As the Florida Gators rose to prominence with back-to-back appearances in the Women’s College World Series, one name rang synonymous with their success: Stacey Nelson.
When Nelson entered the circle, the Gators knew that a victory might be achieved with only one run crossing the plate. By the end of her time in Gainesville, Nelson became the trusty anchor most teams wished they could rely on. Her 206 games (third all-time in NCAA history), 1141.2 innings pitched (ninth all-time), 136 career wins (sixth all-time) and 0.99 career ERA cemented a legacy that will not soon be forgotten at Florida.
Those towering records also cast a long shadow for anyone unfortunate enough to have to follow Nelson’s last act at Florida.
Luckily for the Gators, Stephanie Brombacher is that heir. Two years the apprentice to Nelson, Brombacher does not seem fazed by the task at hand. She simply wants to continue the tradition Nelson established at Florida — taking care of business inside the circle.
“I wouldn’t call it pressure,” said Brombacher, who leads the third-ranked Gators (4-1) in the Liption Invitational Tournament this weekend at Katie Seashole Presley Stadium. “I’m just excited to go out there and know he’s not going to pull me or put in anyone else. I just have to be tougher in situations and know that I can get through them … I don’t so much as look at it as me taking over the No. 1 role, but just me continuing to do what I’ve always done.”
What Brombacher has done is lay the foundation for her own legacy at Florida. Over the course of her first two seasons, Brombacher was the perfect complement to Nelson — literally. That perfection came to the tune of 42 wins and 0 losses over two years, a mark fitting of Florida’s growing pitching reputation.
After a shaky opening weekend that saw Brombacher give up 11 runs, the perfect streak finally came crashing down. But with all of the weight already on Brombacher’s shoulders that might actually turn out to be a good thing. Just ask Stacey Nelson. She lost 26 games in her first two seasons. An 88-10 record over the last two says she turned out all right. But of course, just because something might end up being good for you, doesn’t mean it has to feel good.
“I’m kinda glad it happened early, just to get that over with,” Brombacher said. “I didn’t enjoy it. I definitely didn’t pitch the way I wanted to. Like coach said, I’ve lost scrimmages before. This one actually goes in the books.”
Brombacher knows that there are days like that, when she may not have her best stuff, but luckily with the offense she has on her side, it may not always take her best to keep racking up the wins.
“I don’t think that we’re going to be winning many games 1-0, 2-0,” said senior Francesca Enea. “We have a very strong offense right now. I don’t think the offense feels pressure to score runs. I just think that’s what we do. Not even one through nine but one through 12 we’ve got great hitters. We’re just going to go up there and do what we’ve gotta do.”
But Nelson didn’t just leave Brombacher with the unenviable task of following in her footsteps. Along with a potent offense, Brombacher is equipped with the knowledge that she soaked up from Nelson over the past two years.
“I definitely learned some of her game mentality stuff and what she thought about, just how she approached different situations,” Brombacher said. “We would always talk about that, so that definitely helps.”
As Brombacher has taken over the reigns of pitching ace, she knows that it isn’t simply about pitching her team to victory. It is also about leading her team to victory. Nelson helped Brombacher learn the nuances of the game for two years, so it is only natural that now the pupil is becoming the teacher.
Brombacher has two apprentices of her own in freshmen pitchers Ensley Gammel and Erin Schuppert, and she is doing everything she can to equip them with the same mental edge that she picked up over the past two seasons.
“I just talk to them if they have any questions or any doubts,” Brombacher said. “Just give them confidence, so they can go out there and not be scared. Just go out there and just throw because they’re both good. They have a lot of potential. I think they’re really nervous. They just need to go out there and throw and that’s what I’ve been telling them.”
By all indications, the freshmen are soaking up the knowledge that Brombacher has to offer like a sponge.
“She’s a good role model to look up to,” Gammel said. “She gives good advice. She’s very positive. She helps you out. My first game I roomed with her, and she told me, ‘It’s okay. I was nervous too.’ She’s very reassuring. She’s a lot more experienced than we are, so she gives me some good advice when I need it.”
That advice comes in all forms and all situations. Pretty soon the pair will be mentally prepared to handle any situation they face in the circle.
“When we’re in the bullpen, we kind of talk about situations and what we should throw in certain situations,” Schuppert said. “With her experience, she’s been able to clear things up for us if we have any questions. Say if we have this many runners on base or this many strikes or this many balls, what are we looking to throw? And also even just on the defense part and on team defense and things like that. She’s kind of helped us learn Coach Walton’s rhythms and things like that. She’s been great.”
Over the past two years, Nelson was viewed as the team’s leader, so it may seem that Brombacher is just now stepping into a leadership role, but in fact, Brombacher has always taken a leadership role on the team. In Brombacher’s case, that leadership role is shown in all forms, from leading vocally to leading by example.
“Even when Stacey was here, Stephanie was a good leader for us,” Enea said. “She really has stepped up a lot. A lot of the girls, especially the younger girls, look up to her. Even someone like me, being older than her, I see her as someone who comes to the field every day — early, late — works hard. I don’t think anyone could ever question Stephanie’s work ethic. She’s always working. One of the hardest workers on the team.”
