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NCAA WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESJune 2, 2018Trisha FordJade GortarezKindra HackbarthGiselle JuarezBreanna MachaMarisa StankiewiczOklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma - 2, Arizona State - 0 THE MODERATOR: This is the Game 7 press conference featuring the Sun Devils joined by Coach Trisha Ford and student-athletes Kindra Hackbarth, Marisa Stankiewicz, Jade Gortarez, G Juarez and Breanna Macha. Coach, not the way you wanted it to end, but can you talk about what it meant to you and your program that the Sun Devils have returned to be one of the elite programs in the country led by this group of players here. COACH FORD: I don't think I could be more proud of them as a group. I think we had contributions from freshmen all the way up to fifth-year seniors. They left everything they had on the field today and that's all I could ask for. I think obviously it didn't end the way we wanted it to end, but you don't know how to get here until you get here. They know how to get here. I think as we move forward now our next step is come here and win some ball games. And I think both of these games I thought we were very close. I thought we had great pitching today. Our defense was tidy and we just didn't get the big hit when we needed it. That's sometimes how it goes. It's a game built around failure. I couldn't be more proud of them. I thank the seniors and Stanks, (indiscernible) a super senior, they helped build this. They brought ASU softball back to where it belongs. And I just thank them for setting the standard, hanging tight with us and just doing a heck of a job and competing and showing the young ones what it looks like to be an ASU softball player. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach or the student-athletes, please. Q. You had a roller-coaster of a career at ASU. What has this meant and what has the addition of Coach Ford meant to this program? MARISA STANKIEWICZ: Bringing in Coach Ford was probably the best thing that this program needed to get back on track to coming to the World Series, being one of the top elite teams again. And it means a lot to especially our senior class, me and Bre, or their senior class, my fifth-year senior class. It means a lot because without a great leader you're not going to go anywhere and she led us and she told us that we could. And a lot of people didn't think that we were able to this year and just because of previous years. And we showed up and we shocked a lot of people. And I think Arizona State softball is on its way back to being one of the greatest teams you're ever going to mess with. BREANNA MACHA: She said it best. Without Coach Ford we don't come back here. She's led us. And every day she's been tough. I mean that's what you want as a coach; you want her to be tough on you and just love on you. And I just think like this is exactly what this program needed. And I don't know how much more I can say. Q. Giselle, you held them for much of the game. Obviously the big run by Alo. What did you see on that pitch to her? G JUAREZ: I mean, they're good hitters. That was their second time seeing me. I know like in club ball she's seen me before. They're going to make adjustments and that's a good scoring, like, offensive team. Like at the end of the day I've got to tip my hat. She made -- she did her job on my mistake. Q. G, I know you and Bre had a great connection this season. What will you remember and what are some of your memories working along side her? G JUAREZ: I'll get emotional. She's a huge part of why I'm at where I'm at. She's inspired me in so many ways. She's taught me how to be gritty and expect more out of yourself even when you think that's the best you've got. She's really allowed me to step into her shoes this year and, like, we're 1-2 punch. We start calling ourselves that. I mean, my favorite memory will forever be the Cal series when we just we went on a jog, we talked. And we talked about having each other's back for the rest of the season. I mean, she's a huge inspiration to me and I'm going to miss her a lot. Q. Breanna, last collegiate game today. How did you feel in your final performance in an ASU uniform? BREANNA MACHA: I stepped out on to the field, just like I did at Farrington. This is going to be the last time I put on a uniform and lace up my cleats, and I still have my cleats on. I don't want to take them off. So I just think our entire team left everything we had out there. But I'm so proud to be a Sun Devil. Q. Kindra and Jade and G, obviously you have a couple more years left. What are you looking to build off this season and throughout the rest of your careers here? KINDRA HACKBARTH: I mean, we had a really good run. I wish we kept going. But there's a lot to build off on this team. I mean, we have really important people leaving us but we're going to keep growing. It's not the last you'll see from us. We'll keep building, give it all up at practice. You're not, I'm telling you this is not going to be the last time you see Sun Devil softball. JADE GORTAREZ: I agree with Kindra. At the end of the day we'll keep making our adjustments and even in this last game the adjustments were still being made. We're still asking each other, still pushing each other. We just didn't come out on top, but at the end of the day we're going to be back here. G JUAREZ: I would say we haven't won yet. Plain and simple, we haven't won yet. And I guarantee, like they said, I can't emphasize it enough, none of us can. You will see us here again. We're a really gritty team, and we're excited because we see where we're going. Q. Kindra, I saw a sign in the stands that said "ASU softball, Built Ford Tough." COACH FORD: Wonder who that could have been? G JUAREZ: Momma Hackbarth, probably. KINDRA HACKBARTH: Probably my mom and my dad. Q. What is it, Built Ford Tough? I mean what does she do that makes you guys so tough? KINDRA HACKBARTH: She's more than a coach. I consider her like another mom. I mean, she's just always there no matter what happens, personally, and just on the field. Like she's always there. She pushes you to be the best you can be. We've been through a lot -- me, my family, Coach Ford, we love her. She's all we can ask for. She pushes me to be the best person I can be on and off the field. Q. Coach Ford, what does this year -- I mean, you've kind of stepped out of the shadow of what ASU was before. So how do you go forward from here? How are you going to build off of what you've done? COACH FORD: Well, I think if you look at our pieces that we have still in place, we were a very young team. We had obviously Stank and Macha who were just instrumental for us from a leadership standpoint, being seniors. But if you look at the starting lineup we have a lot of sophomores starting. For me, that's exciting. They know what they're capable of and they also know the adjustments we need to make in order for us to get to that one more step. And I'm so proud of them for getting here. And now they've tasted this. And the type of players they are, they're going to come out next year and they're going to eat it. And I think that's something that we take away from this is, this is going to hurt for a while. I thought we had a hell of a season. But I also know what kind of insides G has, what inside Jade has, and Kindra, I was going to say the Hackbarths. But everybody, I know kind of what that looks like. And it's the same thing that Bre has and Stank has. And I think we meshed well. And Stank and Bre would say they're excited about the direction that they helped create and they helped kind of redirect. Like I said, I'm very proud of them. But we have a lot of sophomores. That's a lot of sophomores that got here, got on this stage, some freshmen that got some great experiences here and I just know what they have on the insides. So we're going to push them harder and just make more adjustments and just keep learning. Just keep learning. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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