College softball players pause game to watch moon rocket launch
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NASA’s first moon trip in decades took center stage Wednesday night at a softball game in Florida as four astronauts embarked on a journey around the moon, while players on both teams paused in disbelief.
Florida Gators utility player Madison Walker pointed skyward and Stetson University freshman Gaby Bauer stood in awe at home as the Artemis II moon rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center just before 7 p.m.
After the excitement died down, No. 7 seed Florida defeated its in-state rival 8-2, marking the Gators’ 14th consecutive win over Stetson since 2006. (IMAGN/AP Newsroom)
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The game at Patricia Wilson Field in DeLand, Fla., was just an hour away from the launch site, but the rocket could still be seen making its way across the sky on a journey expected to take about 10 days.
After the excitement died down, No. 7 seed Florida defeated its in-state rival 8-2, marking the Gators’ 14th consecutive win over Stetson since 2006.
NASA’s Artemis II moon rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-B in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 1, 2026. (Chris O’Meara/AP)
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Meanwhile, the historic moon trip captivated much of the country on Wednesday.
Three Americans and one Canadian set off from the Kennedy Space Center for the moon, some 248,000 miles away. The crew will travel another 4,000 miles past the moon before making a U-turn and returning home.
Astronauts Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover attend a welcome ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 27, 2026, ahead of the launch of the Artemis II mission scheduled for April 1, 2026. (Miguel J. Rodríguez Carrillo/AFP)
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TThe Associated Press contributed to this report.
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