Patty Gasso 2-20-24

  • 8 months ago
Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso speaks to the media ahead of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
Transcript
00:00 I would tell you that I thought this last weekend we were good enough to win.
00:06 We were more average than above average or even exceptional.
00:13 And we got away with it.
00:15 Our team, we had this discussion.
00:18 The goal here is to amp up practice and demand better at practice.
00:28 Because it's showing in game.
00:30 And that is not what we want.
00:32 So the pressure is kind of on me to make sure that I am paying attention to these things
00:38 and stopping, calling them out, do it over again.
00:43 Hustle, athletic movements, athletic hustle.
00:49 We learned a lot that is helping us learn a lesson.
00:55 And that's important.
00:58 >> Patty, last week you mentioned that maybe there were some nerves with someone like Kirsten.
01:04 But this past weekend, intense strikeouts, really good game.
01:08 How big was that maybe for someone like her, still a young player, finding her way to maybe
01:12 bounce back like that?
01:13 >> It's extremely important for us right now for her to have that.
01:18 She went out in Puerto Vallarta and she will tell you that she was definitely nervous.
01:22 And you could see it.
01:24 You could see it in her face.
01:25 She came in locked in and it really didn't matter to me who the opponent was.
01:30 She was going to have a good game.
01:31 You could see that.
01:33 And it was exceptional.
01:34 So our pitching staff just got stronger in one outing.
01:38 So she needed that.
01:39 We needed that.
01:40 Especially going into Palm Springs.
01:42 >> For someone like her, a second year player, still young, on a pitching staff with some
01:46 veterans, where everybody's kind of getting some playing time, where do you hope to see
01:51 someone like her grow in her second year?
01:53 What do you look for after her?
01:56 >> Consistency.
01:57 I don't need ten strikeouts.
01:58 It's nice, but don't need it.
02:02 I think consistency.
02:03 And there were times when she'll let the count get away from her.
02:07 So she's digging out of a 3-0, 3-1 count.
02:10 She was ahead of the count quite a bit.
02:12 She did take some of the 3-2, but would get the strikeout from it.
02:16 So for her, it's staying ahead and executing that kind of punch-out pitch that she needs.
02:23 >> Bob?
02:24 >> Patty, I'm sick with pitching.
02:27 SJ, how ready was she for her first moment?
02:30 >> She's been ready for the last two years.
02:32 So it was a big moment for her.
02:35 I'm really proud of her, too.
02:37 I got to see her.
02:39 I thought she would have nerves as well.
02:41 But she's having good success here at practice.
02:45 And we really wanted to bite off a small piece for her.
02:48 So we had her come in for two hitters.
02:51 And she would take a breath, and she's very locked in and focused.
02:55 So we wanted to try it again the next day.
02:58 It was so good, we didn't want to take her out.
03:00 But we did want to give feed to others, because we were closing up onto a run rule.
03:06 So SJ is another viable option here.
03:11 And now you've got six truly viable options.
03:16 An opponent has to prepare for all of them, because you don't know who's coming and when
03:21 they're coming.
03:22 And that is a nightmare from a hitting coach perspective and a team trying to gather up
03:28 all that information.
03:30 So that was probably the best thing we got out of last weekend, was our pitching staff
03:36 really handling their business and doing it very well.
03:39 They were the star of the show out there this weekend.
03:43 >> Right.
03:44 Yeah, Patty, you talk about the lessons that y'all learned down there this weekend.
03:50 How do you feel like your team has responded to that over these last couple days?
03:55 And how beneficial is it to sort of ramp up in competition level this weekend with what
04:02 you'll face out in Palm Springs?
04:05 >> Today was our first day back, because yesterday was our day off.
04:09 And they handled it well.
04:11 They got pushed pretty good.
04:13 And they responded.
04:15 So I was excited about that.
04:17 I think that's a good -- it just creates momentum, too.
04:21 So we need to have a good day tomorrow as well to prepare us for what we're walking
04:28 into.
04:29 Mississippi State is very good.
04:31 Sam Ricketts is doing a really good job there.
04:34 And that's our first game.
04:36 So it's going to be a tough one right out of the chute.
04:39 Wisconsin is a good team, a very aggressive team.
04:42 They're the squeeze, the swing and miss deal.
04:45 They try to create things, keep you off balance defensively.
04:50 And good pitching as well.
04:51 So we've got our hands full on the first day.
04:54 But I was encouraged walking off this field.
04:58 And I am anxious about a practice tomorrow.
05:00 I think it will continue to ready us for the weekend.
05:03 >> You talk about Samantha there.
05:05 You faced Katie's team last week.
05:08 What's that like for you to see your former players go off and become coaches and climb
05:17 up those ladders?
