Beyond the field: The relationships driving USF softball’s NCAA regional run

By Savannah Ruiz, University Communications and Marketing intern

The University of South Florida's softball team is gearing up for the Fayetteville Regional this Friday, marking the program's 19th appearance in an NCAA regional. This achievement is one built on consistency, community support and family. For head coach Ken Eriksen, the journey that led to this moment wasn't even part of his initial plan.

"I actually thought I was going to end up in the U.S. Department of State," Eriksen said, looking back on his years spent as a political science graduate student at USF. Everything began to shift when he was offered a graduate assistant role with the newly formed softball program in the mid-1980s. The opportunity came with a simple but convincing incentive: free tuition. "I went, 'Okay, we might have a deal.'"

That very deal began his decades-long career - one that has formed a history-making program and a unique culture. "Having two coaches on staff that are alums of the university - myself and Karla Claudio - we're able to convey a legitimate basis: the love and the pride that we have for the school," he said.

From player to mentor

That loyalty lives through Karla Claudio Rivera, who previously played under Eriksen and now coaches alongside him. Claudio Rivera once planned to become an occupational therapist. But after graduating from USF and stepping into a volunteer coaching role, she had an epiphany. "Once I started doing that, I kind of realized that was my calling and that's what I wanted to do," she said. "My dad was my coach my whole life, so I think it just ran in my blood."

Now in her fifth season with the program, she credits the staff around her, including Eriksen, for shaping her growth. "I'm surrounded by people who have a lot of knowledge about softball, so I've been blessed that way."

Her personal journey to USF mirrors the resilience she now hopes to inspire in her student-athletes. A native of Puerto Rico, Claudio Rivera started learning English while enrolled at a community college. It wasn't until her first visit to USF that everything clicked. "The second I stepped foot on campus, this was like my dream school," she said, crediting the environment and the sense of community that reminded her of home.

Now, she helps maintain a culture built on discipline and pride. "We hold these girls to such a high standard," she said. "We get them as girls and then they leave the program and they're women, so hopefully we've shown them that they can do everything they put their minds to."

A season defined by sisterhood

That emphasis on connection reaches beyond the coaches - it's woven into the players themselves. This season, three sets of sisters are on the team: the Galliganis, the DeWaters and the Wilkes sisters. While there have been sisters on the team before, having three sets of sisters play together is an anomaly.

The weight of sharing the field at the collegiate level is not lost on Alexa and Ava Galligani. "It's very rare," Alexa said. "It means a lot not only to us, but to our family and our parents."

That same lifelong connection shines through Alice and Abby DeWater, who have played side-by-side throughout their childhood. "It's something we worked for our entire lives since we were younger," Abby said. Years of sharing the field have created an unspoken understanding between them. "Sometimes you just look at each other and know what the other is thinking," Alice added.

Growing up together in the sport, Jocelyn, Alex and Kacey Wilkes have a bond rooted in honesty and familiarity. "We're very truthful with each other," Jocelyn explained. "Like, if I say something towards Alex, I know it's not going to hurt her feelings."

All three groups of sisters were part of a historic moment this season, appearing in the same game. "That's not something you see every day," Abby said. "Like, one set of sisters, let alone three."

Success shaped by support

For standout athlete Kathy Garcia-Soto, that familial connection has defined her time at USF just as much as the championships. Garcia-Soto suggests that patience and presence are the biggest lessons she's taken from the game. "Just have patience and truly just be in the moment," she said. "I think that's what has been able to get us this far."

Managing athletic participation with a degree in health sciences required discipline and support, both of which she found within the program. "Just being able to use my resources that I have here has helped me be able to be a great student-athlete," she said.

Outside of the USF staff, her most consistent support system is her brother, Christian Garcia-Soto. "He's always been my No. 1 fan, no matter what sport I did, he was truly my No. 1 fan, always cheering me on," she said. In all of her endeavors - whether softball or even track, his constant presence made playing even more meaningful. "It's truly a blessing."

As the team approaches another NCAA regional, their success is defined not solely by appearances or championships, but in the connections on and off the field that sustain them -through their dedicated coaches, teammates and family members.