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NCAA MEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESJune 18, 2014Augie GarridoC.J. HinojosaChad HolligsworthMark PaytonOMAHA, NEBRASKA University of Texas – 1 THE MODERATOR: Representing Texas, head coach Augie Garrido, Travis Duke, C.J. Hinojosa, Chad Hollingsworth, and Mark Payton. Coach, if you'd begin with an opening statement, please. COACH GARRIDO: Yeah, I think the story line certainly has to center around Hollingsworth pitching. He not only did the same kind of a job in the Super Regional, but once again when given the ball, he threw up all zeroes. So he does that by following what Coach Johnson wants all his pitchers to do, and Travis did the same thing. That is just keep it simple. Hit the mitt. He got a very good defensive play out of his team behind him, which we've been able to do throughout the tournament so far, both in the outfield and the infield. Tres threw out a runner, every out matters. Of course, the unexpected home run wins the game, so that's how C.J. got in the act. Q. C.J., how did you get one out of here? Wheaties, spinach? C.J. HINOJOSA: I was just trying to see a good pitch. I was battling all night. I've seen it good, and I tried to put a good swing on it and it flew out. I think the wind made it change, so that was kind of lucky on our side. Q. So what was the reaction in the dugout when you actually saw that ball get over the fence? COACH GARRIDO: Four players fainted (laughing). Q. Chad, can you represent the player and answer that question? CHAD HOLLINGSWORTH: Obviously, it was big at that point. We had a chance with Ben, and then we kind of whatever happened that's baseball, and he ended up getting called out. So C.J. came up and kind of took it into his own hands. C.J. plays big in big games, and it's nothing different this game. Q. Mark, that big play, the big catch in right centerfield, did you think you had a shot off the bat? When did you realize that you did have a play on it? MARK PAYTON: I saw it off the bat well and I just got a good jump and tried to run to the spot and I knew the wind was blowing to left field, kind of in from right center and kind of back in. I figured that just like the other night when Gardner hit the ball when it comes down it's coming back almost. So I figured do whatever I can to catch the ball. We kind of made an adjustment today by playing Sparks deeper than in the first game. He burned us in left field. So just got a good jump, took a good route and made the catch. Q. Chad, can you expand on your approach tonight of just keeping it simple and hitting the mitt? CHAD HOLLINGSWORTH: Yeah, I mean, skip's taught us all year he knows how to pitch probably better than anybody in the country. He's a great coach. He's been preparing us all year for this. I mean, it's not that hard when you have probably the best defense in the country. I mean, you really just throw in the mitt. I'm not up there striking people out every time. I'm not one of those guys that's going to get 10Ks. I just throw the mitt. C.J. made big plays. Mark made that big play that probably changed the whole game, and the rest of my defense made plays and that's all I can ask of them. That's what they've been doing all year. Q. Augie, were you one of those that fainted in the dugout? COACH GARRIDO: No, I had a mild heart attack. I put a long distance call in to get Cinco de Mayo recognized as a national day in honor of him. By the way, we had a practice to keep everybody loose. Steve, you wrote about that. Tomorrow we're doing base running. How to touch the bases. Get back to some of the simple fundamentals. Q. C.J., a big talking point with the media this week. The last four years has been the way the park plays and lack of power. Is that something you guys discussed in the clubhouse or among yourselves? C.J. HINOJOSA: The way we took it on was this field plays exactly like our field. It's a big field. The wind usually blows in and most balls that go in the air don't go anywhere. Coach has told us time and time again get the ball out of the air. But, I mean, we were just staying with our swings. We had a lot of balls that were hit well and on the line, through the ground. I mean, we just stayed with the same approach we had all year at home. Q. C.J., when you came to Omaha, what would you think the odds would have been that you were the first guy to hit a home run here? C.J. HINOJOSA: I mean, I didn't think it was very good odds. But there are times when a nine‑hole hitter does it, and you never think that he would. I mean, baseball is a game that you don't know what exactly is going to happen and you can't predict anything. Same thing could happen any given day at any given time. Q. Chad, could you talk about Mark's catch, and Collin basically was running into the wall, pumping his fists in celebration. It kept, Payton gets up and keeps the runner at first from tagging up. Just what was the psychological lift that it gave you guys? CHAD HOLLINGSWORTH: I think everybody saw from the beginning it was going to be a game of momentum. Whoever got it first is going to win the game. Looked like for a second when the ball was in the air that they were going to get the momentum. You never know what's going to happen, if they're going to score or not. It was kind of a big play and turning point for me. When you get out there and your Ds playing like that, there is nothing more you can ask for. You just throw it to the mitt. Mark's made plays all year, and there is nobody else I would have fielding that flyball, obviously, than him. Q. Coach, how nice of a luxury is it to have this guy, second start of the year they're both gems in the NCAA Tournament. What have you been waiting for? COACH GARRIDO: I thought we were kind of saving his arm for a more important time. We finished fifth in the conference and made our sacrifices there and decided that we wouldn't really unveil our secret weapon until a later date, the Super Regional, of course, was kind of risky waiting that long. But it's paid off. THE MODERATOR: With the victory, Texas advances and they'll be the home team on Friday at 2 p.m. against Vanderbilt in Game 11. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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