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Q&A with Ohio State Head Coach Linda Kalafatis
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 08/24/2007
Buckeye mentor chats about a new season, the 2007-08 schedule and the stadium
COLUMBUS, Ohio – It has been nearly four months since Ohio State lifted those two Big Ten trophies in the air at Buckeye Field, and although all may be quite on the diamond at the moment, that does not mean the Buckeyes are not hard at work pursuing another successful season in 2007-08.
We caught up with head coach Linda Kalafatis and sat down for a question and answer session with the 2007 Big Ten Coach of the Year, who will enter her 12th season at Ohio State next month. Practice begins in mid-September for the Buckeyes, and with it will come a new team, a new schedule, and a few new questions.
Coach, your offensive lineup included six left-handed hitters the last couple years, but three of those lefties, including two slappers, have now graduated. Without having practiced yet, what kind of an impact do you think will that will have on your 2008 team?
“More than what side of the box they bat from, we will miss some very experienced and gutty players. But that’s college athletics – everyone deals with change every year. We have some really good returning athletes and some really good athletes coming in and they will all be hungry to fill the gaps. As for the lefties, we prepared for that since we will have four incoming left-handed hitters. I am excited about the make-up of our team.”
Are there any returning players who you foresee making position switches this coming season?
“We anticipate Courtney Pruner will return to the infield and play first base. We also talked with Tory Haddad about getting some experience there so that she has an opportunity to play there if Pruner goes in to pitch. We’ll use the fall to decide who will compete for what positions and also to get our young players adjusted to the college game and the way we do things.”
The 2008 senior class will be one of the smaller senior classes, but the two seniors you have are All-Big Ten standouts in Liz Caputo and Brittany Vanderink. What do they need to do to lead the team?
“Liz and Brittany are already off to a good start. Back at the end of the spring quarter they came into my office and started asking what we needed from them and what they can do to be great leaders for the team. They will obviously need to be two of the hardest workers on the team and be great communicators. They are going to have to use their experience and drive to lead the way.”
With the addition of Lindsay Bodeker, the pitching staff for 2008 is now four strong with the return of Kim Reeder, Megan Miller and Courtney Pruner. How do you see that staff shaping up and trying to make up for the loss of Jamee Juarez?
“It will be hard to replace the career and impact that Jamee had, but I don’t want those players to replace Jamee as much as I would like them to be as good as they can possibly be individually. That will mean working hard every time out in the bullpen, on the field and in the weight room. Kim Reeder is ready and able to step her game up and be the ‘go to’ pitcher. Megan is hungry to see the field and make a greater impact. Courtney will do whatever we ask of her and we’ll need production from her in many different ways. I haven’t seen a whole lot of Lindsay yet to be able to know how she will impact our team, but I do know she is excited to be a part of our program and will work hard to make a difference for us and we’re glad to have her.”
The 2008 schedule is not finalized yet, but what are some highlights or changes from the past?
“As always, we want to play a highly competitive schedule that will not only prepare us for the challenges of the Big Ten season, but will also give us the opportunity for an at-large bid if we don’t win the Big Ten Tournament. I try mix up our locations and yet still keep one or two trips the same. We will attend the Palm Springs Classic again, which is widely regarded as the best collegiate tournament. Also, because of a late change to our academic schedule, we will not be making our annual spring break trip to southern California. Another change would be that we are the ‘odd team out’ in the Big Ten schedule, so we will not have a travel partner thus we will not play the final weekend of the conference season.”
It looks like the stadium project hit a snag and will be pushed back a year. Will that have any impact on the season?
“It’s no doubt disappointing, but it won’t have an impact on our season. We know it will happen soon and it will be spectacular. We can’t control the market value of materials and unfortunately we ran into some time crunch delays so we will be better prepared to start on time and finish in time for the 2009 season. We’ve done pretty well at Buckeye Field as it stands so I wouldn’t expect anything different. Our Buckeyes will continue to play hard – that is the Ohio State way. Our administration and donors have really been supportive in getting this done in the same high quality of other athletic facilities at Ohio State.”
