Sooners' head coach Patty Gasso, catcher Kinzie Hansen and infielder Alynah Torres speak to the media following OU's 2-0 start at Love's Field on March 1, 2024.
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00:00 Patty, this is the first game. Everything that went on with it, you had a thriller in the first game.
00:06 Just take me through the emotions and how the team went through everything today.
00:11 It was tough, I'm just going to be honest. There's no excuse.
00:15 I think they would take the expectation, the anxiety, the build up of it all.
00:22 And then we're out and we're going through all the gathering of people and the whole ceremony.
00:31 It's a little emotional. It's just a lot. It felt like a lot of chaos. Good chaos.
00:39 But I don't know that we knew that it would affect us that much.
00:42 The team made a comment. It felt like we were playing on an away field.
00:48 It just felt so different. We did not know what this was going to feel like.
00:53 And unfortunately, we didn't get to test it out much.
00:58 But it wasn't really the field, it was the fans that really threw us for a loop.
01:03 It was very loud. You could just feel the energy.
01:07 And I feel, I speak for our team, I felt we were very tight in the first game.
01:12 It took us a while to get going. But the Lord made that game to be the way it was
01:20 for the first break in the stadium. It was a thriller.
01:24 The fans were in it. A lot of hitting. A lot of dramatics.
01:29 We were much more ourselves the second game.
01:32 But it took us time. It took us a little time to get this figured out.
01:36 It was a little overwhelming, really.
01:40 - For the players, can you address that? How difficult was it to get going
01:45 with everything else that surrounded this game?
01:49 - We've had a long day, kind of thing. We had that ceremony this morning.
01:54 We were suited up. We had two different BPs.
01:57 There was a lot going on today. I definitely felt as if the thoughts
02:01 were not necessarily all over the place, but there was just a lot going on for us.
02:05 It could have been a little bit overwhelming for some players.
02:08 Definitely, as Coach said and she mentioned, it took us some time
02:12 to get comfortable for sure. We definitely felt kind of like we were the visiting team
02:17 for a second. We had to throw the balls against the wall and the nets
02:20 and kind of feel it out, which is not really a home team thing.
02:23 So once we got comfortable, as you can see, we were just fine.
02:28 - Yeah, piggybacking off of them, it was just electric.
02:30 Sooner Nation came to play today, so it was awesome.
02:33 But I think once we got settled in, it was really good.
02:37 It's just an overall awesome feeling to be like, "Okay, hey, we're here. Let's do it."
02:42 And what Coach said, I think that first game had to be the way it is.
02:45 No one's ever going to forget that game.
02:47 - Were you able to pinpoint a moment in that first game, or was it until the second game
02:51 that it finally felt more normal or settled, that kind of thing?
02:56 - I would say around the fourth inning, we kind of got in the huddle and we were like,
02:59 "Guys, this is our home advantage." JT said, what did he say?
03:06 He said, "Be you." Like, "Let's be us. Be you. Be who you are."
03:11 This is the same game that we've been playing, whether it's at Reeves, Merida, or at Loves Field.
03:16 It's all the same game. So once we kind of came back to ourselves, we were just fine.
03:21 - And you had a lot of moments, obviously, but just talk about the walk-off and what that means to you.
03:28 - Well, I don't know why I always got to be in two strikes, so that kind of was frustrating.
03:31 But our pitchers, they never do that. They never give up home runs like that.
03:39 They never give up runs and walks and things like that.
03:43 So for me, going into my last at-bat, I was thinking about Nicole and Keeney and SJ
03:47 and how they were kind of going through the trenches a little bit.
03:50 That was a great hitting team, Miami. They take some great hacks, so credit to them for sure.
03:57 Going up, I was just thinking about kind of Carly and thinking she came in to close the game,
04:02 so I'm going to have her back right here, and I'm going to do my job and get it done.
04:06 - Addie, them hitting that many home runs, the pitching has been so good all year.
04:11 What was going through your mind as all that's going down?
04:15 - A little shell-shocked, but as Kenzie said, they've hit 38 home runs in 11 games.
