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COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: LUBBOCK REGIONAL

June 2, 2017

Lubbock, Texas

Delaware - 2, Texas Tech - 5

THE MODERATOR: Coach, an opening statement?

COACH TADLOCK: Really well-played game on both sides. Really commend Delaware the way they played the game. Marinaccio, I don't know if I'm saying that right, I thought he was outstanding, really a competitor. Really fun to watch from probably just a pure baseball standpoint. The guy really competed. You know, I thought we were very fortunate.

I thought the ball that Ake hit and Josh made the play on, not many guys even catch it, much less get a double-play on it. I think that's a big momentum swing for us. Really just luck too. Sometimes you've you're better off being lucky than good, and we were definitely a little bit lucky there to get out of that jam with just one. Thought Killian came in, got us out of the first one.

So you start talking about those two situations in the game. Those are big swings, even though they're in the second inning and maybe the fifth or sixth. Obviously Orlando put a swing on a ball, gave us some separation there. Hargrove had some good at-bats and got in scoring position there.

The separation was big. Anytime you can have more than a one-run lead there late, it definitely helps. I thought their left fielder had a beat on it, too. He was going after the ball. Looked like he had a beat on it. It was good to see it land in the bullpen.

Q. Orlando, that home run, he had thrown you that curve a couple times. Was it just you had seen it enough times to figure out what was coming for you?
ORLANDO GARCIA: Yeah, you really can't control what kind of pitch you're getting. All you can do is try to look for a good one and put a swing on it. It was out in front a little bit, but got enough, so I'll live with it.

Q. Orlando, Hunter, what was your reaction when you saw Josh catch that ball?
ORLANDO GARCIA: I wasn't surprised, to be honest. It's something Josh would do.

HUNTER HARGROVE: Yeah, definitely something Josh would do.

Q. Orlando, before that, anywhere you hit the home run, you guys were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, did you feel like you guys were hitting the ball hard but they were able to turn some good double-plays where you just weren't able to scratch some runs across and let them hang around early in the game?
ORLANDO GARCIA: Yeah, there were a few guys that did. I saw Josh hit a couple at them, kind of frustrated. It's part of the game. He mentioned earlier about being lucky. Sometimes you just have to run into some balls and let the balls run into you. It happened and we'll live with it.

Q. What did you guys see out of Marinaccio?
HUNTER HARGROVE: He just mixed his pitches well, location. He just kept us guessing, kept us off balance a little bit. Like Coach Tadlock said, he was a great competitor. He just got in there and just filled it up, and luckily we got to the pen when we did.

Q. Orlando, you guys had a lot of singles early on in the game. It wasn't until the 8th inning when you had all the extra base hits. Trying to scrap things together, what's that like for you guys?
ORLANDO GARCIA: You just try to put the barrel on the ball, and wherever they go, they go. We'll take singles. If everybody scores a single we'll get some runs. So it's not a big deal. But I think we just put a barrel on it, and have some good at-bats, we'll be fine.

Q. On another note, you scored three runs today. Tell me about your part in the game for all those runs, the walk, the hit by pitch, the home run?
ORLANDO GARCIA: I mean, every day you show up to the field and you try to compete and put a part in it. You want to be a part of the game somehow. Whether you're not swinging well or you can play defense and you can do that, vice versa, and for the pitchers the same thing. I think every day if you can find a way to contribute, you'll be fine.

Q. How much do you feel like not just the rain delay, but coming out of the rain delay in the situation it was the top of the second. I think the first pitch you get out of that inning a double-play. Did that for you guys feel like it helped kind of reset the team mentally at that point?
HUNTER HARGROVE: Yeah, I thought the momentum shifted a little bit our way. You know, after Killian came in and got that first pitch double-play we were able to go into the bottom of the inning and got on base and scored. I think the biggest thing is Killian kept us in the game and our bullpen kept us in the game.

Luckily we were able to get to their bullpen, and when we did, so we could give Parker a little bit of a cushion there in the ninth.

Q. For both of you guys, driving to the ballpark today, knowing that Davis is only making his second start back after a two-month layoff, how much do you feel like you guys were going to have to potentially call upon that bullpen, especially if you went into a rain delay like you did?
ORLANDO GARCIA: I think we're confident in Davis. He's shown up a few times here and there. So, I mean, he's a competitor. He's going to go in and give you his best. We're excited. It was day one of our new season. Postseason, we have another Opening Day. We're enjoying it. We're enjoying the ride, having a good time, and we're excited that Davis is able to start joining in.

Q. Coach Tadlock, I know it was a long rain delay. Was it ever a question that you were going to take Davis out? Was there a little bit of conversation?
COACH TADLOCK: No, there was conversation. That's just really just covering our bases and doing our due diligence. But once you're in a 30-minute delay with a guy coming off, that's really his third time out. He threw one time in a simulated game, inner-squad-type situation. I really, you know, just wanted to take care of him. Do what was best for him at that point. There was no doubt we were going to who. We weren't sure who. You kind of go down all your options there and try to pick the right one.

