TAMPA, Fla. (May 12, 2026) – It's a sisterhood. The University of South Florida softball team has always prided itself on teamwork and strong relationships, elements that don't show up on a scorecard but are integral to making the Bulls a successful program.
 
Once again, the close-knit Bulls (42-15) have earned an American Conference championship and are headed to the NCAA Regionals, where they open against the Big Ten Conference's Washington Huskies (36-18) on Friday night in Fayetteville, Ark.
 
But this season, the Bulls have taken their sisterhood to a whole new level.
 
USF is the only NCAA softball team with three sets of sisters on its roster. There are Jocelyn, Alex, and Kacey Wilkes. There are Alexa and Ava Galligani. There are Alice and Abbie DeWaters.
 
In the late season, the Bulls had a game in which all seven sisters were on the field at the same time. Fittingly, each Wilkes sister recorded a putout in one of the innings.
 
"Sometimes, it makes for funny situations because they know each other so well," Bulls Head Coach Ken Eriksen said. "They kind of have an unwritten language. They can just look at each other, and the meaning is understood without words. Each set has a big sister, and that's usually the one who takes care of business."
 
For senior utility player and big sister Jocelyn Wilkes, having her two younger siblings around has felt like a dream. They're extremely close. They even joke about the day, deep into their adulthood, when they'll live in the same neighborhood, probably with three adjoining homes.
 
"In the locker room, we always ask Jocelyn what time we're going down to the field or what we'll get for dinner," said Alex Wilkes, a junior first-team All-American Conference shortstop. "She's the go-to person, and maybe that's because she's the oldest. We're really going to miss her next year because she keeps us in line."
 
"We're all so blessed to have this. We're so grateful to Coach Eriksen and all the coaches who made this happen. It was always our goal to end up in the same place. It has made for an unforgettable experience.''
 
It has been special for the Wilkes sisters, who each attended Gaither High School, but especially for their parents.
 
"It's not easy to get three sisters in one place, especially in their hometown," Eriksen said. "For the parents, they don't have to drive all over the place or get on an airplane to see their daughters play. The kids get to go home on Sunday after the games, so the whole thing has been really special."
 
Jocelyn Wilkes said she never knew for sure but always hoped her two sisters would follow the path to USF.
 
"It's so amazing," Jocelyn Wilkes said. "Alex didn't commit to USF until the summer before I was coming in. We were wrapping up travel ball, and we were like, 'Dang, this is going to be our last time playing together.' And now all three of us are here together."
 
"It's not just us, but it's all the sets of sisters we have that make it such a unique situation. We have such incredible trust. If you look to your left or to your right, whether it's your blood sister or your teammate who is just like a sister, you know you trust that person. We love each other, and we'll do anything for this team.''
 
When senior center fielder Alexa Galligani first left her hometown of White Plains, N.Y., to join USF softball, her younger sister, Ava, made it a long-term goal to become a Bull as well.
 
"We are really close," said Ava Galligani, a freshman utility player. "Just learning from Alexa while growing up and watching her succeed made her my role model. I always knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps, keep learning from her, and be by her side."
 
"I definitely feel the role of mentor and protector," said Alexa Galligani, a second-team All-American Conference performer. "I've realized this game is so much bigger than stats and wins and losses. To know that my journey has inspired my sister and that we're now there for each other's achievements, I would never want to change that. It's almost surreal to think about it. The most important thing is to give back, and doing that for my sister, the person I love the most, is what matters most."
 
That's a sentiment that resonates with Alice and Abbie DeWaters, who grew up in Hobe Sound on Florida's east coast.
 
"We always hoped we'd end up at the same place," said Alice DeWaters, a sophomore utility player. "That's what our family wanted. That's what we wanted. During the recruiting process, we didn't really think about it, and we weren't even initially looking at the same schools. Then USF came into the picture, and it all kind of worked out."
 
"Once Alice committed to USF, I knew I had to work my butt off to make it here," said Abbie DeWaters, a freshman catcher. "Knowing they already had other sisters here made it possible."
 
USF softball always believed it had a sisterhood unlike any other.
 
Now it's a fact. Three sets of sisters — all on the same team?
 
"What are the odds?" Eriksen said. "It's a unique aspect of this program, and it has brought us all closer together. They can all play, and they all have valuable roles on this team. Being part of it like this, these sisters are creating special memories for the rest of their lives."
 
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About USF Softball
The South Florida softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 18 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2012. Under head coach Ken Eriksen, who enters his 29th season in 2026 and has accumulated 1,171 wins, ranking seventh among active DI head softball coaches, USF has produced 10 NFCA All-Americans, two USA Softball Top 10 Players 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).
 
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