SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

May 25, 2021

Tommy Mace

Hoover Metropolitan Stadium

Florida Gators

Postgame Press Conference

Florida 4, Kentucky 1

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get going. I'm facilitating the post presser with the Florida Gators. If you could, just open up with a brief statement, your overall performance today, and we'll field questions for you.

TOMMY MACE: I think our team played really well.

Our pitching staff did really well today as a team, and our hitters came out and gave us some run support, which is good. I think overall we played really well today.

Q. Hey, Tommy, just wanted to ask, what was the conversation like pitching on short rest today? Was it something you brought to Sully, or did Sully come to you about pitching today?

TOMMY MACE: There wasn't really a conversation. We kind of both knew that I was going to throw on short rest. I prepared like that from Thursday at Arkansas, kind of assuming that I would -- I did that sophomore year. Kind of the same thing.

Q. What did you think you had working today? Was the fastball good?

TOMMY MACE: Yeah, fastball, cutter.

Q. Tommy, you had some tough innings there, allowed a couple of guys on base. How tough is it for you doing that three or four times in your five-inning stint?

TOMMY MACE: Yeah, it's tough, but you can't control that. You can just control the next pitch and try and go out and compete for your team and get guys ground balls or get guys the ball to get some outs.

Q. How good was it to see Jacob on that first pitch of your guys' offense?

TOMMY MACE: It was awesome, especially from J.Y. being a lead-off hitter and not really hitting a lot of home runs. For him to jump on early, it kind of set the tone for the team.

Q. Kind of a tough ballpark to do it in too, right?

TOMMY MACE: Yeah.

Q. The last time you were here was probably your freshman year or sophomore year?

TOMMY MACE: Sophomore year against A&M.

Q. But not having to play single elimination, was there a different sense of urgency, just knowing we're coming off four straight losses, wanted not to get eliminated today in the first game?

TOMMY MACE: I would just say it's kind of just the team knew that we had to go out and take care of business today and come off those losses strong and not dwell on those and do what we have to do.