Weekly Q&A: Head Coach Carol Hutchins
3/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
On getting contributions from somebody different every game
"One of the mantra these kids have is that they are a great team. The fact is we have a good team when you look at talent and they believe it. If I were to describe our team personality, it's that we are very unassuming. Grace Leutele does not walk around like she is this great third baseman, even though she is. She just plays. Tiffany Haas, one of the best second baseman in the country both offensively and defensively, is another very unassuming player. That's a good personality to have in a lot of ways. When kids start trying to be something instead of just playing, they get in trouble.
On winning the Kia Klassic
"I thought they were excited as they should have because they played good ball, but they were not too high. I am a big believer if you get too high you're going to land hard."
On being No. 1
"Even through the course of this week, they knew they were voted No. 1, but I did not get any different feel with this team. They realize that is somebody else's vote and we don't have anything to do with that other than play good ball. How they really handle things is yet to be determined."
On Lorilyn Wilson's performance this season
"Unbelievable. She was a little tired late in the win over Texas, but we needed her out of the bullpen later that day vs. Arizona and she was up to the challenge. You have to give a kid like that credit because when she left here last summer she was determined to come back and be a legitimate pitcher as opposed to one that just saw spot duty. She has worked hard and her work ethic has been excellent."
On the corner outfield production
"It is critical that we continue to get production from those positions and we need to keep it up. We need production from the bottom of the order and that's the bottom line. Bercaw, Teschler and Milian have done a great job of having good at-bats and making things happen. Obviously, Bercaw had a huge weekend for us and I'm hoping more than anything that her confidence grows and she starts playing like that. We actually learned a lot from Arizona's slap hitters because they do that better than anybody in the country, so we can take that and work with Milian. We do need a little more from Milian because we could use an effective slapper down at the bottom of the order. She's a hard working kid with talent so hopefully we see some progress."
On the season Nicole Motycka is having
"I am really proud of Nicole and I was especially proud of her after last weekend because that is a tough tournament to go play and not pitch a whole lot. She did not have a good game going vs. North Carolina, but I really feel like she has been there for the team and is finding a way to contribute. She has not let her lack of pitching become an issue in terms of hindering her attitude or performance. She is returning All-American pitcher, but she has struggled and to pull her after two innings and her not let it effect the rest of her game is amazing. It really takes a mature kid to handle it as well as she has. She has showed me a lot this season."
On the production of Grace Leutele
"She has always been under the radar, even as a recruit. She had quite a day on Sunday. When you are the third baseman vs. Arizona, you are playing the toughest position in the park because their overall speed is amazing. She was outstanding against Arizona. She is another real unassuming kid, who has lightened up this year and does not get down on herself, even when she gets our wonderful constructive criticism from time to time. She is enjoying the game more and to have her in the No. 6 spot in the lineup is a wonderful luxury. She had great at-bats all weekend and her home run against Texas was just a beautiful cut. She finishes her swing and does not get cheated. Her approach and attitude have been very good."
On winning 27 straight games
"It's inevitable that things will not go our way for the entire season. I'm prepared for us to face adversity and I will be very interested to see how we cope with it. Honestly, I'm very confident this group will handle it well. This group really has its head on straight and I'll be shocked if they don't handle in the necessary manor."
