March 5, 2014

Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery

Head Coach Chad Holbrook
Opening Statement
It was a game certainly in doubt until late. I don’t know that we had the energy we normally have when we came down to the stadium today. Over the course of a long season and the hills of an emotional weekend, we didn’t have the normal bounce that we usually have. And on top of that, that kid [Austin] Perez pitched pretty well against us with the change speed pitch there near the end, and kind of the same recipe the kid from Presbyterian had, and tied us up a little bit. But all in all, it was neat the way we won the game. I was certainly proud of Webber, one of the best kids I think I’ve ever coached. He works extremely hard. He’s not necessarily blessed with the most talent in the world, but he got the game winning hit for us there, and then the elementary base running play enabled Joey [Pankake] to score on a tag up on the ball behind the plate. We played okay. Offensively we weren’t all there but we found a way to win. I don’t think we were at our best today, but we found a way to win anyways.

On bullpen performance
Hunter [Privette] kept them at bay and Vince [Fiori] did very good. Cody [Mincey] and Joel [Seddon] did what Cody and Joel have done all year. As I’ve said, I think the bullpen is the strength of our team and they continue to show that. We were going to put Taylor Widener in the game too in the tight situation because we loved the way he threw yesterday. We think he can help Cody and Joel even more by giving them some time, some days off and some rest so we don’t have to pitch them to death. So I’m excited about what Taylor has been doing. Our bullpen is one of the strengths of our team and they did what they’ve done all season.

On Weber Pike’s batting
Yeah I talked to him. I called time to not necessarily talk to Webber, but to give me a little bit more time to think about it. As I got up there, I looked in Webber’s eyes and I have the upmost confidence in him swinging the bat. I do, and I think he is going to put the ball in play hard all the time and I just felt good about it. I like Pikes make up in that situation. He will give you everything he’s got. I felt good about that and I felt good about giving him that opportunity. He has a knack about putting the barrel on the ball.

Junior Outfielder Connor Bright

On the team being patient throughout the game
Early the ball wasn’t falling our way and we tried to not panic. That’s our mood as a team, to not press or anything like that. We just played our game and luckily strung some hits together.

On staying unbeaten the weekend before SEC play
We aren’t really worried about the record we just want to keep winning and play how we’re capable of playing.

On Brown not having played yet this season
It’s pretty crazy. We might have a slight advantage being able to play twelve more games than them. But, nothing really changes with us. We need to play the way we’re capable of playing. We can’t play down if we’re up by a lot; we need to keep playing like we know how to play.

Freshman Infielder Weber Pike
On his big hit in key situation
I got down 0-2 pretty early and so I was just trying to fight it off at that point and got it over the shortstop’s head.

On being taken out of the starting lineup
It was just Coach [Holbrook]’s decision. He decided before the game that he wanted to start [Brison] Celek so he made the switch before the game. But [Coach] had talked to us before the game and told us that we were going to split it anyways.

Sophomore Pitcher Vince Fiori
On the game-situation he came into
The situation I came into I think was a runner on second base. I’m just trying to throw strikes and get some outs. Let us get back into the dugout and get us get some hits and score some runs.

On thinking he might have to play longer with [Curt] Britt coming out early
I was just trying to take it inning by inning. We have enough guys in the pen where if I let up a couple of hits there they are probably going to someone else. I usually take it inning by inning and out by out.

On his goal coming into the game
I came in during the third or fourth inning so there was still a lot of innings to be played and outs to be gotten by the other pitcher. My goal was to keep throwing zeros up and keep getting outs.