The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Softball media day quotes
02.04.2009 | Softball
Feb. 4, 2009
The Texas Softball team held its annual media day on Tuesday as it prepares for the start of the 2009 season. See what head coach Connie Clark and the Longhorns had to say.
HEAD COACH Connie Clark
On this year versus last year: With some of our athletes, they have a year of experience under their belts. Brittany [Barnhill], specifically, had significant innings as a freshman last year in the circle. Hopefully, she's going to take the experiences she had and really be able to do some solid things for us this year.
On replacing players like Meagan Denny and Cat Osterman: You want people to step up. Brittany Barnhill is a special player, but we have a staff of five pitchers including Brittany. What's different this year is that we don't have that dominant strikeout pitcher but we have a staff of five very good pitchers that will keep the ball in the park, they mix speeds very effectively and we'll play some defense. The thing is when you have a big strikeout pitcher, you don't get to show off your defense as much and I think we have a very good defense.
On the pitching rotation: We open up with five games, hosting a tournament this weekend, and with a 60-game plus schedule, you can't ride one pitcher. It'll be a really good opportunity this weekend to get the five pitchers working. Basically, we're going to give them all some work and see how their roles develop. I do anticipate at this point that Torrey Schroeder, Erin Tresselt and Brittany Barnhill are in the starting rotation. Courtney Craig and Desiree Williams have also worked very hard in the bullpen and may see some relief innings.
On the lessons learned from last season: You always want to have good leadership and that probably jumps out this year. We have Crystal Saenz and Loryn Johnson, our captains this year, and their teammates voted them in. We have five newcomers. Two of them, Raygan Feight and Megan Paris, are junior college transfers but nonetheless it's their first year at this level. Nadia Taylor, Lexi Bennett and Courtney Craig are our freshmen. They're a very talented newcomer group and you'll see a lot of them. We have significant leadership from our captains and upperclassmen, regardless of the competitiveness. Obviously, the freshmen want to come in and take some positions away and they're very capable of doing that, but regardless the upperclassmen have done a great job of mentoring and teaching. They have the big picture in mind. They know we need to re-raise the bar. It's been a couple of years since we've been to the College World Series. They realize how special this newcomer group is.
On raising the standards: When we finished last year and we came up short in a good game against Washington, right away we talked in the locker room that we need to re-raise the bar. We started immediately on that day. This group, with the returners and upperclassmen, has really taken it upon themselves and are doing a great job with starting over this summer and the fall. We're fired up. It's game week now. They're ready to prove that what's on paper isn't necessarily correct down the stretch of the season when it comes to rankings.
On the opening tournament this weekend: First of all, I am excited that we're finally going to have a tournament where the temperatures are in the 70s all three days. The feelings are in the air. They work so hard through the fall and the last three weeks, and they're ready. Everyone asks if we're ready, and we're as ready as we're going to be Feb. 6. The luxury is that we play a lot of games. We feel good about spreading things out and there will be a lot of competing for positions. Early on, we're going to have to see where the roles develop and there's a lot of talent. Our toughest job is deciding who is going to get the starting nod but we would much rather be in that scenario.
SENIOR Desiree Williams
On being a fifth-year senior on the team: I'm definitely feeling old, but it's a good thing. I'm excited about it. I've definitely had every experience here and that's what I can bring to the table. There are a lot of people on this team who have been through it too.
On the lessons learned: I think sometimes lessons are repeated. Last year, we set high expectations for ourselves as you do every single year and we fell a little short of them. I think that lit a fire for this year, knowing what it's really going to take. We've been working hard in the offseason and that's going to be key to how we do at the end of the year.
On the competition and depth of the team: You can never have enough competition. With this team, it's very friendly. You're pushing for your teammate to do well and cheering them on, but at the same time you know they're pushing for you as well and they want to be on the field just as bad as you do. Competition on this team is very healthy and it's very good.
On the newcomers: When you have new people and the freshmen come in and push the veterans the way they have been, it's dynamic. You can't ask for a better thing than that, especially knowing that you can't just sit pretty at your position.
On Brittany Barnhill: I'm expecting Brittany to just throw her game. I don't want to ever put someone on a pedestal. I know Brittany has the abilities to do everything in the world. My expectations are that Brittany will pitch like Brittany knows how to pitch. I don't expect her to be Cat Osterman or anyone else. She's Brittany Barnhill and she's something of her own.
On the urgency to raise the standards: There's always a sense of urgency especially when this program has been successful and strong. Ever since I've been here, we have had a couple years of lapses, but regardless, we have great recruits that continue to come in. We know what it takes and it's a matter of actually doing it this year. We've worked harder this preseason than any other and that's going to show at the end of the year.
On the opening tournament this weekend: We're all just waiting to see what happens. We've been scrimmaging every Tuesday and Thursday. The pitchers, hitters and defense look great. The expectation we have for this first tournament is to go out and play.
JUNIOR Loryn Johnson
On getting the season started: I'm really exited. We have a group of great newcomers this year. It's a new year and a fresh start. We want to build off what we did last year and keep growing.
On the lessons learned: I think that just gaining a year of experience from each year is just tremendous and it's really helpful. We have a big group of upperclassmen and experience really makes a difference on a team.
On the competition for playing spots: Competitiveness between each of us is really going to push us to our greatest limits.
On her personal goals: I want to be a little more consistent now. I'm a junior now so there's no more excuse for being young. I'm an upperclassman now and I'm going to try to help lead this team.
On raising the standards: We're doing what we can everyday. We have to worry about ourselves and control what we can but this is Texas softball and our ultimate goal is to win. We definitely have to prove that we're still in it and that we can be in the College World Series this year.
On the opening tournament this weekend: We're going to work on building. It's early in the season and if we can really work on the little things this weekend. Getting those things taken care of will really help us in the long-run. We're playing some good teams so it'll give us a challenge.
SOPHOMORE Brittany Barnhill
On the team: I think we have one of the best pitching staffs. I think this year is going to make a lot of difference having all of us. I am nothing without our defense, our offense and the girls in the bullpen too. We have to all work together to get things going. We're really excited to get started.
On the pressure: I like the pressure. I want to take responsibility and be someone the team can lean on. I want to be that strong player you can come to. I want to be that person who doesn't show emotion no matter what's happening in the game. I want to be that person my team can rely on.
On raising the standards: Raising the bar is one of our key things. This year, we've definitely been doing it thus far. We haven't participated in games yet so this weekend we'll see. Practices and workouts in the weight room have been stepped up. We're here to compete this year and we have something to prove.
On the poll rankings: We don't really pay much attention to the polls. It may or may not be important. It doesn't matter until you see what happens on the field. It may give us a little more incentive but we're here to prove something no matter what a piece of paper says, what the Internet says or what the nation says. If we're underdogs, we're underdogs and if we're on top, we're on top. We'll see what happens.
On Cat Osterman being at the tournament this weekend: I don't think I have to prove anything to her. I think Cat and I are different kinds of pitchers. I look up to her a lot. She's definitely taken up for me whenever people try to compare us. I'm never going to be Cat Osterman. I'm going to be Brittany Barnhill. I'm going to try to get it done how I can get it done. I'm really excited to see her.
On starting a new season: It's always exciting. We can't wait to get started. We have a great team this year. We've always had good teams, but we have a lot more depth this year. There's a lot more people to back us up and be there for us. We're just excited to get this weekend started.
