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NCAA MEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESJune 21, 2013John CohenKendall GravemanRoss MitchellWes ReaHunter RenfroeOMAHA, NEBRASKA Mississippi State – 4 COACH COHEN: I'm going to tell you how the day started. The day started with me leading our team through the bowels of Ameritrade and going all the way to the end and not being able to find the door to our dugout. So I thought I was reliving Spinal Tap there and wondering what kind of day we were going to have. Rock and roll, right? But you guys don't know because you're way too young, you don't even know what that reference is. But my wife will appreciate it. Somebody gets it. That's good. Really proud of these guys. I thought the whole story of the ballgame was Kendall going out there, shoving the baseball in the strike zone, moving it on both sides of the plate, having it sync, getting to the bottom, getting a lot of early contact. That's a very good Oregon State club we just beat. And I thought it was like a heavyweight fight because every time they got us into a cripple count, they hit a ball really hard. When we got 'em in cripple counts, we hit balls really hard. There were a ton of line drives being hit in that ballgame right at people. But Kendall getting us at‑bat deep in the ballgame, as effective as he was, was just huge, and obviously I thought we played a really clean game defensively. And we did what we've always done. We got the hit when we really needed it. Of Course Hunter's ball that left the ballpark was different. It was a difference maker, obviously in the ballgame, because we knew they were going to score eventually at some point. They're too good a ballclub not to. But that was a big, big blow in the ballgame. I thought Hunter did a great job. He's so strong, able to flick his hands and the ball left the ballpark. I'll tell you something, I felt a huge portion of that game‑‑ I was thinking Conforto is a guy who didn't get the big hit in the game. So you're thinking if you can just control that guy offensively, then you've got a chance to beat them. And then I kind of forgot about the defensive part. Here's a guy that runs into the wall full speed, makes an unbelievable play on the ball. Wes hits. And then he throws Wes out at the play on a bang‑bang play at the plate, but almost takes the ball out of the stands there to make a great throw at the plate. I think he shaved at least a run, maybe two, with his defensive play, even though he didn't get any hits. Of course he did hit some balls hard. I thought all those things contributed to the win for our club, but the biggest thing was I thought Kendall doing his job. Us playing good defense and of course getting some hits when we needed them the most. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. Coach, a lot of teams come to Omaha, they kind of get on a streak. In your case, looks like your team's turned the volume up to 11. What can you say about how well your team's playing right now and getting the right breaks? COACH COHEN: Awesome reference. You have been thinking about that one. Good stuff. You guys will figure it out one day, trust me. Yeah, I think these guys really believe something's going to happen that's going to allow us to win a game. Kendall Graveman making a great pitch. This guy, doubling a guy up on a line drive hit right at him. Was it the three‑run homer that Hunter hit? Our kids just believe something good's going to happen. I know it sounds crazy, sounds cliche, but our kids just think something good is going to happen. And, by the way, so our coaches. And it has. I think these guys are on a little bit of a roll for sure. Q. Kendall, Michael Conforto said you had shown some things they had not seen as an offense. You were working both sides of the plate, doing things a little differently pitching‑wise. KENDALL GRAVEMAN: Yes. For me to see them the other day was pretty big on my part. I think once I see a team and physically face them, not just see them on video, I feel like I can discover a few more new things that I can go to. And Wes made the big play there, I mean in the beginning of the game, the line drive double play like Coach mentioned. That kind of really turned the game around for myself mentally. That was a big play. But I didn't want to do the same thing I did the first outing because I thought they barrelled up a few more balls than they did today. So I just tried to mix up speed and get some guys off balance. Q. The wind was blowing in pretty hard today, Wes. I know you hit a couple of balls hard, didn't get rewarded for it. How hard is it to hit the ball out of this park for Wes and Hunter? Did you both know that that ball that Hunter hit was out of here right away? WES REA: Yes. Even in BP, we had an opportunity to take BP on the field today. And you hit balls in the gap. It's like if you don't hit it to the left side of the 375 sign, you're not going to hit a home run. Just seems like the ball's knocked down no matter how hard you hit it. Fortunately, Hunter learned from me hitting mine more towards the gap. He said, I'm going to turn mine a little bit more and be able to get one out of the yard. Definitely plays big. Plays to our advantage defensively for us because they've got some guys, Oregon State does, that can drive gaps, and I think that played a role today as far as how the game was played. But this guy hits a few more home runs than I do, so he can tell you how to do it, I guess. HUNTER RENFROE: I didn't think it was going out right away. I was running out of the box right away, going for a double. Kind of hit it on the end of the bat, really, but was able to get enough back spin to hit it out to left field. Like Wes said, the ball, once it gets into the gaps between the 375 sign, it's not going out. The ball park plays huge, and the wind makes the play even bigger. It's a real ground ball line drive park, and that what is what our team is made for. We do a really great job of that and hopefully continue to do it. Q. John, you had to work some late inning magic the first two games. What did it feel like looking up and seeing that poor old lead in the fifth and did that allow you to manage a little different the rest of the way at all? COACH COHEN: It certainly helps. Because our kids feel