2022 WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 4, 2022

Tim Walton

Hannah Adams

Florida Gators

Postgame Press Conference

Oklahoma State 2, Florida 0

THE MODERATOR: This is the Game 8 press conference featuring the Florida Gators.

Questions for Hannah to start, please.

Q. Could you speak to the performance of Kelly Maxwell, what she may have had going on from a batter's standpoint.

HANNAH ADAMS: Yes, she's a really good pitcher, we knew that coming in. She did a really nice job of mixing her location, mixing speeds. You couldn't really guess a pitch that was coming. She just did a really nice job of mixing speeds and locations, for sure.

Q. A lot was riding on this game. Have you had time to process what it's going to take now to achieve your goals?

HANNAH ADAMS: Yeah, I think we're a team that does a really good job of taking it one game at a time, not getting too far ahead of ourselves. We don't really let the last game affect us.

We're just going to do what we need to do to prepare for our next game.

Q. The chances to get a run across against her were minimal. What's the element of frustration in the dugout when you have opportunities and you know you have to capitalize on those?

HANNAH ADAMS: Yeah, I think the plus side of that is we did have opportunities. I think when she pitches a lot of times it's hard to get those opportunities. Being in those situations, it takes a big hit in a clutch moment. When you don't get those, you have to be behind your teammates the entire time no matter what, hope that someone comes through at some point.

Proud of our hitters who were grinding at-bats the whole game and trying to do everything we can in situations to get those runners in.

Q. You guys opened the game with a nice bunt. They came back bunting. Did you like the way you played those bunts? Was there something you could have done different?

HANNAH ADAMS: Yeah, I think they were just good bunts. Not a lot of people bunt on a 3-2 pitch. I think the positioning was a little different there for that bunt. She just happened to get it down in that count. We were just playing everything how we normally would.

Q. You got onto start the game, the first two base runners, didn't score in the first inning. Felt like it could have been a different game had the first inning gone a little bit differently?

HANNAH ADAMS: Yeah, I mean, I think anytime you can score in the first inning, that's a big momentum shifter. I don't think we let it get to us too much. We were going in there, having tough at-bats, communicating between batters on what we were seeing. We didn't let it get us down.

THE MODERATOR: Hannah, thank you very much.

Questions for Coach Walton, please.

Q. How was the hit-batsman in the seventh inning explained to you?

TIM WALTON: It wasn't explained. I asked after the game what happened. They don't explain anything to you unless it's maybe involving something a little out of character. It's pretty clear when they start the game, anytime they come back from review, you don't have an opportunity to question or ask. You can ask between innings. They're not going to allow stoppage of play for that.

I was told that that call was not confirmed but upheld on the field. So they went with the call on the field.

Q. Big mountain to climb with this loss. What about this team that you've seen all year gives you faith there's still something to be achieved here?

TIM WALTON: Yeah, I mean, it's a different path, but we get another opportunity to play an extra game. I think that's the way we have to look at it. We're going to have to play extra games now to get to where we want to get to.

Yeah, this team has done a really good job. I thought we played hard today, played well. They just happened to do a couple things better than we did. Their pitcher was on fire. She did a really good job.

Q. You guys have been hitting the ball so well for the past couple weeks. Is this a testament to the performance she had in the circle?

TIM WALTON: No question. The left on left was pretty tough. We knew that. They asked me a lot of times, Tell me an inside secret to what you think is going to be successful?

I say we're left-handed. Two days against Oregon State was an advantage for us. I felt like that at Virginia Tech was an advantage. I tip the advantage to her. She owns left-handed hitters. She's tough on them.

They're different speeds. You're getting three different speeds, the hard, the slow, then the slower. It's tough. Even though it's not necessarily slow, slow, slow change, it's still off enough you can see some of the swings, just what it does to you.

Q. What was it like coaching against Kenny on this big stage, with y'all having achieved so much here together?

TIM WALTON: I've known Kenny a long time. Any time you're playing against somebody, going into the game it's a little hype. It's different. But once you get to the game, I don't think I looked over in the dugout one time after that.

I said at the beginning of the game, proud of him and his accomplishments, what he's been able to do, revitalize that program, get it back to where it was in the '80s and '90s. He's done a really good job.

Q. I think in softball the portal hadn't made a difference. Hadn't that always been an open sport as far as transferring, being eligible immediately?

TIM WALTON: Yeah.

Q. So you've seen over your career a lot of former players and played against them after they transferred. Talk about Julia tonight.

TIM WALTON: Well, I thought they played great. Kelly Maxwell was awesome. Really did a good job on ours. I thought she played well, too.

Q. Kenny was telling us a story about a player who had a drug test after Thursday's game and didn't get back to the hotel until after 3 a.m. I was curious if you had any instances similar to that or other types of mishaps throughout the random drug testing process?

TIM WALTON: No. I just had one that had to do a whole bunch of crunches (smiling). That's what she told me. True story.

Q. What can you say about UCLA?

TIM WALTON: Nothing right now. I'm not there yet, so... Yeah, great game we just played. I thought both teams played well. Oklahoma State obviously was deserving. They did everything right, got the W.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Coach.

TIM WALTON: Thank you.