NIL

Group effort, gutsy calls propel Texas Tech softball into WCWS semifinals

Texas Tech softball coach Gerry Glasco on facing UCLA in Women’s College World Series Texas Tech softball coach Gerry Glasco on facing UCLA in Women’s College World Series OKLAHOMA CITY — “I want you to just take off and go kamikaze.” Makayla Garcia had no idea what to make of Gerry Glasco’s words. She just […]

Published

on


play

OKLAHOMA CITY — “I want you to just take off and go kamikaze.”

Makayla Garcia had no idea what to make of Gerry Glasco’s words. She just knew she had to trust the Texas Tech softball head coach.

Locked in a scoreless battle with UCLA in the winner’s bracket of the Women’s College World Series, the Red Raiders had their best chance to score a run. NiJaree Canady’s double put runners at second and third with one out in the top of the fifth inning. After Lauren Allred got caught trying for home for the second out, the opportunity seemed to be slipping through their grasp.

Glasco, though, is nothing if not ambitious. Multiple times throughout the season he’s sent runners when it wasn’t ideal, admitting he’s a coach who likes to take chances.

This was a big chance. Glasco was asking Garcia, the Lubbock native who joined the Red Raiders after winning a Division II national title with UT-Tyler as a freshman, to steal home plate.

“We had a plan,” Garcia said. “Coach Glasco told me, ‘We’re gonna go and we’re gonna take a chance.’ I had to trust him in that moment and I trust him.”

With Victoria Valdez facing two strikes at the plate, the Texas Tech catcher took a pitch, which was called a ball. UCLA catcher Alexis Ramirez didn’t notice that Garcia hadn’t stopped running home, so she casually threw the ball back to pitcher Taylor Tinsley.

Valdez backed off the plate just enough for Garcia to have a clear path, allowing Garcia to slide between Ramirez’s legs for the first run of the game.

“I thought it was just a cool moment,” Garcia said. “It was a crazy moment just to slide in between someone’s legs in the World Series.”

While NiJaree Canady was again her dominant self in the circle (seven strikeouts, four hits, two walks and one run allowed in the complete-game win) and added the key double to set up the score — Garcia came in to pinch run for Canady — the Red Raiders needed the entire team to secure the 3-1 victory over the Bruins.

Following Garcia’s steal of home, Kaniya Bragg hit a solo home run to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. That’s when freshman Hailey Toney showed again that she has Canady’s back.

During the Lubbock Regional championship against Mississippi State, Canady — battling a blister and strong West Texas winds — allowed a pair of three-run innings to the Bulldogs. Each time, Toney hit a solo home run in the bottom of the frame to turn momentum back in Tech’s favor.

The Magnolia native did it again Saturday night in Devon Park. Toney battled Tinsley to a full count, then took the seventh pitch of the at-bat over the wall in right for another home run. Toney hit four home runs throughout the regular season and has three in Tech’s 10 postseason games.

“My second at-bat, I was on it,” Toney said. “I felt good when I swung, it just didn’t happen to go my way. And then my third at-bat, I just was literally trusting my swing and (Glasco) telling me to get on top. Get on top, and then it just happened.”

Trust is a crucial factor for Glasco, not just the coach trusting the players, but the players trusting the coach. Glasco said he makes substitutions and pinch-hitting decisions partly on feel, but mostly on needing to give everybody in the dugout a chance to show they belong.

“I think it’s really important to give them a chance, give kids chances to help us,” Glasco said. “We get up at 8:30 and go hitting at 9 o’clock. We’ve had to work. … Everybody’s doing the same thing every day, and they may only get one at-bat, but that one at-bat’s really important for them mentally to know that they had an opportunity to help their teammates and to play for the sisters in the dugout.”

That’s why Glasco opted to give Logan Halleman a pinch-hit opportunity in the sixth, and why he gave one to Raegan Jennings in the seventh with two outs. It wasn’t something Bailey Lindemuth or Demi Elder did or didn’t do, it was about giving everybody a chance to contribute.

Jennings delivered in her opportunity, blooping an RBI single in the top of the seventh to give Canady an insurance run.

“I thought,” Glasco said, “I want them have a chance to help us.”

Texas Tech needed reserves in Garcia and Jennings to come away with the win. Glasco isn’t afraid to insert anybody into the game, because he feels the players need to stick together, especially this late in the postseason.

“It has to be like a sisterhood,” Glasco said. “It has to become like a family of players that they’re fighting for each other, and that’s your strongest. … you get more power out of that emotionally than any other thing, when you get them playing to take care of the family. So I gotta give them a chance.”

Glasco wants to give his players opportunities, even in big moments. The first one Friday was telling Garcia to steal home. It paid off in a highlight-worthy play, and gave the hometown kid another reason to be thankful for her return to Lubbock.

“It’s definitely just so special to put Lubbock on the map,” Garcia said, “and getting to show everyone what Texas Tech is really made of.”



Link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version