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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss Postgame Quotes
May 21, 2016 | Softball
HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO
Opening statement:
“I like the way we came out ready to play today. We knew that we were going to have a fight with Ole Miss, who has had a very good season, so the game plan was to try to attack early. The little things, like Erin [Miller] getting hit by a pitch, and then we move her with a hit-and-run, a run-and-hit with CC [Caleigh Clifton] to put her in scoring position, and Shay [Knighten] having a great at-bat with two strikes to get the RBI just started to open the door and settle this group in. It felt like our offense was pretty smothering to get the game started. Defense was on point. Paige [Parker] had a little hiccup in one inning, but she was the Paige Parker we know through the rest of the game and handled things very well.”
On Oklahoma's plan and approach to offense:
“It's looking at video. I know you keep hearing the word 'plan,' but that's really what it is. Maybe, what side of the plate we want to look for. We want to zone the pitch down. It's just different things that we have put key words on. Sometimes, it doesn't work, so we bring the information back and we share it, so it's this constant exchanging of information. Not overload, but just experience from what the at-bat was like and letting everybody know. We have a chart up on the board where everybody kind of writes down what they went through when they're at-bat so people can look up and say, 'Well, I'm a hitter a lot like Fale [Aviu]. Let's see what Fale wrote down. Maybe I'll be looking like the same types of things.' So, it's just preparation and exchanging knowledge.”
On Shay Knighten's performance:
“I appreciate the look that she has when she's at the plate. If I were a pitcher, I don't think I'd want to face that. She's very locked in, very determined. She's in a very key position in this lineup in the four hole. [Sydney] Romero in the three, Fale [Aviu] in the five, they just want to play. They don't look at where they are in the lineup. They don't look like they're freshmen. They just want to play. They want to win. That's really as simple as that.”
On base running:
“We try to apply pressure just like Ole Miss has done to teams as well. We just want to continue to apply pressure. One of the things we talked about is just keeping your foot on the gas. Don't let up because as soon as you do, you let a team in, and then they start to feel that. This game is so much about momentum swings that we don't want to ever give it up, so we try to do a few things base running-wise just to see what their defense might do. When we're successful, then we have that swing and more momentum in our favor. And, the fans appreciate it, so you get the fans involved as well, so we just try to create action as much as we can.”
On if they take pride in taking pitchers out before the end of the second inning for two straight games:
“Probably quietly, but we don't really get caught up in that. We just get caught up in what's going on in our dugout and then prepare for whoever they're bringing in next. It's not like it's a big goal of ours, it's really more about what our team is trying to accomplish.”
On Paige Parker's performance:
“I thought she threw really well. There was that one long inning, which was the second, when we scored seven, and the majority of those runs were with two outs, so she's sitting in the dugout waiting and waiting. She didn't want to go down because there were two outs, and she probably should have. We learned a valuable lesson. All of our pitchers learned a valuable lesson, and that is to manage what you feel like, and if you've got to go down there, go down there, versus saying, 'Well, we're close to getting back on the field.' That made a difference with her trying to get warm while she was actually facing batters, which is not what we want, so we learned that lesson.”
On if she's pleased with Parker battling through:
“Oh, absolutely. And then, she walked in and understood what she needed to do that she didn't, and as long as we can learn those things and that they'll hurt as we're playing, we're OK. So, we learned something big.”
On what sets their offense apart:
“It's such a different offense than what I'm used to. The last five, six years have just been power, power, power. So, the fall was really dedicated to finding out what this offense is about and how we can make them good. I knew that our power numbers we're going to be different, so we had good speed. We had good contact hitters and good athletes, so our mentality was, 'Let's create.' So, a lot of what you see, like CC [Caleigh Clifton] in the two spot, is all run-and-hit, run-and-hit, hit-and-run, hit the ball on the ground, and let's try to create something. We have good contact hitters, good squeeze plays. These guys can squeeze. We just try to make a defense say, 'We can't stop it. We don't know what to do. We don't know where to play.' So, it's always the element of surprise. It's fun on my side to try to continue to apply pressure because I know I can trust these hitters and these base runners.”
On if they get big innings out of constant pressure:
“I will tell you that when we apply pressure, a pitcher can throw a really good pitch, but because it's a hit-and-run, we're going to hit it hard, and they're going to go, 'That was a great pitch that got hit through a gap. How did they do that?' It's because this group doesn't want to disappoint their team, so wherever that pitch it, I'm going to find a way to get the job done, and they do a really good job of that. Pitchers can throw some very good pitches, and we're still finding ways to hit them hard.”
On if their hit-and-run offense helps:
“There are certain players that I definitely like to keep those things. I use [Caleigh] Clifton because she's so reliable, but there are times that I like to do it with Kady Self, Lea Wodach, those guys are a little bit lower in the lineup just to get them a little more aggressive. It just really depends on who the hitter is and what their tendencies are or what they've been doing the last week or so.”
