Super Regional Press Conference Quotes
5/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 21, 2009
Tuscaloosa Super Regional Central
Alabama
Head Coach Patrick Murphy
Opening Statement:
"We'd like to welcome everybody. We're glad you're here and very excited to get started this weekend. I want to congratulate Jacksonville State on a great year and I think it's a great, great honor for the state and both schools to have two Alabama schools in a Super Regional in Tuscaloosa. They have been successful over the years and a lot of people don't know about them, but we certainly do. For them to do what they did last weekend and come here says a lot about the quality of coaches and players on that team. "
On the difference between Jacksonville State now and when they faced Alabama at the beginning of the season:
"Well, it was the first weekend for everybody and I know they had a couple of kids injured, and we did too. We were not sure of some things. I think they are healthier and a better team now. Their numbers prove it, because they've got tons of doubles and home runs. They do a great job with their hitting."
On the importance of Jacksonville State upsetting the competition in the NCAA Knoxville Regional:
"I told a couple of my buddies to not be surprised if they come out of there. I thought we had the better Big-12 team in Texas, not anything against Nebraska, I just thought Texas had the better year. With Tennessee, there is pressure playing at home, too. If you come in and play loose then good things can happen. For them (Jacksonville State) to lose their first game, and have all the weather delays, then to still come out and win three games on the last day, really is a huge accomplishment. They were back-to-back-to-back, so it's not like they had a two hour break. They had to play a tripleheader. They had the momentum and it's tough to stop anybody. LSU said the same thing at Arizona State. They wanted to win that first game on Sunday and ASU won it, and the second game was downhill."
On the upsets at the SEC Baseball Tournament yesterday and whether or not something could be in the air:
"(Laughing) I hope not. Maybe over there (in Birmingham), but not here. We said from the very beginning, I think one of the things that helped us establish our winning tradition is that we try to play as hard and as well against everybody, not just UCLA, or Washington or Florida. The best way to respect somebody is to go out and play your best. For me, as a coach, that says that you're ready to play them, no matter who they are. You're just ready to play. Hopefully that's what you're going to see, is that we're ready for whoever we are going to play. We are not going to take anybody for granted."
On losing a few unexpected games in the middle of the season:
"I remember Kelly Kretschman's senior year we played here and were 27-0 to start the year and maybe lost three games the whole year. When it came down to regional, we lost two one-run games back-to-back. It was the first time all year that we'd been behind almost and nobody knew how to act. This year we knew we had the five seniors and we made it a point to play the toughest schedule possible. We had the No. 1 strength of schedule and that would have been by a landslide if we would have played the games in Columbus, Ga., because we had a bunch of other teams scheduled that weekend. We beat Florida, No. 1, beat Washington, No.3, then we lose a couple of games to a team that wasn't even on the radar. We've beaten the best but we've also lost a couple of games that we shouldn't have. I think that has made everybody hungrier down the stretch. "
On hosting another Super Regional:
"I think this is our fifth straight (appearance) and three of them have been at home. The thing about last weekend and the fans is that not only do we have the most fans, but they're the most knowledgeable. You don't see that everywhere, when Kelley Montalvo makes a great play and 50 people in the stands are giving her a standing ovation. Most people don't realize that it was a heck of a play, they just know that she made the play, but they've seen enough softball over last 13 years that they know that Ashley Holcombe has the best arm in the country and Montalvo is the best third baseman in the country. I think that really feeds into our team where the fans and team are interconnected. They feed off of each other."
On where this team is at this point in the season compared to where his other teams have been:
"I know the defense last weekend, I had a couple of people say, "that's the best I've seen them play," from season ticket holders that have been here since 2000. I think they had more opportunities. We had five opportunities to turn double plays and we did. I don't know if it was that we were playing better or if we had the opportunity to make those plays and we did. We'll see if we can keep it up. Offensively we did well, up and down the lineup. Our execution still wasn't as good as what it could be, so we worked on that a lot this week. "
On Alabama's lineup:
"The three game last weekend we used the same lineup, which I think is the first time all year that we had the same lineup three game in a row, so we are going to stick with that lineup. One through nine could it out, can hit it out. Brittany (Rogers) has been hitting right handed and she has been killing the ball. She doesn't practice it much, but I think if she did, she could go fulltime right handed and I don't think she'd miss a beat, because she's got a lot of power. You can't pitch around anybody."
On jumping on teams early:
"I think it settles the defense a little bit knowing that we have a lead. I'm not saying that it is going to happen every game, but it is a great cushion to have--in the first inning to jump out and let the pitcher relax a little bit knowing she's got a lead."
