Kasidi Pickering and Kelly Maxwell Interview
Freshman utility Kasidi Pickering and senior pitcher Kelly Maxwell speak to the media on Feb. 13, 2024.
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00:00 All right ladies, you ready?
00:02 Yeah.
00:02 Awesome.
00:03 All right, go ahead.
00:05 Special question for Avery.
00:07 Yeah, Cassie wanted to start off with you.
00:10 What did you learn about yourself, about Division I
00:14 softball over the weekend, starting off
00:17 that maybe you didn't or couldn't know before playing
00:21 actual games against other teams?
00:24 It's still the same game, I feel like,
00:26 since we've all played.
00:27 But the players, they just take the game
00:29 to a whole different level.
00:30 There's so many more things you have to nitpick
00:32 and take control over.
00:33 So that's just it, being aware of the situation
00:36 and playing to the level.
00:38 And Kelly wanted to ask you real quick about the new
00:42 communication systems with pitchers this year.
00:46 What was that like, using those?
00:50 It's definitely still a learning in progress.
00:53 But it makes the game quicker, and I
00:55 think it keeps you in a good rhythm and tempo
00:58 to where you're not too slow or you can kind of get too quick.
01:03 So you've got to be able to balance it.
01:05 But I think it's been good for our game,
01:07 and I think just being in it in general.
01:10 Jenny and then Jesse.
01:12 Hey, Kelly, could you just walk us through a little bit
01:14 of what you've taken from your time working with Jen
01:17 to this point?
01:18 Patty said you guys have really dove into the video side
01:22 of things, just the learning there.
01:24 What sort of stands out to you when you think about just
01:26 that time you and Jesse got to work together?
01:29 It was very different, I would say, from where I came from.
01:32 I've never really watched much film
01:34 and never really took the time to study other hitters.
01:38 And so having this new knowledge has really elevated my game,
01:42 and I think it's going to help me in the long run.
01:44 Patty said it's also a video of you
01:46 that you've watched to some degree.
01:48 What have you picked up from that?
01:51 I think just we work a lot on your mental state
01:56 and your tempo and just being able to keep that
01:58 under control at times so that when you do fall out of it,
02:01 you can get back into it.
02:03 So just being aware of your own body.
02:05 Anything surprise you from watching yourself?
02:08 No.
02:10 [LAUGHTER]
02:13 Cassidy, last week, obviously, your first career tournament.
02:16 But heading into your first career bad, obviously,
02:18 the grand slam.
02:20 What was your mindset?
02:22 Were you nervous heading into that first career at bat?
02:24 Just take me through where you were at walking up to the plate.
02:27 I wouldn't say I was nervous.
02:29 We prepared for this at bat, and we watched so much film
02:31 on the pitcher that it was just another live AV.
02:34 So I just went into it.
02:36 Kenzie helped me throughout my at bat.
02:38 She set something on second base that really made me keep my composure.
02:41 Did it feel surreal, just the ball coming off the bat
02:44 and going over the fence?
02:46 I saw the pitch, and I saw when I knew it was over.
02:48 There was no thoughts else.
02:50 It was like balls swinging, like home run.
02:52 [LAUGHTER]
02:55 Mom and then Eli.
02:57 Kelly, how much do you think games like Duke and Washington
03:00 this early in the season will really help the team grow?
03:04 It's definitely a learning curve.
03:05 I think we have a lot to learn from by playing those types of teams
03:08 this early on.
03:10 Just being able to know what we need to work on here on out
03:14 and just using that and keep moving forward.
03:19 Cassidy, you were comfortable in Mexico, but Patty just spoke about your comfort
03:23 since you've gotten here and not being afraid to ask veterans
03:27 or ask them questions, not being afraid not to know.
03:31 Your comfort here, what's made that so easy for you settling in?
03:35 It kind of started through the recruiting process.
03:38 Here always felt like home, and I always felt welcome.
03:40 But the seniors have proven a point that we're not freshmen.
03:43 We're a part of this team.
03:45 Any question you have, ask.
03:46 If you need to talk, you can speak up and talk.
03:49 For you as a leader, I know you just played your first weekend tournament,
03:54 but that role for yourself, is that something that's comfortable for you
03:58 if it comes now or comes later?
04:00 Yeah.
04:01 My select team I played on for eight years, and I was the captain of that team.
04:04 So just being able to take control and just talk everyone through it
04:07 and keep everyone composed is something I feel confident doing.
04:12 James?
04:13 Kelly, you were so good in Mexico.
