Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Nebraska
April 26, 2015
Goodman Diamond - Madison, Wis.
Recap | Box Score
UW Head Coach Yvette Healy
On the seniors, Marissa Mersch, Megan Tancill, and Maria Van Abel:
"They've been an awesome group. Having a crowd like that has a lot to do with having three local kids on the field that are seniors. You've got two local kids and a Chicago kid. I think that really helped. This is one of those years that's really tough and thank goodness we've got seniors like this that they're great kids. They're sticking with us, they buy in, they work hard, so when you know your seniors have your back and they're dedicated, it goes a long way. So it could feel a lot worse, but having these seniors they make us have a lot of hope for the future of the program."
On playing in front of a sold out crowd:
"That's the atmosphere that every girl grows up dreaming to play in front of. That's got a lot to do with Coach (Randy) Schneider does hundreds of clinics across the state and is really involved. We've all been out in the state trying to embrace it. It's something in the last five years when we took over that the state's really important to us. From a recruiting standpoint, from clinics, camps and getting involved. To see a crowd like that I think it's a reflection of there's a lot of softball and Badger fans in the state."
On if they've been able to set a foundation for the future:
"I think this class has definitely helped us stay afloat. Having a couple local kids that are walk-ons that become scholarship players for you in your senior class, it helps you tie the bridge to get ther. But it's going to be a process. Next year we're going to be young again because we're going to bring in a lot of kids. So it's going to be an uphill climb. But they'll help us to make that transition. The culture is looking good and these seniors really helped establish a great, hard-working championship culture."
On if Senior Day is a distraction or if Nebraska just came out to play:
"Nebraska is just an outstanding team. They played, they brought their A-game. Our girls were focused. I did tell the senior parents before they came out on the field, jokingly I said, "no crying." This is there last game and the senior parents already had tears in their eyes and I started getting a little emotional. Emotion is part of it and I think it's a good thing. These kids are emotionally invested, the parents are emotionally invested. We don't take it lightly that we love our players and that goes a long way. We have a ton of respect for them and what they've done for the program. It's fun to celebrate them. Relationships are what's going to matter years from now rather than the wins and losses."
On Nebraska being a bubble team:
"They're quality. You look at them they took two-out-of-three at Northwestern last weekend. It was an outstanding weekend for them, so they're playing hot, they're a quality team and they're legacy. We go play at their field and it says 50+ NCAA tournament wins and seven college world series. So it's great to play legacy programs like that because that's what we want to be. So it's always good, we learn stuff every time we play them."
On Nebraska coming out firing:
"Top to bottom they're stacked. They are an impressive program. I wouldn't say it was us playing down as much as them playing up. Our team is doing the most with their talent right now. So we've got the effort and the heart, I just think we were overmatched."
Senior CF Maria Van Abel
On today's game and Nebraska's pitcher Kaylan Jablonski:
"She really worked her lanes and she was really effective with her screwball to lefties. She mixed some curveballs which kept us a little off balanced. Nebraska is a really good team and they're facing great competition this year. They're on the bubble to make the NCAA tournament. So when you see competition like that you can expect to see a good outing from their pitchers and they did a great job, hats off to them."
On the atmosphere at Goodmand Diamond:
"It was amazing. You couldn't ask for more on your last home series senior weekend. To see extra bleachers in the outfield and the stands literally filled with red, that's all our team can ask for. That just shows where Wisconsin Softball is as a program. The climb and the rise that we're making right now. That's pretty cool when you get that many people coming out to watch your last home series. We're super excited about that."
On her emotions before the game and Senior Day:
"It was really fun. Us, the three seniors, have been together for four years now and we've lived together for the last two, so we're a really close group. Then it was just fun to have all our family and friends here. It was a pretty cool thing especially with the packed house to walk out there and see how much support we've had. That's all you could ask for, so it was a pretty special day and we're excited that people were here to share it with us."
On how much the program has changed in the past four years:
"It's seen tremendous growth. I can't even imagine how much work and energy these coaches have put in before we got here. It's just been amazing. When we came in , the cultures were changing and the coaches were doing their best to get things back on track. And what they've done in the last five years has been unheard of really when you think of where the program was. So it's on the rise and that's really exciting as a senior going out knowing that you're leaving the program in such good hands especially with these young girls and coaches. I'm excited to see where it's going to go."
