Softball Media Day '24
Iowa Softball media day
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Firework. So coming off the NISC title, how much does that help you going into the season?
00:08 Oh, it was a huge win to win that championship and having five starting freshmen last year
00:14 now coming back and having that opportunity to have that experience has been incredible.
00:18 We work so hard on the culture of our program and it's hard to get there. Once you're there,
00:23 you know how to get back. So winning that championship has given that understanding
00:26 of how to win championships. So the NCAA, is that obviously the next step? Oh, absolutely.
00:30 That's always been the step. Yeah, we talk a lot in the last three years we've had,
00:35 we've been on the border of getting into the NCAAs and I think getting to Colorado,
00:41 getting to that opportunity with NISC was a chance for them to see what it feels like to
00:46 be able to go through a tournament format. And so this year they're really hungry to
00:49 win a championship. How much more confidence is there after that title? Oh, incredible confidence
00:54 right now. You know, upperclassmen, our seniors are doing a great job as leaderships. They're
00:58 hungry. They want to be able to get a ring on their finger in this season. So they're really
01:02 pushing the freshmen along, getting them on board and really working to expect it. You know, coming
01:08 out this year, it's team 46. We have a lot of high expectations for them and their seniors really
01:12 kind of helping us get there. Yeah, good leadership. Team 46? Team 46, yeah. Is that...
01:18 46 years, 46 teams. Yep. So this is team 46. What are some of the ways that you have seen
01:24 that sort of jump and in the way that your players are sort of gearing up for another
01:30 one of those runs? Yeah. Is their approach different now? I think the practice is a little
01:35 more intense. You've seen them putting a little more emphasis in weightlifting, you know,
01:39 or getting bigger, stronger, faster. They understand the importance of doing little
01:43 things on their own. You only have four hours a day, 20 hours a week to get it in. So they
01:48 understand that they have to do extra things to get to where we're trying to get to. And
01:52 you're starting to see this with this group. You know, they're going in for extra lifts,
01:55 they're going in for extra workouts. And that's when you know the culture's heading the right
01:59 direction. I know it's been a while since you made the tournament, but do you still
02:02 use Iowa's tradition when you're recruiting? Because there is a longstanding tradition.
02:06 Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. First thing that when I came into this program was to close
02:11 down the borders and bring Iowa kids to Iowa. And we've done that. We've been very successful
02:15 in bringing the top two kids every year into Iowa. You saw that with Anna and with Tori
02:20 this past year. Tori was our starting shortstop as a freshman. Jalen on the mound, Fort Dodge.
02:26 And also now this year, Jenna Young coming out of Winterset. You know, she was a top player last
02:32 year out of high school. And that's her job, is keep them in Iowa and focus on... I say the kids
02:39 aren't from Iowa. When they come to Iowa and they have a visit to the university, they say the same
02:44 thing every time. It's "Iowa nice." And they don't understand it. They don't understand the concept,
02:49 but it's like... And I had a hard time because I was away for almost 30 years before coming back.
02:54 And it's like, it's a true thing. People will take the shirt off their back to help you out. And
02:58 the university is no different. So when they get here, they feel like it's a family. They
03:01 understand they have a lot of support. Is Jenna somebody that you think can contribute right away?
03:06 Absolutely. Yeah, she's actually got the starting nod at shortstop. She's probably going to be one
03:12 or two in the lineup. She's a huge threat at the plate. She's not a big kid, but you
03:20 watch out because she's got home run power. So she's had several home runs in our scrimmages so
03:25 far this spring. And I expect her to see some big at-bats for us this season. What are you
03:30 expecting from Briley this year? Briley? Oh, I mean as a senior leader, I would say Briley Klostermann,
03:36 you know, she's either going to be center field or left field. She's gotten stronger every year.
03:40 Just love watching how she's progressed over the last four years. And she's become one of our key
03:45 leaders this year. Are there any other freshmen that you think could make an immediate impact this season?
03:50 Yeah, I think the freshman that you want to look at for pitching is going to be Jaylee. She's a
03:56 kid out of California, very strong pitcher. She's six foot plus, throws really well. Andy coming
04:04 out of Wisconsin, she's a kid that is like nobody really knows about her, but she's done really well
04:08 this year. She's getting mid-60s in her pitching right now, and she was nowhere near that in the
04:14 fall. Mandy did a great job of getting her ready to go, so watch for those two on the mound as
04:18 freshmen. And then again, like we talked about Jenna at shortstop, she's just incredible.
