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COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 27, 2018

Omaha, Nebraska

Oregon State - 5, Arkansas - 3

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Oregon State coach Pat Casey, student-athletes Adley Rutschman, Cadyn Grenier and Trevor Larnach. Give us an overview, please.

COACH CASEY: Obviously very proud of our club, and I would have said that regardless. We never quit. We really had some opportunities. We would tell you that crushing runs throughout the game that could have got us down, and I think we got frustrated, but we never gave in.

And the dugout was live, huge at-bats. Zak Taylor's at-bat was huge. And these two guys sitting to my left obviously big, and then Rutsch has just been clutch, and great pitching performance by Eisy again. Abel came in and did his job, and Mully. Just a great team effort.

Q. Cadyn, the ball drops on the pop-out foul, what were your thoughts at that point?
CADYN GRENIER: Pretty much as soon as you see the ball drop, you have another life. And really all I thought was I just need to refocus and make the most of that extra life that we got when that ball did drop. And that's all you can do. You take it as this was -- that's a gift. And it's a new life. And do what you can with it.

Q. Cadyn, take you back to the fifth inning, you have the bases loaded. You've got a 1-1 count and you put down a bunt. Was that your call? And how did that feel?
CADYN GRENIER: Yeah, that was my call. And it felt great. It worked perfectly. (Laughter) all I can say about that is learn to bunt, kids. It's important.

Q. Any of you guys, with Cronin, it appeared he was throwing fastballs every pitch. Were you cognizant of that? Were you loading up for his fastballs? Is that what you were looking for all the way? Cadyn and Trevor?
CADYN GRENIER: I mean, obviously we know he's got a good fastball. And he was using it effectively tonight both sides, up/down. You've got to go up there preparing for it. Go up there expecting a fastball and do damage with it when you get the chance. And that's what Trevor did, and I was able to battle off a couple ones, finally barrel some, and it found a hole.

TREVOR LARNACH: I was going up there looking for the fastball. I saw he threw a couple of breakers, I don't know if they hit the zone or if they were just there, but I saw majority of fastball, so I was ready for it. But in the back of my mind curveball, left on left.

Q. Trevor, I'm sure hitting a home run in the final game of the College World Series is always something you dream about. How did it feel? You had to know it was going out with how hard you hit it.
TREVOR LARNACH: Actually top spun it. I'm kind of famous for that at Oregon State. I hit it. I just said get going, get going, and it went. And from there I don't really remember. (Laughter).

CADYN GRENIER: Must suck being able to top spin balls out of the park (laughter).

Q. Adley, give us some detail on how important the bullpen's been for you guys and what those guys have been like when they've come in in tough situations?
ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: They've kept us in the game. We've had to use a lot of pitching. We've played a lot of games here. Just to have outings from people like Eisy, Chamberlain, it gives offense an opportunity to get back in the game, and they kept us right there. They played, have played and are playing, a huge part in our success of the team. Hopefully we can keep that up for one more game.

Q. Adley, can you give us your perspective and the emotions you went through while waiting to bat in the top of the 9th from Cadyn's foul pop to the base hit and then the home run?
ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: Yeah, I mean, I'm sitting in the dugout thinking whether I'm going to get up or not in the inning. Just to kind of watch it unfold, you know, watch our team come together there, have a great AB by Zak Taylor to start it off. There's some confidence there. And I had all the confidence in the world in Cadyn. And Trevor coming up.

So just to have that kind of roller coaster of emotions there, I can't ask for anything more.

Q. Cadyn, when you hit the foul ball, what was running through your mind? Did you think it was going to get caught when it left your bat?
CADYN GRENIER: I don't know. I was just hoping it was going to keep flaring off into the stands. I knew I'd hit it decently deep, so it wasn't just going to be a routine pop fly to catch. And evidently it wasn't and it landed in the perfect spot between the three of the guys. And it worked out to our advantage.

Q. Trevor, you have a great record this season. You have had some ups and downs and some hard points through the season. Is this kind of fitting for you guys to have to come back win this game and give you guys a chance to win the championship?
TREVOR LARNACH: I'd say at this point in time every team is good. Arkansas is here for a reason. And they got us yesterday. And we were fortunate to get them today. And tomorrow's a brand new day. So we're focused on that.

