WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: BATON ROUGE REGIONAL

May 17, 2026

Pete D'Amour

Kylie Aldridge

Michelle Chatfield

Tiger Park

Virginia Tech Hokies

Postgame Press Conference

LSU 7, Virginia Tech 2

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Kylie Aldridge and Michelle Chatfield.

Q. Do you feel like you all had a little momentum left over from last night? You all seemed to start the game pretty well. Did you feel any of that today?

KYLIE ALDRIDGE: Yeah, I felt like we took our hitting in and just tried to roll with the punches and just try to keep hitting the ball as hard as we could. I thought we did a good job taking whatever we had from last night into this morning.

MICHELLE CHATFIELD: Yeah, I think we started off how we wanted to. We went at them from the beginning, and we did what we could do, and I think that paid off to start, and that was good for us.

Q. Do you feel like you put good swings but just LSU's defense was really on point today?

MICHELLE CHATFIELD: I think we definitely put off swings we wanted to. I mean, to start, we hit a lot of hard balls right at people. If they don't fall, I mean, everyone knows the wind here is tough. If those balls don't fall. Kylie had one the first inning and that should have gone out maybe a different field. But that's just how the ball rolls, and I think we put some good swings off to start.

Q. What made LSU's pitcher so effective today?

KYLIE ALDRIDGE: I think her ability to change speeds and just kind of get us a little off balance and letting us kind of pop fly out a little bit here and there. I just think we made adjustments, and we kind of made them too late.

MICHELLE CHATFIELD: I think she stuck with her stuff well. She kept at it even when we were hitting balls hard and that paid off for her.

Q. What do you feel like made LSU the better team than the Hokies this weekend?

MICHELLE CHATFIELD: I don't know if I'd ever call one team better than the other. I think they played well this weekend, and we did what we could and we just came up short, and I think we still played hard, and I'm glad we did it with these girls.

Q. Obviously with the loss, that concludes your career at Virginia Tech. What will you take most from your time here and your four years at Virginia Tech?

KYLIE ALDRIDGE: I'll definitely just thank the coaches for everything they've given me and for the opportunity. They stuck with me my freshman year, which is kind of something I didn't know if I'd necessarily expect. I think the coaches and the players here because there's nothing like Virginia Tech.

Q. To follow along that, as team leaders, both seniors and juniors, what message can you lend especially to the younger players, some of them having larger roles for the first time this year, with the season ending, what message could you give to them -- obviously Michelle you'll still be here.

KYLIE ALDRIDGE: I think just being able to roll with the punches and go one pitch at a time is the biggest thing. The faster you learn how to just get over something bad happening, I think the faster you can do something well. I think just being able to make adjustments and have fun with the people you're around and take every pitch that we're really focusing on and just take it and do whatever you can with it.

MICHELLE CHATFIELD: I think this year we had the most fun we've had together. And I think that's because everyone wanted to do it for each other. And it's not an individual game, and you'll never win when it's an individual game. And so leaning into each other and I think we did a really good job of that, and I think we're all really proud of what we left on the field.

Q. Kylie, as you reflect on your time here at Virginia Tech and your tenure, what are you proud of?

KYLIE ALDRIDGE: I'm proud of the way I was able to grow from my freshman year to now. I didn't really have great offensive stats my freshman or really my sophomore year, just being able to really develop as a player on and off the field, I think, really helped me.

Q. Michelle, obviously a lot of people next to you I think all but two of your regulars in your batting order and all three pitchers that pitched today will be back. Because of that, I mean, do you have some optimism that you can build upon this year and you guys will be pretty good next year?

MICHELLE CHATFIELD: Absolutely. I mean, on to the next. I think we're all really excited to get back at it already. Have the summer and we'll go back at it, and we're all still here. Still having fun. I think it will be good.

Q. Going back to the game here, yesterday seemed like LSU attacked you all in the zone. You all got behind in counts. Was there more of an emphasis today on swinging early, trying to get a bat on the ball early?

MICHELLE CHATFIELD: Yeah, I think we were more aggressive today, and I think that showed in the first few innings. Whether or not it paid off towards the end of the game, that's okay. I think we got some good swings off. And then we went at them more aggressive today. I think we're all proud of that.

Q. Michelle, obviously you played as a pitcher in high school. Is there anything you kind of say to Bree when she's going through those moments in the circle when she's kind of struggling?

MICHELLE CHATFIELD: I think at this point Bree knows what she's doing out there better than I do. So I can only give her tips on mindset. But I think she had a good mindset today, and she never got down on herself, and that was important, and that helped her. But I think she's got it out there.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, an opening statement.

PETE D'AMOUR: Not the ideal game, obviously. I felt like we were playing really well coming into this weekend and just didn't play as well as I thought we would. For whatever reason.

But we always fought. Didn't feel like we quit. I mean, you look at the season, 48-12, that's the most wins I've ever had as a head coach.

So fun team to be around. I want to thank the seniors. I want to thank the staff. It was a fun year for me.

Q. When you see the emotion from Kylie as a senior, I know you were hugging her, she talked about the staff believing in her, your opportunity to maybe talk to her about her career and what she meant to the program?

PETE D'AMOUR: Yeah, I think she's a little bit too modest. Halfway through her freshman year she was struggling offensively, and then she just kind of took off. I don't know what her average or whatever her sophomore year, but it's better than the freshman year. And got better and better, just a great kid. Great ambassador for our program. Talking about a kid that slapped, and she's leaving here probably 30, 40 homers. I mean, just a good player. Sad to see her go.

