June 3, 2011
NC STATE HEAD COACH ELLIOTT AVENT
Opening Statement
It’s just very unfortunate to get out to a 5-0 lead. I don’t think we relaxed. We were focused today. We played very hard, as we have for the last six or seven weeks with a lot of confidence and intensity. We hung a change up in the fourth inning, and even though we were still up two runs, it seemed like that changed the entire mindset of Stetson. They seemed a little flat, and it gave them a little energy and possibly took some from us. We played well. We probably just didn’t pitch as we as we did down the stretch.
On pitching…
Obviously, Cory (Mazzoni) is going tomorrow. We haven’t gone deep in the bullpen whenever Cory has pitched. That’s why Cory normally goes the second game. The guys we pitched today would be able to go on Sunday if we’re fortunate enough to win. We don’t wonder about pitching Cory tomorrow, we wonder about if we picked the right guy. Ethan (Ogburn) was just cruising. He hung that change-up, and after that he wasn’t the same guy.
On how to bounce back tomorrow…
They’re a veteran team. They’ll talk to each other. They don’t need to hear from me. They know what they need to do. It’s a tough loss, but if you win tomorrow, then you’re the same today as you won today and lost tomorrow. You just have to win tomorrow. Now, it’s lose, and your season is over. Our backs are against the wall. I’m sure that will give them some extra focus and concentration tomorrow.
FIRST BASEMAN HAROLD RIGGINS
On his offensive production today…
Going 4-for-5 definitely helps a team out, being productive at the plate and being able to have good at bats and get on base. Putting yourself in position to score runs it helps the team out. I was pretty pleased with how I performed at the plate today.
On their approach for the rest of the weekend…
The mentality won’t change. We will take the same approach as we do every game and that’s just to win. Obviously, we had some tough breaks today, but we’ll see what happens tomorrow.
DESIGNATED HITTER DANNY CANELA
On his offensive production today…
It shows that it’s not an “I” sport. It’s a team sport. Harold and I had seven hits between us, and we still couldn’t pull the game through at the end. I thought we had this game won. It shows that you have to play all nine innings.
