Ford previews midweek tilt at Texas State, weekend hosting Auburn

It will be a competitive week for No. 14 Texas A&M, heading to San Marcos for a midweek matchup and then hosting Auburn for a three-game set beginning Friday. On Wednesday's edition of TexAgs Radio, head coach Trisha Ford discussed the week ahead. 

Key notes from Trisha Ford interview

• I am looking forward to Texas State tonight. They are a tough team and their pitcher, Jessica Mullins, is top of the nation in many categories, so it'll be a tough test for us. 
   
• We are very process-based, and for us, this is helping us transition this program. You set forth some goals and standards and say this is where we are going to be. These are our standards. We are going to be where our feet are, and then you see more success. You are going to get more buy-in. That's been good. 
   
• Our vibe is really good. We had a head coaches meeting yesterday morning. We just really enjoy being around each other. You have coach Pat Henry and coach G Guerrieri, who have been here for ages and are very giving. I think our athletic department has just been one of the best I've been a part of. 
   
• I love Trev Alberts being the new AD. I feel like he is normal, and I like normal. Normal these days is hard. He wants to win, and we want to do it the right way, but we want to win. I think he's very personable. Like Mike Elko, he is very down to earth and he’s a worker. He’s blue-collar. He loves what Texas A&M stands for and wants to give back to agriculture. I think he's a great fit. I think President Mark A. Welsh is one of the smartest. I think he's great, and he knows what he's doing. 
   
• On Saturday, Emiley Kennedy had a great performance, and then, because we had a doubleheader on Saturday, she finished off that game. I kept saying that she's just our dog. I gave her the ball and said, “Bases loaded. One out. Get us out of this,” and she did.
   
• About Sunday, I am always going to defend them. It was a little rough. Those 17 inches were a little rough for a lot of people. I felt like she let it get a hold of her and got a little frustrated. Both sides were a little frustrated. We had a good talk on Monday and Tuesday, saying, “Let's control the things we can control. Let's hit a reset.” She probably had four or five more strikeouts that weren't in the book, so it made it a little hard. 
   
• I pay pretty good attention to RPI. I think that when they get into that room, and I haven't been in that room but I think it plays heavily in that decision. 
   
• The great thing about the SEC is that we are all trying to multiply our numbers and piggybacking off each other. Everyone is pretty much ranked. Ole Miss this past weekend took the series 2-1 at LSU. That's huge. For us, keep playing conference games, keep getting better, and it will take care of itself. 
   
• Coach Jeff Harger and I have had a conversation about it. It has been impressive. That's when you know things have been ticking. They haven't been paying attention to how many outs there are. It's how can we pass a bat? How can I move this runner?
   
• We talk a lot about pressure. Pressure isn't a thing. You feel pressure when you feel not prepared. If you feel prepared then there is no such thing. It is a great opportunity for all your work to pay off. 
   
• Yesterday, I did a little fungo with our infield and put them on the clock, and I'm yelling at them. All these little things that you can do to make them feel the pace of the game. You never want to be in a hurry, but you always want to understand the pace of the game. 
   
• I don't really talk about the record. We take tonight's game, and then we have a three-game series vs. Auburn. How are we going to attack that? At the end of this season, that's when I reflect on the things we did really well, and that’s when you can kind of enjoy it, but I love being in it. That's the best part. 
   
• We have the ability to beat anyone on any given day, and I really believe that. We have that skill set, and that's the exciting part: You aren't showing up for games hoping they mess up and hoping you can get by with a win. 
   
• Koko Wooley came into the dugout, and the Mississippi State’s fans were really on us, so she came into the dugout, and a fan yelled, “We’re tired of seeing you out there. Quit running.” She’s just dynamic. She can short-game it. She got a couple of extra-base hits and stole some bases. She is just dynamic. 
   
• This game today against Texas State is a good test. This is going to prepare us for this weekend, so what better way than to get a live arm? They have pitchers that go up and pitchers that go down, which we are going to see this weekend, so let's get our heads screwed on and go out there and compete.
   
• I haven't watched a whole lot of film on Auburn. That will be tonight when I get home and tomorrow, but Auburn begins and ends with Maddie Penta. She is kind of like their horse. She can go up, down and change. Defensively, they have had a lot of transitions so there are a lot of things we can take advantage of defensively. Then, in the box, anybody at any point in time can put a ball over the fence, so with our pitching staff, we match up pretty well with them. 
   
• Getting back to College Station around 10 p.m. and then watching film till around midnight is my normal. I have a nice office set up in my house, so I’ll just get in my pajamas and watch.