SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

May 27, 2021

Dylan Smith

Hoover Metropolitan Stadium

Alabama Crimson Tide

Postgame Press Conference

Florida 7, Alabama 2

DYLAN SMITH: I feel like today, it was a tight competition. We knew what we were up against, but I just felt like we brought it -- we didn't bring it all the way. I felt like I could have did better late in the game, but from that point, it's out of my control.

Q. Dylan, it's kind of been a theme this season, just run support. How do you stay confident on the mound when you're through six innings and the bats aren't working for you guys? How do you stay confident throwing your best stuff out there?

DYLAN SMITH: Like I said, I'm not hitting the ball. My job is to go out there and pitch and give it my best, and I felt like I did that today. Pitching is my craft. So I just have to focus on that.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the pitching staff as a whole. You got deeper with McNairy than even Coach Bo had thought. How big has it been for the starters to be able to get deep in these games and save the bullpen on a long week like this?

DYLAN SMITH: I feel like this is very important for us. We had to save the pen because you never know what you're going to do in Hoover. I felt like every starter went out there and gave it their best and extended their outing to help the bullpen. So we have everybody for tomorrow, and when we win tomorrow, hopefully we can save the bullpen tomorrow as well.

Q. Just to go off of that, you talked about the future moving forward this weekend. Are you available to start or come out of the bullpen later this weekend, or is that for the coaching staff to decide?

DYLAN SMITH: That's something for the coaching staff to decide, but usually I'm a guy that bounces back really fast. So we'll give it to them.