The most impressive team on campus plays in a stadium that has no parking lot.
Frustrations with traveling to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium can be forgiven (signs point fans to the Center of Performing Arts parking lot, a 5-10 minute walk down Hull Road for a 1,200-seat stadium), but the team inside is well worth the trouble.
The No. 1 UF softball team improved to 39-3 after dispatching Mississippi State 3-0 in 91 minutes on Sunday to complete its weekend sweep.
This comes on the heels of a 70-win season - the most in NCAA history - last year that culminated in the team's first-ever trip to the Women's College World Series. It was simply the next logical step for a program that is seeing astronomical growth in only its 13th season.
Up-and-coming coach Tim Walton landed in Gainesville prior to the 2006 season. That year, he led UF to an NCAA Regionals appearance. Then he led the Gators to their first-ever NCAA Super Regionals berth in 2007. The team's 2008 success has been well documented.
Now, a national title isn't just a goal. It's an expectation.
It would be easy to point to the team's outrageous talent, helped by a national recruiting approach (only nine of 20 players on the roster hail from Florida). Apparently the secret is taught in youth sports programs across America.
Have fun.
"Our secret is just to keep smiling and staying goofy," said senior Stacey Nelson, the team's electric spark and All-America pitcher. "As long as we're dancing in the dugout and laughing, things normally go well."
And the fun starts early. There is no mistaking the team for tense at any point from beginning to end. Players are smiling, joking and dancing during player introductions, and they seem to appreciate some of the crazy mid-inning festivities for fans, including a dance-off.
But it isn't always easy, even if winning breeds happiness. The 20 student-athletes often play five games in a week, and last season and this season's successes bring a bull's-eye that isn't foreign to most UF teams. But these girls can still struggle to always find the joy.
"I think the winning ways are almost becoming expectations and becoming part of a businesslike mentality," Walton said a few weeks ago. "You can't argue with the success that they've had. I just want them to play with a little more enthusiasm and play with a little more excitement."
The Gators had plenty of excitement Saturday when Kelsey Bruder hit her first career grand slam - with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and the score tied. Sunday was back to the ordinary for UF, with Nelson striking out seven in a three-hit shutout.
Don't wait to jump on this bandwagon until you're watching the Women's College World Series on ESPN in May. For more persuasion, consider the 10 different giveaways - ranging from a T-shirt for every strikeout to a gift certificate to upscale Harry's Seafood, Bar, and Grill for a triple play - that could be yours.
Come for the fun and stay for the winning. The team wouldn't want it any different.
