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NCAA WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 3, 2015

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

Florida 4 - Michigan 1

THE MODERATOR: Good evening. We have Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins, student-athlete Sierra Romero, student-athlete Haylie Wagner, student-athlete Megan Betsa and student-athlete Tera Blanco. Coach, we'll start with general comments about the game.

COACH HUTCHINS: Well, congrats to Florida. They were the best team tonight. And they've been one often this season, but they showed up to come after us. And that first inning obviously broke our back. And we gave them a lot of free bases all night long. Too many. And you can't do that to a team like Florida. They're just too good. They have such great bat control. They can bunt it. They can poke it out of the infield. When it comes down to it you have to say Lauren Haeger, she was outstanding. Very deserving of the Most Outstanding Player. And I thought she was better than last night. I thought she was on fire and she definitely took care of business. She was great tonight. So very deserving champion. As I told my team I told them yesterday and I told them today, tonight doesn't define our season. Obviously we would have liked to have walked out of here with the other trophy, but this has been a great team, fun to coach. They've been very committed to team, very committed to Michigan and to each other and I'm proud of them. I'm proud of my seniors really proud of Haylie Wagner. She had her best tournament the last tournament of the season. She was outstanding. Great season for Michigan. Very proud of us.

Q. After seeing the effort all your student-athletes put in all season long, how would you define this team?
COACH HUTCHINS: They were a team. Outstanding team. They worked hard every day. They came in every day and did what we asked. They worked through adversity and avoided a lot of adversity because they always believed. They believed they were great and I don't think you can believe you're great unless you have trust. Trust in the program, trust in the coaches and trust in each other. Most importantly trust in themselves. They were a great group to coach. We had a lot of fun.

Q. I know it's right after the game but can you talk about how tough this loss is to get to the third game to get so close but to fall a little bit short?
SIERRA ROMERO: It happens. I can't really be all that mad. Haylie (Wagner) did amazing. I mean all the seniors did everything we asked them to do. I'm proud of this team. So I have nothing to be sad about.

HAYLIE WAGNER: Like Coach said, this loss doesn't define our season. We played our hearts out. We played with the heart and soul like the last two weeks and Florida is a great team and they came out firing right back today. And congratulations to them. But this doesn't define us -- we're a family and these people Team 38 will be forever my best friends and sisters.

MEGAN BETSA: Like they said, it's tough to lose the last game, but I think the returners are going to come back and work really hard next year but all the thanks to the seniors because they did absolutely amazing and couldn't ask for anything more.

SIERRA ROMERO: You always want to win your last game. This team meant so much to me. I felt like Team 38 has been so special and I feel Team 39 is going to be great. Our seniors were just amazing this year, and they helped us through everything basically.

Q. Haylie has already answered this question. But if the other three players could talk about what team means to you, what has the team meant to you? Express what this team meant to you. You mentioned it was special. What this team meant to you?
TERA BLANCO: They pick us up when we're down, I mean through anything, not just softball. I mean not just softball. I love them. They're my family, period.

SIERRA ROMERO: I'm proud of this team. They've taught me so much as a player. And we've stuck together through some hard times and we've pushed through it and no matter what we were a family. So I can't be more proud of them.

MEGAN BETSA: Like they both said, I grew really close especially with the senior class between Sierra (Romero) and Haylie (Wagner) and Becca (Garfinkel) because we all shared time in the bullpen together. The thing we shared was we and we embraced and it's going to be hard to watch them go, but we'll come back next year strong.

Q. Carol, have you ever been part of a game where there was so many hit by pitching; and Haylie, did that get frustrating you were involved on it on both sides?
COACH HUTCHINS: I don't know that I have. Not that I remember.

HAYLIE WAGNER: Hit by pitches, they happen. I was two of them today. They're just part of the game, you kind of have to get over it.

Q. Coach, so many records were set this World Series in terms of attendance and views. What does it mean to you to know that so many people were behind this team not only in Ann Arbor but around the country as well?
COACH HUTCHINS: We wear Michigan on the front of our chest. We know that everybody in the Michigan Wolverine Nation were cheering for us. We have the largest alumni in country. I've heard from football people from 1950s and baseball people from the 1960s and I know how proud the Michigan fans are. And we're really proud of our kids because I think they represented Michigan the way it's supposed to be represented. And they've made Michigan proud.

Q. Haylie, in the first inning, when they were able to get to you, was that a different approach tonight or was that something that changed with you from yesterday?
HAYLIE WAGNER: They definitely came out attacking, and they just got a hold of the ball and I could have spun the ball a little bit more. But I had to go after them. And they were fighting right back and they were throwing the same punches as we were.

Q. Megan, you talked so much about how the seniors have helped you this year. Is there something specifically from Haylie that you learned that you would like to add to your game the next two years?
MEGAN BETSA: I think me and Haylie (Wagner) taught each other a lot. She taught me how to be strong, how to be a bulldog in the circle. And she was always there to tell me like what I was doing wrong. And something that she taught me was that I need to play every pitch of the game because I can help whoever is in the circle and I really took from that and I really tried to do my best to help her when she's in the circle if I saw anything that I could help her with.

Q. Could the hitters talk about what Haeger did tonight. You didn't get your first hit until the fifth inning. Hutch, if you could talk about stranding eight tonight and how much that hurt?
SIERRA ROMERO: She's a great pitcher. And she came out ready to play. And I mean, she did awesome. So props to her and congratulations.

HAYLIE WAGNER: As being a pitcher I know exactly what she was doing. She was just coming out and attacking us. She has a lot of spin on the ball and she's a really good pitcher and she deserves that MVP.

MEGAN BETSA: Like they said she did a great job tonight attacking the zone. Hit some balls hard. Didn't get through, but we gave it our all.

COACH HUTCHINS: It's the name of the game. We stranded eight runners. Had a couple innings we got it going. Couldn't get the timely hit. C-Lo (Sierra Lawrence) it one hard to right, went right at them. Wherever we hit the ball, they caught it. And (Lauren) Haeger, give her credit. She got better when we got something going.

Q. Haylie, being a senior, is there one moment of the season where you're the most proud of this team and what you take with you?
HAYLIE WAGNER: Most proud moment right now. I wanted to wear my jersey, Michigan across my chest to the very last possible game. And I got to do that. I couldn't be more proud of the team and being part of such an amazing experience and opportunity. And this may be the last day I get to wear the jersey across my chest, but I'll forever be a Michigan Wolverine.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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