04:22 And so you look and you're like, "Oh, you know, they're real. They're real."
04:28 And you have to put the ball in a certain place to get them out, and you've got to change speeds.
04:35 And we were not doing a very good job of that, but SJ did, and that was big time for SJ.
04:42 I don't think we were expecting what they would do to our pitchers,
04:47 but we learned a good, valuable lesson from the pitching staff that we've got to have a little more mix
04:55 in order to be successful against a big hitting team like that.
04:59 That team, Miami of Ohio, they're going to do some good things.
05:04 I would feel very uncomfortable playing them in postseason, and it's not like, "Well, they're lucky."
05:10 They're not. They're just real. They're legit. They're well-coached.
05:14 The coach has done a good job with them.
05:17 They're not afraid. They did not come in here fearful.
05:21 They're like, "Let's go. Bring it on." You could feel it right from the start.
05:25 -Piggybacking on that, Carly Spade's a player who's been doing that for a few years,
05:29 and in this era, she might be someone who could hit the portal and probably be snatched up.
05:34 -Who is that? -Carly Spade, the third baseman.
05:36 -Oh. Huh. Yeah?
05:40 -Had she been on your radar? -No. Absolutely not.
05:46 I don't do that. I don't do that. I wait for whoever's on.
05:51 I don't think about what players. I don't hope for players.
05:55 I look for what fits our program.
05:59 That's how much-- When you said her name, I'm like, "What are we talking about?
06:03 Who are we talking about?" So I don't really know them. No.
06:07 -When you brought SJ in, the total thought was we need to change up here.
06:13 -Mm-hmm. -Right? -Yeah.
06:15 -So she came through for you, but that's the kind of weapon--
06:18 I get asked how you're going to use her right there, right?
06:21 -Right there, yeah, because nobody else could get it done at that time,
06:25 and we needed-- And every pitcher knows right now they've got to have that pitch
06:30 or some kind of keep-you-off-balance type of pitch in order to be successful.
06:36 And we got shell-shocked because we didn't have that.
06:41 -You talked about everything going on today, the emotions and everything.
06:45 How impressed were you maybe with the freshmen, specifically Cassidy,
06:48 who had a couple of really big hits, especially that first pitch?
06:51 -Yeah, they're different. I wouldn't even call them freshmen anymore.
06:54 The entire class, really, of freshmen, they all have learned from these guys,
07:00 and they want to stay up with them. They don't want to be looked at as freshmen.
07:05 And they talk hitting pretty well. They know what's up now.
07:09 And they're very comfortable at the plate and just really doing a good job.
07:14 -Patti, what did you learn-- and then Kenzie and Alina,
07:17 if you have anything to add on this--
07:19 what did you learn about the way the stadium plays today?
07:23 -It is-- The infield was really nice.
07:27 The infielders felt like the ball was taking some--
07:31 uncomfortable hops, very true.
07:36 My back hurts a little bit because I'm on artificial turf, but it's soft turf,
07:41 so I don't know if it's just me being out of shape or if it's the turf.
07:47 My back is killing me.
07:50 I heard no complaints.
07:52 One thing that happened I didn't necessarily care for
07:55 is how the ball got stuck under the outfield fence in the end.
07:59 That's absolutely not appropriate.
08:02 So we've got to fix that.
08:04 And a few things, like if you have a new house and you see,
08:07 "Okay, wait a minute, we've got to move that, fix that."
08:09 There's a few of those things that we found out today.
08:12 But it's beautiful. It's wonderful for fans.
08:16 It's wonderful for a team to get that kind of energy off of the fans.
08:20 They were very, very fun tonight.
08:24 -Speaking of the fans, I heard a lot of them talk about how wonderful it was,
08:28 but I also heard a few students say they wish there was more of a student section
08:32 for them to kind of sit and gather at.
08:35 What do you kind of think about that?
08:37 -I would love that. I would love that.
08:41 I don't know that I see a lot of students out here.
08:44 And sometimes when you're in a spring sport, it's almost like they've checked out,
08:49 like they're just ready to finish.
