The scoreboard may have been blank, but the softball complex was far from empty. Practice starts in 30 minutes, but the off-field duties of its superstar start early, and as I sat on a leather couch in the team's lounge, I found myself largely unprepared for the continuous stream of humility that would soon resonate, not only with those asking the questions but with any overhearing the responses.
Even while talking of herself, it's never about Stacey Nelson.
News to Her
By anyone's account, 75 wins is a career's output.
On this day, it seemed too many outings for the ace to recall.
"What does the wins record mean to you?" a reporter asked, abruptly changing the interview subject.
"Is that…do we have the wins record…?"
The pitcher looked around for confirmation from her sports information director, or anyone else in the room who might be able to shed light on this newfound achievement.
"No, you do," the reporter answered back.
"Oh! Ohh…uh…," a confused Nelson muttered.
"Does that mean anything? Or is it significant at all?" the reporter revised his question.
"It's…It's good." she decided.
"Were you aware, at all, that you were closing in on it?" he tried again.
"No, I was actually surprised because I expected someone to have over 100 wins in a career," she said.
If someone has never heard of Stacey Nelson before, that exchange is the best place anyone could possibly start in the tall order of describing the most unassuming yet dominant athlete on campus.
The Player
Almost anyone within 20 miles of UF can recite the Heisman Trophy-winning statistics put up by Tim Tebow or attest to a time when he or she saw the Golden Boy single-handedly change a game, but few among the Gator Nation can claim to hold similar knowledge of Nelson's prowess.
During her sophomore season, she pitched her way to one of the most jaw-dropping seasons by a UF hurler.
In 42 starts and 58 appearances, spanning a school-record 318 innings, Nelson posted a 34-14 record, logged five saves, held batters to a .184 average and finished with a 0.95 ERA.
On 14 occasions, opponents could not muster a single run.
Athletes often can't achieve elite status until they make a significant impact on the success of their team.
In 2007, the Gators softball team enjoyed its best season in team history on the back of its ace.
UF finished the season 50-22 - a record amount of wins - and came within one game of reaching the College World Series for the first time in the program's 11-year history.
Nelson would go on to cap the season with numerous All-American honors to go along with a second team All-SEC award.
After a year like that, the expectations on the laid-back pitcher were huge, and she was expected to take her team even further this season.
The Gators came into the year with a No. 13 national ranking - the highest in school history - and she came in on the Amateur Softball Association's USA Softball Player of the Year watch list.
"There are a lot of expectations, so I guess I'm really going to have to get out there and show them something," Nelson said in an preseason interview.
But no one could have known just what she would show to anyone willing to take notice.
She has made 30 starts and 37 appearances in her junior year, gone 31-2, thrown 27 complete games, recorded 3 saves, held opposing hitters to a .158 average and posted a miniscule 0.75 ERA.
In addition to becoming the Gators' career wins leader, she has also become the school strikeout leader - adding 245 K's this season alone and running her record number to 641- impossibly moving her name to the front of, perhaps, the two most prestigious pitching records, despite only being in the middle of her junior season.
As for the team, UF is No. 3 in the nation - another historic ranking - and holds a 48-2 record, the highest winning percentage in Division I.
"I really didn't have a lot of goals for softball," said Nelson, who sticks to the fact that she's in Gainesville to get an education. "I didn't expect us to be ranked third my junior year. That's just surreal looking back."
The next dream she hopes to make a reality is a College World Series appearance, which has eluded her and the Gators during her first two years.
That ultimate team goal seem to bring out the only true sense of accomplishment for Nelson.
"It means that if I don't get there, I'll be very disappointed."
The Person
College students use Facebook as a way to give anyone browsing their profile an idea of who they are and what they do.
The content of Nelson's profile, however, might surprise some people.
Nowhere on her social-networking page does it say the word "softball."
Not once.
"I don't think a lot about softball," she said, laughing at the idea of individual accomplishments. "I'm really like a no worries kind of person. Bob Marley philosophy."
If she didn't have pictures of her in a UF uniform, it would be impossible to tell she played a sport by looking at her Facebook.
Sometimes you can't even tell by talking to her.
"I'm not used to being a jock," Nelson said. "I never want to really fit that stereotype, because all my friends back home, none of them play sports, so I'm not used to talking about sports or doing sports. It's so weird to be 'Stacey Nelson, All-American' and be defined like that."
The immediate reaction is to come away with a murky comprehension of Nelson as a person because it is hard to fathom the lack of softball's influence on her life.
But it's exactly the opposite.
UF coach Tim Walton recently gave his opinion on just what Nelson means to the program, as a player and as a person.
"I don't know that I can asses her worth to the program, (it) is just immeasurable," he said. "I always say that she is as good of a person as she is a pitcher, probably a better person than she is a pitcher. I think that is who she is, more than just a great pitcher."
Despite all the interviews and media attention the on-field leader of an exceptional team gets, the gracious and humble attitude of this class-act athlete never dissipates and never comes across as contrived.
She is more than happy to grant you any amount of her time that she can, no matter the request.
Among her teammates, she is just another hard-working, fun-loving player on a team of tremendous overall talent.
"She's such a great person," junior utility player and roommate Brooke Johnson said. "She's so nice and so humble, and she would do anything for any of us. She's so fun and outgoing."
Her goofy attitude and ability to take everything in stride is legendary among those close to the team.
"Stacey is just more outgoing and bubbly," Johnson said of Nelson's personality.
The player who, in the media guide, lists African Queen by 2Face Idibia as the song that best represents her and named her golden retriever Spudsmackenzie not only puts her pants on one leg at a time like everybody else, she seemingly puts them on backward.
While most students took romance languages in school, she took an African language, and while most people are afraid to try to make a difference, she can't imagine not helping others.
"I don't know why I'm so interested in Africa, but I am," Nelson said. "I took Swahili, I was hoping to go over there in the Peace Corps, but they don't send people to East Africa anymore because it's too dangerous. I just wanted to get involved because of all the people struggling over there."
In addition to her affinity for Africa, her method of university selection was equally unorthodox.
"I don't mind living 3,000 miles away from home, and I never get home sick," she said of choosing UF.
Leaving her hometown of Los Alamitos, Calif, she packed her bags for Gainesville after deciding this was the program for her.
"I am a proud Californian," Nelson said. "But when I visited [UF] my junior year (in high school), we don't have universities like this in California. They don't have the support and the tradition."
After Nelson leaves Gainesville to pursue whatever endeavor she deems worthy - law school and teaching are among her possibilities - she will likely be remembered as the best player to ever stand inside the circle wearing the Orange and Blue.
"You don't think, Stacey Nelson. All-American. You think, Stacey Nelson. Great Person," Johnson said.
For that reason, every complete-game shutout recalled by fans years after she's gone, will be accompanied by an anecdote of Stacey Nelson, the person.
As for which is more impressive, those lucky enough to listen can decide.
