2025 WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

May 29, 2025

Tim Walton

Korbe Otis

Keagan Rothrock

Florida Gators

Postgame Press Conference

Texas 3, Florida 0

THE MODERATOR: If you have an opening statement, feel free, Coach.

TIM WALTON: Good game, obviously. Softball. We were on the losing side. But thought both teams played well. We weren't able to string anything together consistently, but overall thought we played well. Ready to play. And they just did a little bit better job than we did.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for players?

Q. Korbe, what was the toughest thing about Kavan tonight and how was she... what was she doing that made her effective in the circle?

KORBE OTIS: I mean, she's a good pitcher. Everybody that we're going to face at the College World Series is going to be a good pitcher. She just made a few better pitches than we were able to hit, so she did a good job.

Q. The fact that last year you guys I think played three elimination games here, how much do you think that helps now knowing that in this setting you guys have had your backs against the wall before?

KEAGAN ROTHROCK: Nobody wants to be a loser on the elimination bracket side of it. But I also think we're a team that when our back is against the wall, for whatever reason, we play a little bit more free, which seems really backwards, but at the same time I think the experience last year does help us.

But with the new people, just learning how to continue to play Gator softball and just to continue to focus on us and make sure that we're doing the things that we need to be able to do.

KORBE OTIS: At the end of the day, it's still a softball game. It's the same game we have been playing. Doesn't make much of a difference for us.

Q. And for Korbe, the offense, the struggles. Tomorrow you will be facing a good pitcher as well. Is there anything you can do in a day's span to try to fix that, or just trying to continue to trust the process and hope that better results will come tomorrow?

KORBE OTIS: There's nothing that's broken. There's nothing broken to fix. Our offense is really powerful. Today obviously we just didn't get the right -- we obviously just didn't put the right swings on the right pitches, and sometimes that's how softball goes. So there's not a huge adjustment to make. We're just going out and playing Gator softball and staying us.

Q. Keagan, Joley got to you a couple of times. What makes her a tough batter, and what happened in those at-bats?

KEAGAN ROTHROCK: She just hit a softball, honestly. Anybody is going to hit a ball on any day. There's no... I don't really have a better answer for that other than she just hit pitches.

THE MODERATOR: Any more questions for players? Okay. Players, you're dismissed. Questions for Coach Walton.

Q. Coach, there's been a lot of talk about the SEC side of the bracket. Texas has gotten three out of four this year now. What makes that team tough? What's the hardest thing about going against Texas?

TIM WALTON: I think you look at -- the first thing you look at is the experience they have in the circle. We couldn't just prepare for Teagan Kavan. We had to prepare for everybody in their staff. They've had a good season in the circle. They've had a couple really good seasons in the circle.

I don't know if she threw a no-hitter or a perfect game last year, but she's good. We only struck out one time today. Why? Because she only threw about six rise balls. I think she probably drew more drops today. And even last weekend against Clemson, I think she was throwing more drops than rise.

I think their diversity in their lineup. They're a really good offensive lineup. They played really good defense. Mia Scott played as good of a third baseman's played in an opening game here. She's a really, really good at third base.

I don't think they have a lot of weaknesses. I don't think they have any weakness. They were number one for a long time this season for a reason. They're a good team.

Q. Tim, just talk about Keagan's performance as a whole and just being able to... got herself in some jams and got out of it. And if she goes tomorrow, that confidence you have in her, especially knowing she can do well in back-to-back days.

TIM WALTON: Yeah, the cool thing for me is you guys get a small sample size of these guys, but just listen to their answers and listen to the way they answer questions in a tough moment.

Obviously, it's a huge letdown to lose the first game of the College World Series, and the way they go about their business just tells me everything I need to know about the people that I coach. They take it serious. They compete. They work hard, and they enjoy what they do. So to me, no matter what we do tomorrow, today was a learning opportunity.

We got some kids in. Ava Brown's first time she's pitched the college World Series. First time Olivia Miller, who pitched outstanding for us today, and the same with Katelynn Oxley.

A lot of firsts today. We have a lot to improve on tomorrow, whoever we play. We don't play the same team tomorrow that we did today. Sometimes when you get to this side of the bracket, you have to figure out how to turn the page because you can look at yesterday and yesterday's team is not playing us tomorrow. So we have to do a really good job at turning the page and figure things out.

Q. With Texas it's hard because they have a lot of good pitchers. If you face Oklahoma tomorrow, they have a lot of good pitchers. Tennessee's got a really good pitcher. When it comes to that, how do you prepare for tomorrow knowing that you're going to face a good pitcher regardless?

TIM WALTON: Yeah, each one of our players has a little bit different plan or process going through a different routine, so we'll obviously stick to those things. I think those are important.

Last weekend we faced a majority left-handed. This week we'll face a different look, today, tomorrow. Oklahoma's got a good left-hander as well.

We'll see what we have. We'll prep and get ready. There's obviously going to be 70 on the board tomorrow from a lot of different people. So we just got to be prepared and be on time and be ready to go.

THE MODERATOR: Any more questions for Coach Walton? Okay. Thank you.