Oklahoma State coach Kenny Gajewski (left) and UF coach Tim Walton (right) during Wednesday's coaches press conference at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
WCWS Primer: Familiar Places, Faces in OKC
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 | Softball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY — At one end of the news conference dais Wednesday sat a couple best friends, Florida coach Tim Walton and Oklahoma State's Kenny Gajewski, and it was evident by more than their remarks that this was a special moment.
Walton and Gajewski won a NCAA baseball championship as players at Oklahoma, later worked on staff at Oklahoma, only to reunite at UF and win back-to-back national championships in 2014 and '15. A month after that second title, Gajewski was hired as head coach at OSU. Four years later, the fifth-seeded Gators (49-16) will face the 13th-seeded Cowgirls (43-15) in opening-round action Thursday night of the Women's College World Series at sold-out USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.
The two men were asked to sum up what it all meant in the run-up to what figures to be an emotional game on the sport's grandest stage.
THURSDAY'S WCWS FIRST-ROUND SCHEDULE (all times ET)
Time
Matchup (TV)
Noon
Washington vs Arizona (ESPN)
2:30 p.m.
UCLA vs Minnesota (ESPN)
7 p.m.
Florida vs Oklahoma State (ESPN2)
9:30 p.m.
Oklahoma vs Alabama (ESPN2)
"For me, it's surreal because getting here is so hard," said Gajewski, whose story is unique, given his path to coaching via more than decade as a turf and maintenance specialist, as well as a baseball operations administrator. "I'm just super thankful for Tim and his family and Florida for taking a chance on a grounds-keeper, who went to be a director of ops, and is now sitting here at OSU as the head coach. I have a lot to be thankful for."
Walton waxed about their days together at Cerritos Junior College in California, then after that at Oklahoma, where they were teammates on the Sooners' 1994 national-championship squad. Gajewski taught Walton a ton about the game, especially the nuances, and that knowledge carried over into coaching. They lived together, were in each other's weddings and have children born within three days of each other.
Walton couldn't help but smile.
"Pretty special feeling to be sitting next to your best friend," he said. "A lot more history than people would ever know, and a lot of stories that Kenny and I can't share while we're sitting up here."
Best friends Tim Walton and Kenny Gajewski share an embrace before going their separate ways on the eve of their opening-round game Thursday night at the Women's College World Series.
That's Kenny Gadjewski (43) and Tim Walton (airborn, hat backward) in their OU dog pile after clinching the 1994 College World Series.
Moments later, Patty Gasso, coach of the No. 1-seeded and overwhelming favorite Sooners, had a comment to add from her place at the other end of the table.
"First of all, the stories they won't tell, I can tell," she said. "Catch me afterward."
Gasso, you see, was there at OU, building what is now a dynasty, while Gajewski was grooming her field and Walton was working as an assistant coach for four years before leaving for his first head job at Wichita State.
For a few days more, at least, they're together again. As rivals.
As it turns out, this WCWS has a bunch of interesting, intertwining storylines, several of which extend from the Gasso coaching tree, starting with Walton and Gajewski, but branching out through the Florida program, as well.
Such as:
* Overseeing Oklahoma's star-studded pitching staff is Sooners associate head coach Jennifer Rocha, who last summer, after 15 seasons at Walton's side (at both Wichita State and UF), returned to her alma mater. Rocha was a pitcher for Gasso at OU from 1996-98, going 43-17 with a 1.46 ERA over three seasons. Now she's coaching the staff with the lowest ERA in the country. And her graduate assistant is Delanie Gourley, the former UF All-America pitcher who played pivotal roles in both of Florida's NCAA crowns.
* Oklahoma State's assistant coach is Stacie Pestrak, who played at Florida during the 2005-06 seasons, the latter for Walton's inaugural UF team, and was a graduate assistant on both of the Gators' championship teams. The Cowgirls strength/conditioning coach is Wes Ulm, who worked for three years in the Gators' weight room as an assistant.
* The Florida familiarity isn't confined to the coaching staffs. Gators sophomore Kendyl Lindaman transferred to UF last December from Minnesota, where she was the 2017 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Lindaman, whose two-run homer accounted for both Florida's runs in a 2-0 win over Minnesota on March 20, can turn on the TV Thursday afternoon and watch her former team play powerhouse UCLA after the Golden Gophers reached the WCWS for the first time in program history.
