2021 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 18, 2021

David Pierce

Texas Longhorns

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Texas head coach David Pierce.

COACH PIERCE: Our club is really excited to be in Omaha, for sure. I know so many teams went through so many different emotions and issues for the past year and a half. And to feel we're back to some normalcy and our opportunity is to play here in Omaha is just exceptional for our team.

And we're looking forward to a great tournament. It's a great field. Some really outstanding teams here, so as you should expect. It's going to be exciting all week.

Q. Do you feel like playing in a ballpark that's as spacious as the Dish is really helps you out when not only your outfield or your pitching staff now that you're here at TD Ameritrade?

COACH PIERCE: It's been the strength of our team. Our pitching and defense has been the backbone of our team all year. And I thought we played really well defensively throughout the postseason.

I think the key here for every team is to attack the strike zone and allow your defense to work. And I think that's something that we've been good at. So I'd like to think that -- I don't know if it's advantageous to us versus anyone else. I just think that that's what we need to do. We just got off the field and foul territories are huge.

The outfield's bigger. A little breeze in. So I really feel like, at least right now, the park's going to play big.

Q. Since you guys got up there on Wednesday, what's kind of been the mood of the team -- nervous, laid back, excited? What would you like to see? Is there a perfect mindset you'd like to see going into the World Series?

COACH PIERCE: It's a little early to tell. We came into the city, and I didn't notice anybody just over the top acting like they don't belong. I mean, it seemed like they were in a good state of mind. I feel like we've had good routines. Had a really good workout at Bellevue yesterday. Got on the grass. So the work has been good.

So I think the mood is right. I don't see anything that's out of the ordinary. Our team does such a nice job of taking care of business off the field. They know how to handle themselves. And I've noticed exactly that.

I'm just really pleased that they understand that. We're very young. And we only have two kids on our team that have any postseason experience at Texas. Mikey Antico has had minimal experience at St. John's. So I don't know if they know any different. They've done a really nice job of just putting their heads down.

Q. Of course you started the season off this year against Mississippi State. Now you're about to play them now. What kind of team are they now compared to the one you started the season against?

COACH PIERCE: They were really good opening weekend. The one thing is that they run -- for an SEC team, I think they run better than most SEC teams. They have power arms. A big part of their pitching staff is relying on the strikeout.

They play with a lot of confidence and they've been here three years in a row. So these guys, they're veterans. I think they're a great team.

And in comparison of now to opening weekend, a lot of similarities of how they started, in my opinion, so, what I've seen of late. They play with emotion. They play with confidence. And they've got a couple of guys in that bullpen that are really tough.

Q. You just mentioned Mississippi State's bullpen but your bullpen has been really good down the stretch. You talked all year about Witt and Nixon specifically being built different for most freshmen. Do you feel, even though those two guys are young guys, in Omaha for the first time, do you feel that those guys are built for moments like this?

COACH PIERCE: They haven't shown any kinks in their armor up to this point. Even when they've got popped, they've understood it and they've bounced back.

You've seen them a lot, Jeff. And you've watched their emotions how they go about their business. So you never know. You come into this environment, it's the first time. It's a young player.

But they've been different. They've been different than most true freshmen. They've played in their Area Code. They played for Team U.S.A. This is the next step. I didn't see any kind of breakdown in the postseason. And hopefully we continue to see the same two guys that have been with us all year.

Q. Want to get your thoughts on having Mike out in center field. With his speed we've seen on the base path but for what Mississippi likes to do with liners and (indiscernible) in the outfield, does having his speed give you some comfortability overall?

COACH PIERCE: Anytime you have speed in the outfield, it's advantageous. There's no part of our defense that we feel like we try to protect. We feel like we're very solid throughout the defensive team. And I truly believe EK, Hodo, even DC, could all three, including Mike, play in the middle of the field.

Our mesh, with Kennedy in left and Mike in center and Hodo, is the best. But all three of them play like center fielders. So I'm glad that they get good jumps and they understand angles. But it's a big park. It's going to be loud. They have to make sure even their nonverbal communication is good, especially pre-pitch, and -- our pre-pitch verbal. And during the game they'll have to understand where each other are. I think that's a key.

We talk about awareness of conditions. And so it's their job to kind of understand their positioning without moving too far from where they normally stand. And then it's their job to also go get the ball. We expect them to catch everything and I don't see anything different this weekend.