Q. Did you feel like y'all had some energy and momentum coming in from last night, and did that help you all in those early innings?

PETE D'AMOUR: Yeah, our kids were ready to go. You look at games like today, and just in Regionals in general, and you see the box score, 7-2. I see it more as certain plays in the game. And so Kylie absolutely tattoos one the first inning into the wind.

I'm not using wind as an excuse. I mean, they played in it too. But if that gets you two runs on the board. And then you had the fly ball that Rachel -- the ball just pushed it out of the way. The wind just pushed it out of her reach. That was two more runs. Addy smoked one. It was a closer game than what the box score indicates.

So our kids are ready. Never sensed any fear. They're ready to roll.

Q. What did you see from LSU's pitcher today as she retired the final 16 batters to end the game?

PETE D'AMOUR: Yeah, mixing speeds. Didn't throw too much over the plate. I think we got a little bit too aggressive at the end trying to get five-run homer. But I'd rather have our kids be more aggressive than passive. So I can't knock our kids for that.

But she's a good pitcher. Two and a half ERA in this conference is saying something.

Q. What did you see from Addyson today? She obviously went 2-for-3?

PETE D'AMOUR: Good hitter. She's been a good hitter all year. I think she might have broke the all-time doubles record in a season today. So just a fighter like the rest of our kids. Wants the next at-bat. I'm glad we have her.

Q. What do you feel like made LSU the better team than Virginia Tech this weekend?

PETE D'AMOUR: They just played cleaner. Doesn't necessarily mean, you know, they ran us out of the building. They played cleaner. Had some breaks, played well. So just like what Michelle said, you never think that somebody's just better. The score indicates that. But, yeah, I thought we hung in there with them.

Q. You got significant contributions especially this year from Bree Carrico and Avery Layton, what do you make of their freshman seasons and how do you think this could serve as a learning experience going forward?

PETE D'AMOUR: Yeah, you said it. It's learning. Bree didn't throw at all last year, and First Team All-Conference I believe in a really good league. You've got Avery that got better and better and better as the year went on.

I think the experience that they threw or they had this weekend throwing will just help them get better. You know what's expected of you now. And now it's, do you try to keep getting better, or is it I'm already good? I don't see that in them. The bad taste in our mouth right now is going to help them in the summer.

Q. With the loss of a bunch of players last year like McMillan, Lemley, and a bunch of new players taking on full-time roles this year, would you view this year as kind of a transitional year and what does it bode for next year?

PETE D'AMOUR: No, I don't see it as a transition. I mean, I think you look at eight years that I've been here, eight or seven Regionals -- because '20 doesn't count -- that's what we do. We try to make our players better.

And I think Coach Johnson said it at the end. Everybody's going to feel bad except for one team. We're always fighting to win the last game. There's one team that's going to be excited at the end of the year. So for us, I mean, the baseline is Regionals. That's what it is. So whether the whole team left or one or two, I mean, we expect to be back in this situation and learn how to win these games from now on.

Q. Third inning what did you notice about how they were able to get to Bree in that inning? What was the difference there?

PETE D'AMOUR: Well, I think they had a good game plan on the rise. They were not hitting the ball in the air. They were hitting on the ground. But she got out of -- one play away from getting out of that with maybe two runs. I think it was the, like I said, the pop-up. We catch that one.

That was a tough play. So it's not like we botched it or anything. They had a good game plan for her. I'm not really convinced she's 100 percent. She's not going to use this as an excuse. But she went out there and gave us what she had. Four runs, but at the time it was only 4-2. It wasn't like we were out of the ball game.

Q. You know what it takes to get to a super regional. You've done it before. Fourth straight year bowing out in the regional round, where does the improvement have to come from to get you guys just that much better where you're winning a regional final?

PETE D'AMOUR: I think just, number one, you've got to play better. Like I said, I don't think coming into this weekend we thought we were not going to win. You play well and there's a better outcome. But I think it goes to how do we get to be home instead of on the road? It's a big deal. And it's really challenging in our league. Just our geographic location to get yourself in a position, regardless of how many games that you win, to be playing at home for the last two weekends of the year.

So we'll crunch the numbers. I think as far as ability goes, we're one of the most talented teams in the country. And what can we do to put ourselves in a position, if anything, that we can be at home the last two weekends of the year.

Q. With all the folks you have back, poised to be back next year, are you kind of optimistic and encouraged with the core you've got back next year?

PETE D'AMOUR: Sure. I'm optimistic about every year we have. Just kind of rolls off the last question, two questions ago, about you lose, do you see yourself regrouping. And I said, no, it's a reload. Because I've been asked that question probably every time I've been sitting at this table, what are you going to do when Keely Rochard graduates or Emma Ritter or Lemley. It's the same every year. It's just try to reload and make your kids better and win as many games as you can.

Q. After a season-ending loss like this, what do you say to the team? What's your message to them?

PETE D'AMOUR: Well, you thank your seniors. You thank the players. 48-12. It's a big number. And so this loss is going to sting and it should if it means something to you, if being part of this team means something to you, then this loss will sting.

But you look back and always fought, won a bunch of softball games. Also said don't listen to the noise after this. It's just what it is. There's one team that's going to be happy, whether it's this weekend or next weekend or the World Series, there's going to be teams feeling just like we do.

So we had a great year. I mean, we broke a lot of offensive records, and there's a lot to be proud of. They're not going to feel that right now, but they will. And so just proud of them. Told them I loved them and we'll get after it again.