Missouri Press Conference – NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional – May 21, 2016
Head Coach Ehren Earleywine
Opening statement…
"I have been doing this for a while, that is the most impressive run of games that I have seen in postseason play for a team that I have coached. It probably gets old for media to hear coaches talk about resiliency and my team has been through a lot, but ours has. It's been amazing to watch them perform under the pressure."
On the table setters at the top of the lineup…
"First of all, what a big hole to fill when you think about next year. All three can bunt, all three can slap, and all three can hit the other way, especially Emily and Sami. And they all have so much experience. Today, Taylor had a good day and Sami had a good day. I knew right off the bat it was going to be really hard to beat us when Sami hit the double."
On how fitting it was to send University Field off with this regional…
"It was the best. There could not have been a more ideal scenario than this weekend."
On remembering Nebraska defeating Mizzou in the regional final two years ago…
"If they didn't remember, I reminded them before the game. It stung really bad. There was only one positive out of that season, was that they beat us really bad that we couldn't go back and think what if we made this play or this bunt. We just got beat down. It was really nice today to reverse the roles."
On winning the regional at home…
"It's nice to be at home, because you can feed off our fans. Our fans were awesome this weekend, they always are. Regardless, we are always going out there to win, but I think our fans did a really good job of keeping us in it the whole time."
On how good Paige was in the regional…
"Impressive is about the only way to describe it. Three shutout wins, those games are really easy to catch. You just sit there waiting for her to pop the glove. Those games are fun, because you're doing so little. It's amazing to be able to call and pitch and she just throw it. I think the tempo was really good and we are looking to feed off that heading into Michigan."
On if she thought it was over after jumping out to a six run lead…
"For the most part. The good thing about being up six runs is Paige can go right after hitters and I think that contributed to the no walks. We want them to hit their way on base, that's so key to what we do to get ahead. Paige is so good when she can pitch ahead and not be too fine. There No. 2 hitter, Knighten, we owned her all weekend and she has 21 home runs. I think that is because we could go right at her. We weren't getting down 3-0 or 3-1, we were pounding strikes. We were saying 'you are not going to beat us by hitting the ball, not walking people.' That's why it was so awesome to come out and get a lead."
On her dad catching her home run …
"He paces, so I have no idea where he was. Maybe, he kind of just paces around the park."
On the table setters in the lineup …
"I think our 1-2-3 have been our table setters all year. When they go, we go. I think Taylor was 3-for-3 or 3-for-4 and Emily is just a hard out. Sami was able to come through with two huge hits. I think 1-9 we were all able to hit the ball."
On winning the regional at home…
"We always go out there and try to do our best. Being at home it's even better because everyone is supporting. It was a really fun tournament."
On how she feels after pitching the entire regional…
"I feel good. I feel like I could throw more still. I feel fine, I just probably need a day off now."
On what has 'clicked' recently…
"I think my pitches are coming together. I have struggled with control all year after getting hit in the face. I think I am completely back from that now."
On getting a big lead before taking the mound…
"It was awesome. It's so easy to pitch out there when you have a cushion like that."
On getting a big lead before taking the mound…
"It was awesome. It's so easy to pitch out there when you have a cushion like that."
On when she found out she was pitching for game one…
"I found out when I got here about an hour before the game like I always do. I'm ready whenever."
On if they are ready for Michigan…
"We want some revenge on them. Last time we played them, it wasn't our best game obviously. We are clicking real well offensively and defensively. I think we are ready to play whoever."
Nebraska Press Conference – NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional – May 21, 2016
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle
Opening statement…
"I thought we had a pretty solid season and a real tough day."
On whether there was anything they could have done differently against Mizzou…
"Just kept them off base. I think I said this yesterday, the top of their order is as tough as any top of the order in the country, between the speed and the power and what they can do. They've been doing that, I think, this is the third year of having that top of the order. It's like a pitcher and catcher that work together for years. It's a pretty special top of their order. So, if someone is going to shut them down, you have to shut [their top of the order] down."
On where Mizzou ranks in terms of top teams in the country…
"Missouri playing like they are right now is right up with anyone. I think they can compete with anyone in the country right now. Obviously, they're a top 15 seed, so they were very good coming in, but as you follow teams through the year, I know they've have some ups and downs themselves. But this weekend – I watched their BYU game – they're playing with great energy and a great sense of urgency. And they've got the athletes on the mound and hitting that can make that look pretty special when they're doing that."
On what she said to Coach Earleywine following the game…
"Basically what I just said now, that their team is playing with great passion. Even though you're on the other side of it, you could see the inspiration in their play."
