WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: BATON ROUGE REGIONAL

May 15, 2026

Pete D'Amour

Kylie Aldridge

Bree Carrico

Tiger Park

Virginia Tech Hokies

Postgame Press Conference

Virginia Tech 6, South Alabama 0

PETE D'AMOUR: Just a postseason softball game. Came in with a pretty decent plan. We knew Harrison's a good pitcher. I told the team afterwards, make pitches, make plays, and that's what we did. I'm proud of our effort today. We move on now.

Q. Kylie, congratulations. Can you talk us through that at-bat, what's your mindset when you go up there with no score with the bases loaded.

KYLIE ALDRIDGE: I was trying to put the ball in play. I swung and missed at the same pitch two times in a row. So I kind of figured that's what I was going to get when I got to a 1-2 count. I kind of looked for that pitch, and I was able to get it.

Q. Bree, what's -- in the final last week, how comfortable were you feeling out there today?

BREE CARRICO: Yeah, I felt good. I think just going out there and competing and throwing strikes and my defensive play was a big part of it today.

Q. My question is to Kylie. Kylie, your home run came with two strikes. What about your approach in two-strike counts allows you to be able to be so effective?

KYLIE ALDRIDGE: Yeah, just trying to shorten my stride and just looking for that pitch. It worked out. She's a great pitcher.

I did a good job because my teammates were on base in front of me, so being able to pass the bat.

Q. For the players, obviously what's kind of the mindset of the team? You played so well today, and now you're off to the quarterfinal tomorrow.

KYLIE ALDRIDGE: I think just being able to refocus and go to the next game tomorrow, whoever it is. Being able to focus pitch to pitch, things aren't going to always go our way. So being able to reset every time and remember what kind of team you are.

Q. Bree, what was working for you in the circle today?

BREE CARRICO: I think just throwing strikes, letting my defense work. Yeah, just getting ahead of the batters, I think was a big thing.

Q. Pete, what did you like about the pitching you got from both Bree and from Avery today?

PETE D'AMOUR: They were in the strike zone, moving the pitches. Avery came in throwing hard (indiscernible). Make their offense beat you, and that's what happened.

Q. Coach, what did Kylie's grand slam do for you guys to energize your offense and your bats a little?

PETE D'AMOUR: I felt a little more comfortable, I guess, but I never felt any apprehension or any fear or anything in the dugout. Just going over the fence got us rolling.

Q. What did you get out of that double play that (indiscernible) had there at first (indiscernible) at third?

PETE D'AMOUR: She caught it and was ready to throw right away. If she hesitated just a split second, the kid would be safe at third.

It was a great play by her. She's a great first baseman defensively.

Q. It seemed like South Alabama's pitcher (indiscernible) over time. What did you like about how your team was able to adjust to her pitching style?

PETE D'AMOUR: Yeah, she's a good pitcher, gets it up and down, decent change-up. You come to this level and you get to postseason, it's not realistic to think you're going to come out and just get a bunch of runs right away.

I think once we saw her one time in the lineup, we knew we were missing (indiscernible) a little bit. And just tried to go on top and see what happens.

Q. Just looking at the statistics for the season, you all were ranked very highly in RBIs and home runs. For the longest time you had five runs on three hits through 4 1/2, 5 innings. Has that been your MO all season long or something that just played out today to have so many runs?

PETE D'AMOUR: No, that was something we tried to emphasize. In Super Regionals, we got some hits but didn't score any runs. You get to this level, it's unrealistic to think you can get that many hits off a pitcher like that. So if we can maximize on the swings, it really helps.

Q. Coach, no hits from your 1 through 3 batters today. What's it mean just to have that strength at the bottom in the cycle?

PETE D'AMOUR: 1 through 3 don't get hits, then you've got 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. It's very rare that our top three don't have any offensive production, but that's all right. They can do it tomorrow. There's no freaking out or anything like that. Just kind of pass the bat and let the next one go to work.

Q. Obviously they had runners on base today, but none of them came across. What did you see from your pitchers and their mentality when runs were on base?

PETE D'AMOUR: If you're going to get hits, that's fine, but keep getting passes. You can't walk the next one or can't have a wild pitch or any of that stuff, just attack them.

I didn't see any freaking out when runners got on base. Just continued to do their thing and make pitches and get outs.

Q. Pete, obviously Kylie with a big swing today. What has she meant to Virginia this year?

PETE D'AMOUR: It's not just this year, all four years she's been a workhorse for us. Got better every year. Always getting good grades. Great teammates.

I've said this a bunch of times this year, she's working harder this year than she ever has, which is a testament to her. She just wants to go out on a high note.

Q. Can you speak to Zoe Yaeger? She expressed frustration probably in April about she felt she wasn't swinging the bat as well?

PETE D'AMOUR: She's the most underrated player on our team, the most underrated. You look at her stats, and what is it, .320 -- .330. She went through a spell there where she probably hit eight balls right at people that were line drives. So that .330 going through is .380.

One thing with her is to keep fighting. She might have expressed frustrations, but she's a smart player. When you play softball and you don't control what happens once you hit the ball in the field of play. So just stick with it, get through those doldrums, as you call them, and hit balls hard.

I can't say it enough. She's the most underrated on our team and the most underrated in the country, I think.

Q. Avery Layton came in for the final three innings. How have you seen her develop over the freshman season?

PETE D'AMOUR: She's more comfortable throwing at this level. That's the big part of it. She's always had great stuff, highly touted recruit, getting her opportunities now. This is the kid that we recruited. I'm not surprised by it. She's got good stuff, low 70s, up and down, good change-up. Just more comfortable as a freshman.

Q. What do you think of how your defense played today as a whole?

PETE D'AMOUR: Same old, same old, make plays. We're a freestyle defense. Just make basic plays, and if you make the superstar ones, that's a bonus.

Our team is solid. We're out there on the field just to make basic plays and see what happens.

THE MODERATOR: Virginia Tech will play tomorrow at noon right back here in Baton Rouge. Coach, thank you for your time. We'll see you tomorrow.