2021 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 19, 2021

Jonny Butler

NC State Wolfpack

Postgame Press Conference

NC State - 10, Stanford - 4

THE MODERATOR: We're joined now by Jonny Butler.

Q. Want to ask you about your day at the plate. Obviously you were seeing something good there. What allowed you to stay so hot and can you take us through your day?

JONNY BUTLER: I had a lot of confidence coming in here. I thought I played really, really well the last game against Arkansas. Also, I mean, there's a lot of pressure on the pitchers all game because every time I was up I think there was runners in scoring position. And I'm always comfortable in those situations knowing that the pressure is on the pitcher; he has to come to me. I thought they did a great job pitching all game long. I mean, their starter, he wasn't missing really much. I think he missed maybe one pitch and that was the one I was able to get out.

Q. There were a lot of NC State fans in the park today. You obviously get the home run in the first inning kind of get exciting. What was the emotion like being in Omaha and all the fans there and getting ahead early with that big hit?

JONNY BUTLER: It felt so great. Our fans travel so well. I know, me, I have a ton of friends and family here, former teammates came to support me. I had a lot of energy coming into this. It was just so exciting.

Q. Obviously Evan has done what he did for you guys today all year long, but just when you guys see him going out there, when you're in a little bit of a tough spot with the lead kind of getting trimmed and runners on base, how confident are you guys that he's going to go out there and get it done?

JONNY BUTLER: Never a worry, once we get the lead in the seventh, eighth inning, we feel game over, confidence through the roof with what Evan has been able to do. Unbelievable. Never a doubt.

Q. You obviously had the opening score with the home run, but later in the ninth -- obviously you opened it with that homer, but you started the rally in the ninth that really sealed the deal; how important was that hit to get the ball running when Stanford started to get back into the game?

JONNY BUTLER: It's all to take pressure off of Evan. We knew he was going to go in there, finish the game. There's a big difference between two runs and three runs, and we were scratching one run at a time, one run at a time, and we were able to put together a big inning.

Q. You guys hit two homers today. Does this park feel like it plays bigger than other venues to you, or is it about kind of what you guys have seen all year?

JONNY BUTLER: We've definitely seen it. I think the wind was a little friendly today, blowing to right field maybe a little bit, or just not in from right field, and that's where our two were.

I thought maybe Devonte was going to get his second one there to left field, but it seemed like that one died a little bit. But we have played at ballparks like this; we're used to it.

Q. Could you just walk us through your home run there? Seemed like you hit it out as hard as you could. What did you see? How did it feel?

JONNY BUTLER: You know, we had a scouting report coming in, he's really good commanding every single one of his pitches. I was sitting away. We had a hit-and-run on for the first pitch. Kind of got blown up with the fastball. He came back with a change-up, I think, and that was the one pitch all game that he left over the middle of the plate and I was able to put a good swing on it.

Q. Have you ever had a game offensively like that since coming to NC State driving in five runs and let alone to do it in the CWS?

JONNY BUTLER: I think I've had some pretty good games but never in a situation like this in such a big game, big stage. It just felt great.