University of Georgia Athletics
A Quick Chat With ... Kaylee Puailoa
June 01, 2016 | Softball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
We've all seen the replay a few dozens times by now, right? If you were near a television or the internet last Friday, it was almost impossible to miss Georgia senior softball player Kaylee Puailoa hitting a pinch-hit, two-run walkoff home run to beat top-ranked Florida, 3-2, in the NCAA Super Regional and send the Bulldogs to the Women's College World Series.
Georgia, which had defeated the Gators the day before, trailed 2-1 in the Dogs' last turn at bat. There were two outs and Puailoa was behind in the count 0-2. Then came the moment every athlete dreams about, the chance to win it with one perfect moment of execution.
The player nicknamed "Moose," from Buena Park, Calif., seized that moment, belting a line-drive homer over the wall in center field. Perfection.
Puailoa sat down for a quick chat Monday and talked about the homer, playing the ukulele and a lot more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: So how has your life changed in the past few days?
Puailoa: I feel the same, really. It wasn't all me, it was the whole team. We wouldn't have gotten there without the team. I'm glad I got to contribute, but I don't take any type of credit for going to the World Series.
Frierson: But still, that was a pretty cool moment.
Puailoa: It was cool and I feel blessed to be able to say that was me. I'll let my family brag and stuff, but I won't.
Frierson: What were you thinking about as you made contact and ran the bases?
Puailoa: Right when I hit it I said, "Please go over, please go over, please go over!" I've been pinch-hitting for pretty much the whole season, and it doesn't usually turn out as a home run, so for it to be a line-drive to center, I was just like, "Oh, please go over."
Frierson: One of the great things about that play was that even if you didn't care about Georgia or Florida or even softball, that was a highlight on ESPN that everyone watching could think or say, "That was awesome." And I think you were the "SportCenter" top play of the day. You probably didn't anticipate that happening in your career.
Puailoa: No, definitely not. It's usually some NFL play or some NBA play this time of year.
Frierson: You hear people talking about their phone blowing up after they do something big, so I'm guessing your phone really blew up last Friday afternoon.
Puailoa: Oh, yes. I've heard from some people I haven't talked to in about five years, so it was cool to know they're still watching and supporting.
Frierson: As impressive and awesome as the ending was, what stood out to me from the Florida series was that you all were able to hold the No. 1 team in the country to just two runs in two games.
Puailoa: I know. Chelsea (Wilkinson) has been working her butt off so hard all year, and her whole career, really. She's just a workhorse and she wanted the ball. She was like, Coach, I don't care if my arm's hurting, I want the ball now. And I'm not taking no for an answer.
Frierson: Coming all the way from California to play at Georgia and go to school at Georgia, what part of the experience was different from what you expected? And what's been the brightest spot of the whole thing?
Puailoa: Coming here I knew it was going to be fun and I really was just living for the experience. There were a lot more ups and downs than I thought there was going to be, but I wouldn't change it for anything. This has been the best experience, and it's not done yet.
I feel like, even though I've been here for four years now, the good experiences are still coming. We still have the World Series, which we've been working our whole careers for. It's just awesome to know it's not done yet.
Frierson: Is it weird to still be playing, because spring semester classes have been done for a while now? Everybody is already a few weeks into whatever they're doing this summer and you're still playing.
Puailoa: It's awesome to not have school and to not have anything to worry about. Finals were going on right when the postseason started; we were in finals during the SEC tournament and I know everyone was stressing out about that.
Now we can finally just enjoy life and have fun and know what we're doing is what we want to be doing, rather than taking tests.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from sports? In the quiet moments of your day, which may be few and far between these days, how do you spend your time?
Puailoa: I play the ukulele, a lot actually. My grandparents got me one when I was 15 and it's just something that I can just do on my own when no one's home. I can belt out any song that I can find and it's cool because you can find stuff on YouTube that's fun and easy to learn.
Frierson: I always think of that as one of the happiest instruments. It's hard to hear a ukulele and not be in a good mood.
Puailoa: It just feels like a part of home when I play, because my whole family plays. When I go home we all get together and play and have a jam session. Just playing on my own kind of takes me back to those moments and just feels peaceful.
Frierson: Is playing the ukulele the most creative thing you do?
Puailoa: I paint. I have some paintings on my walls, but it's cheaper to play the ukulele than it is to get paint supplies.
Frierson: What kind of painting do you do?
Puailoa: I like to paint landscapes, a lot of water scenes and beach scenes.
Frierson: One last question about the home run: Is there somebody that you heard from or something about that moment beyond sending the team to Oklahoma City that stands out and will stick with you forever?
Puailoa: Yes, actually. Katie Browne, our catcher, her mom passed away, and she was ahead of me in the lineup that game against Florida. She came (to the dugout after batting in the bottom of the seventh inning) and said, "Pick me up, pick me up."
And then after I hit the home run she told me that before I went up to bat she was whispering or praying to her mom, saying "Please, mom, please let us get this done." And then when I hit it, she felt this wind on her shoulder or her neck, and she said when her mom was alive she told her, when you feel a breeze on you, like down your neck, know that that's me.
It was just awesome to hear her say that and she was so emotional when she was telling me and telling the team. That's something I think I'll always remember.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
