Miami Super Regional Quotes Game 3 | June 8, 2025
June 08, 2025 | Baseball
Louisville Super Regional
Louisville 3, Miami 2
June 8, 2025 | Jim Patterson Stadium
Miami Postgame Quotes
Head Coach J.D. Arteaga
(Opening Statement)
"All the credit to those guys, they played a great game. [Ethan Eberle] did not look like a freshman on the mound with so much on the line, he pitched a great game. That's a good team, a very dynamic lineup, they can beat you in so many ways. I'm proud of our guys, we fought to the very end and that's all you can really ask for. It hurts and stinks to lose, but I don't think we lost today, I think they just played a little bit better, they made one more play than we did. At the end of the day, when you get to this point, you've got good teams playing a good baseball game and it didn't go our way it was one ball here or there – all the credit to them."
(On being a Miami alum, the tradition built and what the program is going to look like going forward)
"Those teams that I was on, in the 90s, going to Omaha four years in a row… I want to say we had maybe two big leaguers on those teams, Alex Cora and Pat Burrell and on the tail end, Jason Michaels, but it was about guys like this – the grittiness and the love of the program and just the way they play the game, just enough talent, but it wasn't talent-based. It was attitude and make up and that's what we're looking to do here."
(On the special qualities of this year's team)
"The perseverance and the selflessness are the things we've talked about since day one, since August. Jake Kulikowski doesn't play all year and gets the start in the second to last game of the season and has a couple of hits, never complains, just keeps working hard. It goes on and on. Reese Lumpkin is a weekday starter and gets two huge starts for us and gives up one run in his two starts in the regional and super regional. It's guys like that. When you're trying to build a team, to me it's about trying to get the right player, and that's not necessarily always the best player available. And it takes a lot of homework, a lot of work, a lot of background checks. We all know what a good baseball player looks like on the field, but getting to know the person inside and what he has in his heart, that's tough, it takes time. Unfortunately sometimes in our world, in our sport, you don't have that time. You look at all the metrics and you want to make the decision on that, but you can't rush into it, you've got to make sure you get the right guy."
(On what was going through his mind in that stretch in the middle of the game when Louisville had the bases loaded and one out and don't score and in the next inning Miami had the bases loaded with one out and Louisville turns a double play)
"I was having a great time. It was a fun game, to be honest with you. It's the way it's supposed to be. With so much on the line and the game is back-and-forth like that – that's fun. If you don't enjoy that… 10-0 blowouts, I don't like those. I was having a great time watching quality baseball. Everybody doing their job - pitcher makes a pitch, hitter hits the ball hard and they make a defensive play all in one shot, that's why this game is so beautiful. Either way, a couple of inches here or there and it's a different ball game. It was impressive to see two teams, knowing that this could be it. It was a clean game. Pitchers threw strikes, hitters swung that bat, made defensive plays. And that play that Mike (Torres) didn't make – I promise you I've seen him make 100 times in practice. I was sure he was going to catch that ball. I guarantee if you ask him he would say the same thing – he should have caught it. And I say he should have caught it, because I know how good he is – but it's not an easy play. It was a great game, I enjoyed it until the very end."
Max Galvin // Junior // Outfielder
Will Smith // Senior // Pitcher
(Can you reflect on the season and all the success you guys have had this year?)
Galvin: "To be honest, I'm still in denial. It's going to take a while. It's been a rollercoaster. We didn't really get the hot start that we wanted in the beginning and then we were super-hot. We always found a way to bounce right back. I'm just thankful for this team and these coaches. It's just hard to put into words right now."
Smith: "I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it sucks. Those guys are my brothers. They'll all be at my wedding. I couldn't have done it without them. I'm happy about how far we've come, and this program is going to continue to get better with J.D. Arteaga and the guys returning."
(What was working for you, Will Smith?)
Smith: "Honestly, I didn't feel great out there. I just knew that my teammates had my back, and they needed me, and I had to come through for them. I did the best I could and that's all I could ask for and that's all I could ask for out of them. I felt like we did a good job of that all year and that just goes back to being a family."
(Could you try to put into words the value of Coach J.D. Arteaga and what he has done for this program?)
Smith: "He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. I can't thank him enough for it. He means so much to the rest of the players, not just me. He loves every single player, and every single player loves him. He's easy to play for when you've got a guy like that. I can't thank him or the University of Miami enough. I'll be a Hurricane for life. I'm sure I'll annoy J.D. (Arteaga) next year when I'm working at State Farm. It's been an unbelievable experience, and I can't thank him or the university enough."
Galvin: "We couldn't have had this season without J.D. (Arteaga) at all. He is really the backbone of everything."
