2015 NCAA Softball Championship - GatorZone.com
Tim Walton, Head Coach, Florida
Opening Statement:
"Obviously the freshman to my left (Aleshia Ocasio) had a great game. It's two years in a row we've got a freshman with their first postseason start, both here at home and both against FAMU. I thought she had great command today and really did a good job locating her pitches. The off-speed stuff and the rise ball -- I thought she did a really good job with locating her rise ball in three different planes today and got a ton of swing and misses. With offense, we did what we needed to do. We obviously left some runners in scoring position and had some throw-away at-bats, but we hadn't played in a week. I felt like we came out and were ready to go with Kelsey (Stewart) getting the tone set right away and Nicole (DeWitt) behind her. But overall, we've got a long way to go. Hofstra and FAU's pitching staffs are pretty solid, so hits are probably going to be at a premium the next couple days. We've got to do a good job of coming out and setting the tone again early tomorrow. I'm happy for where we're at right now and glad to get off on the right foot here and get a W here the first day of regionals."
On the decision to start Ocasio in the circle:
"We feel really confident in all three of the pitchers. Aleshia's thrown Friday night in the SEC opening up this year. She's pitched great games in the early season -- games against Oregon, games against Michigan. She's been tested. She's ready to go. I don't think we even batted an eye."
On having Ocasio pitch like she did as a freshman:
"She's a first-team all-region in one of the toughest regions in the country. That tells you exactly about her and how much she's meant to our team and how hard she's worked. (Coach) Jen Rocha said the other day she had a phenomenal bullpen, one of the best she's seen her have all year long. It's nice to see that correlate on paper in a real game, that she can have a good bullpen and translate that into a game and tie the record for strikeouts in a game. That's a pretty dang cool accomplishment in your first regional appearance."
On facing Hofstra Saturday:
"It's hard when you come into a four-team regional to get prepared. We've watched video of Florida Atlantic, we've watched video of Hofstra and we've watched video of Florida A&M, so in our preparation stages, we've got everything in place. I thought they did a good job today with pitchers fielding their position, throwing people out at the plate, nice complimentary pitching staff. It's hard sometimes when you get pitchers that get outside of their body and stride pretty close to the lines coming at you, so there's going to be some vision issues and some depth perception we're going to have to work on and have the ability to be able to stay on plane with the backdoor curves and be able to use the whole field. I love the way they scrap at the plate and really fight and do a good job."
Aleshia Ocasio, UT, Florida
On almost throwing a no-hitter:
"I don't try to think about that stuff when I'm on the mound. I just try to hit my spots and get my pitches going."
On tying the school record for strikeouts in a game:
"I think that's pretty awesome. It's really humbling. I'm just going to come out and keep that momentum into the next game that I make an appearance."
On how she expected to pitch for her first NCAA regional start:
"It's not what I expected, but coming here and working hard and working with Roch and having my defense behind me really helped me a lot. It's just really humbling."
On if she was nervous:
"No, I think that the coaches and my team behind me have really prepared me. They've given me insight on what it feels like."
Kelsey Stewart, 2B, Florida
On the Florida defense only seeing two FAMU fair balls in the first five innings:
"I don't think it's boring. It's just making sure she (Aleshia) stays focused and making sure she's executing pitches and she's not getting lazy. It actually helps us in the infield, making sure we're on our toes and we're not taking any pitches off."
On her own at-bats and going 3-for-4:
"I just really think I was trying to stay focused and not letting the pitcher get ahead of me. My first at-bat was one of those things where she was throwing me inside, and she was going to keep throwing me inside so I might as well make her stop. So then she kept throwing me outside, and the shortstop was over and the hole was wide open."
Veronica Wiggins, Head Coach, Florida A&M
Opening Statement:
?Well when you get to play the defending National Champion, it?s an honor. Florida has a great team. But I really applaud my young ladies; our defense was good enough to be competitive, but we did not do well on offense today so that?s our goal for tomorrow, to make sure we bring enough offense. Other than them [FAMU] playing the game that they know how to play, the only thing we lacked today was offense. So I?m looking forward for them to bring that tomorrow. The pitcher [Ocasio] had a lot of movement, but the young ladies just didn?t make adjustments in time. Amanda Weaver broke up the no-hitter, and that?s why she?s here. So any questions for her??
Amanda Weaver, OF, Florida A&M
On what she saw from Aleshia Ocasio before breaking up the no-hitter:
?After my first at-bat, I was just looking for an up-pitch because I couldn?t get the low ones. So I was looking for something up in the zone to get my hands to so I could get it out there.?
On Ocasio being the best pitcher she?s faced in her career:
?I mean personally, no. This is my fourth year so I?ve been here a while, and I wouldn?t say she?s the best? But she?s [Ocasio] one of the good ones.?
On who the best pitcher she has faced is:
?Lacey Waldrop from Florida State. She?s gotten me out more than a few times.?
Veronica Burse, P, Florida A&M
On how much scouting she did on Florida before the game:
?My pitching coach was telling me to try to keep it low since they are all high hitters, home run hitters. And she was telling me that they [Florida] were crowding the plate so to pitch inside but closer towards the end of the game they were starting to back off the plate so we just went further and further out trying to get drop balls.?
On what she saw from Kelsey Stewart:
?She?s just a great hitter. I threw her three different pitches and she hit all three of them, so she?s just a great hitter.?
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