like if we have a lead late in the game we're going to win because we have one of the best bullpens in America. So you have some options there. Certainly Jonathan came in the game. If we needed a left on left, we were going to go in that direction, with Girodo. We really had him ready to go. We really didn't want to have to use him just because he threw so many on pitches on Monday. But our kids have so much confidence in that bullpen. The collection of guys that we can present really gives us some flexibility. When you have that big of a lead in this big of a ballpark, it makes a difference. Q. Hunter, I know your hitting approach has evolved. I know you're not always up there swinging for the fences, but still, I think it was 91 at bats between home runs. How did it feel for you to get one? HUNTER RENFROE: It's kind of a relief, I guess. You know what I'm saying? It didn't help this ball park is huge and knocked a few of our home runs, including Wes's, a bunch of his. Other than that, we played in a bunch of big ball parks in the last part of the season, SEC tournament and here. And you can't ask for anything more than just line driving ground balls from players like us. That's what we've been trying to work on lately. Wes is shoring up his swinging, just hitting line drives. And I just try to hit line drives in the gaps and hit ground balls and try and get runs batted in. Q. Kendall, the last two outings in the postseason, a little shaky first thing. What was different today where you were tied, I think, the first seven? KENDALL GRAVEMAN: Coach Cohen says I'm 87, 88, that's when I'm at my best. Today my body didn't feel great. Been a lot of innings so far, but I think if Coach Cohen had his choice, he would not want me to feel great all the time. But for that to get out to a good start and get us in the dugout was big. And to go out first, being the home team is crucial to get our team off to a good start. Once we did that, I settled into the ballgame and pitched pretty well. Q. John, kind of looking at Wes's progression throughout the year, seems like he's gotten better and better as a hitter, obviously hitting well here. What has he done over the last month or two of the season to make those progressions? And, Wes, just talk about your hot streak. Looks like you're making all the big plays. COACH COHEN: I think he can answer that question better than I can certainly, but he's just shortened up, especially with two strikes. He just simplifies. He's got such good hands. There just aren't guys his size who have the hands he does. And I think like a lot of players there are times when‑‑ we call them getting big. And all the imagery connected to that. He tries to swing big instead of letting his hands work.  When he lets his hands work, he's as good a hitter as is out there. He has so much strength at the point of contact. All he has to do is put the barrel in the right spot. I think he convinced himself he can do that, especially with two strikes. WES REA: I was talking about my approach. Last year, I think, I really didn't have a plan for the off speed stuff. And this year I think I'm more center to right center on the fastball and then left center to left field on breaking ball. So it sets up to where any pitch, it's not like I have to guess one pitch to hit to be productive anymore. I can sit up there and wait for something that they throw me. They throw me something hard, I'm hitting it to right center, and soft I'm hitting it to left center. It's worked out for me. The change in approach has helped me so much. Q. Coach, certainly you've got more work to do, but you're in unchartered territory for this program now. Can you talk about what it means to the program to get to this point? COACH COHEN: I will be much more prepared to answer that question about six months from now. For right now, I'm thinking about what we're going to do tomorrow morning to try to get ready. And I'm not speaking in cliche, I really mean that. I guess I'm just not smart enough to put all the things in perspective that people keep wanting to tell me and all of our players. And all the support is great, and we love it, but these guys are trained, really, in a very positive way, to just think about what's next. So all those things are wonderful. I'm glad that our fans get to ponder all those philosophical things. But we've got tomorrow, and tomorrow we're going to work out and we're going to get ready to play on Monday. Q. Ross, since nobody's talked to you yet, how unusual was it to come into a situation where you're not in a win situation, and at the time, not even in a save situation? ROSS MITCHELL: I like it, because that means that we're playing good and we're winning the game at the time. So I feel like Kendall did a great job all day. He didn't make it as far as he wanted to the first time, but he said he made an adjustment and he was just keeping 'em off time which allowed me to do the same thing. And as you saw from the game, the defense really backed me up pretty well today. And it made a big difference. Q. Wes, didn't really have too much ninth inning drama for Jonathan once he came into the game. That's a school record saves for him, big record for him? WES REA: Yes. That's the kind of guy he is. He just talked to me a while ago. He wasn't even aware that he had it. That tells you that guy's ready to work and ready to help us win ballgames and not worry about stuff like that. But on the more, I guess you could say, real side of it, going into that ninth inning with a three‑run lead felt like we were winning by 100. That's just how these games have been lately, one run, games but‑‑ COACH COHEN: I'm glad he felt that way. WES REA: You weren't out there having to go through it on the field. It's a little more nerve‑racking. But no, going into the ninth inning with a three‑run lead is huge. I know that's still a save opportunity for 'em, but like you say, you got a three‑run lead because of the guy sitting next to me right here. And I would hate to face Ross Mitchell and then face Jonathan Holder right behind him my very next at‑bat. That's probably one of the toughest competitions I've ever seen in front of me. But good thing they're on our side. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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