Head Coach John Rittman opening statement:"First of all, we're very excited to be here. UMass, the program that's hosting, has a lot of tradition and excellence in their program along with Princeton and Lehigh. So we're looking forward to a very competitive regional tournament. We know that in post season you have to bring you're A-game and we're looking forward to competing this weekend. We're really happy to be here, excited to play, and looking forward to making a run in the post season."
Coach Rittman on having a team-high on base percentage:"I think offensively, we take a very aggressive approach. This year we've had a lot of base on balls for our team so I think that has definitely helped our on base percentage. I think one of the keys for us in not necessarily getting runners on base, but scoring runners. We've got to be able to hit with runners in scoring position and get those kinds of hits. That's one of the things we've really worked on doing, especially in the second half of the season. In comparing this team from years in the past, there's certainly something's that this team does differently. We like our offense and like our ability to score runs."
Coach Rittman on the differences from this years team to previous years:"I think really the mindset. Our team has really taken a positive approach to the season, especially offensively. When you play in the Pac-10 Conference and you're facing All-American pitchers every weekend, it can be a little bit challenging if you start to slide or get into a little bit of a slump. I think that this team has done a great job rebounding and continuing to work hard and not letting their failures get to them. I think that's been a huge part of our success this year."
Coach Rittman on scouting Lehigh:"We've obviously looked at some stats and looked at the teams they've played and done a few scouting reports out there. Lehigh is a very capable team. We know a couple of years ago in Regionals, that they had a big upset over Texas A&M. We really pride ourselves in taking each opponent seriously and making sure we're prepared for everyone we play. We know Lehigh has a lot of rich tradition in their program. They have a couple of kids from Southern California that we've seen in the recruiting process. We know that they are a capable team and we're going to be prepared for them. One of the things that we stress with our team is making sure that we worry about ourselves and getting ourselves ready to play the game. We're definitely looking forward to playing Lehigh."
Michelle Smith on the strengths of the team:"We have a great mix of experience and youth with five seniors who have been through this process. We also have five excited freshman who are willing to do what it takes, plus our junior and sophomore class have been through this before and are playing for us well. We have great team chemistry. We get along on the field and off the field really well. As long as we continue to play the game that we've been playing up until now, I think we have a great shot at making a run for the National Championship."
Rosey Neill on working with pitcher Missy Penna:"We were definitely on the same page by the end of last season, but experience is an awesome teacher. The more you can for someone, the better you know them and the more likely you are to know where that ball is going out of her hand. The more you can catch for a kid, the better off you're going to be at really helping her out by catching her pitching, catching her bullpen. The best way to learn a kid is to catch for a kid."
Rosey Neill on comparing Missy Penna to last season:"She's definitely a lot more mechanically sound this year. We worked a lot in the fall on some mechanical things that just really make her a lot more consistent from pitch to pitch and from game to game. She's a lot more consistent this year than she was last year. I think overall, her level of focus has improved, not that she was in any way unfocused last year, but we have just reached a whole new level this year. She sees where we can go and she's excited, motivated and very focused on winning the game. She's just such an optimist that we could be down ten runs in the seventh inning and she's saying, "Come on guys, we're going to win, we're going to win." That's just how she plays."
Michelle Smith on previous Tournament experience:"We've been through a lot of different things. My freshman year, we went straight through our Regional. We won the Regional Championship and went to the Super Regionals and didn't have as much success. Sophomore year and junior year we lost early in the Regional and had to come back and fight our way. Our senior class has been through different experiences so hopefully we will be able to help the underclassmen deal with whatever situation we're in."
Alissa Haber on having four of her six homeruns come from the leadoff spot:"I'm not looking for power the first time up. As the lead the lead off hitter, I'm always trying to get on base so the 3-4-5 hitters can get try to get me in. I attribute a couple of those homeruns to pure luck. I'm pretty sure I had two strikes on me every time I hit a homerun so I was just swinging at anything close. I happened to get a good piece of the ball, but I didn't really feel like it's a bad thing to hit a homerun to lead off the game. It definitely gets us going and gets the offense charged. I definitely look more towards my 3-4-5 batters to hit me in and they're all very capable. They've hit me in more times than I've hit homeruns."
Coach Rittman on traveling out to Amherst, Mass.:"We try to go east coast every other year in our scheduling. Last year we went to Florida International and played a tournament there. These kids are used to traveling. I think it takes more of a toll on us older folk in the travel party than it does the younger players. They're pretty adapt and they adjust pretty quickly to the environment. This is a great opportunity to see a different part of the country and to play teams that we typically don't get to play. The travel was great yesterday, fly from San Francisco to Chicago, Chicago to Hartford, and then bus down. There will be a little adjustment period with the time schedule, but we're looking forward to it. It is what it is and were just excited that we're able to be here and play this weekend."
Coach Rittman on the seeding in the Tournament:"I think the post-season is so tricky. There are so many good teams. The parity in college softball is outstanding right now. We really stress the importance of preparing our team to know that they're going to have to beat good teams to get to where they want to be. When you look at the NCAA committee and the job that they have to do to try to match and put teams together in Regionals, it's a very daunting task. For us, we don't look at it, we don't make excuses. We look at everything pretty optimistically and we're excited to be here. The NCAA has a tough job in placing the teams. The parity in softball is there. You're going to have to beat quality opponents, you're going to have to win on the road, and all the things that are going to making a National Championship run. You're going to have to do them so you might as well get used to it and not make excuses and not look at the negative sides of things. So that's what we're doing. We know we have to beat good teams and it starts right here in the UMass Regional."
Coach Rittman on Lehigh having previously beat Texas A&M twice in the Regionals:"Our team is very aware of Lehigh's success. We're very aware of Princeton and UMass. We know all of the teams in this Regional and all the teams in post-season are all very capable teams. You can not overlook any opponent. You literally have to take post season one pitch at a time. If you start looking ahead, that's where you're going to get hit. I think our players and the leadership that we have in our program, they understand that. WE have enough post-season experience to know that you have to bring you're A-game everyday to make it to the next level."