OKLAHOMA CITY - Almost as soon as the Texas A&M players had stormed the field to celebrate their defeat of No.1 UF in the Women's College World Series, the fans, media and players were already talking about next year.
But for senior right fielder Mary Ratliff, there is no next year.
For Ratliff, the lone senior on the team, this is the end of the line.
The girl from Mt. Sterling, Ky., was brought to tears after her team was eliminated by the Aggies for the second-consecutive season.
The Gators were bounced from last year's tournament by A&M in the super-regional round.
Her numbers were not astronomical. She finished the year batting .296 with 9 home runs and 48 RBIs, but her contribution to her team cannot be overlooked.
Without her leadership, there is no telling what would have come of the Gators' 2008 season.
She also produced on the field.
Ratliff came up with seemingly every big hit the Gators needed this season including a grand slam to beat Alabama and win UF's first Southeastern Conference tournament title.
Her most heroic moment likely came when she pounded a RBI double to beat Virginia Tech in the ninth inning of an elimination game in the Women's College World Series.
"How many games has she won for us this year? You can count them - 10. She's been so clutch," UF coach Tim Walton said.
As good as she was on the field, she was even better off of it. From sending out mass text messages to the team about events to dealing with a coaching change after her freshman year, she's been through about as much as one player can in four years.
Ratliff was named to the SEC Honor Roll each of her four years.
Though her career is over, she is proud that she will always be a part of UF softball. She's certainly left her mark on one of the most up-and-coming programs in the country.
"The best part of it is that I can always say that when Florida really started to be a really big time program I was there," Ratliff said.