04:23 Sujin Berry, she's a third baseman. She came in as a shortstop out of California, but she's
04:31 kind of locking down third base for us right now. So keep an eye on them. They're going to be good
04:35 kids. You were mentioning why you didn't get a ring. Did NIS come with a ring at all? No, no.
04:42 We got a cool banner though and some t-shirts. Yeah, but you know, Big Ten tournament, we're
04:47 hosting it this year. We're very excited about having the new turf that we're going to be able
04:51 to play on. Not a problem with getting like rain out. We don't have that issue anymore. So we're
04:58 really looking forward to a conference championship. The girls are hungry for that. Conference is
05:02 tough. You know, Big Ten is tough, and we got three new teams coming in next year with Washington,
05:06 Oregon, and UCLA. So they know this is going to be the opportunity this year to have it at home
05:11 and be able to win that championship. What does the next step up look like for Jaylin?
05:15 Oh good, the next step up. She's pretty good right now. I think for her, it's neat because
05:24 not only, like last year, a lot of what she threw was around the plate. She's very good at her
05:32 speed. I think she can probably get up a couple more miles per hour, get a little bit more
05:36 movement. She's a couple of pitchers she's working on changeups. She's working on a lot this year.
05:40 I'm working on a rise. So I think those kind of things she can definitely improve on. But then
05:45 also at the plate, she's one of our top hitters for us right now. So if we can get her between
05:51 her and Devin Greer, who Devin's a pitcher junior coming out of California also. Those two would
05:56 probably be looking at DP spots when they're not pitching. So I could see Jaylin kind of improving
06:01 on that end of it and be a little bit more in the lineup. And is she sort of growing as a leader and
06:07 vocal member of the team as well? Yeah, Jaylin's always been a team leader. From her freshman year,
06:13 she came out and she just has that expectation of what she needs to do and she brings people along
06:18 with her. So yeah, I think she was born that way. I think her mom being coach at Fort Dodge,
06:23 I think she kind of instilled that in her daughter. Does having Tori around help with that too? It
06:27 does. It's fun because those two together are just, it's like back in high school again. They
06:32 have that connection. They don't have to think about it. And she loved having Tori behind her
06:36 at shortstop last year and Tori's going to probably be locking down second base for us this year.
06:40 I have to ask about Mally. Is she still around? Mally is still around. She will be coming out for
06:47 this event. So if you stay around a little bit, you can interview Mally. She comes to all our
06:52 practices. She travels with us on all of our away games by bus. If we have a charter flight,
06:57 we can take her on the charter flight. But yeah, she's been a huge help for us for our mental
07:01 health this year. Coach, from what you've seen so far this year, what would you say the identity
07:06 that you're trying to establish this year, what would you say that is so far? Identity as far as
07:10 how we play? Yeah. I would say aggressive. One of the key things that we have on our pillars is grit.
07:17 Nothing sets you down. Getting back up on your feet no matter what happens. You're never out
07:23 of the game. And that's kind of the mentality we're taking with these kids is just getting
07:27 that fight in them. I think when you try to get a culture the way it was probably six years ago to
07:33 now, I'd say that's what we've really worked hard on is just understanding how tough you have to be
07:38 to play this game. Two more questions. She put a time on you guys. One more question.
07:52 National championship, yes or no? Yes. 2025. With Jenna, she's an Iowa kid, right? Yep.
08:00 Well, we started recruiting her when she was in seventh grade. Yeah. I mean, she was always
08:11 talented in the state of Iowa. She's always one of the top players. And we saw the very first year,
08:17 we knew that she was someone that we would need to get. She played shortstop in second base,
08:21 mostly shortstop for her high school. But played basketball too. I mean, she was just a multi-sport
08:26 athlete. So yeah, we recruited her. You see most of the Iowa girls, we have to get them on them
08:31 pretty early. So we keep them away from all the other out of state competitions. So Jenna was one
08:36 of them. She was probably eighth grade when we started looking at her and hoping that we would
08:41 get a chance to get her. And she's a Hawkeye through and through. So it was an easy sell.
08:44 I guess kind of building off of the recruiting, what was it like to get the recruits out of
08:48 state? I know you still got a couple from California. What was that process like?
08:52 Yeah, I mean, I've been doing coaching 30 years and California has always been a hotbed. So
08:57 we do a lot of kids out of California. If you look at our roster, it's majority California and Iowa.
09:03 Mandy's done a really good job, our recruiting coordinator. So Mandy does her pitching.
