Softball Media Day Quotes

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma softball team held a media day in preparation for NCAA Division I Norman Regional this Friday-Sunday. The Sooners will practice Wednesday evening and then hold their final practice on Thursday at 1:20 p.m.

OU, which is seeded 14th nationally and No. 1 in its Regional, opens play in the Norman Regional against Wichita State on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The first Regional game from the OU softball complex will feature six-time defending Sun Belt Champion Louisiana-Lafayette and Pac 10 powerhouse Oregon at 5 p.m. Friday.Below are quotes from Media Day:

Head Coach Patty Gasso
On the upcoming regional tournament:
“We are expecting a very tough weekend. This is probably the second toughest regional of the 16. All of the teams are really strong. Oregon plays in a tough Pac-10 every weekend. ULL's record is 50-8 and is a number three seed in our regional, and Wichita State's upcoming program has done some great things. We definitely have our work cut out for us, but we know we have to go the hard way because we had to do the same thing last year. We're just anxious to get started.”

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On Wichita State:
“They're big swingers. They like to take their hacks for sure. They have a well-balanced pitching attack, and their defensive numbers are good. They're a well-balanced team. We're going to have to have our pitchers pinpoint locations, or else they will send it out of the park quickly. But we're going to approach them the way we approach anybody else. We're going to try to get all phases of our game working.”

On OU:
“Kami is on. She's championship caliber right now. I'm excited about that because if you don't have that, then you really have something to be concerned about. Our defense during the last three weeks has been tremendous and our offense has been showing signs of getting sparks. We've had some really good practices this week, so I'm starting to feel them come on. They're excited about this weekend and about being at home. The history of this program in the last four or five years is known to be a team of players that even if they're not at their best, they can turn it on this weekend through good leadership and experience.”

On playing at home:
“This is an opportunity for us to have the comforts of our home field and home environment. Most importantly is the sound of our home crowd and how they get into the game. Especially with teams that aren't used to playing in front of big crowds, it will make a difference. It will shake them a little bit. Our team is used to some good-sized crowds, especially our home crowd. We can use that to our advantage.”

On senior catcher Heather Scaglione:
“Heather's always been consistent for us throughout the last two or three years. What makes Kami, Stacy, Nicole and Jadyn look so good is how she sets them up behind the plate. I look at Heather as a really good assistant coach. The pitchers get all the glory like head coaches, but good catchers are like good assistants who do all of the work behind the scenes and don't get a lot of glory. Heather always seems to step up when we need big hits and when it's clutch time. She's one that leads our team in almost every offensive category, so as long as we know she's coming up, we know we have opportunities to score. She's a seasoned player having played with USA Softball, and that's helped her grow up and mature a little bit.”

Senior Heather Scaglione
On the Regional:
“We are really pretty excited about it. I think we all questioned it at first because Louisiana Lafayette was in our regional again, but I think we're really pumped about it now. We want to attack this regional hard because not many people think we can do it.”

On being at the top of her game:
“I never feel I am at the very top of my game, but I feel pretty confident with where I am at and what we've been working on this week going into regionals.”

Junior Kristin Vesely
On the season:
“We've definitely had some lows, but we're on our way back to the top. Every game we've worked on something specific and have been successful in what we've worked on this year.”

On her outstanding junior season:
“It's been a great year, but it still hurts when we lose. It doesn't matter how well I do because if we lose, it means nothing to me.”

Senior Jessica Leslie
On the Regional:
“We're excited about this weekend. We've been working really hard everyday. We didn't do as well as we had liked at the Big 12 Tournament, so we're really excited and ready for this regional.”

On her confidence after the Big 12 Tournament:
“I didn't lose any of my confidence this past weekend. I'm not worried about it. I know what matters is this part of the season right now. Regionals are the most important. It's a long season and you can't ever lose any confidence.”

Sophomore Norrelle Dickson
On switching back to third base this season:
“I only played shortstop in high school because they had no one else to play there and that's been the only experience I have had. I've always played third base everywhere else. Last year was kind of awkward, but I'm so much more comfortable at third base. I plan to stay there the rest of the time.”

On the Regional:
“I was glad we got to host and then shocked that we have so many good teams in our regional. Not as many teams in the tournament have as stiff competition as we have. Louisiana-Lafayette is always going to be a rival because we faced them in last year's regional. Oregon is from the Pac-10, so they're always going to bring a good game. Wichita State has the exact same record as us. I think we have the second-toughest regional right behind the California regional. Coach always says that we have to work for everything we get, so this weekend will be no different.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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