TAMPA, Fla. (May 6, 2026) – The University of South Florida softball team has positioned itself for the program's second consecutive American Conference Tournament championship and another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Bulls have an opportunistic offense. Their pitching has been competent, if not clutch.
 
But USF's constant has been its defense.
 
"It has mostly been unbelievable, catching everything, turning double plays to get us out of innings, and running balls down," Bulls Head Coach Ken Eriksen said. "You win by outscoring the other team, right? Well, if you can prevent runs, stop the other team from scoring, and not give them any extra outs, that's a major plus."
 
Top-seeded USF (40-15), which plays in the American Tournament's semifinals on Friday in Greenville, N.C., and needs two victories to clinch an automatic NCAA Tournament bid, has a .978 team fielding percentage. That's on pace to surpass the program's best-ever mark (.976 in 2024).
 
The Bulls revolve around the wizardry of second baseman Kathy Garcia-Soto, the American Conference's three-time Defensive Player of the Year. She and shortstop Alex Wilkes, who played right field last season, form an instinctive, athletic up-the-middle duo. The corners are patrolled by third baseman DaNia Brooks and first baseman Jamia Nelson.
 
But the outfield has also become a difference-making unit. With Olivia Elliott in left field, Alexa Galligani in center and freshman Toryn Fulton in right, the Bulls have three quick-as-a-hiccup players who routinely turn extra-base hits into outs. They have a combined three errors — one each.
 
"And here's the crazy part," Eriksen said. "We've had some good defensive teams in the past, but that's with pitchers like Sara Nevins or Georgina Corrick striking out 350 or 400 batters."
 
"Now we have so many more opportunities to catch the ball in play. Our infield is special. No question about it. Our outfield has made consistent plays. It's the fastest three players in the outfield we've ever had at one time. The bottom line is they all work at it every day. If you want more (results), you have to do more. And they do. They take more ground balls and fly balls on their own than I've ever seen. That's why we're getting above-average defensive results. This group works like crazy on its defense."
 
Galligani said that pride is the driving force.
 
"Twenty hours a week is probably the minimum of what we do," Galligani said. "We work on our craft every day, and we're very diligent about our attention to detail. The most important thing is to take care of the routine plays; then the spectacular plays will take care of themselves."
 
"I know that if there's a ball hit to the outfield, there's a 100-percent chance it'll be caught by one of the three of us. I have so much trust in our outfield. There's no doubt in my mind that one of us will get it done.''
 
Wilkes said she has the same level of trust in the infield's abilities.
 
"No matter how I perform or how anyone performs on that field, we love each other and we're going to have each other's backs if one play goes wrong," Wilkes said. "If the play is over, there's no need to stress about it. Get ready for the next play, which might come to you. It's a fun way to play. We all play better when we're having fun and we're loose."
 
And, of course, it doesn't hurt to have Garcia-Soto, long regarded as one of the nation's best infielders.
 
"Kathy, by herself, has probably stopped 40 percent of the runs that could have scored against us," Eriksen said. "She's in the middle of so many double plays that kill innings."
 
"I'll give Kathy her flowers," Galligani said. "She holds it down on the field. She's one of our biggest run-preventers. She does her thing out there and keeps us in games that, sometimes, we shouldn't be in. The same goes for everybody else in the field, but especially Kathy. She deserves the glory, but overall, we are a defensive-minded team. It's a really important aspect of our success."
 
Game after game, that defensive ability shows for the Bulls. It's one of the biggest reasons they're poised for another memorable postseason run.
 
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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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