Post Game Quotes
June 09, 2007 | Baseball
June 9, 2007
Louisville Quotes
Head Coach Dan McDonnell
It was definitely a great atmosphere today. We didn't do enough to win. I feel responsible as a coach. I didn't coach well enough. I take responsibility because we just didn't do enough to win. It was a great game and a great atmosphere. I'm enjoying it and our goal is to have the kids enjoy it.
(On momentum shifts)
I think there were a lot of momentum shifts throughout the game. I think inning by inning you have momentum shifts. I think definitely when their game hit a homerun that was a huge momentum shift in the ninth. I challenged our kids, I just thought we didn't play as loose. We had our best base stealer on and we didn't steal. We had our second best base stealer on and of course it was my fault for not sac-ing Isaiah. I wanted to stay aggressive, that was our style all year. The challenge was that definitely was a momentum shift in the game that's the best part of athletics. There can be a lot of shifts from inning to inning. I am sure you can say that we had the momentum coming into today. It is a new day and each inning is a new inning. So we will see.
I think we were living in the what if world. What if we get three outs, try not to live in that world, I try talk about that all week. As much as that hurts, we are sitting here first because we lost and I would be lying if I said it wasn't fun. The goal as a coach is to get these kids to enjoy it. I don't want them to look back a week from now, 10 years from now and think they didn't enjoy it a little more. In baseball you gotta be loose, you gotta be relaxed, I am excited for the opportunity tomorrow. It is a great challenge to see how our kids will respond. I think it is a great challenge to answer the question of who has more pressure. I think we all do, I think there are only 16 teams left in the country. There are a lot of kids across the country that would love to switch places with us right now. If you don't enjoy this competition, the pressure or if you have fears, then you are in the wrong sport. Hopefully we will come out and enjoy the atmosphere and another opportunity to play again tomorrow.
(About who is pitching for the Cards): I would say Trystan Magnuson is probably done for tomorrow. But then again you never know. There are a lot of guys that bounced back after last weekend and I didn't know that they would bounce back. I think Justin threw five or so innings and bounced back the next day. So we will see because Coach (Roger) Williams does a great job. We won't need to assess that until tomorrow. Belanger, Colby Wark and I have flipflopped them all year between our three and four. Skylar Meade has done a phenomenal job for us in some starts this season. We have about three guys that we can start tomorrow. And then Hollander didn't throw very much, so we feel pretty good about who we have tomorrow.
Justin Marks:
On being up 2-1 in the ninth: (We were) Real pumped. He (Trystan Magnuson) has had an outstanding year. You can't anything away from him because he gave up one big hit. After all, I gave up one big hit too. That's baseball, that's how it is.
We just have to just have confidence in ourselves. You just got to go out there and play.
(On the homerun)
He is a good hitter, that was a fastball up over the middle and it was suppose to be down and outside and he took advantage of it. You can't say much about it, that kind of thing." happens.
Jorge Castillo
On facing elimination tomorrow: We have to keep going at it. Just come back tomorrow and be ready to play.
Oklahoma State Quotes
Oklahoma State Coach Frank Anderson:
It was a game we had to grind out. I think we had four hits but we hit a couple balls out. Our pitching did a really good job. I was impressed with (Marks) his composure for a freshman. He really handled his pitches. The other guys threw really well.
Those two kids that hit, it will be like losing a family member when they leave. Ty was one of the first or second kids I recruited at OSU. And I'm close to them and their families. The more times you put yourselves in these situations the more dependable you become.
He's (Justin Friend) is one of our best guys and we needed something to happen early and right for us. Yesterday we struggled a little bit so whether he went three innings or four innings or whatever it was but if he put up zeros it allowed us to extend the game. We were going to try to scrap and get this thing going as well as we can. He is a competitor and I expect him to stay out there a while. I did not expect him to go as long as he did.
Keanon Smith: (on his hit)
I was just trying to get the big hit and I guess you could say it worked out for me.
We have been put in those situations before so many times. We know what it takes. It was our last go round. So if we don't get it done, we got put stuff on ourselves sometimes. It comes to us (seniors), we just have to get the job done.
Ty Wright: (about seniors helping)
Yes (it helps). And when the game is on the line that is the funnest part. Just go up there and block everything out and know we have a job to do. That is what we like to do when we know that that is it for us.
(On HR Ball):
Fast ball up and in a little bit. I put a good swing on and didn't know if it would get out but it did and that tied the game. I wasn't trying to hit a home run I was just trying to get on base. (About big at bat): I have been in a lot of big situation but this was probably the biggest . (About the elimination possibility): It drives us up a little bit but at the same time you can't go up there and panic. It is the same game we have played since Little League.