04:15 I'm curious if this whole new environment,
04:18 this new colors you're wearing, the new team you're on,
04:21 you've been on so many international teams.
04:23 Is the circle just the circle and you're just pitching,
04:27 or do you actually get into the new environment you're in?
04:32 I'm just trying to stay present to enjoy the moment.
04:34 I know this is my last year, and I'm just trying to make the most of every part of it.
04:39 So just really relying on my defense and my teammates
04:43 and just knowing how good we are and how great we can be if we all work together.
04:49 Did you feel like you got into a pretty good groove in Mexico?
04:52 I was pretty nervous the first game.
04:54 I probably showed a little bit, but I settled in.
04:57 I felt like the Washington game, that that was me and that was who I've been all these years.
05:04 Cassidy, I've got to ask you, you've hit the middle of the lineup your whole life.
05:08 I know.
05:09 But you're hitting the middle of the lineup for the number one team in the country now, and LA is too.
05:14 Do you guys even think about that?
05:16 Does that matter where you're heading in the lineup?
05:19 No.
05:21 The main goal is just to pass the bat.
05:22 So wherever you're in the lineup, your one job is to pass the bat, not everywhere.
05:26 So just saying stick to that is fine.
05:29 Kathy, you mentioned Kinsey, Santos.
05:32 What did she say that helped settle you in there?
05:34 I actually don't remember.
05:36 I took first pitch strike and two balls, and I just had to reset myself, take a breath, and she said something to me that I don't quite remember.
05:46 I heard her voice, and I was like, "All right, let's go."
05:48 Did you notice from day one, even through the Washington game, that now college is so much more still,
05:53 and being able to have everyone's dialed in, what was scouting important for you, and how that evolved throughout the weekend?
06:00 It helps having a little preview of a look, but then in game you have to make adjustments on the spot.
06:05 So it comes and goes with what helps and what doesn't.
06:09 Kelly, I know you talked about being able to work on Northville and things like that.
06:14 Coach is known for her defense behind being stud all the time.
06:18 Is there a more aggressive nature?
06:20 Does that change how you can pitch when you step in with Coach Gasso's defense kind of behind you, knowing what it's been historically?
06:26 Absolutely.
06:27 I think you can attack the hitter more, just trust your pitches, spinning them through the zone,
06:33 rather than always trying to nibble at the corners or trying to go for the strikeout.
06:37 Just let your defense work behind you.
06:41 Anything further?
06:43 Cassidy, you're a Texas girl like Kelly.
06:47 She's obviously several years older than you.
06:50 Did you know of her coming up through the youth ranks?
06:53 Was Kelly somebody you knew much about?
06:56 No. We're both from Houston, but we're like an hour apart.
06:58 I'm old.
07:00 She's kind of like an older.
07:04 What have you gotten to know about her?
07:07 She's one of the older players now on the team.
07:10 What have you learned about her and what she brings to the squad?
07:15 She's very composed.
07:16 Watching her pitch and being on our side is very welcoming to know that I don't have to do enough work in the game.
07:22 I'll take that any day.
07:24 She's a very good person at heart.
07:27 I'm proud of you for going to vet school.
07:30 Avery, and then Kevin.
07:32 I wanted to ask you all, I know we're a couple weeks away from it,
07:35 but what are you all most looking forward to about the new place and playing at Love's Field?
07:44 I think just seeing the fans in the stands, because they're a big part of this program
07:50 and all the alumni that came before and what Coach Gaston has done here.
07:55 Just seeing that pay off is what's going to be most eye-opening.
08:02 I feel like it's very rewarding for the sport of softball.
08:05 This is what is expected for the number one program.
08:09 We love it here, but being able to play in a stadium that big that holds that many people,
08:13 and knowing that we'll sell it out any day, is good for the sport.
08:16 I feel like we're just continuing to push.
08:20 Cassie, going back to the Washington game, Kelly and Nicole are so ice cold,
08:24 calm in the circle.
08:26 Peyton comes in, has that fit, and it looks like firing you guys up.
08:30 What kind of different dynamics does that add when you have someone come in
08:32 and not just deliver that performance from the circle, but then head to the dugout
08:36 and be like, "Let's go."
08:38 Does that change the dynamic at all, or is there so much time that you're like,
08:42 "Okay, that was cool, now I need to get focused back in," then go ahead?
08:45 I'd say we feed off our pitchers a lot, but we know how much they work on their composure
08:49 and what they do in the bullpen.
08:52 If they get fired up, we'll get fired up with them, but if they want to keep calm,
08:55 we'll stay behind them too.