Q. After Josh made that big play, it seemed like John really settled in on the mound. What did you think about him in that inning in the third? He seemed like he settled in and mixed his pitches well.
COACH TADLOCK: Yeah, you're talking about power stuff. Again, that ball is hit, what, a foot either way, it's probably a single, at least maybe a double. Really I was just thought the guy -- he kind of baited us into throwing one in there and show bunt. I think 0-0.

Yeah, I thought John threw the ball well. Obviously looking at this he had three punch outs, gave up one hit in two innings. He's got the ability to really fill up the strike zone. Throw two pitches for strikes. It's a lot of fun to watch him. Thought he did settle in well.

Q. During the hour-and-a-half delay, what did the team do?
COACH TADLOCK: Went in, hung out, watched some games. They've got some games they play in there. I don't know the name of them, but I'm sure they played those. You know, guys had a sandwich. Really just sat around and watched some games on TV and kind of waited for the bell. Really your main concern coming off those things is getting guys legs fired back up, and I thought they did a good job of doing that.

Q. With Davis being out as long as he was, you got a lot of experience for your bullpen. How much does that really help today and kind of help be able to win these types of games where you might have a rain delay?
COACH TADLOCK: Oh, man, really what we did today is what we do every Friday. You guys can count it up, since I think we left Austin, or since I think we left Wichita, since we went to Kansas right after Austin. That's what we did every Friday, and our guys know we're going to call on them. They know we've got a lot of belief in them and lot of trust in them.

It's a lot of fun getting them in there. You're hoping getting them in the game today pays dividends, kind of like it did throughout the season. We were able to get guys on the mound, and I think guys got better from it.

Q. Couple different innings you were able to have guys in scoring position. You just weren't able to get them across or it seemed when you had bases loaded there in the second and you maybe get two out of it. Maybe you wanted a little more to have some breathing room. But to be in the 8th inning and just that one-run cushion and to be able to have your one senior in Hunter and then a junior in Orlando, obviously, those are the guys you want in this type of situation to be able to go win you ballgames is your veterans.
COACH TADLOCK: Was that a statement or a question there? I mean, that was pretty good, man.

Q. (Indiscernible) how is it for those guys to step up in those positions?
COACH TADLOCK: Well, we've got about, I think, 14 hitters on that roster that we've got a lot of trust in sending to the plate. Throughout the year it's usually different guys, different days. Again, I kind of go back to everything you said. It's neat to see those guys. Hargrove, it's neat to see him get some good swings on some balls. Coming out of the rain delay he singled.

As far as the part about not driving runs in and all that, you don't think about that so much in the dugout. That's a negative thought. You're trying to win pitches. You're trying to extend at-bats. Sometimes you win, even though you don't drive the runs in. We had some really good at-bats throughout the game.

The way baseball is, you're going to fail more times than you succeed. If you start looking at it in a negative way, this game will eat you alive. So just need to win pitches, win at-bats, win innings.

Q. Did you expect to see Marinaccio coming back after the rain delay?
COACH TADLOCK: Really, I think Matt and J-Bob had a better feel for that than I did. They both said 100% he's coming back out. I wasn't sure. I'd have been fine if he didn't. He's really a competitor. He pitched on both sides of the plate very effectively. At the same time, it's a decision you make. They obviously felt like he could handle it.

Q. What was your initial reaction when you saw Josh make that play today?
COACH TADLOCK: Well, we were talking about -- Matt and I were talking about what we were going to do because they were bunting. About that time, the ball was hit, and that conversation ended. So it's like you take a deep breath like, whew, if that makes any sense. Is that kind of what you did too?

Because the ball was hit really hard, and then the guy falling down throws it to second, and you just kind of take a deep breath. Like, wow, that was a really nice play. Thank God he hit it right at him.

Q. I know the game just ended and there will probably be a lot determined over the next couple days with Davis just throwing 33 pitches. Do you have a gut feeling right now that the earliest you'd be comfortable potentially using him in this Regional?
COACH TADLOCK: Similar like throwing a bullpen, I would think Sunday. I think he'd be able to come out of the bullpen, obviously, if you needed him to. Already talked to him about it. He already -- as soon as he knew he wasn't going to pitch today after the rain delay, he was like, I think I'll be ready.

So he's a guy that wants the ball. He's a lot further along, just because he hadn't pitched in real games, he's ready to go. He executed some pitches today, and it was good to see.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: LUBBOCK REGIONAL

June 2, 2017

Orlando Garcia

Hunter Hargrove

Tim Tadlock