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NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP REGIONALS: BATON ROUGEMay 31, 2015Terence ConnellyNick MonroeMark ScalfZach ShieldsBATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA UNCW – 8 THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions from the audience. Let's go ahead and get started with obviously Nick Monroe, starting pitcher, big outing for you. Talk about your outing. NICK MONROE: I just had the fastball going early and just tried to attack the hitters as much as I possibly could, and it just carried me through the game. I got lucky, got some balls hit right at people, had some great defense behind me, and yeah. THE MODERATOR: Zach Shields, outfielder, had some hits today. Talk about your night offensively for me. ZACH SHIELDS: Basically just going with what I trusted myself and knowing what I know, which is staying short to the ball and making solid contact. Tonight I was seeing the ball pretty well and was able to squeeze out a couple hits. THE MODERATOR: Likewise for you, Terence, big night offensively, a couple hits and drove in a run there in the big third inning. Talk about your night, please. TERENCE CONNELLY: Yeah, I was trying to make an adjustment, be more aggressive, and it paid off. THE MODERATOR: Coach, a few comments from you, please. MARK SCALF: Of course we're certainly excited about the way we finished up the day today. It was a long day, been a long two or three days, but Nick gave us a great start on the mound. Offensively, the second time through, the guys started to see the baseball well and put good swings on it. People talk about hitting is contagious, and that inning was certainly an indication where we bunched about seven hits in about nine hitters together. That gave us a fairly comfortable lead, especially with the way Nick was throwing the baseball and the way we played solidly defensively today. Q. Your thoughts on not having to play again tonight. I know LSU is pretty hot that they're not getting the game in. They feel like they won that competitive advantage. Just kind of your thoughts; it does give you guys a little breather. MARK SCALF: Certainly I can't say it doesn't give us a little bit of a breather. Unfortunately we've gotten into bed about 2:30 in the morning and 3:30 the last two days, and another long wait today. The NCAA made that decision, and we were prepared to play one way or the other. You know, tomorrow at least we get decent rest tonight and we'll get up early in the morning and get to the ballpark, and certainly looking forward to having a chance to play for a championship tomorrow. Q. Does it change who you would start pitching‑wise? MARK SCALF: No, it doesn't. I mean, that was pretty well set, who we had planned to go with tomorrow. You know, it doesn't change anything there. Q. Who will you start? MARK SCALF: We'll start Justin Crump tomorrow. Q. Did you just find out when everybody else did that you wouldn't be playing tonight? MARK SCALF: We had no idea. Q. So it was from the announcement in the stadium? MARK SCALF: Yeah, and I didn't even hear the announcement, I just saw a lot of LSU fans leaving the ballpark. I didn't know if they were already clearing the park for the next game or what, and then I was told later. Q. Terence, what was that third inning like? You guys have done that before but kind of got it rolling again. TERENCE CONNELLY: Yeah, it was pretty big. We started off the inning with Link hitting the ball down the line, and after that we just kept rolling, Shields continued, and then getting that lead was big, and then Nick came in and kept shoving. Q. Was there something you thought you learned the first time through because it was really the second time through you guys jumped on them. TERENCE CONNELLY: Yeah, that second time through I think everyone felt more comfortable and knew we were just trying to attack and we had a better game plan. Q. What was the difference tonight? You've had your struggles but you've had good games, too. Why was tonight a good one? NICK MONROE: I think I was just working easier, letting my arm do what it naturally does and not trying to force things. The fastball was coming out really good and got in on some hands a lot tonight. Q. What was today like for you obviously with the delay? It was a little different than a normal start. NICK MONROE: I mean, it's really not that much different. Most of the time before the game I'm just relaxing anyway. I don't really have a set routine, so it didn't throw me off that much. Q. Zach, what was that break like or the delay like for you guys? We saw you out in the dugout doing that kind of stuff with Tulane. What was that long wait like? ZACH SHIELDS: It was tedious because, I mean, we had got out here ready to play, and having to sit and wait, the guys had a little bit of entertainment between each other, which was pretty nice. But I guess it got us ready for today. Q. Terence, that's a situation where you're about to play an elimination game, so it might be some nerves. What was the feeling there? You obviously were doing some things to have some fun, but what was the atmosphere like in the dugout or back in the locker room? TERENCE CONNELLY: We were pretty relaxed. We're confident in ourselves. We don't really get caught up in the moment too much. We were just relaxed and getting ready to go. Q. Mark, what did you think of all that stuff? You want them kind of having some fun, get their mind off of what was about to happen? MARK SCALF: We knew it was going to be a long sit. We knew it was going to be at least 5:00 or 5:30, and let them have a good time, let them enjoy the moment. We had plenty of time to get locked back in. Q. Coach, just talk about the adjustments y'all need to make tomorrow against LSU. MARK SCALF: We need to square a few more balls up than we did last night, no doubt. We just need to come compete and play the game the best we possibly can with the energy that we can show up with and let the cards fall where they may. You know, like I said the other day, we've done that pretty much all year. Some days it's been good enough, and a few days we haven't been good enough. I don't think there's a lot of pressure on us. I don't know that there's a lot of pressure on them, it's just a matter of coming out and competing and playing a game that these guys have played all year and try to have some fun doing it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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