On what OF Kiki Stokes has meant to the program…
"From the day Kiki committed – it was after a camp and it was the days when you had to cross the street and get off-campus and come back – and met with her and her dad. She literally committed on the spot when the scholarship was offered. She almost was climbing on my desk. She was up on the desk. She was that excited. Her dad pulled out a Nebraska hat and put it on. I knew at that point in time that you had a great connection because you want to look for good fits. And a good fit is when somebody wants to wear that jersey, whatever school you're representing. I knew she had some special talent. At the time, she was really just a drag bunter, so she turned into quite a hitter in the collegiate game, as evidenced by being a first round draft choice. I told her from day one that if she didn't leave this program an All-American, it was my fault and her fault, a combination. And that's just how I felt about her and still do."
On 3B MJ Knighten playing through pain…
"MJ is a warrior. Anybody that saw that collision at second base day one, you're surprised that [both players weren't injured]. It was painful for her to watch. She wants to help her team. She's a great teammate. She's in a lot of pain. I'm pretty sure she's going to be even in more pain tomorrow now that all the adrenaline is going to fade out. These two right next to me, this one with her knees, this one with her back, this team, they've literally been warriors. What they have to go to just to get themselves on the field every day, they're really of grandmotherly status with their bodies in the game."
On her memories at University Field over the years…
"I have so many memories of playing games here having been in the Big Eight and the Big 12 and now in the Big Ten, been here twice from the Big Ten. For 24 years, there's been a lot of games here. A lot of memories, but yes, probably the high point memory was in 2014, absolutely."
On whether she gives Missouri a chance next week if they face Michigan…
"I think it's going to be a great atmosphere for softball. I think it's going to be a great competition. Here's what you have from Michigan. I just talked about the top of the lineup for Missouri. You've got the same thing with the different look going on at Michigan in [Abby] Lawrence and [Sierra] Romero and [Kelsey] Susalla and [Kelly] Christner. So, you've got two teams that pitch well. They pitch very differently. You've got likely All-American-type pitchers on the mound going and you've got a lot of kids at the top of the lineup for both teams that really do a lot of damage against any pitching."
On why she chose Cassie McClure for the start today…
"You've tracked our season. We've kind of pitched by committee all year, and there are a lot of games that it's taken two games. There haven't been a lot of complete games. We were trying to play the whole entire day pitch by pitch by pitch. I texted all the pitchers last night and said, 'All hands on deck.' So, that's why Cassie got the start. I felt like we needed to establish some off-speed early, and unfortunately we didn't get a chance to really do that. I just thought we needed to try to do something to stop their speed a bit."
On why Mizzou was able to sit on the off-speed pitches today…
"I think there are times when any pitcher, they're going to elevate some pitches. A lot of times there's tension. It's a big game. I thought she elevated a little bit, so she never got a chance to get in a rhythm. So, last night against BYU, you noticed late that pitch was pretty biting, but she had a chance to throw it and find a rhythm with it. She didn't get a chance to do that today."
On whether Bri Cassidy started at catcher to try to slow Missouri's running game…
"Yeah, just a little different look with her arm. Madi [Unzicker] threw out three of them over the weekend. But, I thought it was important and I wanted to get a different outfielder out there, so there were a couple different things in play there."
On whether she got a sense there was vengeance from Missouri players who were defeated by Nebraska in 2014…
"I don't really get caught up in that. I mean, maybe. I don't know. I know on both sides in both dugouts, there's a lot of players that are really proud to represent their schools and they're just playing hard."
INF Alicia Armstrong
On what Mizzou LHP Paige Lowary was doing so effectively…
"I thought today she was a lot more spinny than yesterday, and obviously she has really good velocity. She's obviously a really good pitcher."
On why she went through so much physically to continue playing…
"For the team. It's not for myself. It's for the team."
On how she summarizes her Nebraska career…
"It's hard to sum it up all in one because I'm just so thankful Coach Revelle gave me a chance. It's really humbling to wear this jersey. It's what I've always wanted to do, so I'm glad she gave me a chance."
INF Mattie Fowler
On what she was saying to her team to keep them focused…
"At that point, you have one choice and that's to keep moving forward. I just kept saying to the girls, 'Don't take any pitches for granted, stay in there and keep battling to the end.'"
On how special it was to play at Nebraska…
"I didn't come in with them, but I get to go out with four of my best friends, so I wouldn't have it any other way. It's just been such an honor to wear the jersey. I've been playing the game for 18 years now, so I'm really proud to end with this group and to be a Husker."