08:52 But really, the rowdies are the parents, from what I'm hearing,
08:56 right over our dugout.
08:58 But if we could get OU student body out here, it would be phenomenal.
09:05 -Elena, you played all around infield.
09:07 How different is it to have the fans wrapped all the way up in the foul territory?
09:12 Coach talked about some of the others.
09:14 Is that something that was kind of an adjustment to deal with, or is that not?
09:17 -Yeah, not really. I think it's kind of awesome.
09:20 Your fans, we feed off of that and our momentum,
09:22 so I think it's pretty cool that they're that close.
09:25 We're not really listening to them, but just that energy that they bring,
09:28 and to whoever's up to bat, it kind of gives you more of that confidence,
09:31 like, "Hey, our fans are right here. We've got to do it for them,"
09:33 so stuff like that.
09:36 -Kenzie, in that first game in the sixth inning, you scored from second.
09:40 Was coach wanting you to stop at third?
09:43 What was kind of going through your mind as you were going home?
09:45 -Yeah, she did.
09:47 But honestly, I was at second base, and in my mind, I thought,
09:51 "Anything that's a hit, I'm scoring."
09:53 Even pre-pitch, in my head, I was like, "I am scoring the run.
09:56 We're taking the lead, no doubt."
09:59 -It was my fault.
10:01 -No. -No, seriously.
10:03 It was me being--we were tied at that time, right?
10:07 So I absolutely should have sent her.
10:09 Why was I stopping her except feeling like I wanted to get more on base
10:13 and get a bigger hit?
10:15 But no, she did the right thing.
10:17 -You feel a little bit more confident when it's one of your captains?
10:20 It's kind of making you--
10:22 [laughter]
10:23 -No.
10:25 No, I mean, sometimes you get--
10:27 she said exactly what she thought,
10:30 and when she was rounding third, that's exactly what she looked like.
10:33 So as soon as I put my hand, I'm like, "Yeah, no."
10:36 -Good thing I was safe.
10:38 Just saying that.
10:41 -Patti, a lot the last couple of weeks, you said you're not going to know
10:44 what it feels like for you until you step out.
10:46 You talked about how the team handled it, but for you,
10:49 first time you guys stepped out in warm-ups and the fans were there.
10:52 What was your feeling when they were there?
10:54 -I made sure that I felt a little more the night before.
10:58 So we were able to come out on Thursday and look around.
11:02 We didn't get to do anything except look.
11:04 It was raining. The tarp was on.
11:07 But I went out on the concourse where the coach's family is sick,
11:12 so I wanted to see what that looked like.
11:14 And I saw Sarah, who is the head of this project,
11:18 overseeing the entire project.
11:20 And we've gone through a lot together,
11:22 going through different questions, answers,
11:25 picking things out, things like that.
11:28 And for the first time, when I saw her, we both kind of hugged
11:32 and we both kind of cried because we were standing right there
11:35 looking at the lights on the stadium.
11:38 And it was like a "wow" moment.
11:40 And I took that moment to make that happen.
11:43 I started to feel a little bit when we were--
11:46 all the pageantry of the morning, I started to feel it coming.
11:53 I didn't sleep well last night because I knew, like,
11:56 "Okay, you've just got to hold this together."
11:58 But when I start thinking is when things start to come back.
12:03 And when I talk about Reeves and I talk about Mareeda Hines,
12:06 it's so many people you don't want to leave out.
12:09 I'd have to sit you here for hours and talk about all of them.
12:12 I don't ever want to leave out an alumni group.
12:15 But then I looked over and saw all the alums that were there
12:19 at that ceremony, and it made my heart kind of swell.
12:23 And a lot of them I didn't know.
12:25 They played for Mareeda, but they're here, and they're proud.
12:29 So it's been a tough week, to be honest, just personally,
12:33 because I've been the one standing here longer than anyone else,
12:37 and maybe that's why.
12:39 But once we got into today and we got that ceremony over,
12:43 I'm like, "I'm over this now. Let's go."
12:47 So...
12:49 That's all the time we have tonight. Thank you.
12:51 Thank you, guys.