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NCAA WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESJune 2, 2012Hillary BachAlix JohnsonClint MyersSam ParlichOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA Arizona State – 6 THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Arizona State Head Coach Clint Myers, student‑athletes Hillary Bach, Alix Johnson, and Sam Parlich. Coach, an opening comment. COACH MYERS: I thought we played a little better than we did yesterday. We're still trying to get better. We have some important softball to play tomorrow. So we're still figuring things out. But we'll show up tomorrow and put on a good show, hopefully. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. Coach, is this the offense you were expecting to see the whole time at the World Series? COACH MYERS: It's the start of it. It's the start of it. I thought that Alix and Sammy, they both have been swinging the bats well. So we just gotta get a few more of the seniors going, and I think we're going to be back the way we were for 60 ballgames. So it's the first step of something very special, we hope. Q. You had nine hits by seven different players. Is that the kind of even production, even distribution throughout your lineup that‑‑ COACH MYERS: It is, because we take a great pride, that 1 through 9, are all complete players. And I believe that this is a team and you have a different hero each night. And they pull for each other. They cry for each other. I mean, it's a great team. So you got a glimpse of hopefully what you will see even more of tomorrow. Q. Sam, how much did the long at‑bats at the beginning of the game help you guys get a read on the pitcher? SAM PARLICH: I think it helped us a lot. Personally from my at‑bat, I got to see a lot of different pitches, both her fast pitches and her slower pitches. After that at‑bat, I went back to my teammates to give them a heads up of what I saw and what they could possibly see. Q. As far as defense goes, you guys turned two double plays in the game today. How much was your chemistry with Katelyn working? SAM PARLICH: It was great. We talked about this all year, how we wanted to roll a double play, and we finally get two in a game. We were really happy. Q. Alix, the ball you hit out was tailing away from you. Pitched to you a lot outside yesterday. How much were you looking for the outside pitch and how much‑‑ ALIX JOHNSON: Did it look like I was looking for the outside pitch? 'Cuz, I was. I really was. It makes it a lot easier when you are focused in on one side of the plate, and you're expecting that pitch to be there. So it was a good pitch to hit and thankfully I hit it out. Q. Hillary, how much did you have to keep your mind together when you were getting called for those illegal pitches in the fourth? HILLARY BACH: It was a good challenge. It was something that I haven't really experienced a lot of. I've had a couple of calls but always been able to come right back. So something I've never been called for. It was good practice, and I think we overcame it well, and my defense was incredibly helpful through that, just getting me out of the innings so I could go out to the bullpen and work on it, and then they had a long inning where I could work on coming back from it. So it was a good team effort. Q. You gotta beat Keilani Ricketts twice tomorrow night. Talk about that challenge. It's pretty daunting. COACH MYERS: Player of the year. I don't know what you would like to hear. I mean, she's a great pitcher. I mean, a great player. So we've got to be a great team. And we've had the opportunity to play against her before. We've beaten her before. So it is one of those things. I mean, if we come out as Arizona State and play like we're capable, you're going to see two great teams battling tooth and nail in tomorrow's games. Q. Last night you were talking about the fact you only got one hit from your top four. Tonight you got five hits of your nine from your top four. The other four were spread throughout. What made the difference, the pitchers you faced, or did you threaten them with the wrath of God? COACH MYERS: I think both of those. I think both of those. I mean, again, as we talked about last night, I mean, we've got‑‑ we're the type of club that wants to get better every single day. And we believe that learning and knowledge does not stop. They're going to learn about themselves. They're going to learn about the pitcher. They've got to be able to make those adjustments, which I thought we did much better. You heard Alix talk about staying really disciplined and looking on one‑half of the plate. I mean, we did a better job of executing. Last night we left the zone way too many times. If you look at the film, if you look at the number of balls that we swung at, now, that's indicative of good pitching, not of good hitting. Today I thought we were a much better hitting team because we stayed with the plan and were able to execute it. And the wrath of God didn't hurt either. Q. Coach, what has Hillary shown you this season to come from not pitching here last year to being out there seven innings tonight with the season on the line? COACH MYERS: I think she could answer that much better than I could. There is no doubt. Dallas has pitched the first two games of the tournament. I mean, we know what we have to do. And we were completely confident in Hillary's performance all year long. Look at her numbers. Look at the games. I mean, you take and look at‑‑ we had to beat Lafayette twice. Who pitched the very first game? This young lady here. Why would we not pitch her tonight? Again, this is a team. We've told them all to be ready anytime and to be able to go out there and execute. Q. Alix, you had a rough game last night, striking out four times. How are you able to stay poised and confident and then how big of a weight was lifted off your shoulders when you were able to finally square one up and hit that ball out in the third? ALIX JOHNSON: I think it's important that, as a player, when you have a rough game, to seriously just shake it off and let it go and to not think about it anymore. And I kind of did that once we left the field. I got a good night's sleep, and it was back at it the next day. To just stay positive and when we're warming up, to stick with my plan and stay relaxed. So I just stuck with my plan and, hey, it worked for me today. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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