COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: BATON ROUGE REGIONAL

June 4, 2023

Jay Sirianni

Sam Houston Bearkats

Postgame Press Conference

Oregon State - 3, Sam Houston - 1

Q. How do you put into words what this tournament and what this season meant to you guys?

COACH SIRIANNI: Well, I just told those guys -- when you see all 28 kids that are in that dugout shaken up, hurt, those kind of things, it tells you, one, how close of a team we were. They emptied their tanks. This thing started three weeks ago when we didn't win the regular season in Tulsa. We got beat that day. And then we got our hearts broke that day.

And then we came back and unbelievable dogfight out in Phoenix to do what we did there. Then to get ourselves in this situation to play a very, very good team, Oregon State, tonight, 3-1 game where all four runs on the night were scored with two outs.

We call it, with our guys, a big kid game, and that's what it was; it was a big kid game. But it's more about these guys and just how special, really, since June, last August, has been to make it to June 5th is. Not very many teams in this spot. So I'm proud of them. I wanted to thank them.

Q. You guys scored both of your runs in the first inning against Oregon State. How were they able to keep you at bay the rest, until the end where you were threatening?

COACH SIRIANNI: I think they did a great job executing the plan on the mound. We had some balls, hit it right at them. Those kind of things, what they did, was they stayed in advantage counts and they were able to mix. Sometimes, you hate to admit it, you have to tip your hat to the pitching and they did a great job.

Q. Just the meat of your order and just seeing the guys taking the time right now, just how do you soak this in and move forward?

COACH SIRIANNI: I mean, like I told them, there's only one team at this point in the year that gets to celebrate happy. And so let them savor it a little bit. But eventually we're going to have to get on that bus and head home and hit the recruiting trail and all that fun stuff.

It really never stops. These guys are doing summer ball and whatever else it is. And so this is kind of the last I guess, chance to hang out, and they'll probably enjoy it for a minute.

Q. And in your four years as the head coach, just kind of getting a taste of the Regional, you feel like this is a place that Sam Houston deserves to be and will be?

COACH SIRIANNI: That's always the expectation every year is to play in June. And we go back to work tomorrow as a coaching staff to be in this situation again.

I think not one guy on this roster played in a Regional, and to do what they did and play as competitive as they were for three games, I'm proud of them. So it's a learning curve. It's tough for guys to come into this, especially this environment. It's a different world. So, proud of them.