Alabama coach Patrick Murphy, with nearly 1,100 career win, was also at the news conference, what with his Crimson Tide, the Southeastern Conference regular-season champions and tournament's No. 8 seed, slated to face OU late Thursday. Murphy, making his 12th appearance in the WCWS, has one national championship in his 19 seasons, that one coming in 2012 when the Tide defeated Oklahoma in Game 3 of the title series.
Though Murphy had no direct connection to any of the other three coaches, Gajewski included him in one significant stat.
"I think I counted 35 [WCWS] appearances between this group here, so now it's 36 with my one," Gajewski said with a laugh, motioning to the power-broker coaches to his left. "David ... Goliath."
Murphy returned the flattery — to everyone.
"I wish I wasn't on this side of the bracket," he said.
Play ball!
Here's a more detailed breakdown of the eight-team field.
OKLAHOMASydney Romero Seed: 1 Record: 54-3 Coach: Patty Gasso (25th season at OU — 1,244-329-2) Super Regional result: Swept Northwestern at home. Record vs WCWS field (4-1): Lost to UCLA and beat Arizona in Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at Palm Springs, Calif.; swept three games from Oklahoma State at Stillwater in Big 12 play. WCWS appearances (12): 2000-04, 2011-14, 2016-18 NCAA titles (4): 2000, 2014, 2016-17 The buzz: The Sooners, in OKC for the eighth time in nine years, won an astonishing, NCAA-record 41 games in a row, going unbeaten through the Big 12 regular season and tournament play, only to have their streak halted by a 2-1 loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Regional round. Order was restored, however, and OU torched Northwestern in their Super behind the latest masterpiece from Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and Arizona State transfer Giselle Jaurez (27-1, 1.15 ERA, 218 strikeouts, 29 walks) in an 8-0, mercy-rule win. The Sooners are led by senior 3B and Big 12 Player of the Year Sydney Romero (.429, 79 hits, 18 homers, 53 RBI, .837 slugging percentage), who starred as a freshman and sophomore on OU's back-to-back national-title teams and is one of three finalist for 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, along with 2B Caleigh Clifton (.414, 16 HR, 53 RBI, .897 slugging). OU, which set a school record with 108 home runs, averages nearly eight runs per game, while giving up barely one a game and allowing opponents to hit just .146. Oklahoma leads the nation in batting average (.353), home run (108), ERA (1.06) and fielding percentage (.987). Obviously, the Sooners are the run-away favorite to win the 2019 crown.
UCLARachel Garcia Seed: 2 Record: 51-6 Coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez (13th season; 544-186-1) Super Regional result: Swept James Madison at home. Record vs WCWS field (7-2): Beat Oklahoma in Mary Nutter; beat Florida twice at the Judi Garman Classic at Fullerton, Calif.; swept Washington in a three-game Pac-12 series at Seattle; lost two of three in a Pac-12 series at home against Arizona. WCWS appearances (29): 1982-85, 1987, 1988-97, 1999-2005, 2008, 2010, 2015-19. NCAA titles (12): 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2010 The buzz: UCLA's 11 national championships are the standard among the nation's teams, but their last came in 2010, and the powerful Pac-12 hasn't won a title since Arizona in 2011. The Bruins' team batting average of .342 ranks second only to Oklahoma, with speedy IF Kelli Godwin's .446 mark (to go with 43 runs and 23 steals on 26 attempts) the highest among players at the WCWS and second-best nationally among Power 5 conference players. UCLA has seven starters hitting better than .300 and four over .380, including CF Bubba Nickles (.395, 75 hits, 16 HR, 69 RBI, .716 slugging). Oh, does anyone remember Rachel Garcia? She was the 2017 NCAA Freshman of the Year and 2018 Honda Award winner as the nation's best player. Garcia, who is hitting .344 and has pitched to a 24-1 mark, 1.01 ERA, 253 strikeouts and just 33 walks, also was the pitcher of record that ended Florida's 2018 season with a 15-strikeout night in a 6-5 win and third-round elimination game. Bruins' opponents are hitting just .169 and scoring 1.56 runs per game.
