Florida Gators
Disney Invitational
Youth is being served at WCWS ... and serving
Saturday, May 30, 2015 | Softball, Cross Country, Chris Harry
Freshman Nicole DeWitt is all smiles after hitting her solo homer in Friday night's 4-0 defeat of LSU that helped keep the Gators unbeaten in the Women's College World Series.
OKLAHOMA CITY -- After top-seeded Florida had just shucked her hot-hitting LSU squad into the Women's College World Series elimination bracket with a 4-0 defeat, Tigers coach Beth Torina was both gracious and complimentary of the Gators and their do-it-all senior star Lauren Haeger.
“It seems like Florida has a senior pitcher that steps up this time of year every year and really does a great job for them,” said Torina, no doubt harkening back to last year's stunning postseason run to the program's first NCAA title led by Hannah Rogers. “Florida understands how to win this time of year. We're still young. We have a lot of young kids.”
That may be true of the Tigers, as well a handful of other teams at Hall of Fame Stadium this week that weren't fortunate enough to return a national-championship roster that lost just two starters.
But the Gators aren't 57-6 and one win shy of reaching the best-of-three WCWS title series just because of Haeger and her fellow veterans. Youth is being served for the Gators, no doubt, but it's also providing a service.
UF won the regular-season Southeastern Conference title with a freshman, 17-game winner Aleshia Ocasio, as a regular in the circle. Nicole DeWitt, a freshman outfielder, started 49 games, hit .345 and was sixth on the team with 38 runs scored. Kayli Kvistad, another rookie, clubbed six homers, knocked in another 36 runs and, like DeWitt, has left her mark on Florida's latest charge through the WCWS bracket.
Clearly, the stage is not too big for these WCWS first-timers, even though the experience is nothing like they've dealt with before. More fun is on the way Sunday when UF takes on either UCLA or Auburn with the winner moving into the finals.
“You have to soak it in,” DeWitt, the Californian, said of the carnival-like World Series environment. “There are people leaning over the fence giving you high-fives. I've never seen that before. All these people are here for you. It's like, wow, amazing. Such a great feeling. ... I can't say I'm used to it, but you have to do what you know how to do.”
Just play.
“It's just softball,” she said.
True that.
DeWitt makes a play in the outfield Thursday (above) against Tennessee and is all smiles (below) as she rounds third and fist-bumps Coach Tim Walton after smashing her home run vs LSU.
“You would love to have veterans who have been there and done that, but you need the youthful experience to keep things exciting and keep things moving,” Coach Tim Walton said Saturday, as UF reaped the benefits of a two wins to open the WCWS with the accompanying day off. “You just can't have a bunch of veterans all the time. At some point, it gets stale. I think young players allow you to challenge the returning players to stay on top of their game. Plus, you have to learn from somebody.”
Haeger, Kelsey Stewart, Aubree Munro and company have done their part, but Florida's freshman came ready for prime time. Because Haeger has been so dominant in the postseason (6-0, 0.33 ERA), Ocasio has not been needed since her 6-0 shutout win against Florida A&M that opened NCAA play. 
Kvistad, from Lake City, Fla., broke out of a month-long hitting slump in the Super Regional against Kentucky with a bases-clearing double in the first inning of Game 1. She then came to OKC and in her big-stage debut smashed a towering home run (left) into the right field seats in her second World Series at-bat, to give UF a 3-0 lead against Tennessee.
“It was really exciting,” she said. “I was looking for a pitch to hit and working on being on time and to help my team out.”
And then there was DeWitt.
UF held that 3-0 lead against the Volunteers in the fourth inning Thursday. With a runner on first, Meghan Gregg crushed a ball to deep left field that DeWitt retreated on and gloved inches before the wall to rob Gregg of extra bases. The next batter, Megan Geer, homered to make the score 3-2, but DeWitt's defense minimized the damage and the Gators went on to win 7-2.
Then came Saturday night against LSU. With no score, DeWitt led off the top of the fifth with a slap single just out of the infield and into center. That set the table for Haeger to launch her second homer in as many nights to give the Gators a 2-0 lead.
The next inning, Munro led off with a double, but the Gators ran themselves out of a potential threat when Stewart hit into a third-to-first-to-third double play. That cleared the bases. LSU's fans cheered the rally kill.
Then DeWitt homered to right. Just her second of the year. As she rounded first, DeWitt emphatically pumped her first.
This time, the Gators' fans cheered.
“It was just the greatest feeling I've ever had,” she said.
Chances are, she has more to come. Kvistad and Osasio, too. The youngsters have plenty of playing left to do. The next few days and beyond.
