Florida softball’s outgoing senior class should be remembered forever.
The six players on the team: Bailey Castro, Jessica Damico, Lauren Haeger, Briana Little, Francesca Martinez and Kathlyn Medina will have something no other Florida softball senior class has had.
Two national titles.
All six of them have contributed to the program in some way during their time at UF, that ended after helping lead the team to back-to-back titles with Florida’s 4-1 win over Michigan on Wednesday.
Yes, there are some who contributed more than others, like Haeger and Medina, but what Castro, Damico, Martinez and Little did should not go unnoticed.
Medina wasn't known for her hitting, but that’s not her game. She’ll be the first one to tell you so.
But if you ask any of Florida’s pitchers on the staff, she was just as important to the team as everyone else. As the shortstop, she was the captain of the infield.
Over and over again, she made plays that saved hits and runs. She backed up Florida's pitching staff and made the hardest plays look routine.
"I take so much pride in my defense," Medina said on April 7. "It’s where I express myself, it’s where you’ll find me. … It’s what I do."
Little was a regular in the lineup in Southeastern Conference play. But it was her performance against Mercer this season where she went down in the UF record books.
In the first game of a double-header against the Bears on Feb. 22, Little hit three home runs and had nine RBI.
Little's season didn't end the way she wanted as she struggled down the stretch.
But coach Tim Walton still had faith in her, choosing her to pinch hit with the game on the line against Auburn in the Women’s College World Series.
Damico and Martinez were two players who Walton counted on to come off the bench and pinch run in certain situations. Following the team's Senior Day, Walton said he trusted their base running ability and instincts.
"The most important players on your team are role players," Walton said. "Role players have to do things that don’t go down on stat sheets."
Walton singled out Damico as an example of someone who embraced the role of coming off the bench. Earlier in the season, Damico was in the platoon of outfielders Walton used in late game situations.
But as the season went along, freshman Nicole DeWitt emerged, and it became harder for Walton to find a place for Damico in the outfield.
Damico was never selfish about being left out of the platoon and was always in Walton’s ear every game breaking down an opponent.
"Jess is always in tune," Walton said on April 25. "She and I have a conversation just about every day about a defensive alignment or see something that the other team does offensively."
And then there were the two thumpers in the middle of the lineup: Castro and Haeger.
Castro improved each year and had the best season of her career this season, finishing with a UF season-record .536 on base percentage.
Haeger, however, improved dramatically in her final year, especially in the circle.
Haeger came into her final season with the reputation of being a great hitter and a good pitcher, but this year she became the best player in the country.
Haeger was named the 2015 USA Softball National Player of the Year prior to the WCWS. She went 32-2 in the circle and hit 19 home runs and had 71 RBI.
Haeger is the only softball player in NCAA history with at least 70 career wins and 70 career home runs.
All six seniors on the team made an impact somehow or someway on or off the field. And all of them have made an impression that will last a lifetime for Walton.
"I’ve recruited these players for such a long time I know them all very very well," Walton said on Senior Day. "To see them go through graduation, championships, ups and downs, it’s very memorable."
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII.
UF shortstop Kathlyn Medina catches a pop out during Florida's 7-0 win against Kentucky on May 23 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