Mike can really run. I think when you see him out there, sometimes he looks like he's gliding, but his rhythm and his running is really good.

Q. Wanted to ask you about Eric Kennedy a little bit and what it is about his game, whether defensively or with the bat, that has made him a lineup regular for you guys this year and in his career?

COACH PIERCE: It's a combination. But I think it starts with his mentality. Eric has been a kid since his freshman year that you couldn't tell if he's 3-for-4 or 0-for-4, and he's gone through some periods of really struggling. But he's found other ways to help the ballclub.

And I think that's a tribute to his mentality, us continuing to believe in him, and him just understanding he can help in other ways. If it's hit by a pitch, draw a walk, lay a bunt down or go make a great defensive play.

He made a big play back right before we went to the conference tournament, when he was struggling. And it's a defensive play. And you could just see his teammates rallying around him.

He's a teammate favorite because they just appreciate how hard he plays and he never has excuses. I think when you put his mentality in with mixing his skill and if he gets on time in his swing and feels comfortable there he can really do some damage.

Q. Wanted to ask about the Major League draft getting pushed back to July. Someone who has been around the game as long as you have, what do you see as the pros or cons of that or maybe the distractions aren't here now, but you want to figure out what you have for your program next year too?

COACH PIERCE: It's tough for a couple reasons. You're dealing with -- scholarship renewals are due July 1st. We have to turn those in by the 2nd. And you have a draft that's two weeks later. You have the transfer portal that's become a major issue this summer.

And so it's just a lot of unknown. And I think that's the frustrating piece of it is you want to be fair to your players. You want to make sure they understand where they stand, but at times we don't know. We're dealing with the draft that, a handful of guys that, will they sign, will they get drafted. What do we do with their scholarship money? Do we move it to the next guy?

So it's just a lot of unknowns. I think it's tough on our kids to deal with it. And it's definitely tough on us managing and doing what's best for all of our families. So we just have to move on and deal with it and do the best we can.

Q. Between you and Mississippi State there's almost 50 combined College World Series appearances. When you played them the first game, did you think you might see them in Omaha? And how fitting is it that two programs like this will face off on this stage?

COACH PIERCE: Globe Life, we felt like all six teams were Omaha-caliber teams. So to say that Mississippi State would or would not be here, I just thought there was no doubt you had six teams that were in the top 10 at the time. And rightfully so, really good ball clubs.

And then a handful of factors have to play. You need to stay healthy. You need to have a little luck every now and then. But you create that.

So, no, I'm not surprised at all that they're here. I think they're a veteran team that has learned how to win within their program.

Q. What do you want to see from Ty early on that lets you know he's in a good place and able to generate some success? Seems like over the last month he increased that slider usage, throwing the change-up a little more to lefties. They've got some lefties in the lineup. Are those things he needs to establish early on?

COACH PIERCE: I think he's going to have to pitch. I don't think he can just go out there and depend solely on his fastball. I think he's going to have to continue to pitch and utilize his slider around his fastball.

I think more than anything, for any pitcher, but especially for Ty, it's strike one and work ahead in the count especially early in the game to get some really good rhythm in his delivery and the pace of the game. I think it's important for our team.

Understanding it's a big ballpark and don't change anything, but it plays -- it benefits the pitching. So we've got to be in attack mode. And I think that's going to be the main thing that Ty needs to establish, is just attacking the strike zone. And if they do anything against him, if they score a couple of runs early or not, he just needs to stay in that mindset of attack and let his defense work.

Q. With Ivan, seems like he's been in a little bit of a rut recently. What have you been telling him over the past week? And also any ideas to potentially move Cam ahead of him or change anything up at this point, or just let him still bat cleanup?

COACH PIERCE: Who, Ivan? You said Ivan, right?

Q. Right.

COACH PIERCE: I mean, he has been struggling, but we wouldn't be here without Ivan. And we've looked at potential options, pinch-hit for him in the Super, which was good for our team, good for Peyton. But I think every player in the lineup has to understand that at some point they have to perform. And if they don't, we have a good bench.

But you have to be able to do that without putting pressure on yourself. And that's the fine line. As far as I'm concerned, he's our cleanup hitter and he'll be in there.

Q. I don't know what the travel rules are for Omaha, but was Austin able to come with you guys? What's his role been since his injury with this team?

