Florida

Does Florida softball winning SEC Tournament mean Gators will make WCWS? Recent history suggest so

Published

2 years ago

May 11, 2024

Does Florida softball winning SEC Tournament mean Gators will make WCWS? Recent history suggest so

Could Florida softball’s win in the SEC tournament be a good omen for the upcoming Women’s College World Series?

The Gators have qualified for the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City each of the previous five times they have won the SEC Tournament title. In fact, since the SEC started playing softball conference games in 1997, 16 of the 26 tournament champions coming into this season have advanced to the WCWS.

REQUIRED READING: Florida softball defeats Missouri to win SEC Tournament Championship: Score, highlights from Gators’ win

Since the 2015 season, just two teams have not made it to the WCWS after winning the SEC tournament, including Florida in 2018 and 2019. Tennessee made the World Series last year after winning the tournament. Interestingly, Alabama is the only SEC program to win the World Series and the SEC Tournament in the same season, with the Crimson Tide beating Oklahoma in the 2012 WCWS.

Florida ― the only other national champion in the SEC ― won back-to-back championships in 2014 and 2015 in seasons in which they did not win the SEC Tournament. The Gators did win the regular season titles both years.

Here’s what you need to know about how winning the SEC tournament championship correlates to an appearance in the Women’s College World Series:

Most SEC softball tournament titles

Florida tied Alabama with the most SEC Tournament championships with their victory over Missouri. The Tigers have not won one yet. The Gators’ championship was their first since 2019 while the last one for the Crimson Tide was in 2021.

The first SEC tournament was played in 1997 with South Carolina sweeping the regular season and postseason titles.

T1. Florida — 6
T1. Alabama — 6
3. LSU — 5
4. Tennessee — 3
T5. South Carolina — 2
T5. Auburn — 2
T7. Arkansas — 1
T7. Ole Miss — 1
T7. Georgia — 1

SEC Tournament title and WCWS appearance by season

2024 — Florida, TBD
2023 — Tennessee, qualified for WCWS
2022 — Arkansas, did not qualify
2021 — Alabama, qualified
2020 — no season
2019 — Florida, qualified
2018 — Florida, qualified
2017 — Ole Miss, did not qualify
2016 — Auburn, qualified
2015 — Auburn, qualified
2014 — Georgia, did not qualify
2013 — Florida, qualified
2012 — Alabama, qualified
2011 — Tennessee, did not qualify
2010 — Alabama, did not qualify
2009 — Florida, qualified
2008 — Florida, qualified
2007 — LSU, did not qualify
2006 — Tennessee, qualified
2005 — Alabama, qualified
2004 — LSU, qualified
2003 — Alabama, qualified
2002 — LSU, did not qualify
2001 — LSU qualified
2000 — South Carolina, did not qualify
1999 — LSU, did not qualify
1998 — Alabama, did not qualify
1997 — South Carolina, qualified

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Florida

Florida man accused of firing into family’s SUV during miles-long road rage chase

Published

10 hours ago

May 2, 2026

Press Room

Florida man accused of firing into family’s SUV during miles-long road rage chase

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida gunman allegedly hunted down a family on the road, firing into their SUV with a child inside in a miles-long road rage fueled pursuit.

Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office say they responded to a 911 call at 3:14 p.m. Wednesday near Highway 92 and Wiggins Road, where a man, later identified as 33-year-old Nicolas Totherow, was reportedly following a family in an SUV and firing at them.

According to an HCSO news release, the caller told dispatch that one of the four people in the vehicle was a child and stayed on the line as the situation unfolded. Investigators say Totherow continued following the family northbound on Park Road before both vehicles entered Interstate 4. He allegedly kept firing as the pursuit moved eastbound on I-4, ending when the victims exited at County Line Road.

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The victims were located shortly after and confirmed that their vehicle had been struck multiple times by gunfire, shattering the windshield, rear window, and even reporting that one bullet had gone through the seat where they child was located.

At 6 p.m., deputies say they located Totherow through investigative efforts, recovered his firearm, and took him in custody. During an interview, he allegedly admitted to firing multiple rounds at the victims’ vehicle and stated he intended to kill the driver.