Q. Trevor, earlier in the game you had the bases load there with one out, and they brought the reliever in. Did you think about that at all? Did that weigh on you at all throughout the course of the game, and were you glad to have that opportunity there at the end?
TREVOR LARNACH: Definitely glad. I'm fortunate that Cadyn scored the tying run, we got another opportunity. And I was up there. And after each at-bat I try to wipe it unless it's a hit I'll try and remember how they pitched me, or even when they're out I'll try to remember that. But the result, I try and wipe it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you. Questions for Coach.

Q. Are you rerouting meal money extra to the bullpen by now?
COACH CASEY: Yeah, I should, huh. The bully has been good for us. I was talking to somebody about that, Kendall or something, but we played seven games, I think, and really haven't had but one quality start. The bullpen has been huge for us.

Q. There's a lot of situations you can sort of plan for, you can think about. That's not necessarily one of them. Where are you at in terms of what you're thinking and what you're going to do with this team when you start your process again tomorrow?
COACH CASEY: Well, we're just going to take it one inning at a time. Obviously we're backed up a little bit with pitching. We don't have the -- we weren't set the way they were set. So it makes it a little more difficult on us.

It would be hard to think that we're going to have anybody that's going to probably go more than five. We're going to have to -- everybody's probably able to pitch, I would guess, other than obviously Fehmel and probably Eisert. Somebody can come in and get you an out.

When you get to this point, it's a one-game-for-all. So our bullpen will have to really be part of the win tomorrow if we get a win. There's no doubt about it.

Q. It must seem sometimes when you go through a stretch like you did last night and tonight that you're not getting a break, that things are just not going your way, and all of a sudden the biggest break of the game happens and it seems like the floodgates opened. Did you get that feeling at all tonight?
COACH CASEY: We certainly had opportunities to score. I mean, we got a push on our best bunter on our team who has done it many times. We had the bases loaded with our three and four guys up who have been outstanding. And baseball is unforgiving. And we didn't capitalize it. So, yeah, we were looking for something good to happen.

And needed something good to happen. But our guys never gave in. So I think that that's what created that opportunity for us to have something good happen.

Q. Cadyn went through his thoughts or what was going through his mind on the foul pop in the ninth. How did you see it? And the ability of your guys to come back immediately from that, is it something that you've seen from them throughout this series and even throughout the year?
COACH CASEY: Absolutely. And I've seen it for a while with this club and this program. And just that will to keep going. Kwan arguably is a tremendous lead-off guy. He's been one of our best guys, producers. He's going to play, takes BP. Comes back. Says he can't play. Have to put Preston Jones in the game. He gets a nice bunt down for us.

So very resilient team. Character is off the chart. I said that in the fifth inning when Laura asked me how we thought we were going to get this done, I said: Character. We're not doing some things that maybe we could do. Maybe we can't get a ball hit in the right place, get a ball to drop.

So just had to keep scraping. And when you get this far, me, anyway, I really don't think of the bad things, I think of all the great things I've been through with these guys and you've got to let them play. And it's like Cadyn said, he laid down a drag bunt of his own with the bases loaded, and I'm going, Wow.

When he was a freshman, he said, I've never bunted in my life, Coach. So I said, Well, the way you're hitting now, you need to learn how to bunt. He's made some great adjustments. And that was big. He did that on his own. I give him the freedom to do that.

And so I trust the club.

Q. I would understand that you'll probably throw a lot of guys out there tomorrow if you have to. Is there anybody that wouldn't be available tomorrow? Can you think of somebody --
COACH CASEY: Probably Eisert and probably Fehmel. Fehmel through 50 pitches, I guess. I don't know. Eisert threw more than that. And if you threw a guy out there that had thrown -- depends on the kid, too, if a kid says, hey, I'm sore, I'm whatever. I think it's all hands on deck right now for anybody that -- I watched the World Series and I see Randy Johnson going down after two-day start to close, to win a championship. People do things. Now, we're never going to put someone in a position that it's detrimental to them, that's for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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