COACH PIERCE: Well, unfortunately we have a 40-man roster with 27 players. You do the math -- 27 players, and then our coaching staff. And you look at our support staff, there's your number.

And as a player, if you can't come as -- in a managerial role, you have to be on the 27. And so it's really difficult to bring a player that can't perform for you.

But his role has been to support. He's been great. It's been tough on him. He came into my office two days ago, before we left, and would love to be here, of course. But unfortunately he can't. It's just the way the limitations are set up.

But he's been great. He's working individually to get himself healthy again. And he's been great for the young players, and just being around and kind of communicating with those guys is kind of what he's done.

Q. What are the emotions like right now with two days to go? How do you keep everything in check, and how do you keep this team focused on the play on the field and not the atmosphere and the circus that is Omaha for the College World Series?

COACH PIERCE: Because we're young -- in 2018 we came in we felt we overachieved. We really maximized who we were, and we got hot at the right time. But we got to Omaha a day later than we did this year. And we opened up the tournament.

And then we were 2-and-out and I don't feel we ever settled into the tournament until midway through Game 2. And Florida was up 6-0. And it almost looked like at that time that they took their breath.

I think it's beneficial for us to be in bracket two, play a little later in the tournament, to just take a step back and watch all the festivities and understand it a little better than just BP, fungo, here we go, we're playing and we're on live, national TV and first game.

So every kid is going to potentially handle it differently. I just got to trust that everything they've done up to this point is going to be a continuation and that's what we're hoping for.

Q. You mentioned it a little bit earlier this week on Trey and how he's developed, especially with the bat. With him defensively and now his bat kind of coming along, does that give you comfort towards the bottom of the lineup?

COACH PIERCE: Yeah, the bottom of our lineup was very productive over the postseason, especially in the Supers, with Trey leading the pack there.

He's got skill. Like I said earlier, there's a comfort with our defense. If we put the ball in play, we feel like they're going to be in a good spot to field those. But offensively I just think that he's getting some pitches and kind of in a good spot to go to contact.

So hopefully that continues. I think with any of our guys, when they start trying to do too much, trying to force at-bats, get out of the zone, it's not a good combination for us to have success.

So we've got to maintain patience. We've got to be willing to allow the at-bat to come to us without forcing that. I've noticed that with Trey.

It doesn't mean not to swing early in the count. It just means be ready for hitter's counts, be ready for hitter's pitches versus getting yourself out early. That happens when you deal with stuff. Sometimes you have to get going a little sooner just to get to it, and it's hard not to pull the trigger. But he's just seeing the ball well and hopefully he can continue that.

Q. Quick question about Zach. You touched on 2018 a minute ago. But obviously he was one of the few guys that actually made that trip. What are you seeing from him heading into this week just from a leadership standpoint and trying to apply those lessons learned from 2018 to help himself and share with his teammates?

COACH PIERCE: Yeah, I mean, Zach can get emotional. At times you can see on the back end of the Supers, it most likely is the last time we played at the Dish. And he gets a little cerebral and kind of reflects a little bit. He's just got to stay in his lane when it comes to staying focused and working and leading by example.

I feel like with this team we have a lot of kids that lead by example from young to old. So I don't think Zach needs to come in here and try to give a big rah-rah speech or try to do something that he hasn't done all year.

So, for me, it's Zach continuing to prepare like he has. And then just probably just catching his breath and just relaxing and really enjoy it. I think that's something that kind of gets lost, where we're all here to win a championship and we talk about forcing at-bats. We don't want to force the game; we don't want to force any piece of it. But it's a fine line because you want to perform.

So just catching your breath and realizing the accomplishments that you've made the entire season and try to get your mindset to stay right there and be ready to play and just have some fun with your teammates.

And that's something I've really noticed with this team is that they've been so good at acknowledging the success of their teammates. And it's very appreciative as a coach and as a staff.

Q. In that first game against Mississippi State you saw Christian MacLeod get the start. On Sunday it will be Will Bednar. What do you know about him and how do you prepare for a guy like Bednar?

COACH PIERCE: He probably would be in school if he didn't get hurt. He has potential first two-rounds stuff. He pitches with emotion and aggression. You've just got to slow that down a little bit.

But, to me, the biggest thing that you see that stands out -- because it seems like everybody is 93 to 96 these days -- but if he commands the slider he's going to be really tough.

I think you've got to see the slider up, and that's what to me looks like his best pitch, and the ability to attack with it is going to be key.