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 08/24/2007
Buckeye mentor chats about a new season, the 2007-08 schedule and the stadium
COLUMBUS, Ohio – It has been nearly four months since Ohio State lifted those two Big Ten trophies in the air at Buckeye Field, and although all may be quite on the diamond at the moment, that does not mean the Buckeyes are not hard at work pursuing another successful season in 2007-08.
We caught up with head coach Linda Kalafatis and sat down for a question and answer session with the 2007 Big Ten Coach of the Year, who will enter her 12th season at Ohio State next month. Practice begins in mid-September for the Buckeyes, and with it will come a new team, a new schedule, and a few new questions.
Coach, your offensive lineup included six left-handed hitters the last couple years, but three of those lefties, including two slappers, have now graduated. Without having practiced yet, what kind of an impact do you think will that will have on your 2008 team?
“More than what side of the box they bat from, we will miss some very experienced and gutty players. But that’s college athletics – everyone deals with change every year. We have some really good returning athletes and some really good athletes coming in and they will all be hungry to fill the gaps. As for the lefties, we prepared for that since we will have four incoming left-handed hitters. I am excited about the make-up of our team.”
Are there any returning players who you foresee making position switches this coming season?
“We anticipate Courtney Pruner will return to the infield and play first base. We also talked with Tory Haddad about getting some experience there so that she has an opportunity to play there if Pruner goes in to pitch. We’ll use the fall to decide who will compete for what positions and also to get our young players adjusted to the college game and the way we do things.”
The 2008 senior class will be one of the smaller senior classes, but the two seniors you have are All-Big Ten standouts in Liz Caputo and Brittany Vanderink. What do they need to do to lead the team?
“Liz and Brittany are already off to a good start. Back at the end of the spring quarter they came into my office and started asking what we needed from them and what they can do to be great leaders for the team. They will obviously need to be two of the hardest workers on the team and be great communicators. They are going to have to use their experience and drive to lead the way.”
With the addition of Lindsay Bodeker, the pitching staff for 2008 is now four strong with the return of Kim Reeder, Megan Miller and Courtney Pruner. How do you see that staff shaping up and trying to make up for the loss of Jamee Juarez?
“It will be hard to replace the career and impact that Jamee had, but I don’t want those players to replace Jamee as much as I would like them to be as good as they can possibly be individually. That will mean working hard every time out in the bullpen, on the field and in the weight room. Kim Reeder is ready and able to step her game up and be the ‘go to’ pitcher. Megan is hungry to see the field and make a greater impact. Courtney will do whatever we ask of her and we’ll need production from her in many different ways. I haven’t seen a whole lot of Lindsay yet to be able to know how she will impact our team, but I do know she is excited to be a part of our program and will work hard to make a difference for us and we’re glad to have her.”
The 2008 schedule is not finalized yet, but what are some highlights or changes from the past?
“As always, we want to play a highly competitive schedule that will not only prepare us for the challenges of the Big Ten season, but will also give us the opportunity for an at-large bid if we don’t win the Big Ten Tournament. I try mix up our locations and yet still keep one or two trips the same. We will attend the Palm Springs Classic again, which is widely regarded as the best collegiate tournament. Also, because of a late change to our academic schedule, we will not be making our annual spring break trip to southern California. Another change would be that we are the ‘odd team out’ in the Big Ten schedule, so we will not have a travel partner thus we will not play the final weekend of the conference season.”
It looks like the stadium project hit a snag and will be pushed back a year. Will that have any impact on the season?
“It’s no doubt disappointing, but it won’t have an impact on our season. We know it will happen soon and it will be spectacular. We can’t control the market value of materials and unfortunately we ran into some time crunch delays so we will be better prepared to start on time and finish in time for the 2009 season. We’ve done pretty well at Buckeye Field as it stands so I wouldn’t expect anything different. Our Buckeyes will continue to play hard – that is the Ohio State way. Our administration and donors have really been supportive in getting this done in the same high quality of other athletic facilities at Ohio State.”
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