NCAA Softball College World Series Press Conference

May 25, 2000

NCAA Women's College World Series
May 25-29, 2000
Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium
Oklahoma City, Okla.

ARIZONA HEAD COACH MIKE CANDREA
"I guess this is where you want to be at this time of year. It's been a challenging year. We had a very good regional against teams like Nebraska and South Carolina. We are just ready to start playing some softball."

On first-round opponent Southern Mississippi: "I had a chance to watch them a few times on television this year. I have a lot of respect for them. We knew that when we played them in Tucson earlier this year we had the advantage of playing them at home. The thing about Southern Miss is that I would rather be playing them if it was their first year here. But they have been here before and I think this year they are very focused. We know we have a test on our hands. It will come down to execution."

ARIZONA SENIOR KATIE SWAN
On last year's loss: "We learned a lot from last year. This year's team is a lot more motivated. The difference for this team this year is that we are going to have to make key adjustments and do whatever we have to do to win."

On the team's hunger to win championship again after winning it her freshman year: "I can't even describe how bad you want that feeling because it's the best feeling that you can have. But I can imagine that every team here wants that feeling so bad. So I guess it comes down to who is playing the best right now and we're going to have to go out and do the best that we can."

CALIFORNIA HEAD COACH DIANE NINEMIRE
"We also had a very difficult regional tournament, playing at Fresno State in front of a very large crowd. This team is quite a contrast from the 1999 College World Series team. Last year we had seven seniors. This year we had to rebuild and reload with seven freshmen. They have played really good softball throughout the season. We started off winning 17 straight games and won several tournaments. We struggled in the Pac-10 Conference but we have rebounded and peaked at the right time. We are glad to be here and look forward to playing in this tournament."

On first-round opponent Oklahoma: "We are going to approach this week like we have all season. We know they are a great team and an explosive offense. We are just going to come in here like we did regionals last week and stick with the basics things we've done all year to get us here."

CALIFORNIA SENIOR LISA IANCIN
"I'm really happy with this team. As the only senior, I knew it would be my job to lead, support and motivate the players. But to my surprise they have been very outgoing and determined to return to this tournament. They are a very mature freshman class."

OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO
"We are the new kids on the block. We have forever been looking over the fence in our own back yard and watching everything that's been going on. We are very humbled by being here and extremely excited to be here. We to had a great regional at home. The team played hard and now they are ready to go after it."

On first-round opponent California: "California is in the best conference in the country (Pac-10). They play tough every time they are on the field. It's going to be a great battle. We'll have to be at our best all the time in order to get through it (tournament)."

OKLAHOMA SENIOR LANA MORAN
"There is a lot of excitement going on around the team. We are trying to look at it one game at a time and take it from there. It's a huge building block for our program. We are ready to compete and get after it this week."

On ending her career at the College World Series: "Its been a great year. I have no complaints. It's a dream ending for me but we are not done yet. We have one more week to compete and show what we've got."

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI HEAD COACH LU HARRIS
"The regional we played in was awesome. It was a battle every game. We have worked really hard all year to get where we are. The year started out pretty rough but we have worked steadily to improve our game. We are really happy to be here."

On the dominance of West coast teams in recent years and her team's chances: "I have a lot of respect for the teams out west. I grew up in San Diego and I know that they play year-round starting at seven or eight years old. As far as we're concerned, I think that you just have to come out and play your best because anything is possible in this tournament and somebody has to win."

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SENIOR COURTNEY BLADES
On her pitching and the team's overall development: "I think over the season I have worked really hard on my pitching. I think our team is totally different now than we were at the beginning of the season. It will be interesting to see what happens."

ALABAMA HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY
"I am really, really happy to be here. I think it was a Sesame Street rhyme that said, 'Which one of these doesn't belong with the others?' I hope you guys will all say that Alabama belonged here after this weekend. It's a dream come true for me, for my team and for this program. I still can't believe that we're here and that we've done it in four years."

ALABAMA JUNIOR KELLY KRETSCHMAN
"We haven't really had much time to think about it. We got back on Monday and had to pack and do laundry and everything. I think we are just enjoying where we're at and taking it for what it's worth. I don't think you can be tired coming to the World Series"

DEPAUL HEAD COACH EUGENE LENTI
"It took me about 18 years to get here the first time and I thought that it would take me 18 years to get here a second time. Obviously we are here and I am not quite sure how it happened, but we played some great ball at Michigan. We had a super tough schedule this year, and we played a lot of the teams that are here this weekend. I am a huge history buff with my teams and I always tell my seniors to leave your mark, and I think that they have done that. No two teams from DePaul have ever made it to the World Championships back to back. Everyone knows that if you play DePaul in the first game of the World Series then you are going to win the championship, so all of the pressure is on Teresa (Wilson of Washington)."

DEPAUL SENIOR JULIE LUNA
"Toni Campbell said that we are coming back to the World Series next year. She is a senior this year, but you know we have five returning seniors and not everyone was as sure as she was."

UCLA HEAD COACH SUE ENQUIST
"I think this will be an exciting championship because when you look at the field that is here, there's a lot of balance and all of these teams are playing well. They have a balance offensively, and defensively, and they have great pitching. Every team has the physical qualities to win the championship. I think the difference here this weekend will be the club that can sustain through adversity and be resilient "

On first-round opponent Alabama: "We followed them on paper. When you look at what they've done, it's impressive. Clutch hitting is what really caught my eye. That's what you need when you get to the World Series. You'll notice that everybody produced a lot in the regionals. At last year's championships, though, it was all about one-run ball games, it was all about clutch hitting."

UCLA SENIOR JULIE ADAMS
On previous experience in the World Series: "This being my senior year, I've been here a few times. Hopefully the freshmen can turn to me and I can help them out. I think being here last year is something we can put in what we call our well, but it's a new year and a new day. We can draw on our experience last year for confidence."

WASHINGTON HEAD COACH TERESA WILSON
"We are really happy to be here. I think that we have a great field here, it is nice to see an influx of new teams here. It is also nice to see some familiar faces. It is great to see Oklahoma here, I think that the crowds should be spectacular and it should be a really fun venue to play in this year. We were ranked first and at the beginning it was nice because we were getting our recognition, but as the season went on we didn't really think about it. If you look at our ranking as a pressure then it becomes a burden, so we try and look at it as a compliment. It is a title and nothing more and that is how we have to look at it."

WASHINGTON SENIOR JENNIFER SPEDIACCI
On seeing many of these teams previously this year: "Obviously it works both ways, we have seen a lot of these teams, especially from the Pac 10. There aren't a lot of secrets between the teams, but there are some teams here that we haven't played at all. It is going to be a challenge and it should be a good World Series."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

NCAA Softball College World Series Press Conference

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