Alabama Softball Shares Thoughts on Upcoming Season
2/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Alabama softball head coach Patrick Murphy, senior outfielder Mandy Burford and junior utility player Jordan Praytor sat down with members of the media for a preseason press conference last week to discuss the upcoming 2007 season. Here is a look at some of their responses as the season opener is only four days away.
Head Coach Patrick Murphy
On Pitching Staff
"Chrissy Owens is a junior and was second in the nation in ERA last year and just had a tremendous sophomore year. We're definitely looking at her to carry the load this year. She throws 68 or higher on most pitches and just throws gas. If she was a college baseball pitcher she'd probably be one of the top three hardest throwers in the country, that's how hard she throws. Two, three, four (in the rotation) are up for grabs really. Blair Potter, who's a senior, is a lefty and has the best changeup we've ever had in the history of the program. We have a sophomore, Allison Moore, out of Hillcrest in Tuscaloosa and she's improved tremendously over a year. Then a freshman, our first Californian, Charlotte Morgan, she's another lefty but she's a lot different than Blair. If we have to use all of them in one game and then the second game in an SEC series then that's what we're going to do. That first weekend out, we're just going to give lots of opportunities to everybody and see how they do in a game situation. Blair was undefeated but only pitched in about 12 games, Allison, didn't get much action at all, and that was when Charlotte was a freshman so it's going to be fun because I think they all compliment each other very well and for the first time we've got two lefties and two righties."
On Recent Scrimmage
"I was not happy because the pitchers were just awesome. Saturday, Mandy (Burford) started and she got a double in the gap, then Jordan (Praytor) hit a home run, and I'm sure Coach (Jim) Wells is the same way he's not happy if the pitchers are dominating and he's upset if the hitters just cream the pitchers. It seemed like after the first two innings the hitters had really good at bats, the pitchers settled in a little bit, and it ended up being 4-4 so I was happy with that."
On SEC
"It seems like this year there is kind of a jam at the top. Tennessee obviously has a senior pitcher coming back, LSU has a senior pitcher coming back, Georgia has a senior pitcher and Auburn has one as well. I was looking for those four and our team, because our offense has the potential to be the best we've ever had. It really helps to have a senior in the circle like we had last year."
On Batting Lineup
"Mandy had her career year last year when she hit over three hundred. Jordan was incredible; she had her twenty-five game hitting streak. For someone who weighs 120 to have nine home runs is just unbelievable. You throw in Brittany Rogers, who's a year older, a year wiser, hopefully at the leadoff she hit like four twenty eight, then the freshman from California who's probably a better hitter right now where Dom (Dominique Acceturo) was last year. Like Mandy said, we've got the potential for a couple of people to step up and if they hit three hundred, I think we'll have a better offense than we had last year and we were pretty good last year."
On Middle Infield
"At shortstop and second base there's about four people. Kellie Eubanks is a kid, who's a sophomore, who I think both Mandy and Jordan are saying we are just so lucky to have. She's 5'11" and has a great arm, has tremendous range, and she made a couple of plays diving on her knees and throwing a strike from her knees to get a girl out by three steps. That's something that we've had great consistency at shortstop, we've just never had a great athlete, and she brings that. It's between her and Lauren Parker, who transferred from Baylor, she's been a really present surprise, she throws right and hits left. She made a good play on Jordan, who was actually trying to steal third. I looked at Jordan and she looked at me and we both decided she could make it stealing, but somehow Parker got there, caught it on the run, tagged her on a dive, and she was out. That was a play that we haven't seen very often in the past couple years. There's a good battle there and both of them can play second base. In the outfield, we have a lot of depth this year. Sixteen of the eighteen hit, two of the pitchers also hit, so there's sixteen people who are working hard to get in the lineup somehow someway. I think it's just better for everybody, and I think it's probably the most competition we've had as well."
On Third Base
"We had two four year starters graduate last year, especially at third base. So we have Kelley Montalvo at third base, Jordan has been working out a little bit there. Alex Blewitt, who's a freshman, has great potential and a great arm as well at third base. Then you have Eubanks, a senior in Michelle Menningmann, and Parker all working between shortstop and second base. Usually, it comes down to who hits, and then we try to piece together the rest of the puzzle to see who can help us."
On Recruiting
"Recruiting went very well. We went four for four with visits and yeses. Two kids from Vestavia Hills, and it's just an amazing story over there, they had six Division I signees off the same team, which is incredible. Then we got a young lady from Dallas who's a pitcher-hitter in the mold of Stephanie (VanBrakle), a big kid. Then we got the Florida High School Player of the Year, which is a big get for us. She's a 5'11" pitcher who struck out like four hundred and sixty people in high school, and they throw from 43 feet in Florida high schools, which for us was a huge bonus. In Washington, Alabama, Iowa, and everywhere else, they throw from 40 feet so you have to kind of judge how they'll do from forty three. Well, she's already doing it, and that's what really caught our eye to begin with and she's going to be very good for us I think."
Mandy Burford, Senior Outfielder
On the 2007 team
"I think we have great potential this year. I think that no one really knows how far we'll be able to go because we're still all coming together. When we do scrimmage each other, so much comes out of it because everyone brings something to the table this year, and everyone brings something that's a little different. There are a lot of people stepping up into new roles, and we're all just amazed at how good we can actually be."
On individual goal for the season
"I'm just going to try and stay consistent. That was the biggest key for me last year; I was either trying to do too much or the mental aspect. I'm just trying to stay consistent and with the pitching we have to hit off in practice, it can't get much better than that."
On experience of getting to the Women's College World Series
"We all know what it's like to be there. We've been there three years now since I've been here and we're looking to do a little bit more than just making it to the World Series, and of course getting another SEC title."
On assuming leadership role
"The seniors that have gone before me have all been great leaders and they've all shown me and taught me something different. I remember back to Jen Wright a couple of years ago, she was more of a silent leader but when she did speak it made sense and it caught everyone else's attention. So I guess I'm just trying to be in between the leader that puts them in place when something needs to be said, but at the same time, I'm trying to not to harp one of them so bad that they get tired of hearing my voice. So, I'm trying to find a happy medium and the other four seniors are all doing a great job of that as well. We've all just tried to take on the role together to fill such big shoes that have gone before us."
Jordan Praytor, Junior Utility Player
On the 2007 team
"I just think that everyone brings something different to the table, whether it's a great arm, great speed, or power hitting. I think we're just able to compliment each other very well."
On individual goal for the season
"For me personally, just working on maturing as a player whether it's getting the pitch I want, or being smarter on the bases, or having more confidence, is the key. Just working on the mental aspect of the game, I think that really helps as you get older and it really shows from year to year how much a player develops mentally."
On left-handed pitchers
"Like Coach Murphy said they're both really good at opposite ends of the spectrum. Blair's changeup is just amazing, and Charlotte brings a little more speed from the left hand side so that helps a whole lot.
On experience of getting to the Women's College World Series
"Well, I think that returning most of the players, we've been to the World Series, and we know what it takes to get there. But just being there isn't our goal, and just being there isn't enough to us. I think that we're really definitely hungry for something more than just being there."
