June 3, 2009

FLORIDA HEAD COACH TIM WALTON

Opening comment:

"First of all I want to congratulate Washington on winning their first national championship. They were outstanding and had a great team, great coaches and were well prepared. They did an outstanding job. I also want to congratulate the other six teams that got here. They all had great seasons and only one champion can be crowned. I am very proud to represent the University of Florida. I thank the University of Oklahoma and the (Oklahoma City) All Sports Association for the job they did in making this event fun for all the student-athletes and for the fans. I also just want to say what a great team that I have. This will go down as one of the best teams in the sport of softball, without winning the championship of course. But this is a great team and to win 132 games (with only) 10 defeats in two seasons, it's tremendous. One of the best two-year spans you will ever see."

On Florida senior pitcher Stacey Nelson:

"Obviously, number 42 won't be back for us next year. We will feel that because not only is she a great pitcher but she is also one of the most outstanding people you will ever meet. I already told her this but there will not be the number 42 worn in the sport of softball as long as I'm the coach there. She just meant that much to our program and we would have not been here in the last two years without this young lady."

On the change of attitude from Championship Game 1:

"Yeah, we had a sit-down meeting and I will take responsibility for the attitude today and will take responsibility for the one yesterday. Whether it be a lackadaisical attitude, or if it was the fact that we were overconfident from the night before or still on an emotional high, because it is hard to come down from those heroics. I am very proud of them and I can go home tonight and feel very good about the way that we played softball today. We gave it everything that we had and nobody gave up until the very last out and I am very proud of that."

FLORIDA SENIOR PITCHER STACEY NELSON

On the final loss of her career:

"Losing sucks, especially on this stage. It's the things that you have learned playing the game that you really take into the rest of your life. And I am not going to remember - well I will remember that we came in second - but what I am going to remember are the 20 great girls that I had on my team, playing with them for four years, building the best relationships I've ever had, playing for a coach like Tim Walton. There is a lot of pain that comes with this loss, but I'm always going to remember my time at Florida as the best time of my life."

FLORIDA SOPHOMORE SECOND BASEMAN AJA PACULBA

On her offense on the night:

"The ball up the middle, I kind of got jammed on it but I thought I got enough on it to make it go through. But the shortstop came in and made a good play. On the triple, I was just trying to start the game off right and get the momentum early. And I have been struggling so I just wanted to do it for myself and for the team. To grab the momentum early was the goal."