Although the Gators have to travel almost 2,400 miles to get there, this weekend’s DeMarini Tournament in Fullerton, Calif., will be a homecoming experience for seven Gators.
Francesca Enea, Kelsey Bruder, Megan Bush, Aja Paculba, Shaunice Harris, Ensley Gammel and Brittany Schutte will all have an opportunity to catch up with friends and family in their home state this weekend, as the No. 3 Gators (12-1) play five games against West Coast opponents, starting with Pacific today at noon followed by a game against No. 10 Stanford (12-2) at 4:30 p.m.
This will be the fourth-straight year UF will be participating in a California tournament, and the trips have become a highly anticipated experience for the players.
“This is what we look forward to,” Bruder said. “Playing in front of the whole home crowd, friends and family, it’s really exciting.”
Recently, it has become a Florida tradition for one of the players to host a dinner where the entire team and their California families gather and get to know each other while they are all out there.
Junior first baseman Bush’s family hosted during her freshman year, then-senior Kim Waleszonia hosted last year, and this year, Enea, who is a senior, will do the honor.
Bruder and her teammates are particularly excited to have a “Taco Man” come by and provide the food.
“I don’t think they have them in Florida,” Bruder said. “It’s when a guy comes with a little cart and he actually makes any taco you want.
“It’s really popular out there and nobody’s even heard of it here. It’s really fun, I love it.”
While all of the girls enjoy the trip, none have proven it on the field to the extent Bush has, as she is batting .357 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in her 11 games in California as a Gator.
“It must be my family. They must be my good luck charms,” Bush said.
For some of the younger Californians at UF, like Schutte, who is a freshman, returning to their home state could be a slightly stressful experience the first time around.
With all of her friends and family watching for the first time since she joined the college ranks, Schutte knows how important it is to give them a good show.
“There’s kind of an expectation because you play for the University of Florida,” Schutte said. “There’s some type of pressure just trying to make them proud, and I don’t want to disappoint them at all.”