05:18 >> First of all, it's probably one of my most prideful moments is to look across the other
05:24 side and see that.
05:26 Because I take it kind of personal that maybe they enjoyed watching or living in our program
05:32 enough so that they want to make it a career.
05:34 So that's a big deal.
05:35 Number two, I do not want to let them beat us.
05:39 So that's really important.
05:41 Because then they have bragging rights forever.
05:45 But they're doing great jobs.
05:47 I like to watch my eyes fade away to seeing what they're doing.
05:53 Sometimes I look in the dugout or I pay attention to how they're managing, things like that.
05:59 But it's so prideful.
06:00 It really is.
06:01 One of my favorite things is watching our athletes go into coaching and finding success.
06:08 And hearing the same phrases that I was using 15 years ago or whatever it was, they're still
06:16 kind of got that same mindset.
06:17 And they're taking things from this program, which I readily give to them.
06:22 Because I want them to continue to grow our sport.
06:26 >> Ryan on this.
06:28 You mentioned last weekend the sense of over swinging still.
06:31 How much of a luxury is it to be able to go in Saturday and shake things up and try and
06:35 say, okay, Riley, you're at the top.
06:37 Everybody else settle back.
06:38 Does that help everyone kind of settle up, watch everybody else kind of go up there?
06:42 >> Yeah, it's a lot of moving parts this weekend for many different reasons.
06:48 Too long to get into.
06:50 But some was seeing what you look like up at the top of the lineup.
06:55 And Riley Ludlum, Riley Boone showed really well.
07:00 Some are putting you down to the bottom because you're putting too much pressure on yourself
07:04 where you are higher in the lineup.
07:06 So I started moving some players down.
07:08 I started pulling some of our returners out.
07:12 One time I had every player on the field, like non-seniors except Tiare at short.
07:22 And it felt kind of good to see that I wasn't sitting there going, gosh, my gosh, what's
07:27 gonna happen?
07:28 I felt really confident with what they were gonna do.
07:31 They look prepared.
07:32 And that's kind of what the future is gonna be holding.
07:36 And I gotta give those opportunities as much and as often as I can when warranted.
07:42 But I hope that you will be saying the next time you see us play in person, which will
07:49 not be at this field.
07:54 What is this material?
07:55 Certainly not wood.
07:59 I think you're going to see something that might look a little bit different than what
08:03 you've seen.
08:04 I know you haven't seen this in person, but I'm hoping it's gonna look stronger, faster,
08:10 momentum building, aggressive, hustling, blue collar, all those things that this program
08:16 was built off of is what we need to bring back to this team.
08:21 And when you think about it, this is a fourth year in a row that they're walking in as,
08:27 you know, starting in the fourth year as national champions.
08:30 And it's like, this is uncharted territory.
08:35 I don't even know what to tell you and how to manage them differently, because it's a
08:41 challenge.
08:42 How do I keep it fun and keep them hungry?
08:46 And, you know, they've got three rings on their finger.
08:49 What else more do you want?
08:51 And that is what we have to keep our focus on.
08:53 It's not so much the outcome, but like creating a team that is just loving the process, loving
09:03 each other, loving, committing to, you know, what we're doing every day.
09:09 I think we've been a little sloppy.
09:11 And I blame that on me.
09:12 I blame that on me.
09:13 I'm sitting back and I'm watching.
09:14 Today I was much more vocal and it felt good.
09:19 The old me is a little bit different.
09:22 And they experienced the old me for one of the first times this season.
09:27 And they responded to it.
09:30 And I think that's what they want.
09:31 So that's where I'm going.
09:32 You talked a little about the slate ahead this weekend, but not just the teams you'll
09:37 play, but the atmosphere is always nuts out there.
09:41 How much are you looking forward to getting the new pieces to, hey, welcome, this is the
09:46 show, figure it out type of thing?
09:49 It's funny because I'm looking at their faces in the circle and I'm looking at them and
09:53 remembering when they had committed to us and they're out there and they're watching
09:59 the games and they're like little, you know, they're seniors, but they look like little
10:03 kids like, oh, Coach, yeah, I can't wait to be here next year.
10:07 And now here they are.
10:08 And I'm like, oh, my gosh.
10:09 Okay.
10:10 It's chaos out there.
10:11 It is just people everywhere.
10:12 We try to get, you know, we bring administrators to help move us around.
10:13 They bring security to move us around because you have to walk through crowds to get there.
10:14 So it's going to be quite different for a lot of these athletes that were on the other
10:15 side sitting in the stands watching.
10:16 Now you're in the middle and this is like their dream.
10:17 And I think that's what we're going to be doing.
10:18 And I think that's what we're going to be doing.
10:19 And I think that's what we're going to be doing.