WASHINGTON
Gabbie PlainSeed: 3 Record: 50-7 Coach: Heather Tarr (15th season; 629-242-1) Super Regional result: Swept Kentucky at home. Record vs WCWS field (3-4): Lost to Florida in the Judi Garman; swept in three games by UCLA in Pac-12 series at home; swept Arizona in Pac-12 series on the road. WCWS appearances (14): 1996-2000, 2003-04, 2007, 2009-10, 2013, 2017-19. NCAA titles (1): 2009 The buzz: Three straight trips to OKC and three straight 50-win seasons for Washington, who tied UCLA for first place in the Pac-12 standings with a 20-4 league mark, but lost the conference title with an overwhelming blowout defeat in a match of cards, after the Bruins went to Seattle in April and swept the Huskies, including a pair of shutouts. UW, though, has destroyed its competition in the NCAA Tournament, winning its five games by a combined score of 24-1. The Huskies have some power and pop with flashy SS Sis Bates (.386, 71 hits) and catcher Morganne Flores (.361, 22 HR, 60 RBI, .807 slugging) and a pair of pitchers with sparkling records and strikeout-to-walk ratios in Gabbie Plain (23-2, 1.14, 229 strikeouts, 37 walks) and Taran Alvelo (25-4, 1.55, 268 and 41). The Huskies' team ERA is 1.43, which ranks third nationally, and the team batting average of .301 is the fourth-best in the field.
FLORIDAAmanda Lorenz Seed: 5 Record: 49-16 Coach: Tim Walton (14th season, 727-150) Super Regional result: Defeated Tennessee in three games. Record vs WCWS field (3-5): Beat Arizona in the USF Opening Weekend Invitational at Tampa; lost twice to UCLA and beat Washington in the Judi Garman; got swept in three games at home by Alabama in a SEC regular-season series, but beat the Crimson Tide in the SEC Tournament championship game. WCWS appearances (10): 2008-11, 2013-15, 2017-19. NCAA titles (2): 2014-15 The buzz: UF's struggles at the plate have been well chronicled and will certainly be topical even more so here and against some of the nation's best pitching. But, of course, the Gators can lay claim to one of the nation's best pitchers in Kelly Barnhill (34-12, 1.45 ERA, 349 strikeouts, 78 walks, 28 complete games). Barnhill basically has put UF on her back in the postseason, throwing 59.1 innings (including a warhorse 23.3 innings in the Super Regional), while posting an 8-1 record, and 0.59 ERA, while her teammates have maintained a stellar defense (.987) that tied for the nation's best with Oklahoma. Offensively, the Gators will lean on 1B Amanda Lorenz (.419, 75 hits, 57 runs, 11 HR, 41 RBI, 62 walks), Kenydl Lindaman (.330, 14 HR, 53 RBI) and streaking Hannah Adams (.292), but cameo contributions — like what OF Jaimie Hoover provided Sunday with her walk-off rap against Tennessee — will be needed if the Gators are going to make a deep run.
ARIZONA Jesse HarperSeed: 6 Record: 47-12 Coach: Mike Candrea (34th season; 1,610-416-2) Super Regional result: Swept Ole Miss at home. Record vs WCWS field (4-7): Lost to UF in the USF Opening Weekend Invitational; lost to Alabama in the Hillebrand Invitational at Tuscon; beat OSU and lost to OU at the Mary Nutter Classic; beat Minnesota in the Wildcat Invitational at Tuscon; got swept at home by UW in Pac-12 three-game series; won two of three at UCLA in Pac-12 series. WCWS appearances (23): 1988-2003, 2005-10, 2019) NCAA titles (8): 1991, 1993-94, 1996-97, 2001, 2006-07 The buzz: The Wildcats, at one time, basically were residents of Oklahoma City. Under Candrea, who ranks second in college softball history in career victories, Arizona won eight national titles from 1991 to 2007, but this is the program's first time here in nine years. If nothing else, UA will be well acquainted with whoever it plays, having faced all seven of the other teams in the WCWS field (the only club that can make that claim). The Wildcats got here in great part by hitting home runs (106 of them), with SS Jesse Harper (.351, 69 RBI, .848 slugging) bashing 28 and C Dejah Mulipola (.314, 52 RBI) adding 21. They have eight starters hitting over .300 — for a team average of .326 — and are led by DH Reyna Carranco (.424) and CF Alyssa Palomino (.391). UA's ace is Taylor McQuillin (23-7, 1.52 ERA, 214 strikeouts, 49 walks).