On Alabama's base stealing ability:
"Ally (Habetz) and I were talking earlier this week saying we wished we had been doing that since we started. If we had, Kelly Kretschman would have led the nation in stolen bases, but I never gave her the green light. We have four kids that definitely have the green light and it makes it a lot more fun for me as a coach, plus them knowing that they can go at any time. Last weekend when Jazlyn (Lunceford) stole third, that was all on her own and thank God she was safe. It is an added dimension of speed that never slumps. We've got a couple of kids coming in next year that are going to be the same way."
On the value of the ability to steal bases:
"My first year, we went to UCLA and we were 0-2. My favorite play at the time was a three-run home run. We waited and waited and waited and we got shutout twice. The next year we won 66 games, got to the World Series and I definitely had to learn my lesson. I remember when Mike Andrea told me one time when I was at Louisiana-Lafayette with Girouard, we didn't have one lefty in the lineup and we lost in the regional final and she went to the World Series and he said, "sometimes it's the lefties who can make the difference in the postseason--the kids that can put the ball on the ground and run." I have remembered that since then. He has always had three or four that can run and that are left handed in his lineup."
No. 6, Catcher Ashley Holcombe
On Jacksonville State and what she remembers about the team from previous meetings:
"I don't really remember a lot from the beginning of this year, because it was about 50 games ago. I remember that they hit the ball hard, have two or three good pitchers and they are going to fight until the end. We won't be taking them lightly because they're a great team. "
On the route Jacksonville State through NCAA Regional action and whether or not she's surprised:
"Not really. They hit the ball hard and have good pitching. I am not really surprised. I guess a lot of people think they're probably the underdog. They went to Tennessee and took it to them, and congrats to them on being here."
On the difference between playing in a regional tournament and a super regional:
"At a regional you know that you are going to play more than one team and you have to scout each team and look at eight different pitchers rather than two or three. In Super Regional you are one step closer and everybody is a little bit hungrier to get to that next step."
On how Alabama has been playing down the stretch:
"I think that we have been playing great and have been very explosive offensively and our defense has been great, almost flawless. Pitching is coming along, too. I think the offense, defense and pitching is all on the same page right now and it's gelling together. It's showing."
On Alabama's pitching staff:
"They all bring a great variety to the circle. None of them are the same. Kelsi (Dunne) is going to do what she does and Charlotte (Morgan) is exactly the opposite of Kelsi. Then you bring in Amanda (Locke), I think she throws a little bit harder than the two of them and she's got great movement on her ball too. So you never know. If people just get ready for Kelsi or just get ready for Charlotte, then Amanda is going to surprise them. I think that she's done that some this season already."
On where this team is at compared to last year's team at this point:
"I think last year it kind of came easier to us, we didn't really hit a road bump in the middle of the season like we did this year. Everything was just flowing last year. I think we've had to work a little bit harder for it this year and get everybody back together, get everybody hitting, pitching and playing defense well. I think this year has been a little harder for us, but better for us at the same time."
On Alabama's lineup:
"One through nine, I think everybody has a home run except for Brittany (Rogers) and she has probably almost had an inside the park one, but she can do it from the right side of the plate too. You can't pitch around anybody, because if you think somebody is hot and you pitch around them, then the next person is going to take advantage of that and take it a little personal."
On this weekend being her last at the Alabama Softball Complex:
"I try not to think about it. It's kind of emotional because nobody wants to take that Alabama jersey off their back, especially not for the last time. I guess for the five of us seniors that is up and coming. Our fans have been great for the past four years. It's something that you try not to think about because you don't want to get emotional because you know the next step is better."
Jacksonville State
Head Coach Jana McGinnis
This weekend is just an exciting weekend for Jacksonville State and our entire softball program. It's really a dream come true to be here and our motto ever since the selection show has been "we're living the dream." We have another opportunity to play softball and we're going to enjoy it and have fun playing this game. That was one of the main reasons we won last weekend, because we enjoyed every pitch. I can remember in the final game, Allie (Barker) was taking a lot of foul balls off of her leg, she was getting beat up and I said "Allie, you enjoy every bruise that you have the pleasure of getting, because your career is about to be over." And she said "Yeah, you're right coach, we're living the dream." It has just been a fun ride, a fun season and I think our team is very well deserving of all the accomplishments they've had.
On what she would say if she was self-scouting her own team...
Good pitching, hitters that don't waste their at-bats, they fight and they battle. They're a team that is very determined and they are a team that believes in themselves. I think that is at least 75 percent of being an athlete is believing that you can be successful and that's what they did last weekend in Knoxville. I knew that is what this team is made of and after getting upset in our own conference tournament and getting a second chance, I knew these girls weren't going to let this second opportunity pass them by and they didn't let me down, so I am very proud of our girls. They have a lot of character in them.
On what a win over Alabama would mean to Jacksonville State moving forward...
