2021 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 18, 2021

Tanner Allen

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Press Conference

TANNER ALLEN: We're extremely excited to be here. Feel like we've earned our way here. And looking forward to a great couple of weeks.

Q. I talked to Jake Mangum this week. He said it's your time, just kind of carried on the tradition of going to Omaha. For these two weeks, what's going to be different this year than the other two trips?

TANNER ALLEN: First off, love Jake. It's huge that he still keeps up with us. But it's going to be a tough two weeks. If we want to play deep in this tournament we'll have to come together and play together as a team. It's going to be all hands on deck because we know it's a lot of games in a short amount of time, so we'll have to play for each other.

Q. This is nothing new for you and Rowdey and Josh, Riley, Spencer (phonetic) and those guys. But a lot of these guys are stepping off the bus for the first time and seeing TD Ameritrade and the sights of Omaha. How do you level them out? What are your words to level them out over the next few days?

TANNER ALLEN: I tell them it's the same game they've been playing since they were three or four years old. It's just on a bigger stage. Everybody will have butterflies. I don't care if you've been to Omaha 10 times. It's going to be nerve racking at first, but once the first pitch is thrown or once you field the first ground ball, fly ball, or have your first at-bat, it's going to be the same game you've been playing all year long.

Q. What have you seen from Texas that might be different from the first game of the season. You're almost bookend games with these guys. And you had some success against Ty Madden early in the season. What have you seen that's different from them if anything if you guys reviewed the film?

TANNER ALLEN: Since we've seen them the first game of the year they became a totally different team. They're a really good team. They pitch well, defend well and they can swing the baseball bat. We have to be on our A game. Madden's great arm, if not the best arm. We're just not going to be overlooking him. He's one of the best arms in the country. We have to prepare and bring it Sunday night.

Q. You played with Stephen Schoch at Virginia in the Cal Ripken League back in Maryland (indiscernible) big train. He's obviously earned some national attention for being quite a character, and I don't think he gave him a run all summer there. What are memories playing with him, and what would it be like to face him here if you get the chance?

TANNER ALLEN: Schoch's a great guy. I played with him when I was an incoming freshman at the big (indiscernible) in Bethesda. He's an unbelievable guy, great character. He's always been funny, all this stuff he's getting attention for, doesn't surprise me one bit. He's always been that way.

Other than that, he's a great baseball player, a great pitcher.

If I have to face him here I know I just better bring my A game because he's a great pitcher and he pitches with a lot of emotion I like that. A lot of respect for that guy.

Q. You kind of addressed this already with Robby's question with regards to Texas and Ty Madden. He struck you out a couple of times, but you were able to prevail later in the game against the Longhorns. Got a couple of hits down the stretch, and you guys got it done. Do you remember anything specifically about his stuff, his at-bats, and what made him good on the mound against you?

TANNER ALLEN: Yes, sir, he's got a really good fastball. It's going to be in the mid-90s with a really good slider. And he got me two times early in the year. But I feel like I'm a completely different hitter than I was then, just like he's a completely different pitcher, if not probably better. I'm going to have to really be locked in Sunday night.

Q. You've been to Omaha a lot as you mentioned. But how does this team kind of rank to the others? And, yeah, do you think you have your best chance of winning the whole thing this year with this group?

TANNER ALLEN: Yes, sir, I think this is our best chance. Only difference is I think we have the pitching depth. We have a lot of good arms out of the bullpen. And we have some experience. And along with some young guys that have a lot of talent and are really good players.

It's going to be a big stage. They're going to have to start believing in themselves as soon as we take the field because we can't let any moment get too big for us up here.

Q. Not just with Texas, but when you see Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, three teams that throw it the way they do, as a hitter do your eyes get big when you see that draw and see how much talent you're going to be going against? How much do you try to rise to the occasion when you have such great staffs you're going against?

TANNER ALLEN: To be honest with you, at this time of year everybody will have great staffs. So, it's nothing new. We have to prepare, like I said all the time. We're going to control what we can control, and that's our preparation to face these great arms.

And no matter what happens throughout the game we've just got to keep battling and put good at-bats together and doing our thing. Everybody's good this time of year, man, so anybody can beat anybody.

Q. Is it possible for you as a player to kind of quantify the dual achievement of being at the College World Series and getting attention from scouts, even being projected as an early round draft pick?

TANNER ALLEN: To be honest with you, I'm just focused on Mississippi State baseball right now. That's all I care about. I have too many good friends of mine, my teammates to be worried about the draft. I want to go out on top at Mississippi State. I'm not worried about it. I want to play great here. I want to enjoy this with my teammates and coaching staff and all of Starkville, Bulldog Nation, I just want to enjoy this, man, and like I said go out on top.

Q. How appreciative is this team of this year's trip especially with last year being taken away and having uncertainty with all the younger players?

TANNER ALLEN: We're not taking this for granted. Like I said, last year was taken away from us. We didn't have an opportunity to come here.

I felt like last year we had the team to do it as well. So coming back this year is special. We knew none of this was going on at this time last year. And being able to play here at TD Ameritrade amidst a giant global pandemic is truly a blessing.

Q. I'm thinking about Sunday, and from an outsider's perspective it's going to be such an amazing clash of two heavyweights going at it and some really good fan bases. It's going to be an awesome scene. I wonder as a player, I know you're trying to focus on everything that you guys are trying to do to play your best, but will you take a moment to soak it in or can you take a moment to just sort of appreciate that scene, that atmosphere?

TANNER ALLEN: Oh, of course. I soak it in every second up here. I've been blessed to come here three times. I tell everybody, it gets sweeter and sweeter every time I come here. I tell the young guys enjoy everything. Enjoy the town. Enjoy watching games and the pregame stuff. Enjoy all the hype because not everybody gets to come. And at the end of the day we know why we're here. We came here to play great baseball and win a national championship.

Q. Being your third time here, do you have any sort of like Omaha bucket list apart from on the field, like places you want to go before you leave here on your last time around?

TANNER ALLEN: Man, if anything on my bucket list in Omaha is come home with a ring. I feel like the town of Starkville, they deserve it. They're great fans. It's a great fan base. They support us no matter what. I feel it's our time to come here win the national championship and bring it back home to Starkville.