NCAA Regional Game 2: Central Arkansas vs. OU Postgame Quotes

Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso

Opening statement:
“It's always nice to get the first game under your belt but what we really love is how we scored early in the first inning to get things settled in. The beauty right now is I'm sitting next to two freshmen right today and that is exciting for me that they stepped in and really handled their business and really came through in the clutch. I like the way we came out attacking. I felt like we left a few too many runners in scoring position but that is not uncommon when you start this tournament just because of a little bit of nerves and just getting back on the field in competition but I thought he handled things very well.”

On Kelsey Stevens' performance:
“I was very pleased, especially with that first hitter that she faced. It was 3-2 and she fouled off some pitches. The hitter was really working hard and Kelsey just kept staying in that count and got the strikeout on a changeup that was a really good pitch. That's what she's been doing in practice in the last week and a half. Things are really working and moving for her and right now our hitters don't like facing her because she's really starting to get her groove back. Some of her off-speed stuff is dirtier than it was before she went into this funk. Two strikeouts, she gave up a walk in which she stayed in that count as well. Anybody who has been following her is watching her take giant steps forward. We are just seeing if this is something we can use along the way and trying to give her opportunities.”

On getting Paige Parker rest:
“The game plan if we were to get a comfortable lead is to pull Paige. Get her on the mound, get her started, get her comfortable and then get her out, even offensively. That's where Tori (Nirschi) came in and got the eighth run for us. As much as we can rest Paige because she has a lot of work ahead of her.”

On the team playing loose:
“I think they were really focused and we have not been on the field in competition in a couple weeks; probably I was the most uncomfortable about that. I think everybody sees the first batter of the game on our side, Lauren Chamberlain, strikes out and everyone's like 'Oh my gosh, what's going to happen?' When you're a leadoff batter you are kind of a guinea pig at times and you get used to seeing what's being thrown. We understand that. They weren't panicked. I think we were all just trying to be loose. We were getting frustrated with balls up in the air when we had runners in scoring position. I think we put some really good swings on some these that were just hit hard to center field. I thought their center fielder made some really good plays for them. I was pleased all the way around.”

On production from the bottom of the order:
“Seven, eight and nine (hitters) can create things down in that part of the lineup. You've got Chamberlain, Pendley and Parker and everybody there to drive those guys in. I love what Nicole Pendley did. Obviously we love that Lea Wodach was hitting the ball hard but I think Nicole Pendley is going to be a big piece to this puzzle and she handled herself really well in the nine spot.”

Freshman Catcher Lea Wodach

On her grand slam:
“I got myself in a two-strike count and I was just trying to pass the torch and move the bat to the next player and not try to do too much. I've had a lot of success against that pitcher and I was just trying to do what I can do and the bat found the ball in the right spot and went over.”

On if she knew her home run was gone when she it:
“I actually thought it was a deep fly so I was excited to see it take off and carry over the fence.”

On her mindset and being ready to play:
“Just taking the opportunity and doing the best I can with it. I really trusted myself and know that if you're in the lineup the coaches believe in you and just trust in yourself and have the confidence to do what you can with an opportunity when given the chance.”

Freshman Pitcher Paige Parker

On seeing Kelsey Stevens pitch the fifth:
“It was awesome. Kelsey came in and did a great job. She battled hard out of some tough counts and she just did a fantastic job coming in and closing it out.”

On nerves for her first NCAA Tournament game:
“It's a big game and it's postseason but I just tried to treat it like another game and come in and settle in and attack hitters. The defense did a great job today. I just tried to use them as best as I could because I know that they have a lot of experience around me and I know that they are going to be behind me no matter what.”

On the plays Erin Miller made in the outfield:
“It's a lot of fun to get to watch my defense play because we work so hard in practice and it's fun to watch them make those big-time plays in games as well.”

On playing loose:
“It had been a little bit since we played but we came out and attacked really early. I felt like we were really loose and had a lot of fun today.”

Central Arkansas Head Coach David Kuhn

Opening statement:
“The key in baseball and softball is avoiding the big inning. Obviously today we weren't able to do that. You can't make mistakes against good teams, especially great teams. Today we did, and they certainly made us pay. It's hard starting out like that, but that's the way it goes. It was just one bad inning, and the balls didn't fall our way. That's pretty much it.”

On how his team reacted after the first inning:
“We were fine. We've probably been down 20 times this year and made 12 or 13 comebacks. We don't worry about the score, we just play softball. In this day of bats and balls, you never know. But when you're playing one of the best teams in the country and facing one of the best pitchers in the country, that doesn't equate to a good comeback percentage when you get down early like we did. It's disappointing for the score to get out of hand right out of the gate, but it is what it is. We didn't play our best softball, and you can't do that against Oklahoma.”

On the quick turnaround having to come back and play tomorrow:
“That's the great thing about this game. I coached high school football for six years and you take one on the chin like that and you have to live with it for seven days, sometimes even two weeks. In this game you get to bounce back and play 20 minutes later, or in our case, we get to play 24 hours later. The tough thing is Lehigh is a great team. They are loaded with great pitching and some great hitters. We're excited to come back out and hopefully play better. When facing talented teams like we are, you've got to have great pitching, great defense, and timely hitting and we didn't have those today.”

Junior Catcher Jessie Taylor

On her thoughts after the first inning:
“When we came in off the field after that first inning no one was down. Everyone just looked at each other and were like, 'well that happened'. We just said don't look at the scoreboard, and just keep playing softball. Keep trying to get hits, keep playing for each other and keep working hard. That's one thing that's really good about our team is that we don't get down on ourselves and we just keep fighting. I think it showed too. They only scored two more runs after that initial inning.”

On how the team feels going into tomorrow's game:
“Our coaches are always telling us we have to have a short term memory so we just have to ice up, rest up and come back tomorrow and play our best.”

On what makes freshman Pitcher Paige Parker so tough to face:
“Her demeanor on the mound, number one. She just moves the ball very well and as a hitter you don't know where it's going to go. She has a great changeup, and there's not a lot of predictability to her pitches so that's what got us today. She's a great pitcher on a great team and she has a great defense behind her so there's not a whole lot you can do with that sometimes.”

Sophomore Pitcher Kayla Gomness

On the team's moral after today's game:
“I think we just need to get that one inning out of our minds. It's better to play like that in the first game and not the elimination game. We're ready to come back tomorrow, play hard, and play for each other. I know when I go out there to pitch, my team is always right there behind me. They are always encouraging and I think it shows. They hardly make any errors out there and they're always diving for balls. It's a great team to have behind you.”