MINNESOTAAmber Fiser Seed: 7 Record: 46-12 Coach: Jamie Trachsel (2nd season; 78-27) Super Regional result: Swept LSU at home. Record vs WCWS field (0-4): Swept in a two-game series at Alabama, lost at Arizona; lost at Florida. WCWS appearances (1): 2019 NCAA titles: None The buzz: It's all Gopher gravy from here, as Minnesota is in the WCWS for the first time in program history. Big props go out to Trachsel, who accomplished the feat in just her second season, after spending just one season (2017) at Iowa State, and the six before that North Dakota State, where she won six straight Summit League titles. The Gophers have three big bats in 2B Markenna Partain (.391, 33 RBI), DP Natalie DenHartog (.374, 17 HR, 76 RBI) and 1B Hope Brander (.365, 19 homers, 59 RBI), but as a team hit just .288. They have an outstanding pitcher in Amber Fiser (31-7, 1.17 ERA, 339 strikeouts, 65 walks), who finished 12th nationally in earned-run average, despite pitching the fifth-most innings, and recorded every out for the Gophers in their five NCAA victories, posting a 0.78 ERA along the way. ALABAMABaily Hemphill Seed: 8 Record: 57-8 Super Regional result: Swept Texas at home. Coach: Patrick Murphy (19th season; 1,080-301) Record vs WCWS field (6-1): Beat Arizona at the Hillebrand in Tuscon; beat Minnesota twice in the Easton Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa; swept Florida on the road in a three-game SEC series; lost to Florida in SEC Tournament title game. WCWS appearances (12): 2000, 2003, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2011-12, 2014-16, 2019 NCAA titles (1): 2012 The buzz: The Crimson Tide, winners of the 2019 SEC regular-season championship, are back in OKC after a two-year absence, which equaled their longest such drought since Murphy took over the program in 2000. Bama doesn't have the gaudy stats of OU or UCLA, but that winning percentage of .875 was fifth-best in the country. The Tide knows how to win. UT player Baily Hemphill (.376, 41 runs, 24 HR, 78, RBI, .843 slugging), OFs Elissa Brown (.326, 48 runs) and Kaylee Tow (.320, 57 runs, 12 2B, 9 HR, 58 RBI) make them go on offense and Montana Fouts (19-5, 1.44 ERA, 174 strikeouts, 47 walks) and Sarah Cornwell (21-1, 2.39) are the go-to's in the circle.
OKLAHOMA STATESamantha Show Seed: 13 Record: 43-15 Coach: Kenny Gajewski (fourth season; 152-88) Super Regional result: Defeated defending NCAA champion Florida State in three games.
Record vs WCWS field (0-4): Lost to Arizona at Mary Nutter; swept at home by OU in three-game Big 12 series. WCWS appearances (8): 1982, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2011, 2019 NCAA titles: None The buzz: The Cowgirls were semi-regulars at the WCWS in its infancy, reaching the event five times over the first 16 years. OSU, though, is in OKC for only the second this millennium — the first time in eight years — and the guy who led them there is the guy who helped Florida win a couple back-to-back national titles as defense and first-base coach. It was in 2017, that Oklahoma State threw a regional scare at Florida, taking the Gators to an elimination game, and this season he took the Cowgirls to Tallahassee and knocked off the reigning national champs to become the lone Super Regional road team to advance. OSU is led by 2B Madi Sue Montgomery (.353, 61 hits, 16 doubles, 6 HR, 47 RBI), OF Chyenee Factor (.341, 9 HR), UT player Michaela Richbourg (.282, 14 RBI), and gets double-duty from P/1B Samantha Show (.333, 12 doubles, school single-season record 18 HR, 40 RBI and 21-8, 2.37 ERA in the circle).
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