I can't put that into words. Double history is what it would be! We've never beaten Alabama. That is why I've always wanted to schedule Alabama, because I look at these programs that have traditionally been successful and that is what we want to get to. I want our players to understand what level you have to play at to get there and they have kind of laid the path to where we want to take our program. Alabama is first class in everything they do and we learn a lot from them, so it would be wonderful. It would be great for our program and great for the sport of softball.
On what the exposure of being nationally televised on ESPN means to Jacksonville State...
Our university could not afford the publicity we got last year with the regional final being televised. It was very good. It was nice to be in the regionals last year and in the championship, it was even nicer to be on national TV. I can remember the first recruiting weekend last year, we went to recruit a girl in Texas and the third base coach saw me sitting there with Jacksonville State on my shirt and he said "hey coach, good season, we watched you on TV." You don't realize the exposure that you do get and how that does help your program. Now when we call people they don't ask "oh, are you from Florida", now they know we are from Alabama, which is very nice. Maybe if we continue to be on TV we won't have to send our recruits a map to show them where we are. It will help us a lot.
On scouting Alabama...
I was talking to our radio guy and he was saying "they've still got her, her, and her..." and I was saying that we've played them so much that we know their lineup without reading a scouting report. They have good pitching in Kelsi Dunne, the girl's a fighter. With their hitters we have our work cut out for us. With their offense, you better not make a mistake. There is no room for error with their offense; their team will come right at you. We're in the Sweet 16, the final 16 teams; you're not going to play a team that you consider easy. They are all tough and Alabama is one of the top teams in the nation. I think they could very easily be No. 1 or 2. We have our work cut out for us, but I'm glad we have this opportunity.
Senior Catcher Allie Barker
On last year's regional final game against Alabama giving confidence for the regional win this season...
Just getting to regionals last year was a milestone for our school, because we had never done that before, but we lost four seniors last year and lost a lot of leadership, but we still have a lot of that team together and after that we knew that we could take it to the next level. It has been our saying ever since last year that we want to go one step further, so we've been trying to build on that ever since.
On the difference between the team when they played Alabama at the start of the season and now...
It seems like it's been forever, that was like our first game of the season. Our hitting wasn't what it is now. We hadn't really caught on to seeing pitching and as a team, we weren't playing as a team. The chemistry wasn't there yet. Our chemistry is completely different now than it was in February.
On not just being content with just making it to the Super Regional...
I think every softball team doesn't start out saying "oh well, we just want to do good this year", you start out setting goals, we have set goals every year I've been at Jacksonville State and our goal has always been the World Series and people always said we couldn't do that because we were a small school, before we made it to regionals last year, I don't think too many people believed that was possible, but after that we realized we were only four wins away from the College World Series. Now we're only two wins away from the World Series and when you're on the field knowing you are just two wins away, there is no way you can just be content with getting here, even if it is further than we have ever been. It's not enough.
On your thoughts last Sunday needing to win three straight games to win the NCAA Knoxville Regional...
We just thought that we had to go out there and fight and we knew it from the beginning. We knew it was going to be an all out battle, we're going into Tennessee, first we had to handle Nebraska and coach was telling us to just go game-by-game, pitch-by-pitch and once that was over we knew it was just going to be an all out fight with Tennessee and it was going to be whoever had the most fight in them and after we won the first game, it was the same thing. She told us "don't think (Tennessee) is just going to lay down and give you everything, you have to get up and fight your tails off and if you do that, you're going to win this," and I think it is the same thing here. Obviously Alabama isn't just going to lay down and give it to us. If we're going to win it, we're going to have to fight with everything we have.
On where the team is now compared to earlier in the season when they were on a 18 game winning streak...
I think this past weekend we were playing above that level, better than we did when we were on that winning streak. I honestly don't think we've fought as hard as we did last weekend all year. You know we had already turned in all our equipment and me and (Karla Pittman) had already said good bye, she had went back to Ohio, because we have never received an (at-large) bid. Then we had to fly her back, we had a team meeting and we all felt like we had new life. When you have something taken away from you, you don't take it for granted anymore. It's sad that we had to have that happen to wake us up and we aren't taking anything for granted anymore. We're fighting for everything.
Junior Outfielder Hillary Downs
On the difference between the team when they played Alabama at the start of the season and now...
Like (Allie) was saying we just didn't have the chemistry yet. Our pitching wasn't there and now everything is clicking.
On your thoughts last Sunday needing to win three straight games to win the NCAA Knoxville Regional...
We knew coming into the Nebraska game that we should have won the first time. If we wouldn't have committed errors in the first game we would have won, we all knew that. We knew we had to play error-free every game to win. We were determined. Everyone on the team was determined to win and not letting teams that we are better than, beat us. We were just determined.
