Florida softball is a program steeped in history, tradition, legacy... and eccentricities! We've got 23 things we're sure you didn't know about the Gators -- from lunch boxes and time cards to scooter rules to a notorious rule bending pitcher.





If you want to find out more about the Gators and their rise to SEC and national dominance, along with some wacky facts about the program, be sure to catch our "The Program: Florida" documentary series.











1. The 2015 team carried old-school lunch boxes and punched a time card every day to remind themselves that they were "working" for another national championship.

Photo: Florida Athletics



















































The 2016 team's theme is "Brick By Brick"





2. Hall of Fame Company: Lauren Haeger is the only collegiate softball or baseball player to have 70 home runs and 70 wins as a pitcher. The only other player to ever do that is Babe Ruth. That's right, she and The Babe share a statistic.









3. Tim Walton won a national championship with the University of Oklahoma's baseball team in 1994. He was the winning pitcher in the 13-5 victory over Georgia Tech in the title game.

Photo: Oklahoma Baseball





















































4. Also on that Sooner team was Kenny Gajewski, Walton's close friend and former Gator assistant coach who became the Oklahoma State softball head coach this summer.

Photo: Jose Bouquett/O'Colly





















































5. 2,273,000 people tuned in to watch game three of the 2015 WCWS between Florida and Michigan. It was second only to game three of the 2007 WCWS between Tennessee and Arizona (2,326,000). Viewership for the whole series eclipsed the college baseball world series viewership by 31%.









6. Stacey Nelson recorded a 3-2 win over Michigan on February 18, 2006, marking the Gators' first win over a top-ranked team.

Photo: Florida Athletics





























































7. Perfection: Catcher Aubree Munro didn't make an error behind the plate in 354 chances. Give that woman a gold glove!









8. The Story behind the Sunflowers: In 2010, the Florida Softball team adopted 13 year old Heather Broswell who was suffering with a brain tumor. Her mom crafted sunflowers for all the girls on the team, and they wore the sunflower as a symbol of Heather's strength and spirit.

































































9. Dress to Impress: Tim Walton is notorious for being particular about what the Gators wear for traveling and banquets. So, former pitcher Stacey Nelson decided to "dress up" to their preseason softball banquet in a pirate's costume. She also decided to "dress up" on a travel day in an African head wrap and muumuu.









10. Walton is also adamant that every player must match -- even their headbands. And headbands can be no wider than the first line of his pinky.





























































11. Big Bow Boom: Not many people know this, but pitcher Stacey Nelson is to credit (blame?) for the big bow trend. She found a loophole in Coach Walton's strict headband rule. On game day, Nelson wore the biggest bow she could find to spite the headband rule. Her teammates (see Hannah Rogers below) ended up liking the big bow so much they started wearing it too. Long live the big bow.













































12. Kelsey Stewart was an All-American cheerleader in high school...obviously.









13. Athletic Family: Coach Walton's wife Samantha played basketball at Oral Roberts University.

Photo: Florida Athletics





























































14. Every home Saturday and Sunday series, the Florida softball team has a made-to-order omelette station.









15. Senior Taylore Fuller has hit eight grand slams in her career, making her second in NCAA history.

Photo: Florida Athletics

















































16. Former Gator Francesca Enea holds the record at Florida with nine. Enea was also Tim Walton's first recruit from California.





















































17. Speaking of California, Tim Walton and his staff have been able to go coast-to-coast with their recruiting strategy. This year's team boasts eight players from Florida and seven from California.









18. Speaking of recruiting, the Gators signed the top two players in the FloSoftball's 2015 Hot 100 class: outfielder Amanda Lorenz from California and pitcher Kelly Barnhill from Georgia.

Photo: Florida Athletics





















































19. Hannah Rogers was Florida's first ever four-time All-American.









20. Delanie Gourley has won five national championships in a row. She won three straight PGF National Championships (2011-13) with the So Cal Athletics-Richardson club team. In 2014 she was the winning pitcher in Florida's clinching game for the 2014 National Championship and then earned the save in Game 1 of the 2015 WCWS.

Photo: FloSoftball

















































21. She is also the first left-handed pitcher to ever sign with Florida under Tim Walton

















































22. Florida has won an SEC Championship in every sport except Women's Basketball.









23. The Scooter Rule: There is a team rule that everyone has to wear a helmet if they ride a scooter, so some players ride around in their softball helmets instead of a scooter helmet.



















































