEORGIA (SEC), 4 p.m.
27 (Sunday): GEORGIA (SEC), 1 p.m.
30 (Wednesday): SOUTH FLORIDA, 6 p.m.
APRIL
1 (Friday): at Kentucky (SEC), 7 p.m.
2 (Saturday): at Kentucky (SEC), 1 p.m.
3 (Sunday): at Kentucky (SEC), 1 p.m.
8 (Friday): ARKANSAS (SEC), 5 p.m.
9 (Saturday): ARKANSAS (SEC), 4 p.m.
10 (Sunday): ARKANSAS (SEC), 1 p.m.
13 (Wednesday): FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL, 6 p.m.
15 (Friday): at Auburn (SEC), 6 p.m.
16 (Saturday): at Auburn (SEC), 1 p.m.
17 (Sunday): at Auburn (SEC), 1 p.m.
20 (Wednesday): UCF, 6 p.m.
22 (Friday): ALABAMA (SEC), 5 p.m.
23 (Saturday): ALABAMA (SEC), 4 p.m.
24 (Sunday): ALABAMA (SEC), 1 p.m.
29 (Friday): at South Carolina (SEC), 7 p.m.
30 (Saturday): at South Carolina (SEC), 4 p.m.
MAY
1 (Sunday): at South Carolina (SEC), 1 p.m.
4 (Wednesday): FLORIDA STATE, 6 p.m.
6 (Friday): TENNESSEE (SEC), 5 p.m.
7 (Saturday): TENNESSEE (SEC), 4 p.m.
8 (Sunday): TENNESSEE (SEC), 1 p.m.
12-14 (Thursday-Saturday): SEC Tournament at Mississippi
19-22 (Thursday-Sunday): NCAA Regionals
26-29 (Thursday-Sunday): NCAA Super Regionals
JUNE
2-8 (Thursday-Wednesday): Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma City, Okla.