May 18, 2006
The Texas A&M softball team is on the campus of the University of Massachusetts for the NCAA Amherst Regional, which begins Friday.
The Aggies met members of the press on Thursday at the UMass Softball Complex. Click the links to the right to listen to the press conferences of A&M and Lehigh (the Aggies' first-round opponent). Quotes, courtesy umassathletics.com, are posted below.
A&M opens play in the NCAA Amherst Regional on Friday at 1:30 p.m. (CDT) when the Aggies face Lehigh. All games will be aired live locally in Bryan/College Station on Sports Radio 1150 The Zone with broadcast time 15 minutes prior to first pitch. Free live audio will be available worldwide on aggieathletics.com.
2006 NCAA Softball Amherst Regional
Pre-Regional Press Conference Team Quotes: Texas A&M
HEAD COACH JO EVANS
on the tournament: "We are really excited to be here. I have always wanted to bring our team to the northeast and we never get to because of the weather when we can. I think that the teams that are in here are great teams. I know Lehigh and UMass are on a roll, having played really well of late. We don't know a lot about Albany and Lehigh. We know more about UMass because of their great tradition here in softball. I have a lot of respect for the coaches that are here and we are really looking forward to a great tournament."
on unfamiliarity of teams: "The tough part is for the last two months we have been playing teams that we know as well as we know ourselves. You feel comfortable in what you are going to expect and there are no surprises. We know all the hitters and we have faced great pitchers and hitters week in and week out in our conference. So, for us, I just need to make sure that our team approaches each game in the same way. In our conference, sometimes we are beating number one ranked team in the nation or whatever it may be. Right here, it is a little unsettling because we don't know the teams that well. Of course we get scouting reports, but it is different when you need to get out there and play and we don't know their hitters or pitchers. Like Rocky said, every team in Regionals is great, so it doesn't matter that we didn't know Lehigh's mascot when we got off the bus. They are a great softball team and we know that they are going to play with a lot of intensity. Every team out here expects to win. So, for us, it is going to be about playing to our strengths and taking care of our own business."
SENIOR RF ROCKY SPENCER
on the strengths of the team: "I think we have a lot of tenacity. We have showed a lot of character through our ups and downs this year. We have showed a lot of fight and I know that we have worked so hard to get here. I think we are going get on a roll and play well as a team. We have great team chemistry as well, so we have a lot of fun while we are playing."
on experience in regionals: "I would say it takes a lot of work and a lot of fight because regionals are not easy. All sixty-four teams deserve to be there. You have to play every game as hard as you can play. What we have to do to win a regional is play hard. We also have to play solid defense, hit in key situations, and pitch well. All three facets of the game have to be there.
SOPHOMORE P/1B MEGAN GIBSON
on the strengths of the team: "I think we have been through a lot this year as a team and we have stuck together really well. We bond really well together and I think that was one of the good things about our team. There is no bickering or cliques off to the side. Everyone is all one. That has a lot to do with how we play, having good chemistry on and off the field. We are all really good friends."
on regionals: "Being in a regional shows how hard a team has worked to get there. I think if any team gets on a roll, it doesn't matter what seed you are. They could come out of Regionals a winner."
2006 NCAA Softball Amherst Regional
Pre-Regional Press Conference Team Quotes: Lehigh
HEAD COACH FRAN TROYER
on competing in the Amherst Regional: "We're very excited to be at this particular regional. Two years ago we were sent to Lincoln, Nebraska, which was tough to get to, and Tucson, Arizona the year before, which was even tougher to get to. I can get to Amherst, Massachusetts just by using MapQuest so for us it's really a good thing. We came up early yesterday, we're done with finals, so now we're just thinking about softball right now, which is really nice."
on first day opponent Texas A&M: "Texas A&M is obviously an outstanding program coming off of a great year. They're fairly young, but incredibly talented. We're thrilled about the opportunity to compete with them.
"I would say they have incredible balance, as well. They have two outstanding pitchers, a lot like we do. One through nine in the lineup, they're very, very good. They have some power as well, but they also run the bases very well. I think from top to bottom, that they are very solid, and from the scouting reports I received, they are very well coached, as well."
on softball in the Northeast: "Having UMass, Albany, and Lehigh all in the same region in this tournament is an absolute delight. We're excited for the University of Massachusetts and for northeast softball in general. The opportunity to be on the big stage in the northeast is really neat, and really a feather in the cap for Elaine and her staff."
on his team: "Our strength is that we really don't have any weaknesses. Our pitching between Kate and Lisa is very, very solid. Our defense, we field the ball pretty well behind them. We hit okay for average, and we have more power than we've had in the past. We run the bases pretty well, so I wouldn't stay we stand out in any one area. But I wouldn't say have a weakness in one area. Another strength is we've won 41 games but it seemed like half of them were one run games, so we're used to playing in close games."
SENIOR C MARY WEIDER
on previously playing in the regionals: "I think we know that the competition is heightened so when we're practicing, we know what we need to work on and know that we're going to see a whole different level of pitching, hitting, and defense. Pitching is one thing, the pitching here is totally different than what we see in the Patriot League and that's one thing we try to adjust to so we're not trying to adjust pitchers or third batters, we're going try to do it right away. Also, defense, Kate and Lisa might strike a lot of people out in the Patriot League but they know that here they're going to hit the ball and we have to be ready to play defense. But it's just knowing that that level of competition is heightened and knowing that we have to prepare more for that."
SENIOR P KATE ARICO
on previously playing in the regionals: "I think having people on the team that have already experienced this, we know what to expect more. It's not as big as of a surprise to a lot of people here and we can just help get the younger guys prepared for it, let them know what to expect, and get everyone prepared mentally too."