09:07 I'm Mandy Gardner. She does a great job with our pitchers, but she's also our recruiting coordinator.
09:11 And she's from California. She actually played for Michigan and then went on and played for
09:15 Maryland. So she's a Big Ten girl. So she's been able to get a lot of the contacts out of California
09:20 to get some of our top kids in. She's done a great job for us. Jenna, you got some experience last
09:26 year in the circle. Where do you think you've improved freshman year to sophomore year now?
09:29 Where was your biggest growth? I think that strengths wise, I've added a lot of
09:33 more strength to myself and that my conditioning has gotten a lot better.
09:37 I've really just been pushing myself to the next level this year. Just getting a taste last year
09:42 kind of gave me a little motivation. And pitch wise, I think I'm throwing harder, my spins moving
09:48 more. Yeah, just overall a little bit better at just everything overall. Stepping in as the ace
09:55 now, what's kind of your mindset going in there? You're the number one. Is that just like a
09:59 confidence mindset thing? What's going on there? I think I just know that my team has my back and
10:04 that no matter where the game takes us, whatever happens, I know they've got my back on the field
10:09 and off. And so I think just knowing that they have me makes me that much more confident going
10:14 on the mound. And they know I have them too. They know that I'm going to go in there and I'm going
10:18 to put my best effort forward. And yeah, I think just going in knowing that we have each other is
10:23 the biggest thing this year. How important was that postseason tournament you guys were in? I
10:26 know you guys won it. Just how important was that kind of a younger team getting that postseason
10:29 experience and getting extra games in? How important is that when you move forward into
10:33 this year? I think that it just gave us all that little taste of postseason that we needed to
10:38 motivate us to move forward this year. We know we have the potential and now we know what it feels
10:42 like to be in that position. So I think that that was just really big for us. What excites you about
10:46 this team? We are all so close and we get along so well. I know a lot of people probably say that,
10:52 but our team just really connects. We all kind of just get along all the time. We hang out outside
10:57 of softball too. So I feel like that's a huge part of it. Knowing your teammates on and off the field
11:02 is a huge part of what makes teams kind of go to that next level. So I would say that's a big thing
11:07 for us. Can you expand on that? How does kind of a close-knit team like that, how does that translate
11:11 to wins on the field, on the court, whatever it is? I'm gonna say Avery Jackson for example. When
11:17 I'm on the mound and she can kind of tell, she can read my body language, knows when I need a little
11:22 pat on the back, when I need to take a deep breath. She's always got me. And then same thing
11:26 with Tori Bennett. I've played with her since I was like five. So she kind of just knows me in and
11:30 out. And having that on the field makes it so much easier going into a game. Kind of releases some
11:35 tension. What's it like being, it seems like softball is kind of on the rise, the trajectory,
11:39 first postseason appearance I think in over a decade. Just what's it like being on this team,
11:43 having those kind of expectations, pressure is a privilege, right? It's funny you say that because
11:49 like in high school my mom was my softball coach and she would always kind of tell us that
11:53 pressure is a privilege. And I kind of just take that here. I try not to get too amped up because
11:58 I think I do my best when I'm excited but I'm also confident in myself. So just knowing that our team
12:04 can kind of take that step to the next level is really exciting and I'm really happy to be a part
12:08 of it all. I want to win obviously but I also don't want to take anything for granted. This is
12:13 my last year and this is probably the last time I'm ever going to play softball. So I want to be
12:17 able to look back and remember all the good moments. I'm not going to remember when I did
12:22 bad or whatever. I'm going to remember the friendships and the memories. So making sure
12:26 I'm not taking those for granted and really just soaking those up. From the outside looking in,
12:29 it seems like you've been kind of a leader on this team for a few years now. But now as a senior,
12:32 has your mindset changed at all? What's kind of your going in as a senior, as a captain,
12:37 things like that? I mean I think my biggest thing is I just want to help people. I've been through
12:41 this experience. I've been through the good. I've been through the bad. So I want to be that leader
12:45 that's helpful and can help guide the younger girls. So my mindset hasn't changed a ton but
12:51 it's just getting a little more real now that it's my senior year. I told the girls, I'm like,
12:57 you guys are all going to be in this position one day and it goes way faster than you think.
13:00 Like it is crazy. It does. You mentioned you've been through the good and the bad.
