Texas A&M Softball
Ford & Scarborough speak on the success of Aggie softball this season
Your Fightin' Texas Aggie softball team is 38-9 this season after run-ruling Houston on Tuesday night. Current head coach Trisha Ford and former A&M softball player and current ESPN analyst Amanda Scarborough both joined TexAgs Radio to discuss the team's dominance.
Key notes from Trisha Ford interview
- Amanda and I talk weekly. It’s been a good year so far.
- Emiley Kennedy is a straightforward, no-nonsense kind of player. That's why we work well together. We have fun conversations. I can get her to snap out of it and just perform.
- They are starting to get it. Our seniors are bought in. You have players that have played at high levels, like in regionals and even the Women’s College World Series, like Julia Cottrill. Last night, I said that the Houston game would be tough. We did a really good job of playing our game.
- Koko Wooley has been itching to get out there. I told her we just needed to make sure she was really ready. If she does go down, she was going to be out for three to four weeks. We can't afford that right now. She gets it. Her competitive side wants to be out there. That diving catch by Koko saved at least one run, maybe even two.
- I would like to say I have a rhythm. I have a routine. I don't think the word superstition. We talk about ourselves. We prep for pitchers, but we don't like to talk about the other team. It's about us.
- We play at Sam Houston at 6 p.m tonight. We have to balance the rest and have finals coming up. We will practice quite a bit. There are some baserunning things we are doing we would like to address. We will work on some lateral plays. We just need reps. Just need fine-tuning.
Key notes from Amanda Scarborough interview
- I am happy to see you and Billy Liucci and to talk about some Aggie softball. I miss all things A&M when I'm not there, but I am always watching and staying close to the university, for sure.
- I watch every game, and I am completely locked into the season. Overall, just competitiveness and athleticism stick out to me about this team. Those two general ideas come to mind. Specifically, the way they run bases is unlike any other team in the country.
- The way Emiley Kennedy has been able to step up this year is how I, coach Ford and anyone who has seen her throw prior to this year knew what she was capable of doing. It has been so cool to see her step up this year.
- I don't know what it is about this team being able to win at home. What sticks out to me are the home runs and the offense. I don't know if it's getting excited for bubbles or the cannon when it showed up against Kentucky. They are extra motivated to put runs on the board.
- I thought Koko Wooley looked hungrier. She has had a couple of injuries where she has had to miss games, but it just seems like when she is back, she is even more hungry. The plays she made on defense and then her at-bats. Her aggressiveness in the box yesterday looked like a player who hadn't played all year and was just itching to get out there. I don't like it when she's not out there.
- After that play by Koko, A&M went and scored a bunch of runs. The spark that she creates with her base running and the ground that she can cover on defense... That defensive play shifted the game where it could have been a little tighter, but then you all piled on a bunch of runs. Whether it is her defensive skills that provide that spark or the way she runs bases, that is what she is capable of, and that is why she is one of the best base runners and players in the country.
- They are off this weekend and will get a lot of practice in before they go to Gainesville. That last series is going to be huge.
- When you look at the bracketology right now, A&M is, I feel, between a 7- and 11-seed, which is amazing. If you would have told anyone on the coaching staff or in the program that A&M is going to be in the mix for not just a regional but a super regional, they would be thrilled.
- It is so hard to win a road series in the SEC, so if you're able to win the series? More power to you against a good Florida team. Backing it up with a few good wins in the SEC Tournament gets A&M into the mix of a top-8 seed.
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