March 3, 2013

Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery

Head Coach Chad Holbrook
Opening Statement…
It wa s a great day for our team and our players. Nolan Belcher was fantastic. He had a complete game with seven punch-outs and no walks. I believe that gets him to 23 strikeouts and one walk on the year. It couldn’t happen to a better kid that has been through a lot of difficult things since he has been here from an injury standpoint. With what that kid has been through and the work he has put in, we felt he deserved the opportunity to finish the game. We got some two out hits in the sixth that gave us some breathing room. It was a great win, and it was unbelievable being able to watch Belcher perform.

On what he has learned about the team…
They wanted to win today. They were a little bit upset with themselves last night on the bus ride home, and I was glad that they were. I didn’t really have to say anything to them yesterday after the bus ride home. Sometimes you can tell when you come to the stadium if the team is ready to go or not, and after pregame meal today I said `I think they are ready to go today.’ And they were.

On the team’s attitude…
Our guys want to win, and they work hard. They know that the Clemson series is very important. I thought that they were a little upset with themselves yesterday because its not just a regular series. It’s very important to all of us.

Grayson Greiner
On Nolan Belcher’s performance…
In my opinion it was just as impressive as what Jordan Montgomery did on Friday night. The adversity that he has overcome to come back as a senior, get the ball against Clemson, our archrival, and hold them to zero runs is pretty special.

On playing well against Clemson…
Coach talked to us about jumping on top early and taking some aggressive hacks in there early. Scott Firth was pretty impressive from the get go. He had a good fastball and a good slider, and we didn’t scratch much, but Chase Vergason’s home run kind of sparked a plug in there. We took advantage of a misplay in the fifth, and from that point forward we were just relaxed and having fun.

Connor Bright
On playing well against Clemson…
As team we try to stay more comfortable and relaxed against Clemson. Coming in we know that they are a good team. We know that they are going to step up to the plate as a big rival, looking to take the series. We just try to stay comfortable and play the game we know.

On his double…
I knew that Firth was being aggressive and throwing a lot of strikes early in the count, so I just looked for a fastball and turned on it inside.

Nolan Belcher
On how meaningful this game was…
God is good. I’ve been through a lot of stuff since I’ve been here, a lot of injuries and such, but to go out there and have such success in a big game like this is really special. I can’t thank Grayson Greiner enough. He caught a great game back there and out defense made some clutch plays when they needed to and our hitters in the sixth showed a lot by battling late in the game. It was really impressive to watch.

On being a better player now…
I’m five years older now. Going through that stuff really takes a toll on you mentally, but it makes you tougher and makes you put things in perspective, which I think really helped me today especially early in the game. I tried to keep my emotions in check. You can’t pitch off of emotion because that is when you start leaving balls up in the zone and such. Going through what I have has helped mentally and I wouldn’t change it for anything,