After four years of rewriting record books and racking up awards, Michelle Moultrie is now only missing her Hollywood ending. And there’s nothing that would beat riding off in the sunset with a championship trophy in hand.
But before Moultrie could dream of a national title, she had to make the team.
Moultrie, a senior finance major from Jacksonville, thought that’s all she would ever be at the University of Florida. While softball players around the state were signing Division I scholarships, the only thing Moultrie received after high school was a diploma.
Despite earning a spot on the Class 6A All-State Team for three years in high school, as well as leading her team to the state’s final four in 2008, Moultrie never heard from UF softball coach Tim Walton.
So she went to him.
The incoming freshman took it upon herself to sign up for one of Walton’s softball camps that he ran over the summer.
“I came to [UF’s softball] camp just to get coach Walton to see me,” Moultrie said. “I didn’t really have any expectations, I was just going to come out and give it my best.”
Walton, the reigning Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year, had just led the Gators to an NCAA-record 70 wins and a berth in the national semifinals as the No. 1 seed in 2008.
But it was a gut feeling he had while watching Moultrie during camp that would mold Walton’s success for the next four years.
Florida boasted a stacked roster with nine upperclassmen and All-Americans Kelsey Bruder and Stephanie Brombacher. But Walton decided to invite Moultrie back to try out for the team.
The 5-foot-4 speedster showed off her patience at the plate and her quickness on the bases. Impressed, Walton made Moultrie the newest member of his squad.
“If we were to rank our top-five outfielders right now, [Moultrie] would probably be in our top five,” Walton said in a press conference before the 2009 season. “She is our fastest player on the team so she can come off [the bench] and do a lot of different things. I like that weapon to have there at our disposal whenever we need it.”
However, rather than charging out of the gates, Moultrie struggled in the early going.
She ranked near the bottom of the squad with a .261 average, and in SEC games, she brought up the rear with a .212 hitting clip. Her struggles at the plate carried onto the field where she had the worst fielding percentage (.906) among starters. Moultrie’s three errors in 2009 were more than she would make in the next three years combined.
“She was very, very unsure of herself when she first got here,” Bruder said. “She would catch the ball and just let it pop right out of her glove.”
Although the Gators advanced to their first Women’s College World Series Championship in 2009, Moultrie was a non-factor. She was far from the promising player Walton had given a chance to play D-I softball the previous summer.
“I think I was trying to just get into a groove,” Moultrie said. “It takes time, as any freshman takes time, to get used to the pitching level and things like that.”
After saying goodbye to First-Team All-Americans Stacey Nelson, Ali Gardiner and five other seniors after the 2009 campaign, Florida desperately needed a push from the bottom to rise to the top again.
Moultrie provided that push.
With a year under her belt, she skyrocketed from rock bottom to the top of her team with a .389 batting average and 72 hits.
As the full-time patroller of center field in 2010, Moultrie made only one error, led the team with six outfield assists and maintained a .984 fielding percentage.
Even she was surprised by the turnaround.
“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. I want to thank God, my coaches and my teammates for helping me to be the best that I can be.”
Like Moultrie, Walton, too, was shocked that she could walk onto a national championship-caliber team and become the Gators’ catalyst within a year.
“She’s better than anyone could ever expect,” he said. “I just can’t believe that one individual could be that good in such a short period of time.”
After earning a spot on the 2010 All-SEC Second Team and a permanent starting role for Florida, Moultrie was ready to assume her upperclassman duties as a leader.
Not only did Moultrie lead by example on the field with her record-breaking 2011 season (she broke six UF single-season records including a .443 batting average and 101 hits), but she led with her calm demeanor.
When the Gators reached the pinnacle of the softball world by advancing to the WCWS for the second time in three years at the end of last season, Moultrie showed the country why she earned her high praise and awards.
Although Florida was outscored 21-6 in a two-game sweep by Arizona State, the 2011 All-American centerfielder was still able to earn the honors of being named the WCWS Co-Most Outstanding Player as well as making the WCWS All-Tournament Team.
“I’m not hung up on the (WCWS) loss at all,” Moultrie said. “Just the College World Series experience is a huge motivation to play your best.”
And when asked what she would do if her team faced ASU in the finals again, Moultrie did not have revenge in mind. She simply said she would try to do what she failed to do last year: win.
It is Moultrie’s dedication to her craft that has garnered respect from her teammates.
Sophomore Cheyenne Coyle has seen Moultrie’s influence firsthand.
“Michelle is a great leader by example,” Coyle said. “People will just sit and be quiet to watch Michelle. And if Michelle does say something, everybody is dead quiet and they listen. But definitely Michelle is the silent leader.”
Walton has seen Moultrie grow into a strong leader for a young team.
“She has really taken on and embraced that leadership type role that she didn’t have in previous years, (because) she didn’t have to,” Walton said. “She has really stepped up into that role.”
As Florida’s lone senior, Moultrie has become the face of the program having accumulated several accolades and awards.
“She makes every play offensively,” Walton said. “She makes every play defensively. She’s someone special. If you could take five more Michelles, we’d never lose.”
Moultrie’s years of effort and dedication to the program was celebrated on her senior day April 28. Knowing Moultrie’s time in Gainesville was nearing an end, each player expressed her love for Moultrie with a flower and a hug.
“I just remember during our banquet, [Moultrie] made a speech and we were all bawling our eyes out,” freshman Lauren Haeger said. “It’s gone by so fast. It was very emotional. It’s always sad to see someone like that go, but we’re very happy for her and everything that she has accomplished.”
Even with the standing ovations, the 15-minute pre-game ceremony and, not to mention, a 2-for-4 day with a home run and two RBI, Moultrie did not want her senior day to be the storybook send off that most players dream of.
She wants a championship.
The road to Oklahoma City, the annual site of the WCWS, begins with a regional round matchup against Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night at 6 at home. Behind Moultrie, the Gators will look to improve on their 41-27 record in the NCAA Tournament and advance to their third championship series in four years.
When asked what it would feel like to finally capture that elusive first title, Moultrie paused to think.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Us being able to overcome what we didn’t do last year ... would just be another great memory that you can have here with the girls.”
