Emiley Kennedy is hitting her stride as NCAA Tournament awaits

For the first time ever, Texas A&M softball earned the top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Before ace Emiley Kennedy begins her fourth postseason in Aggieland, the All-American joined TexAgs Live on Tuesday to discuss the hard work it took to get there.

Key notes from Emiley Kennedy interview

• Coach Ford preaches that we want to be the underdog. We don't want the spotlight. The highlights are good for our program and our school, but as a team, we don't dwell much on it. The No. 1 seed is good, but as long as we're ranked, it doesn't really matter.
   
• We wanted to come out last weekend and show the SEC that Aggie softball is here to stay, and I think we showed that with two run-rule games. We didn't get to play Oklahoma, which was sad, but hopefully, we'll see them in the Women's College World Series.
   
• Ford came up to me before the season and told me I'd have a staff and throw the same number of innings as I did last year, but she told me that was going to go two weeks longer and throw in five or six more games. I'm hitting my peak at the right time, and that was Ford's plan. Make sure I'm at the top of my game in the regionals, supers and into the WCWS.
   
• Pitching back-to-back games was something I hadn't done much in the SEC, and I'm usually at the bookends of the weekends. Ford wanted to see how I'd look on back-to-back days. If she needed me to pitch vs. Oklahoma, I was ready to go, but I don't know if that was the plan. Coming into regionals and supers, that's probably going to be what the plan is.
   
• Most of my success comes from my mental game. I don't get rattled anymore. My freshman year, a home run might shake me off my course, but now, I'm like, "OK, who's next?" It's being so locked in mentally that nothing can shake you. I keep it as simple as possible. Ford calls a spot, so hit the spot. Throw it where she wants it, and execute what she asks you to.
   
• Our offense is huge. Going into this year, we didn't know how we'd shake up, but now, we know we can beat any type of team with our offense. We can out-run you and out-slug you in the same game. Kennedy Powell always tells me they have my back, no matter how many runs I give up. It's fun to have her and the rest of my team behind me.
   
• We are more mature than we were last year. We were in the supers last year, and we lost by one run in both of the games we lost. This year, we don't want to lose that way. We're going to find the one run we need, no matter how we have to do it.
   
• Ford mentions "four outs" almost weekly. We were that close and didn't make it. She reminds us that this is our year and that we're shaped up to have the best path to get there. If we don't get there, it's our fault. We have to keep playing Aggie softball and don't make it too big.
   
• Ford is our second mom on the field. She'll yell at you when she needs to, and she'll be your biggest supporter when she needs to. We have a really good relationship, and we can talk about anything in life and softball. Part of my success is because of that relationship. It took a bit to form that chemistry, and we had some bumps the first year. We had an open conversation, and now, there's nothing that we can't talk about.
   
• I was worried at first during the delay on Saturday because I heard that the top seed would get the championship if you didn't play, so I really wanted to play. I didn't want to lose two games to the rain in Georgia. Ford and the entire staff came in. Our AD was there. I thought it was going to go our way, and she told us we were going to be co-champs. The whole team freaked out. It was cool.
   
• Koko Wooley and I looked at each other and said, "We finally made it." We went through all four years, and we wanted this program to be where we are, and we're proud to be the class that got A&M where it needed to be.
   
• My recruiting process was up and down, and I didn't want to go far from home. I'm from an hour away, and back when Jo Evans was here, we had a really good relationship. She's a great person and a great human. My dad and her still talk. I wanted to be close to home, so that's why I picked A&M.
   
• The 12th Man is huge. Wherever I go, someone will say, "Gig 'Em! We support you!" I went to the grocery store yesterday, and multiple people told me congratulations on being SEC co-champs, and they said they want to go to the World Series. The support system always has our backs.
   
• I grew up playing every sport. I was a gymnast. I ran track. I played soccer. My mom played softball in high school, so she was like, "If you're going to play every sport, you have to try softball." I tried it and was really good at it, so I decided to stick with volleyball and softball in high school. When I committed to A&M, I figured softball might be where I needed to be.
   
• It was huge to get drafted because little me would've never thought I'd be here. I thought I'd play softball because I'm good at it, and now I'm going to be a pro. All of my dreams are coming true, and I'm one step closer to finishing my college career the way I want to.
   
• The work stays the same. The postseason is always hard because we don't have school and are at the field all day, harping on the little things. We, as a team, focus on the little things all week.
   
• We're a hot mess, to be honest. We enjoy what we do and playing softball. We enjoy playing and enjoy being around each other, which is part of why we're so successful.
   
• It's huge to be the No. 1 overall seed to bring the postseason back to the 12th Man and playing here and be able to have Aggieland enjoy it just like we should. It's good for this program.
   
• I'm excited to play the postseason at Davis Diamond and throw a few more games in front of our home crowd before we hopefully go to OKC and make a run.
   
• Almost everyone on the team is a jokester, but it depends on the day. Even the coaches get involved. Coach Ford is the most intense. She has her moments, but she's usually locked in most of the time.
   
• Mya Perez works really hard. The way her work ethic is showing in games is huge for everyone. She has made huge strides. Her home run last year in supers was huge. No one wants to pitch to her or give up a home run to her. Her stats are off the charts.
   
• I love watching the freshmen succeed because I know I need someone to take over when I'm gone, so when Sydney Lessentine goes in and throws a good game, I know A&M is in good hands. With Kelsey Mathis getting at-bats and DeeDee Baldwin getting experience, it's good for the program in the long run.
   
• Lessentine is going through her bumps that all freshmen go through, and she has come to me and asked what I went through and how I got through it. I'm helping her chug along just so she'll be good to go when I'm not here.
   
• We need to play our brand of softball, don't make it too big and don't stress who is on the other side. When we stick to our game, we can beat anyone and make a run.