On Paige Parker getting her 30th win and what it means:
“Paige is feeling the best she's felt in a long time. She feels really good and healthy, and she's not exhausted. Last year, I think we were dealing with a little bit of that. So, we don't look at numbers, wins, whatever. All Paige wants to do is continue to keep this team alive and lead to the College World Series one game at a time, one pitch at a time. I think we're in a good place. She's never one to think about it. She wouldn't even know that she had 30 wins. She wouldn't have any idea.”
On the carryover from the Wichita State game yesterday:
“I think that the team came out more focused today. Yesterday they were very amped up, they were so excited for the game. Today we felt the focus knowing how big of a game today was. Now, we're able to get a good amount of rest. What I wasn't happy with was the fact that we played a late game last night and then we had to come back around and be prepared for our 1:30 game today. I don't think it's an advantage for a team that's No. 1 in their regional, but for the opportunity to be televised and so forth, we did what we were called to do. Having the chance to get off our feet tonight and rest is big. I think we came in to today's game knowing that, and we got it done.”
On if she was worried with Parker's second inning:
“I wasn't. We were able to build up a lead and I wasn't concerned at all. I knew our offense was still hot and would continue to play well. I felt Paige wanted to stay in because she wanted to get things right before walking off the field.”
SENIOR OUTFIELDER ERIN MILLER
On Oklahoma's plan and approach to offense:
“I think what's great about having a plan is that it always changes. I know our pitching staff, they're constantly changing from batter to batter, inning to inning, so we have to compliment that as well as an offense. Our plan's always changing. It's evolving throughout the entire game. We watch a lot of film and do a lot of homework on teams, and we try to have a good idea of what we're going to face. It changes throughout the game. Pitcher to pitcher, we try to mix it up.”
On if it felt like they got in Ole Miss pitcher Madi Osias' head:
“I think our dugout did a good job of just really being loud and forcing a lot of pressure on the other team, but we try not to worry about what the other team is thinking. We try to stay within our own game plan and try to execute, so we're not trying to worry about what they're going through. We stay within our own game plan and try and execute our own offense.”
On adjusting to Osias:
“It's about seeing what they're doing and adjusting as quickly as possible. I think that's what makes us a good offense, to pick that up soon and adjust immediately.”
SOPHOMORE OUTFIELDER NICOLE PENDLEY
On what has helped her get two homeruns in two days:
“Just having a plan and executing it and being relaxed and not trying to do too much with anything.”
FRESHMAN THIRD BASEMAN SHAY KNIGHTEN
On her approach on her first two at-bats:
“I was just trying to hit the ball hard. I just knew that putting the ball in play on the ground, that it would allow my runners to move. I had a plan and I just stuck to my plan. It helps knowing that your offense and your teammates are behind you, so just going up there relaxed and just seeing the ball, hitting it hard, trying to get it through the infield to the outfield.”
On her double on her second at-bat:
“I think it was pretty important. I just feel like we were all on the same page. We knew just hitting the ball hard was going to allow us to keep our offense rolling. I think that kind of relaxed me more, knowing that I was seeing the ball better than I thought I was. Just like I said, our plan, our attack, we just stuck to it, and that's kind of what keeps us all relaxed, knowing that we have a specific plan to work for, and if it's not there, then we don't swing.”
Ole Miss Head Coach Mike Smith
Opening Statement:
“Still a great day to be a Rebel. I remain excited to be able to wear Ole Miss across my chest. We faced a great ballclub, but I'm still proud of what our girls are doing. The great thing about a double-elimination tournament is that we get to play again. Our goal is to get to Sunday and have the opportunity to win a regional tournament and get to the Super. We need to regroup. I told my team they had two choices: They could lay over and die or they are going to fight to the finish. We'll see how we come out tonight.”
On starting pitcher Madi Osias's performance:
“The umpire had a really tight strike zone tonight. There's nothing against it, but the calling was consistent for both teams. I think it frustrated Madi a little bit and it got to her. She got a little too amped up and lost her focus. But Madi has been our warrior all year, and you may see No. 5 in the circle tonight.”
On what he told his pitchers before facing OU's lineup:
“Just pitching to their weakness and hoping they aren't able to make the necessary adjustments. We tried to adjust every inning, but we faced arguably the best offensive team in the country right now. They swung the bats well and capitalized on our mistakes. They're hitting with runners in scoring position, moving people over and driving people in. They're preparing themselves for the next step and that's to beat whoever they face tomorrow and beyond that in the Super Regional if that's where they get. ”
On the depth of OU's lineup:
“The SEC has battle-tested us throughout the year, so we've been exposed to teams that are strong one through nine. We just need to do better in the circle at throwing strikes because when you get behind OU, they'll jump on you. They're very disciplined hitters and they're very well-coached. I tip my cap to them. They deserved to win today.”
Junior Outfielder Miranda Strother
On her impression of Paige Parker:
“I think she's a really good pitcher. We knew we'd have to get past our first game with Tulsa and then she'd be waiting for us. We came in knowing that we'd have to be selective with our pitches, but she did a really good job.”
On Paige's erratic second inning:
“We knew that we had to keep the strike zone small because she has such great control of her pitches. We got to her a little bit, but ultimately she was able to get the outs she needed.”
Players Mentioned
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INF
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LHP
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OF/C
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