13:04 It seems like Iowa softball is kind of trending upwards now. You guys had the first postseason
13:08 appearance I think in over a decade. Just what's it like being a part of that team? You guys got
13:12 some expectations now. They always say pressure is a privilege. What's kind of the mindset of the
13:16 team? Yeah I mean we just want to put Iowa back on the map, back in the top 25 and I think being
13:21 from here too. It's been very special having the community and just being a Hawkeye fan my entire
13:27 life. This program is good enough and we can do it. So just getting us back there and believing
13:32 in ourselves and everyone on this team wants it. So that's been very exciting to see. How important
13:37 was that postseason tournament at the end of last year? I know you guys walked away with a win but
13:40 just getting postseason experience, just game experience for a young team. How important was
13:44 that heading into this year? Yeah I mean obviously none of us really knew what to expect going into
13:48 that because none of us have really been in the postseason before but I think it had a way bigger
13:53 impact than we were ever thinking. You have one game, better win it. Just more pressure and kind
14:01 of just seeing and getting that experience we now know we can do it. Again you've been around,
14:06 what excites you about this team going into the 2024 season? I mean like I said everybody on this
14:11 team wants it. We're all so excited and we all feel like this is one of the many first times that
14:17 we've seen girls be like we can do this. Let's put our heads down, let's grind, let's go do this.
14:23 Like what's stopping us? So that's what's really exciting is I know that everybody is kind of on
14:28 the same page. How does that confidence belief translate to wins on the court, on the field,
14:33 whatever sport it is? Yeah I mean you got to be confident to play well. I mean that's a big part
14:38 of this sport obviously but I mean just knowing we can do it and we talk a lot as a team about
14:44 beating the game. Not beating the opponent but beating the game. So kind of simplifying that
14:47 has really helped us just like beat the game itself rather than it doesn't matter who we're
14:53 playing we can beat anybody. Any personal goals for you, team expectations, what's the goal for
14:58 the team this year? I mean we obviously want to make it to the World Series and everything but I
15:03 think having the Big Ten tournament here is going to be super super special. So I think having that
15:08 home field advantage, the community, everything is going to help take us far into that and
15:13 obviously go to postseason and everything. So those are my goals. Awesome. Anything else you
15:18 got for me? No. Awesome. First of all let's see what my first question is. What has you excited
15:24 about the 2024 softball team? What has you said about this lineup? Yeah I mean I just think that
15:29 this group of girls is like no other group of girls that I've experienced throughout the Iowa
15:33 culture. I think like I said the culture here is just insane and playing with these group of girls
15:38 is what I'm most excited about. I think we all have such great connections like on and off the
15:43 field so I would just say I'm most excited about playing with each and every single one of these
15:47 girls. The postseason tournament you guys were in last year, how important is that not only postseason
15:52 experience just game experience for a younger team, how important is that kind of going into
15:57 this year having that experience behind you guys? I think that just should give us a chip on our
16:02 shoulder kind of to push forward and like clearly we're capable of winning. We went up against
16:08 really good teams. I mean we were in the championship with BYU and all credit to them
16:12 like they're an amazing team. They have an amazing amazing coaching staff so I think just really
16:16 taking that into this season and knowing that we are able to to win. I don't know.
16:22 Over the offseason what would you work on? Was there any part of your game you really focused on
16:27 in those months off? Both I'd say you personally and the team as well. I would say
16:33 personally for me I just try to really just take every rep serious and obviously it's my senior
16:38 year so just taking it with a grain of salt and just I don't really being in the moment and
16:44 yeah just focusing on my game and what I'm capable of doing and knowing that I'm here for a reason
16:51 and just taking it all in and doing my best this year. You mentioned it's your senior year. Has
16:56 your mindset at all changed? You're a senior now. You're more of a leader. Has that changed at all
17:01 like vocal wise or has your outlook changed at all in that regard? Yeah I mean I would definitely say
17:05 I'm more of a leader this year. I think me, Grace, and Briley have definitely stepped up this year
17:13 big time and just you know taking the younger girls along with us and just showing them the
17:18 ropes and yes I would definitely say that it has definitely changed from my freshman year towards
17:24 now. I'm a lot more confident when I step in the box. Even when I step at first base I'm
17:29 I'm so confident. For the fans that come to Bob Pearl what can they expect to see out of this team
17:36 that comes on the field here? I would just say a lot of energy. I feel like this team is full of
17:43 energy. Every single one of our girls whether they're on the field or they're in the bench
17:46 we're going to come at you with energy. We're going to come at you with enthusiastic and
17:51 ready to play every single pitch. So coming in to the season tell me about your offseason.
