Texas Tech is headed to the Women's College World Series for the first time in school history but just like the closing moments of the teams 2-1 clinching victory over No. 5 Florida State on Friday - nothing that led up to this moment was easy.
You can dream about it. Be told about it. Talk about it.
But to actually BE about it? That’s where special lies - after the talk and before the celebration trophy shots - it’s in the work.
“The moment we signed NiJa Canady I was coaching to go to the World Series,” recounted Texas Tech softball head coach Gerry Glasco. “Anything less than that would be a disappointment. Everything we have done beginning with fall practices has been based on getting this program to the World Series.”
Those practices were intense. Glasco left the ballpark some days wondering if he had been too hard on the players. Some may have wondered exactly what they had gotten themselves into….but they never quit. They kept showing back up asking for more and you could see hints of confidence from players start to seep out early on.
"Oklahoma City." That's what the team's RBI leader redshirt-sophomore Lauren Allred answered without hesitation only weeks after arriving in Lubbock in September. "I know everybody says 'oh yeah let's go to the World Series' but no, real talk, that's the goal."
Again, you can dream about it, be told about it and talk about it. But getting a completely new team, with the talk of the offseason NiJaree Canady leading the way, to actually BE about it when everyone on their schedule has a “feeling like a million bucks” tweet in their drafts hoping to knock them off?
It takes time - it took time.
Texas Tech dropped their second game of the season and first Top 25 opportunity to Mississippi State. They bounced back quickly to beat Top 25 Nebraska the next day in a wild late inning comeback, then fought into the 8th inning against a then No. 1 Texas a week later. Vibes were trending up...only for the team to lose back-to-back games with unranked North Texas and Idaho State just two weeks later.
“The first thing we had to do was establish a culture of mentally tough kids,” explained Glasco. “That was really hard to do and confusing to the athletes.”
Ask the team what the turning point was and you will get a combination of answers. Some will point to the return of senior leader Demi Elder from injury in the final game of the team’s mid-conference non-con trip to Top 10 South Carolina. Others will point to an “upset” on the road, taking the series from Top 15 Arizona to hold a commanding Big 12 standings lead.
Perhaps winning the first Big 12 title in school history helped with that growth as well, not to mention doing it at home while celebrating with family and friends on the field at Rocky Johnson.
Certainly going on a 26-0 scoring tear over their opponents at the Big 12 Tournament to win another trophy didn’t hurt either.
But amidst all of this, it was a team meeting that Glasco points to as the true catalyst for this postseason run.
“Three weeks ago we had a team meeting and I said look I don’t have to coach you the same way now, you are tough. You are very tough. Now we have fun,” Glasco shared. “We put our focus now on playing the game with joy, play the game with fun because you are a mentally tough ball club now. They’ve shifted gears and relaxed. I turned it over to the team to lead from within.”
Since the start of postseason play, conference tournament included, Texas Tech has won eight straight games while outscoring their opponents 56-9. The most recent of that coming in the team’s ‘by the rankings’ upset of the number five overall seed ACC Champion Florida State Seminoles.
A veteran and all-around DAWG on the team Alana Johnson shared her perspective on where the “swagger” her head coach talked about originated.
“I think it comes from how hard we prepare and just knowing that we have each other’s backs,” said Johnson. “Knowing that we can play loose, play free and trusting that we will just get the job done at the end of the day.”
That level of freedom led to Tech scoring in the first inning for the second day in a row when Johnson herself drove Mihyia Davis in on a sac-fly to left. It was a shallow fly ball mere mortals wouldn’t have even thought to test the left fielder on but for Davis it was light work as her blazing speed gave the Red Raiders an important 1-0 lead. This run also moved her into a tie for the most runs scored in a season by an individual in school history at 63. The junior has a chance to move into first place later this week at the College World Series in Oklahoma City.
While that run was enough to pace Tech for much of the game it was an RBI single from senior Demi Elder in the fifth that turned out to be the all important game winning hit. Elder worked a 3-1 count, got her pitch and belted one up the middle to bring around Johnson from second.
“I was pretty locked in,” said Elder. “The whole at bat I was just telling myself at the end of the day it’s just a game of softball so just stay calm and get a ball through the gap.”
The pace on her hit being more important than normal as Johnson collided with the FSU shortstop on the play but since the ball was already past the infield it was not deemed runner’s interference and a heady Johnson scrambled around third to score what would end up the winning run in the game. The play was reviewed and the decision was upheld to give Tech a 2-0 lead heading into the sixth.
That eventually led to a three more outs and you are headed to the College World Series scenario with Canady in the circle for the top of the seventh. Nothing is ever easy though and this certainly wasn’t either as FSU rallied to start the inning with two on and nobody out. After a quick meeting in the circle, Canady took a breath - centered herself - and went to work.
“Just do what I do,” said Canady after the game when asked what adjustments were made throughout this clinching game. “We always say our best is better, so I’m always going to fall back to what I’m most comfortable with.”
From Gerry Glasco’s first press conference in July when he said Oklahoma City is always the goal. To his players echoing that at the first practice in the fall, and sharing that same mindset in their first media availability of the season - the goal has never been a secret on this team.
They never shied away from the talk. But most of all they never shied away from the work, and because of that they are headed to the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history. Can't say that enough times.
Tech was the first of eight teams who will punch a ticket to OKC and awaits the winner of the Arkansas and Ole Miss Super Regional in Fayetteville. The WCWS takes place May 29 - June 6. Ticket and bracket information can be found here.
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