Postgame Quotes
5/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 30, 2009
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MISSOURI HEAD COACH Ehren Earleywine
Opening statement:
"Obviously, we're disappointed. We didn't come here just to come here, we wanted to win some games and make some noise. We weren't able to connect, especially offensively. We didn't get any big hits in that game. We didn't make enough adjustments offensively to give ourselves a chance. Overall, we're playing with a lot of girls that weren't recruited by too many schools. I'm proud of the job that they have done. No one would really expect a group of kids that weren't recruited like they weren't to be able to make it this far. We had a great season, we recorded the most wins in Missouri softball history and made it to the World Series for the first time in 15 years. Even though we are all very disappointed, there's no doubt about it, we wanted to win. At the same time, we have a lot to be proud of. We represented our state and university well. We want to do it better next time."
On the decision to start Chelsea Thomas:
"I didn't lose any sleep over it. We went with the decision to go with our ace and gave her another chance. As a coach, you always want to lose with your ace on the mound. The thing that Georgia did well today was that every time they had an opportunity today they made it click. They got three hits and five runs. That's what you call timely hitting. They just executed, and we tip our caps to them and wish them luck."
On lessons learned from the tournament:
"I look at it in terms of what happened last year. We went to the Super Regional, it seemed like we were just content with that next step. It was the first time we had even been there so there was some contentment and we lost two games and came home. This year, we came to the Super Regional and we weren't content because we had been there before. We won the Super Regional and came to the World Series for the first time. So I just wonder if there was some contentment that set in with just being here. So maybe next year we come back and say 'OK, we're not content with just being here, we want to win some games.' Hopefully, that's one of the lessons. I feel like we can learn from it."
MISSOURI SENIOR SECOND BASEMAN Andee Allen
On looking back on the past four years:
"I look back and I think it's been a great experience for me. It's something that I'll take away, that I wouldn't have had if I had just decided to go to school and not play. I'm going to miss the friendships and camaraderie. I got to do something that a lot of people don't get to do. Especially this year, getting here, it's something that not a lot of people get to do."
MISSOURI SENIOR DESIGNATED PLAYER Micaela Minner
On her best memory from the season:
"Making it here, unseeded, beating UCLA in the three-game (Super Regional) series. The trip here was just amazing. Everyone here and how we've been treated. This has been one of my lifelong dreams. I'm not just a little kid watching on TV and wishing I could be there. I was actually here."
MISSOURI SOPHOMORE OUTFIELDER Marla Schweisberger
On the team's mentality coming into the tournament:
"We didn't get here by accident. We played some tough teams and we were really confident in ourselves. We wanted to go out and play like we have been in the stretch and in the post-season. We felt like we could hang with these teams. It just didn't work out and maybe we can build on it for next year."
GEORGIA HEAD COACH LU HARRIS-CHAMPER
Opening comment:
"I thought it was a really exciting game and I am really proud of our team for coming out and playing hard, kind of like what they play every day. I thought that (Christie) Hamilton pitched an outstanding game. She pitched the right pitches, just the ones that she wanted them to go after and she did a great job sticking with her game plan. And I am really proud of our hitters for coming through and continuing to hack away at their pitches, as many times as they could in the lineup."
On Georgia freshman catcher Kristyn Sandberg:
"She is just a tremendous ball player and a great athlete. She is all heart. She just continues to get better every week that we play ball. I know that she is someone that the pitchers like throwing to and she has a great arm behind the plate. She also keeps on getting better as a hitter for a freshman."
On playing a second game tonight:
"I'm thrilled to be playing. We will take as many games as we can take. We are just going to keep fighting and play one game at a time and play the best we can."
GEORGIA SENIOR INFIELDER KRISTIN SCHNAKE
On Georgia's players' attitudes playing in WCWS:
"We just play our game every time we step on the field. We don't think of what could happen afterwards, we know that when we're between the lines we're playing a seven-inning game and we just play ball."
GEORGIA SENIOR PITCHER CHRISTIE HAMILTON
On her pitching strategy:
"I knew that if I could put the ball in play that the defense would have my back like they did. They were a great hitting team and they took advantage of some of my pitches. My teammates have my back though."
GEORGIA FRESHMAN CATHCER KRISTYN SANDBERG
On her fourth-inning homer and on running into the home plate umpire on a foul ball:
"On the hit, I was looking for a good pitch to hit and I took my hack at it and it went out. With the umpire, I saw the ball go up and I was just trying to get back to it and I just fell over. I was just trying to get the ball and I took a direct path to it, instead of running around."
