ChompTalk.com

Florida softball head coach Tim Walton was named the national coach of the year by D1Softball.com Monday afternoon.

Walton led the Gators to a 54-15 overall record and one win short of the national championship series. Additionally, Florida won the SEC tournament title on the way to being named the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

The 2023 season saw Florida finish 38-22 before falling in the Stanford regional.

Walton revamped the program after an underwhelming conclusion to 2023. In the circle, freshman phenom Keagan Rothrock put her mark on the record books with stellar performance after stellar performance. In all, Rothrock went 33-9 with a 2.59 ERA.

Offensively, the Gators returned the NCAA Player of the Year in Skylar Wallace and added catcher Jocelyn Erickson from Oklahoma and outfielder Korbe Otis from Louisville.

The Gators have been active in the transfer portal since the conclusion of the season. They’ve landed commitments from RHP Kara Hammock (UNC-Wilmington), INF Kenleigh Cahalan (Alabama), and SS Rylee Holtorf (Washington).

Walton is a five-time recipient of the SEC’s Coach of the Year Award (2008, 09, 11, 13, 17). His teams have made it to eighteen NCAA post-seasons. Additionally, the program has made it to fifteen super regionals and earned twelve trips to the College World Series since he took over at Florida.