Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators softball team's series finale against Alabama was very special Saturday. Not because of the final score – UF lost and suffered its first sweep at home since 2011.

The game served as the team's fourth annual "Yellow Game," in which the Gators honor children who are battling cancer and remember those who lost their fights. Yellow represents the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation's efforts to fund research and eliminate childhood cancer.

The color was everywhere on a sun-splashed day at Pressly Stadium.

Fans received gray T-shirts with a sunflower printed on the front. The Gators wear sunflowers in their hair every Saturday in remembrance of Heather Braswell, an honorary member of the club from 2009-14 and a fixture in the team's dugout. She died from brain cancer at the age of 17 in 2014. The sunflower was her favorite flower, and her family attended Saturday's game.

Both teams wore gray and yellow caps. Florida also wore yellow socks and the coaches wore yellow shirts.
 
Prior to the game, the team's current honorary team member, 9-year-old Hartley Georges, was introduced with UF's starters and threw out the ceremonial first pitch to senior Amanda Lorenz.

Hartley was diagnosed with brain cancer in August, and Lorenz struck up a friendship with her prior to the season. Hartley signed a mock National Letter of Intent with UF in December and was presented with a jersey with her name on it. The team has adopted her as one of its own, and she serves as motivation.

After the first inning, a video tribute to Heather was played, and those who've been affected by cancer were asked to stand and be recognized.

Junior catcher Kendyl Lindaman transferred to Florida from Minnesota before the season, so Saturday was her first Yellow Game. She said it was a humbling experience.

"It's amazing to be a part of something bigger than myself, bigger than the game of softball," she said. "Hartley's an amazing girl. Love her family, the entire team is close to her and it's so fun watching her grow closer to us and just as a person."

UF connected with Hartley and Heather through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a New York-based organization that seeks to improve quality of life for cancer patients and raise awareness.

Gators coach Tim Walton said Hartley puts everything in perspective for the team and makes wins and losses seem insignificant.

"She gave me a little Easter egg today for Easter," he said. "Really special family. You don't want anybody to have to go through that, but talking to her, being around her, I can just tell you that she's a great kid. Nothing phases her. She loves the girls, she loves Amanda Lorenz, she loves unicorns and her doll Julie. We can be in the middle of the most stressful situation, 'Amanda! Amanda!' she'll just yell out of the dugout while Amanda's on third base."

Making the event even more special is that it was the program's alumni weekend. The Gators honored 28 former players and their families in an on-field ceremony before the game. Players ranged from the Class of 1997 to the most recent graduating class.
 

Several of the alumni were on the team when Heather was around and helped put a smile on her face, making Saturday extra special for Walton, he said.

"Quite a few of those young women didn't play for me," he said. "So, for them to come back here and show their level of pride and take their time and bring their kids back to see the place that they started their careers at I think was really special. I thought that part was really good, to be able to combine the two events. So, it was just really cool to see a lot of those young women come back and be able to show love, not only to the program but also to the cause."