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CWS Baseball Press Conference Quotes
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Head Coach Brian O’Connor
On the first game matchup with Cal …
Cal has a lot of talent. They have the Pac-10 player of the year in their lineup. They are going to run very good pitching out there. Their pitching looks very similar from a statistical standpoint to Irvine. It looks like they have really outstanding starters and they can match up pretty well with you coming out of the bullpen. They seem to be a very athletic team. There is no question they are on a good run. They were down to their last at bat at one point in the regional. What they did in their regional was quite impressive. They are playing with a lot of confidence and belief in themselves, as are we. It’s really a great matchup. When you get to this point when you are in the final eight in Omaha, everybody has been doing something special over the last couple of weeks to get to this point. Everybody probably has their own story on what it has taken to get to this point and I’m sure Cal is no different.
On the role Chris Taylor has played since the injury to Stephen Bruno…
Coming into the season, Stephen Bruno won our shortstop job. That’s why I started him at the beginning of the year. My plan was to still play Taylor some at shortstop and see what happened at the other positions but I knew that Chris Taylor would need to be in our lineup every day. I felt like coming out of fall baseball that Taylor needed to be our leadoff guy. I love a guy that has a chance to start the game off with a double but also can steal bases and knows how to handle the bat and get big clutch hit. We started him off – he played some right field. He is so athletic that he can play anywhere on the diamond. Injuries happen throughout the year at different positions and I knew that he was going to be very valuable to us. All that being said I also knew that he was a very talented shortstop. There was no question about that. I will never forget after fall ball was over his freshman year a lot of scouts that came out to watch our fall practices and fall scrimmages. We had players the likes of Jarrett Parker and Phil Gosselin and [Dan] Grovatt and all those guys that the scouts were here to see. A lot of them walked away and said that they felt Chris Taylor had the most talent on our team. That says a lot. I think the kid is very skilled. He is really athletic and I am glad that he is playing such great baseball because he has been tremendous for us.
On relief pitchers like Kyle Crockett and Whit Mayberry pitching in Omaha after not seeing time in the super regional round…
As much as I would have liked to get Crockett and Mayberry and some other guys into the game and into situations, it just wasn’t the right scenario. It didn’t play out. You are always a little fearful of that when somebody hasn’t pitched live competitively in a game for a week or so but when we get to Omaha tomorrow and practice tomorrow afternoon, we will play a good inter-squad scrimmage and those guys will have the opportunity to pitch in a scrimmage and try to keep them sharp. There is no question that in order to win this thing at some point those guys are going to need to help us in some capacity on the mound.
On returning to Omaha after winning the super regional in such dramatic fashion…
The excitement of going to Omaha two of the last three years is very exciting, very rewarding. Our players have earned this opportunity and they are very proud of it. That being said, they understand that we are going there for a job to do and the goal has not been met. I think a lot of teams make some mistakes; everybody around the country says the goal is to get to Omaha. We have never talked about that this year with our club. I never hear them talk about it that that’s the goal and that can’t be the goal. If that’s your goal, you are selling yourself short. Our team will be no question going to Omaha with the goal to win our first game and hopefully put is in a position to have a chance to win a national championship. I think that they have come down from the high of what happened on Monday. They were a part of what I feel was the… greatest win in UVa history just because of what was at stake. Sure there have been plenty of come-from-behind victories that we have had and that Coach Womack had and our predecessors, but what was at stake and the magnitude of it was unbelievable.
Junior Catcher John Hicks
On the difference in reaching Omaha in 2009 and advancing to the CWS this season…
It is definitely different. My first year it was the first time in program history and we did it much differently than this year. We didn’t host the regional or the super regional. We had to travel and came out of a region that most people didn’t expect us to, facing [Stephen] Strasburg in the first game and then the top-seeded Irvine. This year coming in, not saying that we expected to go, but we had confidence that we are one of the best teams in the country and we had a good chance of making it. We have guys who have actually been there and can inform the younger guys about what they are dealing with and how hectic it will be and how to handle it.
On relief associated with advancing after being expected to win the super regional at home…
I don’t know that it was relief. It was basically just a ton of excitement based on how we won – down to one strike away from going home and then coming through and coming out with a victory. It was definitely a nervous moment in that dugout in the bottom of the ninth. It was a tough situation but we never gave up. It releases a little bit of pressure that we are going back to Omaha, but we still have a lot ahead of us and we have to focus on Cal.
On bolstering confidence from the improbable comeback in game three of the super regional…
We have had confidence this year. We have played great baseball and we’ve lost ten games all year. It will definitely help us as we move forward, winning a game like that in such a big moment, but we have been confident all year and we believe in each and every one that is on this team.
Junior Starting Pitcher Danny Hultzen
On the veteran approach to the return trip to Omaha…
We kind of know more of what to expect this time. Last time it was a joy ride. This time we know what to expect. I feel like it is just a little bit different. It is still just as exciting, we are just as excited to be there. There is just a little bit of a different feeling.
On meeting the expectations to advance to Omaha…
There are a lot of expectations of our team; we are the number one seed but we don’t really thing about that. We are going out there to play hard. There was a weight off our shoulders, but I don’t know that relief is the right word to call it.
On being harder to beat than maybe even the team knew…
That was absolutely insane. It just goes to show that we can never doubt ourselves because we were down to our last strike. That was going to be the end of our season. Coming back from something like that says a lot about our team.
Junior Third Baseman Steven Proscia
On the improbable comeback in game three of the super regional…
It was like something out of a movie to be honest. It was awesome to be a part of, awesome to see unfold and happen. It just shows the kind of players we have on this team and I am so proud to be a part of this team. We have all year come back in games and there is nothing sweeter than the game we just came back from. It was unbelievable to watch happen and then seeing that hit going through the infield and seeing two runs come across the plate – it was real. It was awesome.
On returning to Omaha with CWS experience from 2009…
It is a great honor. Anytime someone is able to get a trip to go to Omaha, it is something special. It is something great for our team, our program, and the guys who didn’t get to experience it [in 2009]. It is going to be a lot of fun. They do a great job out there. I remember when I went my freshman year it was awesome; it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am just looking forward to going back.
On going to Omaha with a businesslike approach to reach the final goal…
Even when we went out there my first year we went out to win the whole thing. It just so happened that we ended up playing LSU the first game and didn’t get it done. That stuff is all in the past now. We are going to try to eliminate all the distractions and try to keep the same approach we have had the whole postseason and hopefully it will work out for us.