One of the best and most insightful profiles we’ve ever had on this site, this spotlighted Floridian loves her home state – “I live where you vacation!”—and is going to her dream school in the SEC, the one her parents attended.

And we learn she is the only person in the world that hates one beloved recent movie and has a particular fear that Harry Potter would find hard to believe.  Just read on… you’ll understand!

 

Name: LILY MANN
Grad Year: 2015
Pos: Outfield
High School: Harmony (Fla.)
Club: Gold Coast Hurricanes
Stats: batting average of .404, 22 steals, no errors all season
Honors: All-Central Florida
College: Florida

 

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: You’ve had some time to get over the 7A state title loss… still painful or are you able to look back on a phenomenal year by yourself and the team?
Lily Mann: It still hurts knowing that all the work we put in this past season didn’t get us the state title and state ring that we wanted. Just hearing the words “state runner-up” and having that label makes me mad, but I had more fun this season than ever before. Even though we had the toughest schedule that we’ve ever had, we still managed to dominate and have a great year. I mean, it’s hard to complain about all the successes that we had.

 

SSS.com: Harmony High is currently ranked No. 13 in our FAB 50 plus you have six starters back including ace pitcher Lele Ocasio… does that excite you for next year?
LM: I’m actually a little scared for next year because Lele will be at UF and Molly Baker will be at Agnes Scott, which means we have no pitcher. I think our only problem for next year will be finding another pitcher that can get us back to states.

SSS.com: Speaking of Lele, you both are headed to Gainesville to play for Coach Tim Walton… do you talk about that a lot between you? 
LM: Yeah, we’re both really excited to be Gators! We joke about how big and muscular we’re going to get when we join the team and start their workouts. But it’s just a dream come true for us to be able to be a part of one of the top teams in the nation and the one that just won the Women’s College World Series championship!

 

SSS.com:  Now it’s time to put on the Gold Coast Hurricane colors… where can we expect to see you and the team this summer?
LM: I’ll be starting the summer in Los Alamitos, Calif. at the So Cal Athletics Invitational and then from there it’s New Jersey, Colorado, Atlanta, and then Huntington Beach, Calif. for PGFs. I’m really excited, because I love traveling!

SSS.com: Going back to the Gators, tell us how you were first seen by the coaches, then how long until they offered?
LM: I’ve been going to their camps and emailing them since I was in middle school, but they really noticed me during my sophomore year at one of the Rising Stars tournaments. At the beginning of last summer, I went to Coach [Tim] Walton and talked to him about my situation. I told him that I just joined Gold Coast to help me get to my ultimate goal, which is to play for a great program like his and also that I was going to do whatever I could to be Gator. He and the other coaches watched me that summer and then in August, 2013, they offered me a spot as a Gator!

 

SSS.com: You committed last August (9th)… Walk us through that day and how you became a Gator?
LM: When my parents and I first got to the softball stadium in Gainesville, Coach Walton met us and took us on a tour around the softball facilities. We then toured the campus, and went by the freshman dorms and football stadium. We walked through the weight room (which was the coolest room I’ve ever seen in my entire life), and then we got to talk to the Academic Advisor. After the tour, we went back to the softball stadium and we sat down with Coach Walton and talked for a good hour. He asked me if I wanted to be a Gator and I said definitely, there’s nowhere else I would rather be!

 

SSS.com: Both parents (Kevin and Debbie) went to UF… that was obviously of great interest but did you have a back-up plan if you couldn’t go there??
LM: I had a list of my top 10 schools that I emailed constantly about stats and tournaments, but Florida was my No. 1!

SSS.com: How did you tell the coaches… in person, on the phone, on an unofficial visit?
LM: I told the coaches in person during my unofficial, I knew there was nothing to think about because UF was my dream school.

 

SSS.com: Describe your emotions around telling them, what was going on in your head and how hard was your heart pounding?
LM: I was so nervous but excited at the same time and I could barely put my thoughts together. Honestly, I was kind of speechless. I’m pretty sure everyone in the room could hear my heart pounding!

SSS.com: How far away from home will be?  Close enough to jog home for weekends?
LM: I’ll be about two hours away from my parents and I have an aunt and uncle who live like 30 minutes away from the softball field as well as my cousin and his family. Definitely won’t be jogging, but it’s cool they can come to all my home games.

 

SSS.com:  You’re a speedy slapper… what do you feel are the best/most disruptive parts of your game?
LM: I would say bunting is a great tool, not only for me to get on base but to move runners on the bases.

 

SSS.com: What’s been a top memory or two for you in your softball career?
LM: Obviously the day that I committed to Florida will be a day that I will never forget, but going to my first Gator softball game in 7th grade is still something that I look back on. I remember thinking how cool it must be to play for the Gators, but I also didn’t know how hard it would be to get there.

 

Quick Hitters

 

What do you want to major in? 
Pre-med, I hope to be a physicians assistant.

What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the last two years?
Anchorman.

The worst? 
Frozen.

Favorite food:
Mexican.

Person you’d most like to have dinner with: 
Harry Styles.

Favorite place in the world:
The Florida Keys.

What’s your dream vacation? 
Somewhere tropical, like Bora Bora.

What type of bat do you use (and why do you like it)? 
I use an Easton Mako and a Louisville Xeno.

Pick among these pairs: hot dog or hamburger? Cat or dog? Hot or cold weather? Comedy or drama? 
Hamburger, dog, hot, and comedy.

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know? 
I have a fear of owls.

What’s the coolest thing about being from Florida?
I live where you vacation!

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?
I would take a box of matches because, I mean, I could do work with those.

What’s your earliest sports memory?
Playing my first year in Little League in 3rd grade.

Do you see yourself as a role model? 
Yes, because I’m a small town girl who made her dream come true.