Eventually, expectations, goals and dreams give way to assessment and reality.
All the preseason and early hype surrounding the promising Gators is finally coming to fruition.
No. 4 UF (31-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) has gradually climbed the polls from their initial No. 13 ranking all the way to the top five.
Three series into the SEC slate and having already faced two other top-five teams, it is evident that the Gators are starting to believe that the College World Series isn't just a fairy tale told to players at the beginning of the season.
"With our team, we have an opportunity to win every series we play," UF coach Tim Walton said.
UF takes a break from its soon-to-be taxing conference schedule - there are four SEC teams in the top 10 - when they take on Iowa (18-8) in Gainesville on Wednesday.
The Gators will bring a .305 batting average and a 1.17 ERA into the game against the Hawkeyes, impressive numbers for a team with just one senior and eight juniors.
It would be hard to find a team that matches up well with the red-hot Gators, and when asked about the big picture for his team, Walton made it clear that it's Oklahoma City or bust.
"If we don't get to the College World Series this year, with this team, it is going to be a letdown," he said.
With two All-Americans on the roster for the first time in school history, it is no surprise that center fielder Kim Waleszonia and pitcher Stacey Nelson are leading the charge to take UF where it has never gone before.
Waleszonia leads the team with a .383 batting average and is yet to be thrown out on her way to a team-high 15 stolen bases.
Nelson, who Walton says has been better than last year, has pitched a workhorse-like 141 1/3 of the team's 220 2/3 innings. With the team's success largely dependent upon her arm, she has posted a 19-2 record and 0.99 ERA.
Behind their two junior leaders, the rest of the Gators are playing with the confidence it takes to make dreams palpable.
"They expect that no matter what happens in a game, they are going to win," Walton said.
