2022 WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 3, 2022

Laura Berg

Madison Simon

Mariah Mazon

Oregon State Beavers

Postgame Press Conference

Arizona 3, Oregon State 1

THE MODERATOR: This is the Game 6 press conference featuring the Oregon State Beavers.

Questions for our student-athletes first, please.

Q. What was kind of said after the game, going through this experience?

MARIAH MAZON: Yeah, I mean, Coach Berg basically just said we've had a great season this year. We did a lot of things this year that people didn't think that we could do. I mean, coming to the women's College World Series since 2006 for Oregon State, we did a lot that nobody thought we could do.

Yeah, she just told us we had a great season, to keep our heads up, just walk out of here proud.

MADISON SIMON: Yeah, we had a great season. It's been a lot of fight. It's definitely a dogfight in the Pac-12. Every team is competitive. It's just a matter of who shows up and competes on that day.

So we just had a good run, and we hope to carry that on to next year.

Q. Madi, I was wondering if you could speak to the value of Mariah to this program. At the end of the game, seemed like one by one you hugged her on the field. What has she done for this program?

MADISON SIMON: She has created a name for our program. She has done a lot, carried our team through a lot of situations. She's just a great teammate overall in general, too.

Just we all wanted to do this for her, too. It's her last time. That was just mainly our goal. We just wanted to do everything for her.

Q. Mariah, hearing that, is there any way you can sum up your experience at Oregon State?

MARIAH MAZON: I mean, I don't want to start crying. This is like one of the best years I've had, like all the relationships with the girls on the team. Oregon State in general just gave me a great five years. I don't really have any words. It's just been amazing, and I'm so glad that I came to Oregon State, chose to play under Coach Berg.

When I recruited, I was a freshman. Oregon State wasn't really a big-name school. I thought like I want to be that person that comes in and creates a name for Oregon State. I think that I kind of did what I came here to do. It's just been a great experience. I'm so glad.

Unfortunately we lost, but I'm so glad it was at the women's College World Series.

Q. Mariah, there's a lot of young players on your team. What do you see for the future of this program?

MARIAH MAZON: Yeah, it gets me so excited. I've told them multiple times. In the beginning of the year I told Kiki, when I hugged her, I was like, Dude, you're so freaking good. You have no idea. And you haven't even reached your peak yet. You're so young, have so much to learn. That goes for all of them.

I mean, I don't expect anything less. Like I see them here again next year, incoming freshmen. It's just going to be a great year for those freshmen as they continue.

Q. Mariah, you didn't play yesterday. Just wondering how important was it for you to play today, win or lose?

MARIAH MAZON: Yeah, unfortunately yesterday I wasn't feeling well. I was required to stay back from the game because of medical staff requiring me to stay back.

I don't even -- I just wanted to come out here and do it for my team. Unfortunately we came up short. But we gave our all. Just came up short.

THE MODERATOR: Mariah, Madison, thank you so much. Congratulations on a wonderful season.

Questions for Coach, please.

Q. What did you say to the team afterwards to wrap this thing up?

LAURA BERG: I just told them there was a lot of positive things they can take away from this season, some things that we need to work on and get at so we can continue on with the season.

But for the most part they got a taste. They got a taste of it. It's like blood in the water now. They're sharks. We got to go after what it is we want. If we want to come back here, we need to get better at the things we need to work on.

I just told them how proud I am of them as young, confident women, not just as athletes, but as student-athletes. They rock it in the classroom. I'm so dang proud of 'em.

Q. You have a lot of young players on your roster. What do you hope this kind of experience does for those ladies?

LAURA BERG: Yeah, the experience that we have being here at the College World Series is amazing. Not just that, super regionals, going into enemy territory, SEC territory, coming away with the regional win.

These guys, you know, again, there's some things we need to work on. We're not up here or out of the tournament in two losses. They know what they'll need to work on. Just to take this experience and to run with it. Like I said, blood in the water.

Q. When did you know that Mariah was going to play today? What was going through your mind?

LAURA BERG: I knew we were going to have her in the lineup. At what extent I didn't know until right up until game time. I was hitting balls out to the outfielder, and I got the thumbs up from my pitching coach, so we made the switch at the plate, so...

Q. What were your thoughts on how she pitched today? Were you concerned she could make it through the seven innings?

LAURA BERG: Yeah, I wasn't concerned. Mariah has the heart of a warrior, the heart of a lion. She embodies what Oregon State is all about. She is gritty. She's a fighter. She's a great teammate. She perseveres. If she has a bad inning on defense, she comes around and gets it done at the plate.

She just is an incredible athlete, incredible young woman. The real world better watch out.

Q. It seemed like your defense shored up some things that were maybe missing yesterday. How do you feel your defense kept you in the game today?

LAURA BERG: Yeah, I mean, I'm an outfielder. There's some balls out there that should have been caught, and they know that. They heard it from me.

We make those plays, and we're the one who comes out on top.

There's some things that we got to work on.

Q. Obviously this was the peak of the season, what you've been trying to accomplish. What are you going to remember the most about this team and the future of Oregon State softball?

LAURA BERG: Yeah, I think the future is very bright, especially with the young kids that we have. I can still put myself on the field against Utah when we're down by two runs, indicate La comes out with bases loaded, we're down to our last strike, she gets the gap shot and waiving Frankie around.

I'm still living high off of that. That kind of set the tone for the next three or four weeks. Things like that. The 17-game win streak. We're down to Baylor four runs in the first inning, we come out on top, we get the four runs back. They answer back, we answer back. Ended up winning the game.

That kind of started the 17-game win streak. Little things like that. Taking the series from Arizona at our place during the Pac-12s. We haven't done that in, shoot, I think 2013 or 2012, something like that. It's been a lot of good things for our program.

Q. The TV caught you talking to Coach Lowe who just said she's looked up to you since she was young as a person and a player. What did it mean to share the stage with her? What has that year meant to you personally?

LAURA BERG: Caitlin Lowe, I think the world of that lady. She's just an incredible teammate, an incredible friend. We just had so much fun in 2008. I think she's an incredible coach. I think she's going to do some amazing things for that program.

Being on the field with her in an environment like this, I can't tell you how special and how much that means to me. Yeah, what was the second part? Just the alumni being there?

Incredible. My former teammates, I love 'em to death. Stacy Nuveman at San Diego State is doing great, incredible things. Lisa Fernandez, I'd go to war with that lady any day. Even though she's retired, I'll still go to war with her. Yeah, I love 'em to death.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on a wonderful season.

LAURA BERG: Thank you. Go Beaves.