Florida nears top of SEC after impressive series win against Alabama The Gators sit 1 ½ games behind first place Arkansas Third baseman Charla Echols prepares to fire the ball towards first Mar. 3 against Florida State. Prior to this past weekend, Florida’s softball team acted like a college student just before their first exam. It completed some burdensome assignments, such as series against Kentucky, LSU and Georgia (all ranked at the time) but mainly coasted through SEC play But the big exam came this weekend at then-No.3 Alabama, led by junior phenomenon Montana Fouts. So, what happened? The Gators exceled and won two of three against the Tide. The series win solidified Florida’s spot in second in the SEC and moved it up to No. 3 in the rankings. Alabama fell to No. 5, Florida’s old spot.