Louisville 3, Miami 2
June 8, 2025 | Jim Patterson Stadium
Miami Postgame Quotes
Head Coach J.D. Arteaga
(Opening Statement)
"All the credit to those guys, they played a great game. [Ethan Eberle] did not look like a freshman on the mound with so much on the line, he pitched a great game. That's a good team, a very dynamic lineup, they can beat you in so many ways. I'm proud of our guys, we fought to the very end and that's all you can really ask for. It hurts and stinks to lose, but I don't think we lost today, I think they just played a little bit better, they made one more play than we did. At the end of the day, when you get to this point, you've got good teams playing a good baseball game and it didn't go our way it was one ball here or there – all the credit to them."
(On being a Miami alum, the tradition built and what the program is going to look like going forward)
"Those teams that I was on, in the 90s, going to Omaha four years in a row… I want to say we had maybe two big leaguers on those teams, Alex Cora and Pat Burrell and on the tail end, Jason Michaels, but it was about guys like this – the grittiness and the love of the program and just the way they play the game, just enough talent, but it wasn't talent-based. It was attitude and make up and that's what we're looking to do here."
(On the special qualities of this year's team)
"The perseverance and the selflessness are the things we've talked about since day one, since August. Jake Kulikowski doesn't play all year and gets the start in the second to last game of the season and has a couple of hits, never complains, just keeps working hard. It goes on and on. Reese Lumpkin is a weekday starter and gets two huge starts for us and gives up one run in his two starts in the regional and super regional. It's guys like that. When you're trying to build a team, to me it's about trying to get the right player, and that's not necessarily always the best player available. And it takes a lot of homework, a lot of work, a lot of background checks. We all know what a good baseball player looks like on the field, but getting to know the person inside and what he has in his heart, that's tough, it takes time. Unfortunately sometimes in our world, in our sport, you don't have that time. You look at all the metrics and you want to make the decision on that, but you can't rush into it, you've got to make sure you get the right guy."
(On what was going through his mind in that stretch in the middle of the game when Louisville had the bases loaded and one out and don't score and in the next inning Miami had the bases loaded with one out and Louisville turns a double play)
"I was having a great time. It was a fun game, to be honest with you. It's the way it's supposed to be. With so much on the line and the game is back-and-forth like that – that's fun. If you don't enjoy that… 10-0 blowouts, I don't like those. I was having a great time watching quality baseball. Everybody doing their job - pitcher makes a pitch, hitter hits the ball hard and they make a defensive play all in one shot, that's why this game is so beautiful. Either way, a couple of inches here or there and it's a different ball game. It was impressive to see two teams, knowing that this could be it. It was a clean game. Pitchers threw strikes, hitters swung that bat, made defensive plays. And that play that Mike (Torres) didn't make – I promise you I've seen him make 100 times in practice. I was sure he was going to catch that ball. I guarantee if you ask him he would say the same thing – he should have caught it. And I say he should have caught it, because I know how good he is – but it's not an easy play. It was a great game, I enjoyed it until the very end."
Max Galvin // Junior // Outfielder
Will Smith // Senior // Pitcher
(Can you reflect on the season and all the success you guys have had this year?)
Galvin: "To be honest, I'm still in denial. It's going to take a while. It's been a rollercoaster. We didn't really get the hot start that we wanted in the beginning and then we were super-hot. We always found a way to bounce right back. I'm just thankful for this team and these coaches. It's just hard to put into words right now."
Smith: "I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it sucks. Those guys are my brothers. They'll all be at my wedding. I couldn't have done it without them. I'm happy about how far we've come, and this program is going to continue to get better with J.D. Arteaga and the guys returning."
(What was working for you, Will Smith?)
Smith: "Honestly, I didn't feel great out there. I just knew that my teammates had my back, and they needed me, and I had to come through for them. I did the best I could and that's all I could ask for and that's all I could ask for out of them. I felt like we did a good job of that all year and that just goes back to being a family."
(Could you try to put into words the value of Coach J.D. Arteaga and what he has done for this program?)
Smith: "He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. I can't thank him enough for it. He means so much to the rest of the players, not just me. He loves every single player, and every single player loves him. He's easy to play for when you've got a guy like that. I can't thank him or the University of Miami enough. I'll be a Hurricane for life. I'm sure I'll annoy J.D. (Arteaga) next year when I'm working at State Farm. It's been an unbelievable experience, and I can't thank him or the university enough."
Galvin: "We couldn't have had this season without J.D. (Arteaga) at all. He is really the backbone of everything."
Players Mentioned
LHP
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