Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech Postgame Quotes

On if she thought they'd be where they are now at the start of the season:

“It's a hard question to answer because we were such a team in development that it was just the direction of where our development was going to go. We got thrown into the fire so early that we didn't really get a chance to develop. I think we started to learn and then get better as we moved on. I can't tell you how proud I am of this group and what they've accomplished. It's really been a fun journey, but [I'm] really looking forward to what's ahead because I think the sky is the limit for this team now.”

On what's led to the winning streak:

“We never talk about it. It's just something, we go out and we just try to play to win. We don't talk about streaks. I think what's most important is we don't get caught up in all of the hoopla of that. They just want to be good, and when they go out they just want to execute. They want to make plays. They do it together. They do it as a team for the team. We really don't talk about streaks or numbers or records or anything like that. That's not what this program is based on. We're here to win championships. That's one thing we do talk about. The only way to do that is to do what they've been doing and fighting for it. I don't know, we just do what we do.”

On seeing Caleigh Clifton play at this level with the success she's had:

“She was a very big-time, standout athlete in my eyes when I saw her. It was just getting her in this program and seeing how she responded to it. A lot of kids come in, Kady [Self] is one of them, that will tell you that they come in with big eyes and, 'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I'm playing for OU,' and they just get overwhelmed in their own mind. We talked about it, and I know Caleigh's probably talked to some of her teammates, just stop doing that. They don't feel like they belong here, and when you start to recognize, 'You know, I can play with these guys. I am good enough,' then the eyes go back into focus mode, and she has skyrocketed since and never looked back.”

On pitching three pitchers:

“It's been great. If I had a wish, I know that the rest of the team would probably say, 'we're okay,' because their bodies are tired, but I want to pitch each one of them every day. The hard part is I can't always give them the kind of work that they need or want. The freshmen are still a work in progress, and giving them little bits and pieces, they're really responding. To see Kelsey [Stevens] come back to form has been really exciting. Her confidence, to see her enjoying what she's doing and it not be such a heavy weight on her shoulders like it's been in the past, it's been refreshing for me and for all of us to see that. But, more than anything, she is kind of a secret weapon in our minds because people haven't seen her in a while, and if she goes out in the postseason, she gets to have that freedom, too, because I don't think there's a lot of people out there that know what she's been doing lately, so I'm excited for her. [For] this whole pitching staff, it's going to be crucial that they work together and tag team. We've seen literally the best defense in the country day in and day out make plays for them, so as long as they can get settled in and keep the ball on the ground or places where we can reach them, we're in good shape.”

On what all the Big 12 Championships mean to her:

“I talked to this group. I mean, we walked off the field like it was another game. There's no dog-piling. There's a little 'Boomer Sooner' to thank the crowd for their support. They come in to the locker room, and it's like any other game. We get spoiled with the fact that we understand and know how to win championships. There's a lot of hard work that goes into it, but this program is kind of touted as one of the best in the country, and that's the reason why. This team, they expect it, and anything less will not be acceptable. It's sometimes a hard way to live, but it's an extremely rewarding way to live as well.”

On what's factored in most to achieve the streak:

“They say defense wins championships. But pitching wins championships and clutch hitting wins [championships]. I mean, they're all so important. When you have at least two working well, you're going to win a lot of games, but when you have all three in order, you're going to be tough to beat. For most of the season, we had to figure out how to, when one wasn't working, make the other two work for us, and these guys have figured that out. When they play games when every part of the game is on fire, this team can beat anyone.”

On if there's anything they want to fix heading into postseason:

“Not really. Just continued passion. What's always hard is going into final exams week, so now it's them, kind of leaving them alone, and a lot of coffee, all night, stay up, studying. But these are good students who I hope and trust are ahead of the game, and they're not struggling that way, but getting through this part of this week, and then coming back, and then you've got OSU waiting for you is going to be a challenge, but it's a challenge that we need right now and we want right now because it's going to really catapult us into the postseason as well.”

Freshman Caleigh Clifton

On how she's been able to move up in the lineup and consistently get on base:

“Just playing with more confidence than I did at the beginning. Just knowing that my stuff is good enough and just playing free.”

On if winning gets boring:

“No, not at all. I enjoy winning a lot, so the streak is fun. I don't think it's boring.”

On if exciting starts have kept winning from getting boring:

“I think just scoring early helped out our pitching staff a lot, just letting them pitch freely, so I enjoy games where we just start out ahead and don't have to force it out of us, but it just kind of flows out of us from the very beginning. I think those are more enjoyable.”

Senior Kady Self

On how she has handled her new role this year:

“Because we've had such success, the whole team, like our freshman class has done so well, so it's made it a lot easier for us. There's no pressure. Even Coach has talked about it, there's no pressure on anybody this year.”

On what it's like leaving the program with four Big 12 Championships:

“It feels good. Like Coach said, we walked off the field like it was expected. It's just another game, but it does mean a lot to win four times. When we play that good, it feels good.”

Senior Kelsey Stevens

On having a coach willing to get her playing time:

“We've been through a lot together. Like you said, the trust is completely there, so I didn't really think about the playing time. All I want to do is when I get my pitching time, I know that I'm going to come in and be confident, like Coach said, and just kind of play free and do whatever I can do to help my team.”