The Gator softball team will kick off the 2013 season ranked No. 14 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Preseason Poll, announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Tuesday.

Florida has been ranked in seven of eight preseason USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Polls under eighth-year head coach Tim Walton, including top-three preseason rankings in 2009 (No. 1), 2010 (No. 3) and 2012 (No. 2). The USA Softball/ESPN.com Top 25 Poll is scheduled to be released next week.

The Gators are slated to face off against nine teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 preseason poll this spring, including No.1 Alabama, No. 3 Cal, No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 8 Missouri, No. 9 Georgia, No. 12 USF, No. 13 Arizona and No. 25 FSU.

The Orange and Blue concluded the 2012 season with a 48-13 overall record, boasting a 21-7 mark in Southeastern Conference play for UF’s fifth-straight 20-win league campaign. Florida received a NCAA Tournament bid for the 13th time in school history and hosted a NCAA Regional for the eighth consecutive season after picking up the No. 5 national seed, the program’s fifth straight campaign securing a top-five seed.

The Gators played for the SEC Tournament Championship for just the fifth time in program history, and were propelled into the tourney championship with a memorable 2-1, eight-inning victory over Tennessee in the semifinals to give Walton career win No. 500, making him the fastest active coach in the SEC to reach the milestone.

Florida embarks on the 2013 season under the leadership of seniors Ensley Gammel (Bakersfield, Calif.), Kelsey Horton (Valrico, Fla.) and junior two-time All-American pitcher Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.). Seven new faces grace this upcoming season’s roster, including six freshmen and Southern Illinois transfer Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif.).  Assistant coach Kenny Gajewski also begins his first season as a member of the UF coaching staff.

UF will kick off the 2013 campaign in Tempe, Ariz., at the Kajikawa Classic Feb. 8-10, hosted by Arizona State University. The Gators will square off with three preseason top-15 opponents at the season-opening tournament, including dates with No. 3 Cal, No. 5 Oregon and No. 13 Arizona. Florida opens the campaign in Tempe against Creighton Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. (ET). Be sure to check out Florida’s complete 2013 schedule on GatorZone.com.

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View the complete NFCA Top 25 Poll release HERE

Others Receiving Votes:  Notre Dame (43), Georgia Tech (29), Syracuse (27), Kentucky (23), Oregon State (22), Texas Tech (12), Virginia Tech (11), DePaul (10), Northwestern (5), BYU (4), Houston (3), Tulsa (2), Mississippi State (2), Illinois State (2), South Alabama (2).