Sentimental sunflowers still a staple for Florida Gators softball team

The Florida Gators' softball team has a nontraditional fixture to its uniforms as players often don sunflowers in their hair. The meaning behind it is much greater than many realize.

From 2009-14, the Florida softball program had an honorary member in its clubhouse in Heather Braswell, who, after 5 1/2 years of being cancer free, was found to have another brain tumor. Braswell succumbed to her second bout with cancer in 2014 at the age of 17.

Now, the Gators continue to honor Braswell with sunflowers, which, with their yellow color, symbolize pediatric cancer awareness.

Each year Florida also hosts a "Yellow Game," which puts an emphasis on the initiative as the Gators go all out with yellow accents both in their uniforms and on the field.

Honors for Wallace:Best in the league: Florida softball's Skylar Wallace named SEC Player of the Year

Florida tops Kentucky:Florida softball bites back, avenges series loss to Kentucky in SEC Tournament

Gators enter postseason:'Phase 3': Florida Gators softball turns attention to postseason, SEC Tournament

This year, Florida softball's booster club, the Gator Diamond Club, sold "Sunflower Saturday" T-shirts and raised more than $9,400 to be donated to St. Jude's Hospital in Braswell's memory.

The Gators also recently unveiled Heather's Sunflower Garden just beyond the left-centerfield wall at Florida's Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.