Florida Gators in the Olympics: Michelle Moultrie, softball

Michelle Moultrie believed she could be an Olympian in 2000.

She was 10 years old and Natasha Watley became the first Black woman to play on the United States’ Olympic softball team.

After watching Watley break the color barrier, anything was possible for Moultrie.

Inspired by the path paved before her, Moultrie continued her softball career through high school where she played for Mandarin High School in her hometown of Jacksonville.

While being the Mustangs’ vacuum in the outfield, Moultrie didn’t field many college offers out of high school. The University of North Florida and a handful of community colleges offered her, but none that had her scrambling to put pen to paper and sign an athletic scholarship.

Instead, she wanted to be a Florida Gator – softball or no softball.

Fourth-year head coach Tim Walton and the rest of Florida’s coaching staff was no stranger to Moultrie, who had garnered their attention during summer camps. But by Moultrie’s senior season in high school, Walton had already started building their softball dynasty in Gainesville.

In 2008, the No. 1-ranked Gators finished 70-5 in a season that ended in the Womens’ College World Series semifinal.

Behind Walton’s quick success at Florida, recruiting was a breeze. Moultrie wasn’t the only one who wanted to go to Florida – everyone did.

Florida had already signed two players at Moultrie’s position. But that didn’t stop the Jacksonville native.

When Moultrie arrived to campus in the fall of 2009, not expecting much to become of it, she started practicing with Florida’s softball team.

By October, she had a spot on the roster.

Once overlooked by colleges around the country, Moultrie nabbed All-SEC honors all four years of her college career. By her senior year in 2012, she had been recognized as the SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American.

“My gut was that she was going to be good and she's better than anybody could have ever expected,'' Walton said in a 2011 press conference. “The kid could barely catch a cold her freshman year and she's come so far and she's got so much talent.''

Leaps and bounds better than the moment she stepped on campus, the women’s national team came calling for the decorated centerfielder in 2011.

But despite being selected to represent the Red, White and Blue, Moultrie never thought she’d get to follow in Watley’s footsteps.

Three years before making the team, Team USA had a silver medal-finish in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And it appeared that it could be their last Olympic outing.

The decision to nix the sport of softball from the 2012 Games in London was made in 2005.

The decision was unchanged in 2009 when softball was again left off the agenda for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.

While being on Team USA was an honor in itself, the Olympic dream seemed out of reach.

In 2013, Moultrie’s aspirations were back in front of her as the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s plea to the IOC board was successful.

Softball would be returning to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Twenty years removed from the first time she believed she could be an Olympian, Moultrie felt 10 years old again.

Her Olympic dream was back – only to be ripped away from her again.

In February of 2020, Moultrie returned to Gainesville as part of Team USA as they battled the Florida Gators in an exhibition game to help the national team prepare for the Tokyo Games.

She was happy to be back to where her career started, but she was even happier to be just months away from her Olympic berth.

A month after Team USA took a 5-3 victory over the Gators, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics fell victim to the coronavirus. At the time, there was little known about the virus and even less was known about if or when the Olympics were going to be rescheduled.

On March 31, the IOC announced the Games would be rescheduled for July of 2021.

On Wednesday, a day after her 31st birthday, Moultrie landed in Tokyo, Japan.

"It just kind of feels like a gift almost, to be able to play in these Olympics," Moultrie told the Florida Times-Union.

After all, Moultrie’s Olympic dream has been 21 years in the making.

"I think it's going to be emotional, with everything that's leading up to this through the years," she said. "I think it's going to feel like a great experience, to feel it all come together."