Kirsti Merritt can’t stop smiling.
Whether she’s making the game-winning play or getting hit by a pitch, she’s always smiling.
But behind that smile lies an emotional player, a quiet leader who lives in the moment and seizes every opportunity that comes her way.
"I wear a lot of whatever I do on my face," Merritt said. "After I miss an opportunity or something … you can see on my face just the disappointment. But just like whenever I make those plays, you can just see that I really try to make the most of it."
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Merritt’s softball career starts in Lake Panasoffkee, Florida. It’s understandable if you’ve never heard of it.
It’s a town in Sumter County that, according to the 2010 United States census, has about 3,500 people living in it.
"Everybody knows everybody," she said.
But to Merritt, it’s the place she’s always called home.
There’s not a lot to do around Lake Panasoffkee, Merritt said, but sports have always been there to bring some noise to such a quiet town.
And now that she’s just an hour’s drive from Gainesville as part of UF’s softball team, Merritt has seen more than her fair share of familiar faces at Florida’s home games.
Those who watched her grow up take pride in watching one of their own enjoy success as a Gator.
"I have old coaches, old high school teachers that still come to games," Merritt said. "It’s a really big thing trying to make your mark being in such a small place. They take pride in it that she came from South Sumter. We can do big things even though we’re small."
Two of those people who try to make it to each game are Merritt’s mom and grandmother. Merritt’s mom, Kelly Goodwin, isn’t able to make it to each game during the season, but her grandmother, Karen Kinley, is always in the stands.
Kinley sits in the same spot each game, observing the team and watching Merritt closely.
"She works so hard at everything she does and she has since she’s been real little," Kinley said. "She likes to win and she is a winner."
Kirsti Merritt smiles as she slides into third base during Florida's 2-1 win against North Florida on April 1, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Both Merritt’s grandmother and her mother have been instrumental in her life.
Merritt said she probably wouldn’t be where she is without those two in her life.
"They are two of my favorite people in the whole world," Merritt said. "My grandma, she is just the person that I know is always there and she loves me. I couldn’t imagine not having those two growing up. It would’ve been totally different."
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Recruiting is different in softball than in other sports.
Travel ball is the primary method of exposure and development for those wanting to play at the collegiate level.
It allows players to go against the best of the best in their age groups. And it was no different for Merritt, who started playing travel ball when she was still in elementary school.
One of the teams she played for was the Gold Coast Hurricanes under the guidance of coach Marty Cooper.
"When Kirsti came to us, she ended up playing against some of the top teams in the country, because of our extensive traveling and who we played and where we played," Cooper said. "So it definitely helped her prepare for the college challenge."
It was Cooper who tagged the young Merritt with her first nickname: ‘Thirsty Kirsti’, a name that served the playful purpose of helping those around her correctly pronounce her unique name.
But all jokes aside, Cooper said Merritt was a consummate leader on the team and one that players would follow.
"She was a great person to coach, a great girl," Cooper said. "She always got along with everybody."
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Even after all the travel tournaments and late car rides home, numerous coaches never saw Merritt play because of her small town upbringing.
Luckily for UF coach Tim Walton, he didn’t have to scout her from afar.
Walton was able to watch the future Gator play on a consistent basis.
"It was always nice to see him at the games," Merritt said. "Usually incognito, he’s in usually a Hawaiian shirt or something. I’d have to try to search him out."
Walton traveled to Gold Coast’s games and practices trying to figure out just what he had in Merritt.
It didn’t take long for him to realize she was a competitor.
"You want her on your team, I can tell you that," Walton said. "If you’re playing checkers, or kickball, or anything that involves a winner or loser, you want her on your team."
Merritt’s personality gels with the team and she even finds the time to crack jokes and imitate different voices and keep herself and the team loose.
"She’s goofy and fun, but still pleasant to be around a lot," Walton said. "She travels well, she’s very little maintenance as a person off the field, that’s for sure."
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Like any other freshman transitioning to college, Merritt faced her own challenges.
She had to figure out how to balance a higher level of competition on the softball field as well as learning to manage her studies.
Now a junior, softball had always come easy for Merritt, but college ball meant she had to work harder than ever before.
And that started with adjusting to a new position. When she arrived on campus, Walton eventually moved Merritt, an infielder by trade, to center field because of her strong arm.
It’s been two years and she’s yet to give up the position.
In 146 career games, she’s committed just four errors on defense.
"Luckily it was an easy transition for me," Merritt said. "It was just an easy fit. I kind of just fell into it. I also like to be the leader, so just being out in center it was really good for me."
But she’s far from a one-trick pony. Merritt is also one of Florida’s strongest hitters.
Entering her junior season, she had a .291 career batting average and 19 home runs. For a player listed at 5-foot-4, the amount of power that comes from her body frame has impressed Walton throughout the years he’s seen her play.
"I saw her hit many home runs at a young age," Walton said. "Even though she was little, she was getting after it."
Merritt has also shown up in key moments. In Game 3 of the 2014 NCAA Super Regional against Washington, she hit a walkoff home run to send Florida to the Women’s College World Series.
In Game 2 of the 2014 championship series against Alabama, Merritt hit a three-run home run to help seal Florida’s first national title.
This season, she’s added eight more home runs to her career total.
But there is one thing that has stood out if you look at Merritt’s statistics: the number of times she’s been hit by a pitch.
Pictured is a sign that shows how many times UF batters have been hit by a pitch. Each time a player is hit by a pitch, they get a Reese's Big Cup, said UF softball junior Kirsti Merritt.
Merritt’s been plunked an astounding 28 times in 47 games this season, which leads the nation and is eight more than UF’s single season record set by Briana Little in 2013.
She has also obliterated the career hit-by-pitch record, having been hit 50 times through two and a half years.
As a whole, the team has been hit 93 times in the batters box this season, which leads the Southeastern Conference by 32.
"It never gets old, we love hit by pitches," Merritt said. "Coach loves it. We have this deal with coach, if we get hit by pitches we get a Reese’s Big Cup and if we jump out of the way he gets the Big Cup."
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So why is Merritt always smiling?
To those who know her best, there are multiple reasons to the contagious grin.
"It’s part of her DNA, it’s part of her makeup, it’s part of what makes her tick," Walton said. "It’s kind of her nervous energy. … She can look at you with a straight face and then she kind of has a full smile, kind of like the evil Joker might have."
Maybe Merritt smiles because she’s been a part of a softball program that has been a powerhouse since she came in 2013.
Merritt knew she wanted to go to Florida, even if she had to be a walk-on.
Or maybe the answer is just simple: she’s just happy that she’s from a small town and has the support of everyone around her.
She just doesn’t notice that she’s smiling all the time.
"It’s not fake or anything. It literally is I don’t know that I’m doing it," Merritt said.
"I’ll be talking to you and I’ll have no idea that it’s coming out. Or I’ll be out in the field and I’ll have no idea that I’m smiling."
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII
UF junior outfielder Kirsti Merritt smiles as she goes up for an at-bat during Florida's 2-1 win against North Florida on April 1, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
