2015 NCAA Softball Championship - GatorZone.com
Tim Walton, Head Coach, Florida
Opening Statement:
?First of all, congratulations to Kentucky on a great postseason run and to all their seniors. They're a really good group and some good kids. I actually was really surprised yesterday we were able to get seven [runs]. I thought it was going to be a tight, tight weekend just the way Kelsey Nunley has got about three or four different gears. She pitches, and when she gets runners in scoring position, she takes it to another level. I thought she really did a good job with that today and just threw a lot harder when she had runners in scoring position in big moments of the game. I thought she really did a good job. Give complete credit to Lauren. I don't think we played our best game behind her offensively or defensively. I don't think it was her best stuff either, but she certainly did a great job of changing speeds and locations and communication. Her and Aubree got on the same page with [Coach Jen] Rocha. They just found a way. Kayli [Kvistad] got the nice hit down that line and Taylore Fuller got some things going to break her right-handed jinx against Kelsey Nunley, getting some hits. Justine, her first postseason press conference, so she's all fired up. She got the player of the game shirt as well for getting that hit. It's just a matter of getting it done, and she did it, and we're really proud of her and everybody else. This is a tough deal. I think emotionally, after you win a national championship, it's easy to let your guard down It's easy to become complacent, and I felt like we did a good job of coaching this team as this team and not last year's team or next year's team. I'm so proud of them to be able to get over the hump, if you will, because it's not easy having that target on your back all season long and to be able to come out and play and win in so many different ways. I'm proud of all of our players -- Aubree, spectacular play, Justine, spectacular play today, Katie Medina, unbelievable plays. All in all, it was just a great team performance, and I'm really proud of our team and our program."
On his thoughts about Florida's defensive plays:
"I think all of our coaches and players have a high expectation for our defense. You just come to be who you are, and we just happen to be a really good defensive team. I look out there at the end -- when we scored the run, we shifted to a little bit more defense. That's one thing you overlook -- a left-handed first baseman [Taylor Schwarz] makes plays that right-handed first basemen can't, [like] the stretch play to be closer to Katie Medina across the diamond. They don't amaze me anymore. We've come to expect it. We've come to expect them to make great plays. We challenged Katie. If there was a weakness in her arsenal, it was her ability to go back and catch pop flies, and we worked and worked and worked on them. For her to go back and make those plays in the seventh brings a smile to my face, and I know it brings a smile to Coach [Kenny] Gajewski's face in the dugout. For her to be able to do that stuff is really reliable, and she makes us feel really comfortable in the dugout."
On if his coaching has changed from this season to last season:
"It has to because the personnel's different. For our young players, for our freshmen, I'm proud of them. They've got a opportunity to go to the World Series. When we were getting national championship rings, they were all looking, and they were excited, but 'that's really not mine even though I'm part of this program.' I'm excited for them that they have SEC Championship rings coming to them and a chance to go to the College World Series. They've really just been a very consistent program. We're not too flashy. We get criticized all the time for not scoring enough runs and doing other things. If you don't give up any runs, you can't ever lose. Lauren has one of the best ERAs in the country. In my opinion, today she just solidified National Player of the Year. How could she not -- 28 wins, home runs. I'm not saying we wouldn't be at the World Series, but there's no way we'd be SEC champs and there's no way we'd be in this position. I give her a lot of credit for recognizing an opportunity and working toward it."
On if there's any pressure to repeat as national champions:
"We've come this far. The pressure's over to me. Nobody's going to be talking about us on the Sunday night softball show about how the number one seed went down, and there was a major upset in college softball. To me, the pressure's over. We've handled the pressure. Now it's time to go out and have fun and figure out who we are and what we're going to do moving forward in the postseason."
On if he expected to go through regionals and super regionals without giving up a run:
"No, not with the teams that we've faced. I thought for sure we'd give up some runs here. I didn't envision us going two pitchers through the super regionals either. Just like Hannah [Rogers] last year, when a pitcher gets on fire, just stay out of her way. Lauren's on fire. She's pitched very well. With the exception of one bad pitch with two strikes against Tennessee, she's pitched very well this whole entire postseason."
Justine McLean, OF, Florida
On her RBI infield single and catch in right field:
"For the play, I did that last super regional to just always have Lauren's back, and I'm going to do everything I can to save a run because she pitched an awesome game. With my at-bat, Kelsey Nunley was really owning me, and I just kept grounding out to the second baseman. I decided to just slow my feet down and keep things simple and just put the ball in play."
On feeling different about going to Oklahoma City the second time around:
"It's different. I feel like last year was a different celebration. This year, we were more humble. We didn't really know how to celebrate because we have six new girls. We have a big senior class, and we're just trying to get back there for them and let our freshmen experience the atmosphere of the College World Series."