Totherow was subsequently booked into Hillsborough County Jail for counts of:

Attempted Murder in the First Degree Premeditated Firearm – Discharge
Aggravated Battery Great Bodily Harm Firearm – Discharge (x4)
Discharge Firearm from a Vehicle
Shooting at Within or Into a Vehicle
Armed Possession of Controlled Substance
Driving While License Canceled, Suspended, or Revoked

“This reckless and violent behavior put multiple innocent lives at risk on our roadways,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Thanks to the quick actions of our Communications Center and the coordinated response of our deputies and detectives, this suspect was taken into custody before anyone was killed. We will not tolerate violence in our community.”

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The investigation is ongoing, anyone with information is urged to contact HCSO at 813-247-8200.

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Florida

Florida’s most-eroded beach needs help. Will T-groins work?

Published

22 hours ago

May 2, 2026

Press Room

Florida’s most-eroded beach needs help. Will T-groins work?

Army Corps and St. Lucie County spent $15 million on placing new sand on Fort Pierce Jetty Park beach.

The Army Corps of Engineers and St. Lucie County are working on a new solution to fix Florida’s most-eroded beach.

Here are 5 things to know about the T-groin project:

They plan to place a half-dozen T-groins at the Fort Pierce Jetty Park beach by 2030.
T-groins are designed to reduce wave energy and trap sand, but the county did not cite any data or studies that prove they will work.
The groins, which are typically like rock jetties, will run perpendicular from the dune line with the T part in the ocean.
The Army Corps said the two biological opinions it received “resolved” the state’s environmental concerns about sea turtle nesting and other impacts, so the project is moving forward.
The Army Corps and county plan to split the $900,000 cost.

Fixing Florida’s most-eroded beach in Fort Pierce

Fort Pierce Jetty Park costs taxpayers about $15 million every two years for beach restoration projects to replace lost sand, the Army Corps said during an April 28 ribbon-cutting ceremony for its latest effort. St. Lucie County officials hope the T-groins will reduce the need to add new sand to every four years instead of every two year.

Sand has been placed at the Jetty Park beach 14 times since 1971, said Joshua Revord, St. Lucie County Department of Port, Inlet & Beaches director.

The current project, expected to be complete by mid-May, is placing 400,000 cubic yards of sand on a one-mile stretch from the jetty south, according to Col. Brandon Bowman.

Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.

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Florida

DeSantis reappoints three trustees to TSC board. Here’s who they are

Published

1 day ago

May 1, 2026

Press Room

DeSantis reappoints three trustees to TSC board. Here’s who they are

Tallahassee State College’s District Board of Trustees is keeping three of its current members after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent reappointments.

TSC board chair and longtime member Eugene Lamb as well as trustees Karen Moore and Sara Bayliss will remain on the college’s board after being reappointed by the governor May 1.

At the same time, Moore was reappointed to the board by DeSantis less than five months ago in December 2025 during the same time of Bayliss’ initial appointment. Trustees are usually appointed to four-year terms at a time before being considered for reappointment. The timing of the reappointments is unclear, a TSC spokesperson said.

Moore’s reappointment comes after she has served as a trustee at TSC since 2007 when she was first appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist followed by reappointments by former Gov. Rick Scott and DeSantis.

The CEO and founder of The Moore Agency currently serves as chair of the Florida College System Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is also founder and chair at Tallahassee Collegiate Academy (TCA), which is the college’s STEM-based charter school on its campus.

Bayliss is a college admissions advisor at St. John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee and a counselor at Game Plan College Admissions Counseling. The Florida State University alumna earned her bachelor’s degree in management information systems and French from the University of Iowa and her master’s degree in business administration from FSU.

Regarding Lamb’s reappointment, it comes as he is currently serving in his fifth non-consecutive term as chair of the board. Lamb, a Midway native and army veteran who had a 33-year career of working with youth as a teacher and coach, first joined the college’s board in 2007 after being appointed by Crist. Since then, he has been reappointed to five consecutive terms by Scott and DeSantis.

In addition, Lamb – who’s well known and celebrated by the TSC community for laying bricks for the first buildings on the college campus as a young man – was named Trustee of the Year in 2024 by the American Association of Community Colleges, which honored his leadership and service.

All reappointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.

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