OKLAHOMA CITY &ndash Replacing the most storied senior class in UF softball history certainly won't be easy for coach Tim Walton and the 13 other players on this year's team.
OKLAHOMA CITY - Two nights after triumphantly rounding the bases and getting buried at the bottom of a dogpile following her walk-off grand slam against Alabama, Ali Gardiner fell to her knees beside home plate with her head in her hands.
OKLAHOMA CITY &ndash Three big plays and one dominant pitcher put the UF softball team one loss away from falling short of its season-long goal of a national championship.
OKLAHOMA CITY - With her team down by three, two outs on the board and the bases loaded, Ali Gardiner stepped up to the plate in the midst of the worst hitting slump of her career.
OKLAHOMA CITY - In the last two years, no team has beaten UF twice in one season.
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Gators only needed one swing to break the game open with pitcher Stacey Nelson shutting down the Wolverines in the circle Friday night.
OKLAHOMA CITY - Arizona entered the Women's College World Series with the nation's top offense, but the Wildcats were no match for Gators pitcher Stacey Nelson on Thursday.
After his team's historic, record-breaking season in 2008, UF coach Tim Walton said he didn't think any other team would ever win 70 games, which his squad did en route to a Women's College World Series semifinals loss.
Senior pitcher Stacey Nelson received one of college softball's most prestigious awards Tuesday but fell short of earning another.
Despite being the top-ranked team in the country for the last 10 weeks and sweeping their way through early postseason play, coach Tim Walton and his team are adopting the mentality of an underdog.
As Stacey Nelson walked from Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to postgame interviews, the senior ace asked coach Tim Walton a simple question.
As Stacey Nelson walked from Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to postgame interviews, the senior ace asked coach Tim Walton a simple question.
Maybe history does repeat itself.
The Gators have shown their ability to make adjustments and take over games all season. Sunday, that ability put them one step closer to the Women's College World Series.
The Gators have shown their ability to make adjustments and take over a game all season. Sunday, that ability put them one step closer to the Women's College World Series.
With an offense as potent as the Gators' has been this season, even a seemingly close game can turn into a blowout by the final out.
Last season, the UF softball team enjoyed unprecedented success, losing only two regular-season games and reaching the Women's College World Series for the first time in program history.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. &ndash At the Southeastern Conference Tournament, the Gators were put in a situation they have rarely faced: having to come from behind early in the game.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. &ndash Even Mother Nature couldn't stop the Gators' march toward a second straight Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. &ndash Even Mother Nature couldn't stop the Gators' march toward a second straight Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship.
Solutions by The State News
