2021 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 19, 2021

David Esquer

Stanford Cardinal

Postgame Press Conference

NC State - 10, Stanford - 4

THE MODERATOR: Go ahead, Coach, with an opening statement.

COACH ESQUER: Just a game -- first of all, a lot of credit to North Carolina State. Every mistake that we made they capitalized on and were able to expand upon plays that we didn't make. Early in the game I think they missed a hit-and-run and we weren't able to throw the runner out. The next guy hits a two-run homer. Swinging bunt, we throw it down the line, and it ends up being an unearned run. So it's 3-0 before anybody could get settled in their seats.

Just things like that. Every now and then you see a team that comes in and maybe doesn't play like themselves. I think we were that team today. We did some things that we hadn't seen.

But the level of game is high. And sometimes when you play those high-level games, they can create pressure and things that you haven't seen before.

I thought we did a good job of making it a game again in the later innings. I think with the bases loaded and down by two with Brock Jones at the plate, I think that's a pretty good place to be. And the guy made a good pitch and got Brock out. But I give my team credit for coming back and making it a game. Because probably for six innings it wasn't much of a game.

But our team is resilient and they're not going to let up and give up. I think it was just a lesson today that Brendan Beck just can't do it all by himself. He gets 10 strikeouts in just over five innings, and that's a good effort.

But compounding right after we'd make a mistake, maybe they would be able to come through with a hit. I thought they did a great job of two-out hitting, and some of those hits were real hitter hits. I think the one by Butler, just a jam shot to right field. And you can look at it as a cheap hit. Those are the hits that good hitters get in clutch situations. And he fought one off into right field. And those are two big runs after a missed opportunity to throw a runner out at third base.

Q. Let's start with Brendan Beck. What did you see from him today?

COACH ESQUER: You know, hey, obviously it took -- I think it was three innings before we made a play on defense. I think it was either a strikeout or a mistake that we may have made. And then just a home run, the home run to right field in the first inning for two runs. And just they capitalized on a mistake with a base hit in the second inning.

But I thought at times he looked like he was back in command and under control. We just couldn't get a hold of the game either offensively or defensively. I think we gave them too much and a missed double play opportunity even in the latter innings, allows it to kind of expand some.

So we made some mistakes that are unusual for us. But then again, North Carolina State capitalized on every mistake that we did make to score runs.

Q. Any initially indication on how you might handle the pitching staff going forward here?

COACH ESQUER: Well, it's going to be Alex Williams, and then at that point it's all hands on deck. But if we can get a good effort by Alex and can hang around a little bit longer that would be welcome. And I would welcome those decisions here in a couple of days on who we throw Game 3.

Q. What was the mood like in the locker room and just kind of your guys ready to get back in the field and atone for this and get a win now?

COACH ESQUER: I think so. Hey, our guys are resilient. And they're confident. They understood that this was, there were some things out there today that were just unlike them. They made some mistakes they hadn't made in quite some time otherwise we wouldn't be here.

So I think they're just anxious to kind of get back and just kind of normalize the game again and get back to playing the way we played in order to get here which was good, solid baseball. And good offensively and good defensively and we pitched well.

Q. Could you talk about how it has been for the team being in Omaha, their attitude and what you expected coming in with that experience, whether it lived up to that experience or not?

COACH ESQUER: It's been a great experience. It's been a reward for some great baseball that we've played, both in the Regional and the Super Regional. You get here, you're in the tournament, you're in the Elite Eight. You're in a tournament with the eight best teams in the country that deserve to be here. So the level of play is going to be high.

I thought our guys have done a great job of just staying grounded and working hard during our workouts and practices. You don't really know how they're going to play in this atmosphere for the first time. And, so, as a coach you just kind of prepare them turn them loose see what happens. We just didn't play well, as well or as relaxed I would have liked to.

So I'm hoping they can get that one out of the way and we'll just move on to the next one and chalk that one up to experience and come out and play more baseball like we're used to playing.

Q. Your decision to pinch-hit Eddie Park in the bottom of the seventh, bases loaded, one out, can you walk us through what led you to that decision and how you ended up on selecting Barrera over some of the other guys?

COACH ESQUER: We've got confidence in Brett that he can get a ball airborne for us and take a good swing at a fastball and give us a chance there. Justice is a real tough left-hander. Whenever you have 105 strikeouts in 50 innings you're tough on some people. He's been extremely tough on left-handed hitters.

So we thought maybe give us a best chance to run a couple of right-handed hitters because you've got Barrera and Tawa behind him. We felt we played the odds a little bit and get someone from the right-handed side. Did not work out.