TAMPA, Fla., May 29, 2025 – The University of South Florida softball Head Coach
Ken Eriksen quietly began confronting his retirement a few seasons ago. What more was there to prove in a Hall of Fame career featuring him coaching Team USA at the Olympic Games?
There were many days when the words spoke loudly: It was time.
And now?
"These guys are really, really special and they've injected another round of enthusiasm in me,'' Eriksen said after USF was eliminated from the NCAA Tallahassee Regional to complete a 44-16-1 season, which included the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship.
"I wasn't sure I wanted to continue coaching two years ago. And this was probably the most fun I've had in a long time. It was really cool to be around it.''
The Bulls, who reached their first NCAA Regional since 2022, had a never-say-die comeback quality that was endearing to coaches and fans alike.
And it was on full display in USF's first regional game against the SEC's Auburn Tigers.
After one inning: Auburn 5, USF 0.
"I turned to the guys and said, 'We just weathered a storm … it might have been a Hurricane Milton, but we weathered it … and your job right now is to pick up the pieces and scratch back,'' Eriksen said.
"I wasn't really surprised (that USF would come back). That has been us all year. This team was probably the most fun team I've ever coached because of their relentlessness. There was absolutely no panic in our dugout.''
The Bulls did it again with a breathtaking 12-7, nine-inning victory.
Josie Foreman led the charge with a pair of home runs, and the dramatic game went into extra innings.
Kathy Garcia-Soto delivered her first homer of the season, putting the Bulls up in the eighth (then Auburn tied it). In the ninth, after USF scratched ahead on a bases-loaded hit batter,
Camille Ortiz-Martinez settled things for good with a grand slam.
The Bulls slipped into the losers' bracket and saw Auburn again. This time, the Tigers escaped with a 7-5, eight-inning victory, another nail-biter that had USF entering the fifth inning with a 4-3 advantage. Auburn scored three runs in the top of the eighth, then Foreman hit her 13th homer, cutting into that margin in her last at-bat as a Bull.
"That was one heck of a two-game series against Auburn,'' Eriksen said. "Both teams were going at each other like a prize fight from Round One to Round 15.
"It's too bad that our season had to end, but at the same time, I thought that our senior class set a great example for the future of this program. If you look at all our comeback victories, if you take a look at the no-die attitudes, our team would be irresponsible in the future if we didn't carry that over. Our kids are fighters. Our senior class created a phenomenal environment.''
USF had 17 comeback victories.
These were the most memorable:
* Against UAB, the night after a heartbreaking defeat,
DaNia Brooks was called out after what looked to be a brilliant head-first diving slide into home plate during the ninth inning. Brooks said her hand touched the plate before UAB's tag. After an interminable wait, the umpire's call was reversed by replay, and the Bulls had won.
* In the seventh inning, the Bulls trailed by two runs in Charlotte. Down to their last out, the Bulls got an RBI triple from Garcia-Soto. RBI doubles from
Olivia Elliott and
Alexa Galligani to produce a riveting 3-2 victory, the first leg of a three-game sweep.
* The Bulls trailed by five runs entering the seventh at Wichita State. Two outs. Nobody on. Then
Alanah Rivera blasted a two-run homer. One batter after USF was down to its last strike, Brooks produced a three-run shot. USF impossibly forged a 7-7 tie. There were no extra innings. The Bulls had a commercial flight to catch. They didn't win. But more significantly, they didn't lose, either.
* Meanwhile, at the recent AAC Tournament championship game in Tampa, the Bulls had an early four-run deficit against North Texas. Down to their final six outs, they trailed by two.
Alex Wilkes led off the sixth inning with a homer, making it a 4-3 game, and Ortiz-Martinez worked a 3-2 count with one runner on before a weather delay halted the action for one hour, 27 minutes.
When the Bulls returned, Ortiz-Martinez stayed disciplined on the payoff pitch and worked a walk. That moment turned the tide for good, helping to spark a three-run sixth inning. Despite some nervous moments, the Bulls surged ahead to a 5-4 lead.
Foreman, a fifth-year senior who endured serious injuries during her career, relished the year of comebacks.
"As someone who has been through almost every experience, it's like you don't know when you're going to get this moment back,'' Foreman said. "For the underclassmen, you don't know when you'll get here again. So I embraced these moments and was grateful to be here. Just focus on what's going on now, even when you're so tired physically and mentally.''
During key moments, Eriksen said he thought a lot about his senior/graduate student class — Foreman,
Alanah Rivera,
Payton Dixon, and
Allana Consolazio.
"I feel like I have a tremendous relationship with all of our players, and there's a trust factor going on,'' Eriksen said. "Our alums know if they call me and they're in Nome, Alaska, I'm flying there if they need me.
"We've shared a lot of ups and downs, especially Foreman and Rivera with their injuries. Those guys went through some things. There were moments on the field when we were up one or tied, when I'm looking at everybody and just thinking, 'Man, oh man. These guys are special.''
Special players.
Special season.
Tickets:
Tickets to watch Bulls softball at the USF Softball Stadium may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or clicking
HERE.
About USF Softball
The South Florida softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 17 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2012. Under head coach Ken Eriksen, who enters his 28th season in 2025 and has accumulated 1,117 wins, ranking seventh among active DI head softball coaches, USF has produced 10 NFCA All-Americans, two USA Softball Top 10 Player of the Year, and one NFCA Pitcher of the Year. In 2022, Georgina Corrick became the first player in softball history to earn the NCAA Pitching Triple Crown. She led the nation in ERA (0.51), Victories (37), and total strikeouts (418).
Be sure to follow USF softball on social media (X / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
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