Lauren Haeger, RHP, Florida
On getting the final out to clinch a trip to Oklahoma City:
"It was a good feeling. I've never been in that situation before; I've never been the winning pitcher in a game like that, so it was just exciting to have Aubree [Munro] just tackle me. It was a little different because when she would tackle Hannah, Hannah would go down, but we just hit. No one went down. It was so great; everyone was so happy. Getting back to the World Series is a goal that we always have, and I'm just excited that I could be the one in the circle to do it."
On if she is surprised about the defense's plays:
"No. They make these plays all the time. I don't think they get enough credit for them. Those are top-10 plays right there. That's big-time. Justine making that play and setting her feet to throw her out, Aubree with the diving catch and throw from her knees to get the runner out at first -- that's unreal. That's why they're there, that's why they're the best, and I just love my defense behind me."
On her thoughts about carrying the team to this point:
"I would not take anything away from my teammates. They're great. They've kept my back constantly. I just try to get out there, do my thing in the circle and give my team a chance to win ballgames. That's really it, at the plate and in the circle. I'm just so excited that we're going back, and I'm so excited that I've gotten the pitching role that I've gotten and Coach Walton has been able to trust me this year more than he ever has. The work that we've all put into it is paying off, and I'm just really proud of my teammates."
On Florida's pitching staff not giving up a run during the postseason:
"If you don't give up runs, you usually win. Again, defense is amazing. We've been scoring runs, which is nice. Delanie [Gourley] and Aleshia [Ocasio] are going to be great. We're going to need both of them to carry us through the World Series as well. We're a staff, and I truly believe we're a staff and we're ready to go. I'm excited to see them do their thing out there too."
Aubree Munro, C, Florida
On the throw from her knees to get the runner at first:
"With pop-up bunts like that, there's that weird backspin, so [I was] just seeing it in my glove all the way because that's an easy ball to get the heel of your glove and pop out. [I was] just trying to get settled and see where the runner was at, so I was trying to be quick and not panic and just get the ball to Taylore [Fuller]."
Rachel Lawson, Head Coach, Kentucky
Opening Statement:
?Today was a tough one. Luckily we played a lot better, I thought Kelsey was great. Florida is an outstanding hitting team, to shut them down to one run was a big deal, especially this time of year. They are a good team and they know how to get to the World Series so to be able to do that says a lot about Kelsey. I thought the team played well today, I thought we did a good job of putting people on base but we just didn?t get that timely hit like we needed to get. Overall we played a lot better today but when you?re playing a team as good as Florida it all comes down to the little stuff. We want to make sure we wish them a lot of luck, they treated us great in the Super Regionals. Gainesville is a great town and we wish them the best of luck moving forward.?
On hitting into the double plays:
?When Joiner hit the ball to right field that was a steal, so that was the risk we were taking to get the run in. She hit a line drive to the right fielder who made a great play on the ball. It wasn?t a mistake on either part, it was a gamble we took because Samuel has such great wheels and Griffin is an exceptional hitter. The other time we were putting runners in motion so it was more poor execution at the plate.?
On the decision to be more aggressive:
?The bigger the game the bigger the risk when you?re the underdog so we decided that it was in our best interest. We were not doing a good job getting people on base yesterday. We tried to make it a conscious effort to put more base runners on, to try to be more aggressive. Overall I think that was a good decision, we just didn?t come up with the timely hits we needed when we were putting people in motion.?
On the season:
?This season was difficult for us from the standpoint of we know how to win and we know how to go to the postseason so that was never a question. When you are in the SEC you have to play well all the time. We are a good program and we are trying to be a program that constantly gets a national seed. The crowd was great today and when you look across the regions almost all the home teams are winning. It?s really hard to win in a park like this. Softball is a great sport now, there are great stadiums, and great fans. The NCAA has done a great job making softball a priority. When you?re in a situation like that and you have home field advantage with all the energy, the fans, and the passion, you would like to be the home team. I hope what my team takes from this is that fact that we have to do all the little things right in the offseason so that we can also be a national seed. Not just once but every time.?
On next season:
?I?d like to think we are built for every year. We have great pitching, we only graduated two players. Griffin Joiner is one of the greatest players to ever play at the University of Kentucky. I thought Kara Howard did an exceptional job, I?m so proud of her this year. We are going to be very good, we are smart and we have a lot of people returning, we have fantastic recruits coming in and we will be back?
Kelsey Nunley, RHP, Kentucky
On her approach to pitching:
?Just trying to keep them off balance, they are a really good hitting team so that?s what you try to do. You have to move with the batters instead of just pitching at the plate.?
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