10:20 And I think that's what we're going to be doing.
10:21 And I think that's what we're going to be doing.
10:22 And I think that's what we're going to be doing.
10:23 And I think that's what we're going to be doing.
10:24 And I think that's what we're going to be doing.
10:25 to move us around cuz you have to walk through crowds to get there. So it's
10:30 gonna be quite different for a lot of these athletes that were on the other
10:35 side sitting in the stands watching. Now you're in the middle and this is like
10:39 their dream come true because it's a California players dream. This is the
10:44 Mary Nutter, it's the premier tournament and as bad as the fields are they don't
10:50 care. They want to play in front of their family and their friends and and that's
10:55 what they you know what they grew up on. So it's a big deal to them and that's
11:01 why we got a fine team.
11:04 Got time for a couple more if you like.
11:06 Patty, you alluded to letting the old you come out. Is there anything else you've done over these first
11:10 weeks and trying to either make things fun, break things up for this group to
11:15 take it to try to motivate?
11:17 You know the first weekend they were ready to play.
11:21 It's that long stretch when you go from January till you know the week prior.
11:28 They're just there they feel like we're ready, we're ready, we're ready and I know
11:32 we're not completely ready. When they went out to Puerto Vallarta they were
11:37 they were ready. I felt that. We played at, I asked them, rank our performance one
11:44 through ten. There were fours, there were fives, and there were a few sixes and we
11:50 still beat two of the top ranked teams in the country that way. So that's the good news.
11:54 This last weekend I felt them take it too lightly. Almost like well we're not
12:04 on TV or these teams aren't maybe in postseason. Matt McNeese just put on a
12:12 clinic for us and one of the things that really changed me to be honest was there
12:19 head coach really works his players hard and they're very prepared and their
12:24 warm-ups would wow you. It's very organized, very regimented, it's almost
12:28 like army type military looking. They play hard and they not have all around
12:37 the same maybe level athlete that we have but they outworked us and I felt
12:43 that. And their coach came up to me and said we played you guys and you kicked
12:49 our rear ends in Houston and I took that video and I showed our players what that
12:54 looked like because we wanted to be like you. We wanted to play like you. We wanted
12:59 to show them what a championship team looks like and how they play and that
13:04 was a big honor but I don't think we met his expectations this weekend. I think
13:11 his team outdid us in that way and that was just a real eye-opener for me. So as
13:19 much as we were very average this weekend and good enough to win we really
13:24 again walk out of there with lessons that's really important and that's
13:29 probably one of the biggest lessons we learned.
13:31 With Bradley Ludlum, what was it you identified about her from afar in the
13:35 portal and then how did you sell her on coming here knowing who you already had
13:40 it? This is the 100% truth. I have no I never heard that name before in my life.
13:46 We started scanning and looking for catchers on the portal and we saw her
13:52 name. We tried to pull up video and looking and looking and looking pulled
13:56 up her video. Her numbers were pretty good offensive numbers. She was a team
14:01 captain. I started so some minimal we just it was more about what what she's
14:09 gonna be like. I called her on the phone and I said this is Coach Riley, hi this is
14:13 Coach Gasso from Oklahoma. She's like shut up who is this oh my gosh I'm like it's
14:19 really Coach Gasso. No it's not. Who is this? She might have said somebody's name
14:24 like someone's playing a trick on her and finally she believed me we started
14:28 talking and the rest is history. I mean I came out on a visit. I just just at
14:35 hardest working, humble, hard-working. She gets big moments and she's as free as a
14:42 bird. She's not caught up she just wants to hit the ball hard. She's keeping it
14:46 really simple and a great example to our team what it looks like. So it's a really
14:51 great success story because we didn't have a lot of options or a lot of great
14:56 information on her. Turned out we hit the jackpot.
15:00 Last one for Jessie. Patty you mentioned before the season that with the TRE
15:05 moving to shortstop at second base there was an ongoing battle. I know it's just
15:10 been a couple tournaments but what have you seen so far at that second base? I've
15:14 liked it. I've liked it and I've got a lot of options. So you've seen Avery Hodge
15:19 there, Q, Quincy Lillio and Alina and Alina is pretty versatile. Alina could play
15:26 second, she could play a good third. Now we're working her over at first so we've
15:31 got lots of options if somebody isn't hitting or some kind of injuries again
15:35 we've got lots of options. And I can pick any one of those three and feel very
15:40 good about it at second. TRE is just her levers are so long she can really reach
15:45 things and she just really kind of the shortstop runs the infield. She's really
15:52 doing a good job of that. So I feel very settled. Our defense was really good this
15:57 weekend, really good. I don't think we made any errors and defense pitching is
16:02 on point and the hitting is going to be catching up very quickly.