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NCAA MEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESJune 21, 2016Peter AlonsoAlex FaedoKevin O'SullivanOmaha, Nebraska Texas Tech - 3, Florida - 2 THE MODERATOR: We'll have a statement from Coach O'Sullivan. Then we'll open it up to questions for the student-athletes. Kevin. COACH O'SULLIVAN: It is what it is. And hate to be matter of fact about it, but the fact of the matter is that Texas Tech played really good. They turned, I think, I don't know how many double plays, I think we hit into five the last two days. We had some opportunities and their kid on the mound made some pitches, and they played good defense. It's really that simple. They got a good lineup, and I thought Alex pitched great. I really do. Just one mistake, unfortunately one-run game, it tends to get magnified. But he pitched great. That's probably as good as he's pitched all year long. And we fell a little short. But I certainly am proud of the way we played this year. It's not easy to get to this point. Obviously we're all disappointed right now. But the fact of the matter is we had a hell of a year. And I'm sad to see some of these guys move on. But we've got a good core coming back. We've got to get better in a couple of areas, and I fully intend to make that happen. But great year. I mean, won 52 games. And the schedule we played, we hung in there. Played really good baseball until the end. And the hustle play by Jon there at the end, I would say that that's what you need to do, 100 out of 100 times. And left fielder just made a hell of a throw, and it was a perfect throw. And that's kind of maybe it's a fitting way to end our season. It was a hustle play and it was an all-out play and he tried to do everything he could to get to second base to get to scoring position to tie the ballgame. All that said, I'm just proud of my team, and it's going to be a tough couple of days for these guys moving on. We've had some really, really good juniors, guys that are going to play for a long time. A few seniors that have been great leaders. The managers, we've got quite a few managers that have been with us since they were puppies, as freshmen, and they do so many things behind the scene. It's going to be a tough couple days, but we'll regroup and, like I said, I'm proud of my team the way we played this year. Q. Alex, strong pitching effort. What was working well for you pitch-wise out there? ALEX FAEDO: Just trying to locate, do my best with that and that's about it. Just trying to locate. Q. Pete, obviously the rally in the ninth inning, what was the vibe like in the dugout, and obviously your home run, and how did that kind of change things after kind of struggling and scuffling through the first eight offensively? PETER ALONSO: Going in your last three outs, I mean, it's just desperation, do everything you can to knock it out and get on base and find a way to scratch a run across. Thankfully he gave me a fastball up and ran into one. JJ's up to the plate. He's fully capable of running one out of the yard and tying it up. It gave us hope. And India having a really good swing, rattling the ball around the corner, just the guy made a good throw. So definitely had a really good chance to win. Buddy had a really good at-bat to get off the inning, so that was kind of the spark of it. Q. Peter, I think you were on base in the first inning when JJ hit that, crushed that ball to centerfield. Can you believe that that was caught? That looked like off the bat it was out of here. PETER ALONSO: Off the bat it looked either in the gap or off the wall or over the fence. Didn't think the kid was going to catch it. He just came out of nowhere and made an incredible play. Q. Pete, how shocking is this outcome, considering that the expectations kind of going into it, the fact that you guys were the No. 1 seed? PETER ALONSO: We just fell short. I know a lot of us put our heart and soul into every pitch. And it was the goal to win a national championship. And it feels terrible because, I mean, that was the goal. And not just me but our entire team has worked so incredibly hard. And it's extremely frustrating and it doesn't feel good. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach. Q. Sully, looking at Davis Martin, what was he able to do from your vantage point just to keep you guys from getting into any sort of groove whatsoever throughout the game? COACH O'SULLIVAN: We had some opportunities. He threw a couple of sinkers, and we hit into double plays and we didn't elevate the ball. It's really that simple. You know, it's just a game of inches. I mean, JJ runs into the ball in the first, like I said, and guy makes a heck of a catch. Had a two-run homer in the ninth, and next thing you know they're playing deep. And a guy makes a perfect throw, and who knows. It's just a tough way to end it. But it's probably the right way. We hustled and did everything we could to put ourselves in scoring position. Q. You guys have been great defensively, really the last couple of years. And there was the play in the ninth inning, really the difference in the game as it turned out. Could you discuss what you saw there and kind of the irony in that? COACH O'SULLIVAN: To be honest with you, it looks like it's a difference, but we had a lot of opportunities to drive in runs early in the game or sometime during the game, and we didn't. We've been playing great defense, and that's just part of it. Probably nine out of ten times he makes that play, and Pete probably tried to do too much, and then we don't bite, don't keep in front. But at the end of the day, we didn't lose the game because of that. There's a lot of things. I know it's easy to say that and look at it and it's the ninth inning, you give up a run, you lose by one. But Jonathan India has been a great defensive third baseman for us all year. I would not put that on him. It's just he made an error at a tough time during the game. But he's a great baseball player. He's going to be a good one for us. It's that simple. Q. Coach, with your offense not really getting on track at all until the ninth inning there and some of your horses on the mound just not getting a chance in this series, did it feel -- do you leave here feeling at all that it was over before it started, like you didn't get the chance to -- we didn't get the chance to see the real Florida? COACH O'SULLIVAN: No. I mean, once again, we played 68 games. I don't think two games would define us. I know from some of the questions that have been asked that you feel like you fell short -- it's over 300 Division I teams. We lost four one-run games out here. We've just got to get a little better in a couple of areas, and we will. But to look at two games we've lost 2-1 and 3-2 and look at those guys in the locker room and think, boy, the season's been a failure, if getting to Omaha's a failure, then -- I don't look at it that way. Of course we're disappointed, of course we want to stay here longer. But there's eight teams out of over 300 to get here. We've been here five out of the last seven, and we'll be here again soon. And as far as being a failure, people not seeing the real Florida team, like I said, we played almost 70 games. Q. The play in the sixth where JJ was called for interference, it didn't look like you had a problem with that call. Did you think that was the right call? COACH O'SULLIVAN: Yeah, I did. I had a good vantage point, and he was inside the line. Inside the line, got inside the line, veered out again. He made the right call. If I didn't, I would have come out and questioned it. But I didn't have any problem with the call. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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