Weekly Q&A: Head coach Carol Hutchins
3/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
On the team's consistency
"You have to say that when your offense and pitching are as solid as they are at the same, you are playing pretty good softball. We are trying to stress to our players, just play good softball. Get outs on defense. Pitchers control the game and offensively, we have had a lot of kids with good at-bats and I've been really pleases with out consistency in general. We don't make a lot of mistakes, but when we do we don't let a couple of mistakes snowball. The only time we did that was the Baylor game. I am not concerned about the streak, I just want us to go out and play good softball."
On the overall play of the infield
"You have to give a lot of the credit for our consistency to an experienced infield. Becky Marx is a junior behind the plate, we have two All-Americans up the middle, Grace Leutele is a fine player at third base and then Samantha Findlay does not play like a freshman at first base. They are an experienced infield who I expect high things from and they've been very consistent so far."
On the balance throughout the lineup
"The bottom part of the order deserves a lot of credit. Grace is in the six-spot in the lineup, but could the No. 3 or 4 hitter for a lot of other teams. Michelle Teschler is having just an outstanding season at the No. 9 spot and that has as much to do with out success up and down the lineup as anybody. Another key spot in our lineup is the No. 5 spot and Nicole Motycka has been very productive and consistent. I have already seen teams pitch around both Merchant and Findlay, but you have Motycka and Leutele right behind them and those two are having excellent years as well. Our walks are up and we have been having a number of good at-bats throughout the season. We have maintained pretty good pitch selection and then you look at walks being drawn by Findlay and Merchant as a result of other teams pitching around them."
On Michelle Teschler
"She is having the type of season you hope for from your seniors and she has an air of confidence about her I have never seen. I really believe the vision training has helped as much as anybody and getting her on-base is critical because she is faster than ever."
On the Kia Classic
"The pitching we are going to face is not getting any easier and our biggest test comes up next week. We got in this tournament because its annually one of the best in the country and can be more competitive than even the leadoff classic. Fullerton has a good team and Fresno State has one of the best pitchers in the country in Jamie Southern. We could run into a team like Texas or Arizona. Honestly, the most disappointing part of our season has been that we did not get a chance to play Tennessee, Florida State and possibly Oklahoma because of weather. That is why we schedule the non-conference tournaments how we do because you want a chance to go out and play teams of that caliber. We are excited to play in the Kia Classic because our pool is very solid. In addition to Fullerton and Fresno State, North Carolina has beaten Florida State, so I am really looking forward to this tournament."
On the pitching staff
"Jennie Ritter has been more consistent this season, especially in the late innings and she is stronger this season both physically and mentally. She is throwing really well right now. Then you have to look at Lorilyn Wilson, who has been outstanding, but still has not begun to peak. Right now she pitches with only about one-half of her body, but she has come through huge for us while Nicole Motycka is a little banged up. Nicole has not been on her "A" game yet.
On what makes Wilson so tough to hit
"She is so deceiving. Her body does not indicate what pitch is coming and that keeps hitters off balance. As a hitter, you think her ball is going to do one thing and then it does another. She is very deceptive and her ball moves."
On the rightfield position
"Both Milian and Bercaw have improved a lot. Bercaw has given us some pretty good at-bats. They both give us something different in that Milian is more of a slapper while Bercaw has a little bit of punch, so we are going to continue to rotate that position. The type of pitching we are facing may help dictate which one we go with. Defensively, they're pretty even. Bercaw has a little better arm, but overall, they are pretty similar. What I'd like to see is both of them play with a little more confidence. We have worked Nicole Motycka in the outfield a little bit as well, which could give us a little more flexibility with the lineup down the road."
On the contribution from freshman like Giampaolo and Findlay
"They have made themselves right at home and stepped right in. I've been really impressed with Giampaolo because she picks things up so quickly. She struggled with her hitting a little bit real early in the year, but she made some adjustments we pointed out. She is a real bright kid and a student of the game. She gets it and is a competitor, which you can see when comes up with hits when we need them the most. Same with Findlay. I love her demeanor because she never gets down. She might get mad for a second, but then she hops right back into the game. She understands that part of this game is adversity and failure. They're pretty mature kids and I see them continuing to help us a great deal."
On another freshman, Michelle Weatherdon
"When some of our alums out west came and saw us play in Las Vegas, one of the first things they asked was about No. 23. She has a great demeanor about her and brings a lot of energy. We'd like to get her more at-bats because she is quick as a cat and has already produced when given an opportunity. I really do think down the road, she's going to develop into a good player for us. She came in as an infielder, but we are going to turn her into an outfielder, which will be a work in progress. In the meantime, however, she does give us that option off the bench as a pinch runner."
