WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: BATON ROUGE REGIONAL

May 16, 2026

Becky Clark

Ansleigh Smith

Sydney Scapin

Tiger Park

South Alabama Jaguars

Postgame Press Conference

Akron 1, South Alabama 0

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by South Alabama head coach Becky Clark, also with Ansleigh Smith and Sydney Scapin. We'll allow Coach Clark to make her opening statement and then take questions for the players first. Coach, the mic is yours.

BECKY CLARK: Very proud of our student-athletes. Sorry. I'm not a good loser. Very proud of our student-athletes and the way they've represented the University of South Alabama this year. I think that they have given people a glimpse of what our university is about.

We have amazing people. These guys, their just professionalism, their grit, their toughness, I would like to think that we have represented the university in a first-class manner.

So proud of them and everything they've accomplished. Not the way we wanted it to end, obviously. But, you know, the conference championship, I just told them, is something no one will ever take away from them. I think this gives us something to build on going into next year. A lot of young players on the field. Two of them sitting next to me.

So a lot of youth on this team. So I think it was a huge blessing for those younger players to be able to play and win a conference championship and then play in a regional and get that experience and know what that looks like. So I think that's something that we really need to build on moving forward.

I think when you look at the youth, it shows you that the future is bright for South Alabama softball.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. Questions for the players.

Q. Sydney, for the first question, this Akron team has been proficiently hitting all season. They've been setting new season highs with everything from walks to home runs. You had a really strong outing today, five innings, one hit. What were you seeing out there? What was kind of working for you on the mound today?

SYDNEY SCAPIN: They just had really big swings, so going up there and trusting my spin and letting my ball move, and just really trusting my curve change, keeping them off balance with that.

Q. Ansleigh, you had three hits today. A strong outing from you at the plate. What were you seeing and what was working for you as you were taking your at-bats today?

ANSLEIGH SMITH: Yeah, I've just been really focused on approach. Kind of finding, you know -- going up there with an idea of what I want to hit and what I want to do. I'm glad to have those three hits, but obviously, you know, I would have loved to have come through in the end.

Q. It's definitely not the way you'd want your season to end, but kind of touching on what your coach has talked about, both of you are sophomores. You had a good freshman year for both of you, but you took a step up this year. This question is for both of y'all. How do you feel reflecting on everything this season in the grand scheme? It's hard to do after a loss, but after everything.

SYDNEY SCAPIN: Yeah, I'm just grateful that, you know, like I got the opportunity this year to go out there and, you know, really show what I knew I could do last year, but really doing it this year. I'm just, yeah, very grateful.

Q. I was going to say, Sydney, when you are in a pitching duel like this, because both of y'all are so tough for hitters, do you feel extra pressure, or are you just in your rhythm? Because your numbers were outstanding today. Was there anything adding to it, knowing everything on the line? Because you were just really in a groove.

SYDNEY SCAPIN: I try to keep a clear head whenever I'm pitching, but, I mean, not -- I don't really feel extra added pressure. I try to stay within my teammates and really just cheer them on to keep me out of my head, because me helping -- me cheering on my teammates really is something big for me that keeps me out of my head.

Q. Coach, you're nodding your head. With a player as young as she is, you acknowledged earlier, with her ability to stay in the game as she mentioned?

BECKY CLARK: Well, I'm nodding my head because Syd is one of the most unselfish players we have on our team. I think for her to be as good as she is and to have had the success she's had and the humility that she has -- sorry. I cry when I care; so obviously I care about Syd.

Yeah, just I think just the success she's had throughout her career, not just college, but high school as well. She puts up -- she's put up some Mickey Mouse numbers. For her to be just as humble as she is and be such a great teammate, that's what I'm proud of her for, is that she's a team player, and she fights for the program. So it's a big deal.

Q. When you talk about building, the fact that you won four straight, five of six coming to Baton Rouge. Obviously this last game is never the easy one. When you talked to your team afterwards, did you focus on the momentum you had at the end of the season to where you got to right now, or how do you take that going into next year?

BECKY CLARK: Yeah, I think, like I said before, I think the youth being able to play at this level -- like, this is a drug; right? You do it, and you want to do it over and over and over again. So it's a great motivator that you get to compete for, you know -- you compete for a conference championship. You win it, and then the feeling that goes along with that. Then you're on this stage and the feeling that goes along with that. That's something if you are a competitor, you want to do that over and over.

I think just for them for the hard work that they've put in, they've really given themselves a building block going into next year.

Q. Ansleigh, I see you nodding your head. As a younger player, what's your biggest takeaway from the run you made at the end of the season, winning the title, coming here? I know you're leaving earlier than you wanted, but what's your biggest takeaway going into next year?

ANSLEIGH SMITH: I would say that my biggest takeaway was just showing that, you know, regardless of what's going on in this season or whatever outsiders might say or whatever, what matters is you and your teammates and the work that y'all put in and just knowing that you put the work in and just coming out here regardless of the stage, whether that's conference or regionals. It's the same game it's always been.

Just bouncing off my teammates and just letting our work, our hard work, put us in a position to succeed.