OKLAHOMA CITY — The two scenes couldn’t have looked more different.
In front of the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium pitching circle, Arizona State players jubilantly mobbed freshman phenom and first-team All-American Dallas Escobedo in celebration of a national championship.
A handful of paces away, Kelsey Bruder walked away from a game, season and college career-ending strikeout. First, she walked into the arms of UF coach Tim Walton. Then she was swarmed by a contingent of Gators players gazing through teary eyes, watered with disbelief at witnessing another triumphant Pac-10 team.
For five seniors — who went 238-33 during their Florida careers — this was the end.
“Obviously, losing again here is heartbreaking,“ Bruder said. “But I’m definitely proud of what we’ve achieved over the last four years and this team, in particular.”
Before the seniors arrived, the Gators had never made a Women’s College World Series appearance. They’ve been to Oklahoma City four straight times but have yet to win the Southeastern Conference’s first softball national title.
The seniors are 0-4 in two appearances in the best-of-three WCWS finals.
Walton said he hopes this group isn’t remembered simply as a team that didn’t win a national championship.
Four of the seniors (Bruder, Stephanie Brombacher, Megan Bush and Aja Paculba) have been named All-Americans during their time at Florida. The All-Americans and Tiffany DeFelice built a winning tradition and national respect.
“Arguably one of the best [senior classes] in NCAA history if you go down and look at all the awards they’ve won,” UF’s head coach said. “The only thing they didn’t win was the big one, so of course that’s what everybody talks about.”
But positives are momentarily hard to recognize when another team is hoisting the bigger trophy.
The most visually devastated was Paculba, who started all 271 games in her UF career. Bush and Brombacher embraced the second baseman as tears flowed down her face. The mothers of Bush and Paculba looked on in the stands with their arms around one another.
“No one wants to end their career on a loss,” Brombacher said. “It’s tough to swallow, but I’m so proud of my teammates.”
The senior righty specifically referred to freshman counterpart Hannah Rogers, who became a breakout star in 2011 and a second-team All-American due in large part to Brombacher’s midseason bicep injury.
Rogers is part of an underclassmen core that will try to take Gators softball to the only level it has yet to reach.
In addition to Rogers, Florida returns Michelle Moultrie, Cheyenne Coyle, Brittany Schutte and Kasey Fagan, while also touting the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class.
“This program is going to do big things,” said Brombacher, who will stay in Gainesville next year and work with the team.
“We’ve been [to the finals] twice now, and the next time, we’re going to get it.”
But Tuesday night was mainly about reflection, not the future. Bruder, the unofficial team spokesman all season, put her last night in a Gators uniform into perspective.
“They’ve probably been the best four years of my life,” the left fielder said. “I don’t think I’ve seen a team work harder, fight harder, have more passion for the game than us. … I just feel lucky to be a part of this team. It was a great experience.”
WCWS All-Tournament Team: Bruder, Coyle, Schutte and Moultrie were all named to the 2011 All-Tournament Team. Moultrie was also named co-WCWS Most Outstanding Player, along with Escobedo.
