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COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: LUBBOCK REGIONALMay 31, 2019Jim FosterJacob HurtubiseJosh WhiteLubbock, Texas Texas Tech-11, Army West Point-2 THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement from coach. JIM FOSTER: Thank you. Yeah, we just faced a really good ball club today. I think in baseball you never, it's never as bad as you think and it's never as good as you think. Today we were pretty bad, but we're not that bad of a ball club. Hopefully these guys will come out ready to fight tomorrow. Tech's a real good team, Danny Burggraaf, our starter, struggled. He didn't have his good stuff today. He's won a lot of big ball games for us. I knew we were going to have to weather the storm a little bit the first time through, with the crowd and the new environment and all that, and was hoping we would hang in there and maybe be down two or three, but they did a lot of damage with two outs today and made us work really hard on the mound, threw 147 pitches through five innings. So hats off to them, they did a great job. Their starter did an outstanding job. I think we swung at a lot of balls today, we're usually a little more disciplined than that. We usually swing at more strikes and make it tougher on the other team and get some guys on the the bases and try and create some runs but we just couldn't do that today. Hat's off to them, they played a great game and we really couldn't get anything going, so we'll shake this one off and get them tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes. Q. Jacob, what made Micah so hard to hit especially for through those first couple innings where he had a no-hitter? JACOB HURTUBISE: Obviously he's a new arm, we haven't seen too many guys that have the kind of stuff that he has with a hard fastball like that and a sharp slider. So I think just going in there and adjusting was a little bit of a struggle at first. I think as the game kind of went on we were able to sit on some pitches that we were able to drive a little bit more and it showed a little more success as the game went on. But just in an environment like this, kind of new to a lot of guys that are out there, but he threw phenomenally, especially in those first couple innings. Q. Jacob, Josh could answer this too if you want, you mentioned the environment, how did this compare to what y'all have played in front of this year or maybe what you played in front of last year in Raleigh? JACOB HURTUBISE: Yeah, I think that the most comparable that this environment was like was our very first game or second game of the season, which was at LSU. Obviously they always have great crowds, it was loud, we were able to compete in that environment, and today I don't know if it was just because it's a regional a little bit bigger of a situation, but I think we have played in enough ball games where we know what to expect and tomorrow we'll definitely be ready to come out ready to compete. Q. For Jacob and Josh, I know obviously you guys wanted to get out to a quicker start, they got off to a quick start but how much more difficult is it to know that most of their runs were on two outs early on? JOSH WHITE: Yeah, it's something that we talk about a lot. Two-out hits are really big for momentum swings throughout the game, and they had a couple balls fall and we didn't really string anything together like that and with two outs we just didn't present ourselves with the opportunities like they did and they took advantage of them and we didn't. So that's it. Q. Jacob, just how tough was it to take knowing that you guys made plays but just wasn't weren't able to make them with two outs? JACOB HURTUBISE: Yeah, being able to compete with two outs is always huge, whether you're on the mound or in the field. I know I had a ball in the first inning that I potentially could have dove after and maybe had a little momentum go our way, but just being able to compete and continuing to compete knowing that if you get that out it's our turn to go back and hit, so obviously them being able to have success with two outs, it played a big role in the outcome of the ball game. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you guys. Take questions for coach. Q. In regard to Burggraaf, with you taking him out after 62 pitches, were you thinking ahead also possibly to if he went 90 pitches, that he would be done for the weekend, maybe you could bring him back Sunday or Monday if you get there? Is that a factor at all or was it he was just not effective today? JIM FOSTER: Yeah, that was part of it. We hope we can get him for an inning maybe in two days, if we can make it to Sunday. I think that Burgy's been -- he's got good stuff, today his stuff was down. There's no reason for it really. He's had a lot of time off, it's just he's given a lot. He's put a lot of effort into the second half of the season and he's done great job winning some big ball games for us. He's probably the guy that I felt like would get the least flustered out there early. He really is a tough kid, he just didn't have his good stuff today. He's not feeling great, his arm, so I hope he's available in two days. That's the plan to have him for an inning at the back end. He did close the game against Maryland for us last year and but he's not a guy that bounces back great, so we'll see, but that was part of it. And I wanted to get these other guys in there and see what they could do in this type of environment. So I thought they did a decent job. Q. I asked Jacob and Josh but how tough was it knowing you had those two-out opportunities to get out there and they were able to capitalize on them early on? JIM FOSTER: Yeah, we got two outs pretty good today, it was that third one that was tough. They got the triple and the sac fly and the three-run Homer and everything else was with two outs. So that's what good teams do. Two-out hits break your back and really win ball games for you and that's what they did today. They're physical, they're strong guys, they can move, good athletes, they got some great arms, some power arms in the bullpen. I just wish our guys, I think they got a little caught up in -- our biggest thing, these kids they try hard, you know. That's one of the things I have to prevent because everything they do, whether it's school or something they're trying to achieve, the effort's there. Sometimes they try too hard and in baseball when you have two strikes on you and you're early, when you're a little anxious, you're getting yourself out over and over. So we kind of -- a few of the guys fell into that trap today and I think tomorrow they will settle in and be a little bit better after getting three or four at-bats today. So I hope we can do that. Q. What did Micah Dallas do in his first postseason start that kind of kept you off kilter? JIM FOSTER: We don't have enough left-handed hitters to put in there against him. You have to fill the lineup with some good lefties and we just don't have enough. I did pinch-hit there with Hudgins in that one situation; it would have been big. But we just swung at too many balls. We usually swing a little more disciplined than that. We got a lot of walks, we get a lot of hit-by-pitches on the season and we struck out too much also. Like I was saying earlier, it's that -- when you take your eyes to the ball, when you lose your balance, when you're early, and you're trying too hard and you're pressing, it never happens for you. We'll try and get these guys to back off a little bit and relax and they're a great group, they're very resilient. So they have done it all year, hopefully they will do it tomorrow. Q. You had kind of an experienced group of guys, do you think the atmosphere at all had any effect? I know y'all played in this same type of a regional last year but year to year do you think it has an effect on them? JIM FOSTER: Yeah, I think so. Last year we had some momentum plays early that really helped us and so we got a lead and we got to add on with a pinch-hit double late in the game. So we never trailed. Bise scored on an infield ground ball to second base and Gio pitched a great game and Rob Regine hit a double. So I think we won the Game 4-1, 4-0, 4-1 last year, so the crowd never really got going. I think today in the first inning when Holt hit the triple and then the sac fly and the two-out hits and the crowd got going, we didn't -- I expected to have to deflect that a little at the beginning, and then like I said, I hoped we would just settle in and play baseball, but we didn't handle that great at the beginning. And Dallas did a great job on the mound. He's got a really tight slider. When it's down, you can't see it. When you reach for it, you can't see it, it's a tight pitch. I thought we had some good information on him but he just threw a great game and we kind of made it easy on him by swinging at a lot of balls down. Q. Since Tyler Giovinco threw that very good game in Game 1 last year at the regional, how much discussion was there, if any, internally about using him today or has Burggraaf been your regular number one this year? JIM FOSTER: Yeah, Burgy threw a great game against LSU earlier this year. He's pitched in a lot of big ball games. He's the guy we wanted out there. We think Gio matches up well with whoever we play tomorrow. Burgy doesn't hold runners great, Tech doesn't run a lot. So that was part of the equation. So we'll see what happens. He didn't really show his best today and I think Texas Tech can beat anybody, they're that good. We just didn't play our A game today and look forward to getting back out here tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. JIM FOSTER: Okay. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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