Even though Brombacher sounded disappointed that she couldn’t lead by the best example on the field in Florida’s opening weekend, there is no doubt that her work ethic has set an example the freshmen have already taken to following.
“Yesterday was our day off, and I saw all the freshmen pitchers in the bullpen working on their spins and stuff,” Enea said. “That’s really cool. I know people who come in and hit on their days off, but I’ve never seen anyone come and spin. That means a lot to me, to see that they make sure that this program is being taken care of the right way.”
Brombacher’s imparted wisdom may pay off sooner than expected, as both freshmen could contribute a lot this season.
“We’re definitely going to use each other,” Brombacher said. “It’s not going to be how it has been the past few years, when we just had two pitchers. I think all three of us are going to throw a lot. If someone’s having a bad day, someone else is going to have to be there.”
Brombacher says that the trio is composed of three very different parts. Brombacher comes to the table as a power pitcher who grunts with every pitch, and isn’t afraid to work herself to get batters out. Her secret ingredient is sweat, which wasn’t easy to come by in Wednesday’s chilly night victory over Jacksonville.
“I like to pitch when I’m sweating,” Brombacher said. “It’s really hard to break a sweat out here. But it’s not too bad.”
Gammel goes right at the opposition with her drop-ball approach.
“I just go right at ‘em and give ‘em my all,” Gammel said. “Some days when it’s not working, it’s not working. Some days it is, then great. I try to have a lot more good days than bad days, obviously. Work hard. Play hard. I’m a drop-ball pitcher. I try to get a lot of ground balls on my infield and one-two-three.”
Schuppert takes a more methodical approach when entering the circle, one that requires pinpoint accuracy.
“I don’t throw that hard, so when I go in my job is to make sure my pitches are where they are supposed to be, that they’re moving right,” Schuppert said. “My approach is that I have to just stay calm. I think I’m pretty level-headed. I just try to bring that out there with me and try to calm things down.”
If nothing else, the three figure to keep opponents on their toes as very different pieces to the pitching puzzle.
“We all throw completely different,” Brombacher said. “I think it will be harder for teams to adjust, especially if Ensley and Erin throw in the same game. They both throw totally different — different speeds, different pitches. They can be a really good combo. They compliment each other very well.”
While Brombacher mentors the new kids on the block, she is also continuing to hone her own game. If there is one weakness that she has been stressing, it is her propensity to work herself too hard and try too hard to get batters out. All of her 11 runs in the opening weekend came after the fourth inning, but her vaunted work ethic definitely showed quick results, as Wednesday’s win over Jacksonville saw her only give up one run, and Brombacher dug in to retire all nine batters that came up after that fourth inning mark.
“I think I just stayed a little bit more mentally focused, especially in the later innings,” Brombacher said. “I just went out there and pitched my game instead of getting juiced up and trying to throw the ball harder because that’s not what I do. When I try to throw harder my pitches don’t move like they’re supposed to and that’s when they stay flat and get hit.”
If Brombacher ever needs a midweek tune-up to make sure she isn’t doing those things, all she has to do is step into the circle against her own lineup, a task that no pitcher wants to take but one that undoubtedly helps Brombacher when the games count.
“We have a variety of hitters,” Brombacher said. “If you make a mistake, they will make you pay for it. It helped me prepare for the season. I had to be good. If I wasn’t good, it definitely showed. They definitely help prepare you for what you’ll see down the stretch.”
It is a lineup that has enough power to strike fear in opposing pitchers, but don’t make a mistake, Brombacher has enough fear-inducing stuff to hold her own.
As the ace of the staff and the team’s career home run leader, Brombacher and Enea definitely qualify as a heavyweight bout if there ever was one on the Florida practice field. So it comes to no surprise that neither hesitates to say she hates facing the other one in practice.
“She strikes me out every single day when I face her,” Enea said. “I hate hitting off her, I really do. Hopefully, I don’t have to hit off her again during the season.”
That’s something that opponents will start saying as the talented pitcher continues to improve.
“Stephanie is a great pitcher,” Enea said. “I’m so excited to see her excel this season because that’s what’s going to happen. She’s going to become a better pitcher, and she’s already an All-American, so how do you get better from that? I don’t know. That’s scary.”
With Nelson gone, opponents surely thought they would have more of a chance once they stepped into the batter’s box. Not so fast. In two years, Brombacher may be the one leaving a daunting legacy of her own to follow. But it’s a thought that she wouldn’t even entertain right now. Instead she said she is simply focused on the next game and working hard every day. If nothing else, it sounds like the perfect recipe for success.
TOURNAMENT NOTES: Marshall, East Carolina, Kansas and Campbell comprise the field for this weekend’s tournament, which gets under way at 9 a.m. Friday. The Gators will face Campbell at 3:45 and Kansas at 6 p.m. on Friday; Marshall at 12:15 p.m. and East Carolina at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and East Carolina at 12:15 on Sunday.