|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NCAA MEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESJune 25, 2016Tyler ChadwickAlex CunninghamGary GilmoreG.K. YoungOmaha, Nebraska Coastal Carolina - 7, TCU - 5 THE MODERATOR: Statement from Coach Gilmore. COACH GILMORE: Thank you very much. And first want to congratulate TCU. What a class act. Fantastic, athletic team. Great arms. And they're all so young. It's kind of scary. They've been here three years in a row, and they may come back another three years, with all the young players they have. But want to congratulate my guys. I'll tell you what, they just amaze me every day I go out there. Every single day they find ways to win, and different groups of people. Middle of our order -- last night we were 0-fer in the middle. Tonight we got a bunch in the middle. And A.C. was very, very good on the mound, and Bobby came in, did a great job. For the most part we played terrific infield defense again. I can't be happier for a group of young men. Honestly, they deserve this. They played well enough to be where they're at. THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes. Q. Tyler, you guys, like Coach said, you got contributions from all around the order. I guess today you're down there in the bottom half, had three hits. How much pride do you guys take in keeping that pressure on 1 through 9? Seems like a staple of this team. TYLER CHADWICK: First I'd like to thank Kevin Woodall for picking me up all day at first base on some of my errant throws. We pride ourselves hitting, being selfless and relentless in everything we do. Being selfless when we're at the bunt, and being relentless when we get people in scoring position and getting it done. I think in order for us to be the team we want to be and been all year, we have to hit 1 through 9. And adding Dave at the bottom of the lineup this week has really taken us to another level. And obviously the top of the lineup has pretty much carried us all year. They've been phenomenal. Paez, Marks and Z and C.O. and G.K., they've been lights out all year. We definitely pride ourselves in being relentless with people in scoring position and doing whatever we need to do. Q. G.K., you guys have a lot of veterans on this team. You've been in a lot of tight situations this postseason. How important is it to have that veteran leadership throughout the club? G.K. YOUNG: I mean, it's very important. I mean, we played -- top of our lineup has played together for three and four years. And just the bondage we have together and we have faith in one another to pick each other up. Like you saw today, that's the team we've been all year. We've picked each other up and we've had those big hits that we needed to get when we needed them. And it worked out today. Q. Tyler and G.K., it seemed like the offense, as long as you've been here, the more potent you guys have been. Is it easier once you kind of settle in on this stage? Do you find that your confidence has grown the longer you've been out here in Omaha? TYLER CHADWICK: I think definitely. I mean, obviously the first game here we face Logan Shore, who is a pretty dominant arm. Every arm we face has been really good and somebody that we have to really lock in for. But definitely, I mean, the first game getting here for all of us, it was the first few games, you're just kind of getting a grip on it. But I think we've kind of settled in and kind of found what works and what doesn't work. The wind was blowing out today, which helps it a lot. But this park, it's tough to get it out. So we know we've got to stay with more line drives and move guys in certain ways that being at home or somewhere else we wouldn't have to do. But, yeah, definitely I think we're starting to get a feel for this field and seeing the ball a lot better. G.K. YOUNG: Just like Chadwick says, just getting used to this ballpark. We're kind of used to a field, the ball flies, and here you hit the ball up in the air and it kind of dies. We've got power all through our lineup. We really haven't changed any of our approach but just trying to hit line drives and be the team that we have been all year barrelling balls up and getting pitches to hit. I think we've adjusted pretty well. We came in and we haven't ever played in front of that many people before. But now just relax and play the game. We're just a good ball team that loves the play the game. Q. Alex, when did you find out that it was going to be you today, and just how were you feeling out of the gate? ALEX CUNNINGHAM: I assumed all week, you know, even though it is a short day rest, I want to be the guy that everyone can depend on. And I've said this for the past two years. I want to be the rock for this team. Friday, Saturday, one, two, whatever it is, I just want to go out there and compete and, like I said, just be the guy everyone can rely on. It's real easy to go out there and throw when your offense is scoring six, seven runs a game. So I really just wanted to do it for them. Like I said, just be the rock for this team. Q. Alex, obviously you've seen these guys before earlier in the week. More success this time around. Did you change anything about the way you attacked those guys, and did it help having faced them before? ALEX CUNNINGHAM: Yeah, just getting more comfortable with their lineup, kind of seeing how they react to my pitches. Luckily my breaking ball was working better tonight, so I could throw that, especially to the Luken Baker kid, threw him a big, what, 2-2 curveball, I think. But like they said, just getting comfortable out here is the main thing. This is such a big stage. None of us have been here. LSU is a close second. But you can't really -- you can't really simulate 25,000. But luckily we came out here. Like I said, the offense picked me up. I picked them up in situations, and that's what we've been doing all year. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach. Q. How are you feeling now, knowing that you're going to play for the national championship in a couple of days? COACH GILMORE: To be very honest with you, none of this has like hit me yet. I'll be very honest with you. I think that's why I don't feel like I get all tensed up or whatever. It's just -- it's like kind of like I'm in a dream. I'm scared to pinch myself, to be very honest with you. I mean, coming from where I started 21 years ago and where our university was at that point in time and where we're at today, to know that we're on this stage is one of the most incredible things I could have ever imagined. I don't know if I've ever dreamt this far, to be honest with you. Dreamt getting to Omaha. I don't know that I ever dreamt getting to this point. Q. To win these two games against TCU, obviously very talented club, just what does that say about the pitching staff to be able to navigate that lineup the last two days and finish off to get to the finals? COACH GILMORE: I mean, it's incredible. The pitching performance we had last night from Beckwith, and then I thought A.C. honestly on the short rest was way better. Didn't try to overthrow a lot of pitches that sometimes when he has a whole week off, he tries to force some things here and there and he tends to lose his breaking ball feel. And tonight he threw enough of them to keep them honest the majority of the time. And I thought because he didn't have plus-plus velocity tonight, he actually pitched. And watching Beckwith last night, saw some of that in what Alex was doing and where he just steals strikes, just flat-out easy, get me over stuff. He threw probably eight or ten of those to hitters early in counts, just slopped a breaking ball or something over there that they just took it, but you steal a strike. He hasn't done that a ton all year long. He'll show it occasionally. But I thought tonight he was good with it. Q. Gary, a lot of TCU's offensive production has been predicated based on what Luken Baker does the last couple of nights. You were able to keep him out of his comfort zone. What was your approach, and what were you telling your players how to approach Luken Baker? COACH GILMORE: Let's make one thing perfectly clear. I didn't tell them nothing, to be honest with you. The guy that does that and the guy that needs all the credit for that, I have now currently and have had for several years one of the best pitching coaches in the United States. And he does one of the best jobs I've ever been around at reading hitters, reading swings. And the more we play people, the better he gets with everything that he does. And, I mean, he's been incredible. Those kids believe in him so much, myself, too. What he's done with a six-, seven-man pitching staff to get us to this point is the most incredible thing I've ever been a part of. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|