Gator Country

Florida sophomore shortstop Megan Bush and senior first baseman Ali Gardiner laugh after returning from the Women's College World Series on Wednesday / Gator Country photo by Casey Brooke Lawson

The University of Florida Gator Softball team was greeted with a welcome back celebration Wednesday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Team mascots Albert and Alberta, the Gator pep band and University President Bernie Machen were among the several hundred fans on hand to honor the 2009 Women’s College World Series Runner-Up.

The team was introduced and fans heard from select players including senior pitcher Stacey Nelson and senior Ali Gardiner, who hit a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the seventh against Alabama to advance the Gators to their first WCWS championship series.

The celebration capped an outstanding season in which the Gators finished with a 63-5 record, set 39 records and participated in their second-straight WCWS.

Photo Gallery: UF Softball Team Returns from Women’s College World Series, 6/3/09

DIRECTORY OF GATOR COUNTRY PHOTO GALLERIES

About the author

jumper42

Casey Brooke Lawson earned a B.S. in journalism from the University of Florida in December 2008. Lawson was born in Sarasota, Fla., but now still resides in Gainesville, Fla. Lawson picked up her first camera before she could walk, and now, 24 years later, she has made a career of her first love. She has been working as a photojournalist for eight years. She began at her high school, Sarasota High School, interned with the Gainesville Sun, Sarasota Herald Tribune, The Independent Florida Alligator and Sports Illustrated. Now, Lawson is a regularly contributing photojournalist for Gator Country. Trained in sports photography by Gator Country's own Tim Casey, sports photojournalism has become one of Lawson's favorite parts of her job.

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