Michelle Moultrie was going to attend Florida no matter what.
But instead of being just another finance major who graduated in the top 10 of her high school class, she decided to take a chance on one of the several sports she played growing up in Jacksonville.
“I came to [UF’s softball] camp just to get coach [Tim] Walton to see me,” the center fielder said.
Walton had a gut feeling about what he saw from Moultrie and invited her back to try out for the team.
Three years later, the former walk-on is now a leadoff hitter and one of the key components on a Gators squad making its fourth-consecutive trip to the Women’s College World Series.
But it didn’t always feel like the junior would reach this point.
Moultrie’s freshman year was filled with nerves and an ongoing battle to translate her raw athleticism into refined skills.
She batted .261 and was nowhere near the defensive juggernaut Florida fans have grown to love in 2011.
“She was very, very unsure of herself when she first got here,” left fielder Kelsey Bruder said.
“She would catch the ball and just let it pop right out of her glove.”
Now, Moultrie is a reliable fielder and an absolute pest for opposing teams both with the bat and on the basepaths.
She has hit in 55 of UF’s 62 games and reached base in all but two contests.
She broke the program’s single-season steals record by swiping 28 bases and has not committed an error since Florida’s 16-3 loss to UCLA in last season’s WCWS.
Walton credits her improvements to how well she absorbs coaching and instruction.
About halfway through last season, he told her she was hitting too many fly balls.
“I don’t think she hit another home run, and I don’t think she hit but two more balls in the air the rest of the year,” he said. “She’s very literal.”
In 2011, the junior, hitting .431 on the year, is also on pace to shatter Ali Gardiner’s UF single-season batting average record of .407.
When asked to assess Moultrie’s performance on Saturday, Walton got emotional.
“You can’t assess,” he said before composing himself. “She’s better than anyone could ever expect. … I just can’t believe that one individual could be that good in such a short period of time.”
Since Florida’s bats heated up in the deciding Game 7 of the regional matchup with UCLA, Moultrie — along with sophomore Brittany Schutte — has been the primary fuel.
In three games, she has gone 6 for 11 with four stolen bases.
Four of her hits and three of her stolen bases have come in the first inning.
“We can count on her to do what she needs to do,“ Bruder said. “Whether it’s bunt or slap, she’s going to get on base.”
Moultrie admits she has surprised herself during her three years at Florida.
She said where she’s at now is the result of coaching and working on little things — aspects of softball she never previously thought could be part of the game.
“I’ve just got to praise God for the abilities that He’s given me,” she said. “I never thought that I’d come this far.”
“To see her now, she’s a game-changer,” Walton said.
“She makes every play offensively. She makes every play defensively. ... She’s someone special. ...If you could take five more Michelles, we’d never lose.”
Gators grab regional honors: Hannah Rogers, Brittany Schutte, Megan Bush and Kelsey Bruder were named first-team selections for the 2011 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Southeast Region Team.
Moultrie and Aja Paculba were selected to the second team.
