Florida Gators in the Olympics: Kelsey Stewart, Softball
Kelsey Stewart has waited years for July 21, 2021.
The last of which was the longest.
Stewart’s journey with Team USA started after her sophomore season at the University of Florida in 2014.
The Wichita, Kansas native had just helped the Florida Gators softball program capture its first national championship in program history, notched her first All-American distinction and led the Southeastern Conference with a .464 batting average.
Following her historic season, Stewart and Team USA won a silver medal at the International Softball World Championship in the Netherlands (now Women’s Softball World Cup). At the time, that was the height of the possibilities for Team USA softball.
Recognized as an Olympic sport from 1996 to 2008, softball was nixed from the Olympic games and wouldn’t return in time for the 2016 Rio Olympics -- the first that Stewart would be eligible to participate in.
So when the sport returned for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there was no denying that Stewart was itching to be called an Olympian.
“It hurt (when softball was removed from the Olympics),” Stewart said. “It was a dream that was, like, wiped away and we can do nothing about it.
“So when we were brought back in 2016, I felt like a little kid again. I was dreaming big and no one could tell me anything different.”
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc across the globe, the former Florida Gator was once again forced to wait.
Disappointing? Absolutely.
But now the moment has finally arrived for Stewart and the rest of Team USA’s roster -- most of whom are also being called an “Olympian” for the first time.
“This is my eighth year on the team, so it’s been a dream for me for a while,” Stewart said. “It was just a dream come true… something again that we’ve been working for for so long since softball has been out of the Olympics. And to be a part of that core 15 that’s going to represent the USA is just… I’m blessed and I’m truly grateful.”
Becoming one of just 15 softball players in the country to represent the United States in the Tokyo Olympics doesn’t happen overnight.
Instead, when she thinks about her journey to becoming an Olympian, Stewart looks back at her time at the University of Florida and her four years under Tim Walton.
As a Gator, Stewart won two national championships -- which remain to be the only two titles in program history.
“We won a lot at Florida,” Stewart said. “So just being able to try and bring that over to the Olympics and to those games… Like, I’ve been here, I’ve done this. I was made for this moment.”
Both winning ball games at Florida and adopting the mindset that even the biggest stage on the globe isn’t too big stemmed from Florida Gators softball head coach Tim Walton.
“There was no such thing as a big moment,” Stewart said. “I think something that I take with me to this day is just that mentality of training practice. So in a game, there’s no surprises. You’re not nervous; you’re prepared for the big moment.”
Stewart has no shortage of sheer athletic talent.
As a Gator, Stewart knocked 355 hits into play, maintained a .395 career batting average, hit 15 balls out of the yard and consistently fielded to the tune of a .963 fielding average through four years in Gainesville.
But it’s her mentality that sets her apart.
According to Stewart, whether it be a rep in practice or a live ball during an exhibition game, she treats it as though everything is on the line and it all rests on her shoulders.
“I could field a ground ball; I could hit a ball in my sleep,” Stewart said. “But what takes the normal athlete to elite is their mental state.”
In the batting cages, Stewart will tell herself that she’s in a tied ball game and she needs to get on base. In the field, she’s gotta make the stop and try to turn two.
Stewart is prepared. She’s thought of it all -- right down to what she’d do with a gold medal.
“If we win a gold medal, I don’t think it’s ever gonna come off of my neck,” Stewart said.
When her mom offered that maybe she should invest in a safe to protect her hardware, Stewart it quick to shoot it down.
“No, I need everyone to know I won gold medals,” Steward laughs before setting the record straight.
“I don’t have no idea. I’m just worried honestly about game one and winning game one and then, obviously, gold medal is the ultimate goal.”
Kelsey Stewart and the rest of Team USA’s softball team will make their Tokyo 2020 Olympic debut on July 21 as they play Italy in game one at 11 p.m. EST.
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