Being a few generations older than his players has a few drawbacks for Texas Tech softball head coach Gerry Glasco.
Growing up in the Midwest, Glasco said it’s sometimes hard to connect with players like Jasmyn Burns, who grew up in California. While he adores the St. Louis Cardinals of old and aspires to have his teams play how Bob Gibson and Joe Torre did, Burns and most of her Red Raider teammates have come up in an era where bat flips and outward displays of emotion play just as big a role on the field as fundamentals and scouting reports.
That can be a tricky paradigm, one that Glasco admits has played a factor throughout his time in Lubbock. Last season, Glasco said he had to learn how to coach Hailey Toney before the then-freshman started coming alive as the Red Raiders moved through the Women’s College World Series. This season, Burns is just one of the new players Glasco has had to learn how to coach.
Putting in that kind of effort, though, usually pays dividends when it matters.
“It’s not just Jazzy,” Glasco said. “It’s like all athletes. I have try to really work hard to relate to them, and I think they have to relate to me, and it takes a little bit of time. And, wow, the results down the stretch. Once she got comfortable, we’re seeing the true Jazzy Burns really come out.”
Burns took over as the everyday designated player (mixed with her catching duties) and has been on a tear late in the season. On the year, she has 17 home runs and 56 RBI, the bulk of which have come over the last 17 games (9 home runs, 27 RBI) with a .490 batting average in that span.
“I think Gerry’s just shown a lot of confidence in me, and our relationship’s great,” Burns said. “I’m happy to have him as my head coach.”
Part of Burns’ recent hot hitting came in Texas Tech’s comeback win over Ole Miss. Burns was 3-for-5 in what wound up as the biggest come-from-behind victory in NCAA postseason play this century, the Red Raiders being the first team out of 641 to trail by eight runs and win the game.
Making that sort of comeback and finishing off the Lubbock Regional title the next day is something Glasco hopes will propel his team as the Red Raiders head to the Gainesville Super Regional for a best-of-three series with the Florida Gators for a spot in the WCWS.
“I feel like it was a defining moment,” Glasco said. “We’ll see in the Super Regional how it turns out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that moment didn’t make us a lot better ball club than we’ve been all year. I feel like it opened their eyes as to how to play as a team and how good we can be when we play as a team.”
Part of not letting the moment get too big for the Red Raiders revolves around Mia Williams, the record-breaking hitter who returns to Gainesville this weekend. Williams spent the first two years of her college career with the Gators before transferring to Texas Tech last summer.
“I think it’ll just be two really good teams playing some softball,” Williams said of the storyline that’s sure to surround the festivities this weekend.
Williams — who was one of four Red Raiders named to Softball America’s All-American list, earning second-team honors — has already established new program records for home runs (22), RBI (77), runs scored (83), total bases (167), and has tied the record for doubles (21).
For the Red Raiders to book their return trip to Oklahoma City, they’ll have to keep the mentality of “it takes everyone” that they displayed in mounting the comeback win over Ole Miss.
“It’s another game,” Glasco said. “It’s a great athlete going against a great program that she played in, and with today’s athletics, that happens every day, so it is what it is. It’s a storyline, but I think when the game starts, we get out there, and we compete, and they’re going to compete, it’s going to be fun. It’ll be a fun battle.”
Gainesville Super Regional
(11) Texas Tech (55-6) at (6) Florida (51-10)
Best of 3 — Winner advances to Women’s College World Series
Game 1: Friday, 10 a.m., ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, 11:30 a.m., ABC
Game 3: TBD (if necessary)
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Jasmyn Burns, Texas Tech softball turning a corner at crucial time
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
