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NCAA MEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 23, 2010

Mike Martin

OMAHA, NEBRASKA

TCU: 11
Florida State: 7

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Sherman Johnson, Rafael Lopez and Coach Mike Martin. Coach, an opening statement.
COACH MARTIN: There's really not a whole lot I can say except that you've got to take your hat off to a very good TCU club that really showed a lot of resolve, tenacity, you call it. They did a great job of getting not only back into the ball game but had a big inning that basically we just couldn't stop the bleeding. But it was a real credit to their team for getting the job done.
I was obviously very pleased with our club. It was a year that will not be looked at for one game. It will be viewed as an accomplishment to get back out to a place that is like no other. And that's Omaha, Nebraska for the College World Series. And we're proud of each and every one of our young men.
And if anybody knows of a more humbling game than baseball, I guess it's the lining up your fourth putt. But this one is one that was certainly humbling.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Coach, obviously it wasn't your decision to take Geoff out of the game. Did something happen to him and obviously that's why you were forced to go with McGee?
COACH MARTIN: Yes. Geoff had a pop that occurred in his elbow. And that's why he was taken out of the game. He was unable to pitch anymore. And of course we would never run the risk of further injury.
I think he's going to be okay, because he said it was back here. It wasn't in this area. So that's very encouraging. But, yes, that's why Geoff was taken out of the ball game at that time.

Q. With that said, obviously McGee has been clutch for you guys all year and huge. You went to the guy you wanted on the mount in that spot, right? It just didn't work out this time.
COACH MARTIN: Michael is the reason we're here. And you can't -- you can't go through a season without experiencing some problems, so to speak. We ran into a hot-hitting ball club that did an outstanding job of getting themselves back in the game.
Michael made some very good pitches that were hit. The 3-2 that the guy hit out of the ballpark was a slider. So Michael has pitched great baseball for us all year. And I'll say it again, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Mike McGee.

Q. Rafael, go through the last inning when McGee -- the two 3-4 hitters seemed to lay off some tough pitches and then swing at the ones that were over the plate, especially the number three hitter working that walk seemed to maybe be the key at-bat of the inning.
RAFAEL LOPEZ: Yeah, it was TCU that had some pretty good discipline that last inning. But that's why they're the team they are. They're a great team. I hope they win the whole thing. And that's why they won the game because of how disciplined they were that inning. Mike made some pretty good pitches and they somehow laid off them and they came through when they needed to.

Q. Coach Martin, could you talk about how invaluable the experience is for the younger players out here, like Jayce Boyd, Devon Travis and Sherman?
COACH MARTIN: For them to finish their year in Omaha gives them so much incentive to go to the summer program that they'll go to and come back in the fall and begin to work hard in the weight room to get stronger, with the understanding that there is a small possibility that they can get back out here. They know it will require a lot of hard work. And I say "small," meaning there's so much parity in this game.
But there's one thing that these young men will take away from this, and that's the fact they were here. They know how much fun it is. They will drive themselves. They will push their teammates, because this is where they want to be at the end of the season.
These two young men will be leaders of the club next year. One will be a senior. One will be a junior. And they were out there on that field when it was all over looking around with the desire to get back out here.
I'm anxious to see what next year holds and presents for this team, because this was an unbelievable experience. An unbelievable experience to be out here, to participate in this tournament in Rosenblatt's last year.

Q. To follow up on that, Mike, obviously the last loss of any year is tough. But this one's a little bit different from any one that you'll ever have in the fact that I would think that walking out of this stadium tonight is like saying good-bye to a dear, dear old, old friend. If you would, talk a little bit about that and what you think it's going to be like when you walk out of here for the last time.
COACH MARTIN: There's a lot of memories that I've been blessed to have at Rosenblatt, watching my son play. Playing for a couple and coming up short.
It was different to walk off that field and see Jesse for the last -- not the last time -- but to see Jesse Cuevas, a guy who has been a friend for so many years, to see members of the committee, friends that I have been blessed to meet and make out here in Omaha, that I only see them when I come to Omaha.
So there's a lot of sentimentality that I've had the pleasure of being involved in. And this is a sentimental place. It is the greatest show on dirt. And I'll tell you something else. It's people like you that make this thing what it is. And it's people in Omaha, Nebraska that make this thing like it is. And it's the NCAA that puts on such a great tournament.
And we're just so proud to be a part of it. And we're motivated as of now to get back out here next year. But I mean this: Rosenblatt will always be Rosenblatt. There will never be another place but the excitement is already in my body for TD Ameritrade, baby. (Laughter).

Q. Sherman, going back to that 8th inning, you guys got a ground ball there, had a chance to get out of the inning there. Could you talk about the highs and lows of that, and how you guys almost got out of that jam?
SHERMAN JOHNSON: Well, being up -- I don't know where we were up. I think we were up 7-3 or 7-4. Being up that much with six outs, five outs left, you're definitely expecting to win the game.
And when that happens, it felt like we just couldn't get out of that inning. Felt like we were just stuck on the field. Not a good feeling.

Q. Kind of going along with that point, you guys had five errors today. You guys have been a good fielding team all year, but they had nine unearned runs. Does that make it harder to swallow, that you gave them some runs out there?
RAFAEL LOPEZ: Yeah, it definitely does. You can't give a team, any team -- but TCU did a great job. You can't give a team more outs in an inning than they should. They did a great job of capitalizing. That's the difference in the game.

Q. Coach, kind of the same question to you. When you give a team like TCU more chances, were you concerned with the fielding miss cues, even though that was a tough one to score on Sherman in the 8th. Were you concerned when they were adding up, that you were giving them opportunities?
COACH MARTIN: Well, certainly you don't like what's going on. You like to see a club so called earn their runs. That's what makes this game so great. A couple of times -- there are no excuses.
There will never be an excuse with Florida State baseball. You just gotta credit the other club. Certainly it was concerning. But I also felt like we were going to get out of that inning. We just didn't.

Q. Coach, can you share what you said to your team afterwards? Or maybe even what you said to Mike McGee when you took him off the mound.
COACH MARTIN: I told Michael he was going to left field. And that was in all honesty what I said to Michael. What I said to the team was basically I thanked them. I thanked them for allowing them to have me to be a part of this, because they're the ones that did it all. They're the ones that brought me out here.
These guys have been up and down all year long. We've just fought like crazy. And I've had a lot of ball clubs that are special. This one's special because they really, really pulled together. A couple of seniors never played, but you never saw them sitting over there sulking or feeling sorry for themselves, woe is me, I'm not going to play pro ball, I'm just going to go be a business major and make more money than that coach of mine makes.
But it's just a year that was special, because it's doggone hard to get out here. We played some very good clubs in order to get here. And they're the ones that deserve all the credit. And I thanked them for bringing me along.
To all of you, and I mean this, thank you for a great run at Rosenblatt. And I sure want to see you at TD next year.
THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you.

End of FastScripts

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