2024 WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

May 30, 2024

Patrick Murphy

Bailey Dowling

Kayla Beaver

Alabama Crimson Tide

Postgame Press Conference

UCLA 4, Alabama 1

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with Alabama.

We'll start with an opening statement from Coach.

PATRICK MURPHY: Like I said the other day, there's no such thing as a bad day at the College World Series. It was a well-played game. They had an opportunity to win it, they did it. One good swing.

Both sides played well. Just a really good college softball game. I think everybody on our team, you guys probably who covered softball before, knows the three key things in a high-level game time is a great start, great defense, then a key hit. They got the key hit.

Kudos to the young lady. Hey, we're going to look forward to tomorrow. We've been here before. Our backs have been against the wall, so it's no big deal. We're going to fight like hell.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for players.

Q. How is this something that y'all can build off with your backs against the wall?

BAILEY DOWLING: Like Murph said, we've been here before. It allows us to play more free than we already are. Nobody thinks or thought that we were even going to get here. Here we are. At this point we're just having fun. We're ready to win. Come out tomorrow and go get 'em.

KAYLA BEAVER: Same thing. I mean, like she said, like Murph said, we've been here before. We were in this situation last weekend. We came back the next day fighting. We know how to play with our backs against the wall. There's a lot of stuff on the line.

At the end of the day, the pressure is on them. Again, we weren't even supposed to be here. Going off that, we can play free, enjoy the game, see what happens.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, players. We'll continue with questions for Coach.

Q. You mentioned you have been here before. You got a quick turnaround tomorrow. How do you refocus the team?

PATRICK MURPHY: Well, we got to see who we're going to play, number one. Obviously it's going to be a great team. There's eight really, really good teams at the end of the year.

Everybody really is playing their best. That's the key to get here. You play your best the two weekends before, then you get to come to OKC. Whoever it is is going to be playing well.

That's the fun part. It's a great game, a fun game. We have bases loaded and one out. We got one run. They had bases loaded and two outs, they got a three-run home run. It's a great game, then it breaks your heart the next second.

Whoever it is, it will be a good team. We'll be ready to go.

Q. Can you talk us through the play at the plate, what you saw?

PATRICK MURPHY: Now with replay, it's almost like you have to do it. What I've watched the last couple of months, if you see me at third base, there's a runner anywhere, I'm always doing like this, which means leave on time, don't leave early. You can replay that. I've seen three-run home runs wiped off the board because somebody at first or second got caught. They left early. Anyway... So on time.

The end result sometimes is the lead is short 'cause they want to leave on time, but the lead is a four-stride lead, which is usually what we teach.

Hey, the right fielder, clean, great throw, the whole thing. I think you just have to try. Everything was by the book. That was a longshot. Had a challenge, so what the heck.

Q. When you say you have to do it, you have to send Kelly in that situation?

PATRICK MURPHY: We scored a lot of runs with three hits an inning. They scored three runs with one hit, a big home run. I just felt we had to try it. Push the envelope a little bit.

Q. Larissa, we saw her leave the game first inning. Updates?

PATRICK MURPHY: Right before the game, our athletic trainer said Larissa said her hamstring is pulling a little bit. She gets to hit, I watched her run down, it was not good. That's why we ran over. She, of course, wanted to stay in. I think if she would have stayed in, it would have been worse. That was the only reason why she got replaced.

LoJo got a hit the next time. If she stayed in, she would have made it worse. Hopefully she's got a day for a little treatment, and we'll see how it is tomorrow.

Q. How did Beaver do in her first World Series start?

PATRICK MURPHY: It was awesome. Brady got to second. Palacios is killing the ball. No way, I'm not going to let her beat us. Walk her. The next kid strikes out looking. We're feeling good. Two outs. It was Miss Woolery, right? She struck out the time before. Stuff happens.

But Beaver was awesome. I thought her ball was really moving. I never did see miles per hour on the scoreboard, but it looked like it was fast.

I thought she was in control of her emotions. It wasn't a roller coaster. A lot of new kids played for the first time, which is a great thing. We're going to be back.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

PATRICK MURPHY: Thank you.