This article was originally published with The Red & Black on April 17, 2015 and can be found here.

Newt is the leader of the pack. Red is more of a night owl rather than an early bird. And Moose likes to be the mother hen who watches out for her friends.

No, this isn’t a sneak peak at the cast of characters in Disney’s new animated film; it’s a glimpse at the nicknames that are proudly worn by some of the Georgia Bulldogs’ softball players.

Every nickname has its own backstory. For first baseman/outfielder Kaylee Puailoa, her moniker “Moose” was created on a whim by some of her travel ball teammates when she was younger.

“We all decided to make nicknames,” Puailoa said. “My teammates thought that I looked like a moose, so they gave it to me and it stuck.”

Although the resemblance between Puailoa and a moose is hard to imagine, the name followed her to Athens. It also opened the door for her teammates to cheer for the junior with some unique tactics.

“Moose has the best nickname because it’s different,” shortstop Paige Wilson said. “It’s awesome because you can make the antlers with your hands on your ears.”

Wilson owns the title Red thanks to her hair color and freckled face. The nickname was a departure from being called “Willie” as she was back home in Chicago. A different label can sometimes be undesirable, but that isn’t the case for Wilson.

“I like it because it’s really catchy,” Wilson said. I think [the nicknames] help with our bond and our togetherness. It just helps with everyone getting together, even with inside-joke nicknames and stuff we have with each other.”

Second baseman Alex Hugo has pop culture to thank for her nickname Newt. Hugo points to the 1989 television miniseries Lonesome Dove and actor Ricky Schroder, who played Tommy Lee Jones’ son Newt Dobbs, as the source of inspiration.

“It’s from my favorite movie,” Hugo said. “It’s an old cowboy movie, and nobody really knows it. He’s a character on there, and people say I remind them of him. It just kind of stuck.”

While the name game is not a main focus for the players involved, it does lead to some peculiar moments when players are addressed.

“For Newt, I’ll be like ‘Alex’, then I’ll catch myself and think how weird it is,” Wilson said. “It’s just weird to say their real name if they have that nickname.”

Hugo can relate to Wilson’s confusion.

“Someone will say, ‘Hey, Alex,’ and I’m like, ‘What?’,” Hugo said in a state of confusion . “I think it brings us together, having those little things.”

The little things Hugo mentioned can be critical for a collegiate softball team’s success. With the task of spending over three months together traveling the country to play ball, interacting with each other can make a taxing challenge all the more enjoyable. It can also turn teammates from co-workers to true companions away from the sport.

“We’re all friends here,” Puailoa said. “I think that having that relationship off the field plays into the game as well. I think it’s great to have that relationship.”

When the notion of who has the best nickname arises, the real winner is hard to determine. Although Wilson gave the nod to Puailoa, Hugo’s response in the voting was a quick, one-syllable word.

“Me,” said Hugo, who incorporated Newt into her Twitter username.

Eat your heart out, Ricky Schroder.