NCAA Softball Women's College World Series: Getting to Know the Florida Gators

Need some excitement this weekend?

Maybe you are a softball nut or maybe you know nothing about the sport, but chances are you will catch a little bit of softball by flipping to ESPN this weekend. So instead of just staring at the screen with a blank stare, I am here to educate you about the sport, specifically the Florida Gators— last season's national runners-up—so you will be able to appreciate the entertainment that is women's collegiate softball.

I covered the team for the past two seasons before coming to Bleacher Report, so I feel it is my duty to spread the wealth to all of you.

If you have made it this far (not very far, I know, but I give you credit for even clicking on this article) and need more convincing, then check out this clip of Ali Gardiner's walk-off grand slam (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic_WCJJAWJI) to beat Alabama for a berth in the championship round last season.

While Gardiner and Stacey Nelson—probably the most recognizable Gator from last year's team and pictured here—have graduated to bigger and better things (Stacey is playing professionally in Japan, while Gardiner has announced several Florida games this season), the No. 4 Gators (47-8, 20-4 SEC) are still a worthy contender for the title this season.

The Gators torture the opposition on a nightly basis with a murderer's row lineup that has blasted a team- and SEC-record 100 home runs this season, good for third in the nation at 1.85 per game. They say chicks dig the long ball, which is true, but come on guys, you know you do too.

So without further ado, I introduce you to the players on this year's Florida Gators to get you ready for their showdown with Arizona State for a trip to the Women's College World Series—a best-of-three matchup that begins Saturday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

The Flamethrower -- Stephanie Brombacher, P

Brombacher is Stacey Nelson's successor, taking over as the team's ace in her junior season. While Nelson mastered the art of fooling hitters with her delivery, Brombacher takes more of a tennis player approach—think big grunts with each powerful pitch.

The problem for Brombacher is when she isn't on her A-game, the opposition tends to sit on her power pitches and tee off on her. She also has a problem depending on which umpiring crew is calling the game. By rule, softball pitchers are supposed to keep their foot inside the lines in the softball circle when pitching, otherwise it is an illegal pitch (runners advance, redo the pitch, similar to a balk). The NCAA made an emphasis on the rule this year and, depending on the crew, sometimes it is overly enforced, and sometimes it is not enforced at all.

But when Brombacher is on, the Gators are very tough to beat. As is the case every year in softball, you only go as far as your pitching can take you. That may be even more important now with offenses seemingly getting more potent by the week.

Gone are the days of every game going 1-0 and 2-1. With the offense Florida has behind her, Brombacher just has to hold the opposition down most of the time. She is definitely the wildcard in Florida's chances.

The Natural -- Francesca Enea, LF

Enea is a fun player to watch. Every time she steps up to the plate, you think the pitch is leaving the yard. Just watch one at-bat, and you will want to stick around for more. She has an incredibly powerful swing. It's like when they used to have the "Barry Bonds Watch" every time he stepped up to the plate, except you will actually enjoy watching Enea, instead of feeling your loathe for Bonds creep up every at-bat.

Perhaps the most impressive part of her swings is that many of her home runs don't seem to ever get more than 10 feet off the ground. The ones that do? Look out. I hope you didn't park your car back there.

Enea has used that swing to break the all-time SEC home run record this year. She has 61 career home runs and 20 home runs this season (a Florida single-season record that she has broken for the third straight year. Enea is also batting .327 with 65 RBI this season.

If there is one player you should definitely watch this weekend, Enea is the one.

The Sparkplug -- Michelle Moultrie, CF

If the long ball isn't your thing, then you will definitely get your speed fix from Moultrie. I am not the authority on this, but I can say with certainty that I have never seen a softball player faster than Moultrie.

She is the kind of player who can lay down a bunt for a base hit and easily beat out the throw to first. The scary thing is this year she became a more complete player, developing her bunting skills and her power to become the complete package.

You will never believe this when you watch her play, but Moultrie was actually a walk-on at Florida, having received no substantial scholarship offers. All it took was one look from coach Tim Walton, and he knew he found a diamond in the rough.

Moultrie has absolutely exploded onto the scene in this, her sophomore season, to the tune of a team-leading .408 batting average, four home runs, 12 doubles and 13 steals.

The Jack-of-All-Trades -- Kelsey Bruder, RF

If you want to see a player who can do it all just look to right field.

Bruder can hit for power (13 HR) or average (.353) and absolutely excels and hitting to the gaps, as she leads the team in doubles with 15.

When she gets on the basepaths (which is fairly often), she is also a threat to steal and extend to an extra base. She has 13 steals this season.

And in the outfield, she is a solid fielder with an absolute cannon of an arm. She is one player you better think twice about trying to round third on.

Tough as Nails -- Tiffany DeFelice, C

DeFelice brings the toughness to a game in which many might not expect to see a lot of it.

She not only plays catcher, a tough position by any standard, but she missed much of last season with a wrist injury and part of this season with a broken hand. Didn't faze her one bit.

She has bounced back to hit .330 with nine bombs in 39 games.

Not to mention she picked up kickboxing in the offseason to get into shape. If softball had brawls, this is the player you would want on your side.

The Catalyst -- Aja Paculba, 2B

While Moultrie is causing havoc on the basepaths, Paculba is methodically working the pitch count to work her way on base and show the rest of her team everything in the opposing pitcher's arsenal.

The Gators may hit a lot of home runs, but teams win ball games by putting runners on base before going for broke. Paculba is that player.

She leads the team in walks (40) and steals (15), and if there was a category for making things happen, she would probably lead in that too. Paculba is Florida's career runs scored leader and had a Florida record-tying 16-game hitting streak earlier this season.

Oh, and when she doesn't feel like manufacturing runs, Paculba can hit the ball out of the park too (eight home runs).

The Young Gun -- Brittany Schutte, DP, C, OF

Schutte was more than anyone could have imagined this year. There was talk early in the season that she was a real talent.

But nobody could have expected .326, 15 home runs and 53 RBI from a freshman. Perhaps the craziest thing was before the season, coach Tim Walton asked her how many home runs she was going to hit this year, and she responded with 30. She then told him that she only hit two in her senior year of high school.

All it took was a few tweaks in her swing and Schutte became a star. She broke the Florida freshman records for home runs, RBI and slugging percentage.

The Slugger -- Megan Bush, 1B, SS

Bush has an outside shot at breaking Enea's home run record. With 14 on the season, she has 43 for her career, second on Florida's career list. She is already the career leader in sacrifice flies.

The junior is second on the team in batting average (.380) and slugging percentage (.767).

Maybe the most impressive thing for a player with all that power is that Bush also played shortstop heading into this season. Although she still moves over to the position occasionally, she made the move to first base this year to fill the void left by Ali Gardiner.

Ms. Grand Slam -- Corrie Brooks, 3B

If there was one player on Florida I would pick to duplicate Ali Gardiner's walk-off grand slam of a year ago, it would probably be Brooks.

Brooks had four grand slams last year, in the midst of a team-record 12 on the season.

This year, she only has one, but she made it count, hitting it in the rubber-match against current No. 1 Alabama. She also hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh to give the Gators the series.

The senior is also a stellar fielder at third base, perhaps the hardest position to play in softball since it is so close to home plate.

In Conclusion

Well now you are equipped with all the knowledge you need to catch up on some softball this weekend. So when you're sitting around with nothing to do, turn it on and catch a few innings. You might just walk away pleasantly surprised.