We have some big hitters and our top defensive players are back. We also have good leadership and (the players) are working hard. We surprised some teams last year and I think we'll surprise teams again this year.

Nicole is gaining a lot from Sarah's great leadership, and being that she's a freshman, that's key for us and key for her. She reminds me a lot of Sarah when Sarah was a freshman. Like Sarah, she has a great work ethic. And the team has a lot of confidence in her when she's on the mound.

She's a force on the mound. She's definitely improved from last year to this year. She worked very hard on her pitches. She picked up speed and she picked up movement on the ball. You definitely can see the confidence in the team when she's on the mound.

Everyone has shown up (offensively) at different times in the clutch.

We need to keep the fire alive. I think we can do it. I think (the players) have a good sense of taking it one game at a time. They're working really hard and they're motivated to show up to every game with their best stuff this year.

We believed in ourselves before we went down there, but I think the girls were actually surprised by how well we played. We're young and small (in numbers), so it sent a nice message to all of them. ... We're showing that we can play with the best of them. I'm really proud of them for what they've accomplished so far.