2021 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 21, 2021

Jack Leiter

Vanderbilt Commodores

Postgame Press Conference

NC State - 1, Vanderbilt - 0

Q. A tough loss tonight, striking out 15 guys. I know your dad is a Major Leaguer. What did he teach you growing up, I know you gave up a home run around the seventh inning. What did he teach you to fight back after giving up a home run?

JACK LEITER: It's just about continuing to make pitches. That's really all it is. Whether things are going right or things are going wrong, it's all about the next pitch. And that kind of simplifies things because the approach isn't any different no matter how the game's going.

Q. In that bases-loaded situation late, how were you able to buckle down get out of that and what did Browny tell you when you came out?

JACK LEITER: Again, it's the same thing. It's making pitches, and I think I made a couple good ones once the bases got loaded, and it's a good lineup over there. And, I don't know, it just kind of went my way that day and it was just keeping it one pitch at a time.

Q. Were you deliberately dialing the fastball down just a little bit to start, because your velo was a little bit higher at the end than it was at the beginning?

JACK LEITER: I wouldn't say so. Just getting the groove of things, feeling my body out and the mound out. I felt good, so that's all I really care about.

Q. Obviously they were saying in the broadcast you were using your off-speed a bit. How did you feel your delivery was going today? And then on the other side, what impressed you from the NC State pitcher tonight?

JACK LEITER: Yeah, I mean I felt like I had a good feel for my off-speed pitches. That's kind of come along throughout the year. And it was just pitching. Again, it's a good fastball-hitting lineup. We saw that in the fifth. It was just doing what I felt like and what Coach Brown and CJ felt needed to be done to navigate through the lineup.

And, yeah, I mean, I guess you've got to tip your cap to the other pitcher when they throw a two-hit shutout. That's pretty impressive stuff.

Q. For you, what's the biggest thing you learned tonight in your start?

JACK LEITER: I don't know. I mean, I guess you could say that every pitch matters. One mistake, I knew he was a good fastball hitter, particularly on fastballs in. CJ set up away. The ball was middle-in and he hit it a long way and kind of made me pay for it. So, yeah, every pitch matters.

Q. This is obviously the first time you guys have faced adversity or loss here in the NCAA Tournament. What do you guys draw upon now to bounce back in what will have to be a must-win game?

JACK LEITER: I think it's kind of back to the basics, relax a little bit, have some fun. It's pretty cool, 20,000-plus people watching us play a game. And I think that in its own should let us relax a little bit, have some fun and kind of just play the game, see what happens. It's like every other game. It's just obviously a little more meaning to the outsiders, but you want to win every game.