17:56 What is something you kind of focused on, worked on for the upcoming year? Yeah offseason was a good
18:01 semester for me. I started hitting again this year so working on hitting. Also I think it's
18:06 really helped my pitching kind of like strike recognition and then with Mandy just working
18:10 in the bullpen every day developing new pitches, new sequences, and all of that. What has you kind
18:15 of excited about this team coming out this year 2024 Hawkeyes? Yeah I think this season like Sammy
18:20 said is the culture here. All 27 girls get along like we're sisters and we are all so close and we
18:25 want everyone to succeed on and off the field. We're everybody's like each other's biggest
18:29 cheerleaders throughout this entire squad. How does having like a close-knit team like that team
18:33 how does that translate to wins on the field? Yeah I think just being supportive of each other on and
18:38 off the field I think we all are like I said are just so close and like sisters on this team that
18:42 we really just want everyone to do the best that they can. For example like our pitchers like with
18:47 Jaylen Adams, Jaylen Oldjoe, all of like six of us I think it is seven of us. We all just have such
18:52 a close-knit group we all just want each other to succeed so I think that's what we all really
18:57 strive to do is just succeed for each other. What would you say what would make this year a success?
19:02 What kind of expectations? Yeah I think we our expectations are high for each other and this team
19:08 I think we really can make a big run in conference and out of conference. I think the tournament we
19:12 did at the end of the season really gave us kind of a feel of a post-season tournament and I think
19:17 that win really translated to our work ethic this year and just how the team is going to combine
19:22 and we're gonna leave it all on the field this year. I was gonna ask about post-season tournament
19:26 how important was that just getting you know posting experience extra game experience for
19:30 the younger the younger players how does that kind of segue translate into this season? Yeah I think
19:35 that tournament did a great job for us as a program just because like I said it gave us the off-season
19:41 feeling I think that tournament we played a lot of different teams that we weren't going to play
19:46 regardless but like for example we played Maryland again. BYU was a great team and we just had really
19:50 competitive games and I think going into the later months of the year yeah you're tired but it's
19:55 really the grit of the team that's going to pull through. It feels like you know after that
19:59 post-season appearance last year our trajectory is kind of trending upwards. What's it like to be
20:04 you know I don't think it's been I think over a decade since they made a post-season just what's
20:07 it like to be on the team that's kind of trending upwards you guys had those expectations now.
20:11 Instead of you know. Yeah it's great I think we all just respect a lot of each other and expect a
20:16 lot of ourselves as well so I think that tournament and being a part of a team who is growing to become
20:21 I think great it's really a really good experience for me and I think the whole team can agree that
20:26 we just really want to have a great season this year. Awesome so you're a freshman too right? Yes.
20:30 Kind of same question kind of tell me about your first what six or so months on campus how long
20:33 you've been here what's it been like you know living in Iowa getting used to being on the team
20:36 being a freshman here at Iowa? At first it was kind of it was just all really new to me I'd never
20:43 really been outside of like where I'm from in California and like the team really just made it
20:48 really easy to like adapt to like the culture shock between California and Iowa so like it
20:53 really just helped that everyone is so close on the team to like help me adjust to such a like
20:58 big culture shock. Obviously your first year in college softball when you look at this team what
21:02 has you excited about the upcoming games when you look at this roster this lineup what kind of has
21:07 you itching to get out there and play? You know I think the potential of our team just like really
21:11 is really high so just thinking about like how good everyone individually is like Avery Jackson
21:17 like she's the person I probably look up to the most on the team and she's just like super good
21:21 and then I look at everybody else and we're all super good it's like really amazing to just think
21:26 about like all the things that we have the potential to do. So you guys have you know that
21:30 potential you have those expectations coming off the postseason appearance last year how do you
21:33 kind of harness that potential turn it into W's on the field? I don't know I just feel like everyone
21:43 like I said before like the closeness just kind of drives us to work harder as a team so just
21:48 everyone being so close to each other and like working so hard together kind of pushes us to like
21:54 get to our potential of like winning big tens and everything like that. Same question but I see some
21:59 foreshadowing for me your first game in a couple days first game here a little over a month just
22:04 kind of what do you think your feelings emotions gonna be like that when you step in the batter's
22:06 box the first time relative to the position the field the first time? It's pretty nerve-wracking
22:11 but I think everyone telling me like oh you know everyone gets nervous for their first game and
22:17 like you have to start somewhere and just thinking like oh you are here for a reason like really
22:22 helps me like get through everything so I think kind of just that. So having confidence in yourself
22:27 is a big step of that. Yes. Awesome, thank you so much.