April 17, 2011
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 
South Carolina Head Coach Ray Tanner
Opening Statement
I thought it was a great college baseball game with two pretty good teams going at each other. I’m extremely proud of our players for battling when we couldn’t seem to get it going early on. We just willed our way to being successful today. I think it was a combination of us battling and the fact that we had and great fan support. It helped us create a rally late and I’m grateful for that and I’m just really proud of players.
On the play of Steven Neff…
I took the attitude that I realized there is a lot of baseball left to be played and that we’re only halfway through the conference season, but we have to find a way to win. Neff is athletic, I know we have guys that have played more but really I like who he is. He doesn’t seem fazed by the lack of experience and he got that rally started for us today with the double.
On the performance of Matt Price…
We actually talked about putting him in the sixth after the two home runs Vanderbilt hit. He was outstanding today on the mound and really came through for us late.
On the team’s ability to overcome adversity…
I’m proud of our players. We’ve faced some adversity and some injuries this year. You’ve got (Adam) Matthews going down. I know all teams have difficult situations, and I think you can either use it as a crutch or you can find a way. Had we lost today I still would have been proud of our guys because of the way we battled.
Steven Neff, DH
On his at-bat in the seventh…
On our off day, coach came to me asked if I wanted to swing again and today I got a chance. I started taking batting practice Wednesday and I was seeing the ball good today. I hit in high school so it’s really nothing new.
On his approach at the plate…
If the first pitch is a strike, I want to take a cut. After that I’m trying to sit back and see what’s coming next, but if that first pitch is a strike I want to take a hack at it.
On his key double…
It felt good to get that hit today. It was a close game, and batting leadoff you want to try to get on base and get something started by making contact. I saw the pitch down the middle and made good contact.
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
On batting leadoff today…
It didn’t matter to me. My approach is trying to be aggressive at the plate and swing the bat more. I’m trying to take fewer pitches, be aggressive and fight my way thru this.
On the team’s performance…
We willed ourselves to win today. We didn’t have a lot of hits to show for but we capitalized on the opportunities we had. We moved runners when we had to and got hit by a few pitches, and we capitalized and took advantage of every opportunity we got.
On the team’s ability to win close games late…
We take pride in working together and being a team. Last year was last year, but we know what it takes to get back there and that’s the goal. We needed everybody to come together and gel and that’s what we’re doing right now.
On the team’s chemistry…
These guys like to joke around. I don’t know how we do it but we do. It’s how we stay relaxed I think. It doesn’t matter if we’re down or up, the team chemistry we have is amazing and its going to take you a long way.
Matt Price, Pitcher
On pitching three innings…
The coaches came to me before the game and told me I needed to be ready early. They told me there was a chance I might need to go in early and that’s what happened today. I just have to be prepared whenever I go in. I like coming in those situations. I want to give our team a chance to win and that’s what happened out there today.
On his mindset late in the game…
I knew I had to go in and get through one at-bat at a time and try to keep our team in the game. Then we had the good inning in the seventh but it’s still the same mentality, you just have to keep pounding and making good pitches.
