The story of the Georgia softball team’s elimination from the Women’s College World Series was not a usual tale of heartbreak, but rather one of unrelenting smiles.

As the eventual national champion Washington Huskies recorded the final out in their 9-3 victory over the Bulldogs, a question lingered in Oklahoma City: Who really won?

Victorious smiles and laughs radiated from the not-so-victorious Bulldogs as they jumped up and down in huddled unison after the season-ending strikeout. In true Bad News Bears fashion, chants of “It’s Great to be a Georgia Bulldog” rained down in ASA Hall of Fame Stadium from players and Bulldog faithful alike.

“We were just out there having fun,” said senior Kristin Schnake, the passionate shortstop who is the epitome of enthusiasm. “It didn’t matter what happened, nothing was going to take away what we had done this season. We were out there doing what we love. We enjoyed playing with each other and enjoyed each other’s company.”

And the bad news was few and far between this season.

Georgia was just one game away from the finals in their first ever appearance in the WCWS, they hosted and won a Super Regional for the first time, and set a mind-numbing amount of team and individual records during the campaign.

Sophomore third baseman Alisa Goler posted the most dominant offensive season in Georgia history (.455, 24 HR, 83 RBIs) en route to becoming a first team All-American.

Sophomore Taylor Schlopy, also a first-team All-America selection as a centerfielder, blossomed into one of the top leadoff hitters in the country and set the WCWS total RBI record. Both Goler and Schlopy were named to the WCWS All-Tournament Team.

Accolades and achievements were merely a footnote in the champion-esque story.

The Bulldogs avoided seemingly inevitable elimination with undying eagerness – twice in the WCWS they recovered from large deficits against three separate All-American pitchers.

“You can’t feel any pressure, it’s just all fun out there,” said Schnake. “If you feel any pressure, it’s self-inflicted. I think it’s always just going to be a memorable experience, being the first team to make it [to the WCWS]. But not only that we just made it, but we made an impact.”

The upcoming years look promising for the program, with freshman and sophomore classes overflowing with experience and talent. Being the youngest of all 277 Division I teams, 18 of their 20 optimistic players are eligible to return for the national semifinalists in 2010 and 2011.

The Bulldogs will need to replace two seniors, Schnake and pitching ace Christie Hamilton, who were the driving force behind the team and two of their most charismatic characters. Even if Georgia can replace their excellent production, it will be their laugh-in-the-face-of-danger attitude that may be missed most.

“They will be just fine,” Schnake said. “Those girls have a world of experience and they know how to compete and win games. I wouldn’t be too worried about them.”

Typical Georgia softball player: handling the situation in a lighthearted manner, but with a mentality that appears ready to take on the world.

No matter what the future holds, the 2009 squad will always be able to look back on this historic season – with a smile, of course.