Childress, players analyze regional win, look ahead to Fort Worth
Rob Childress
We put last weekend to bed and gave the players Tuesday off. We’re ready for another week and another challenge with TCU on the road. They did the same thing we did, coming back from the loser’s bracket. Both teams are certainly feeling good about themselves. We’re looking forward to the challenge in Fort Worth.We didn’t care who won TCU’s regional. We’re just enjoying what we’ve accomplished. We’re guaranteed to be playing another week, and we’re switching from the tournament format back to a weekend series.
College baseball is at an all-time high. With the SEC Network and media exposure the sport has gotten, it’s special. We saw the way they treated the SEC Tournament, and it was just like Omaha. The interviews, previews and postgame certainly exposed us to a lot of recruits across the country and prepared our players for the NCAA Tournament.
Tyler Stubblefield worked extremely hard to get back on the field. His willingness to give up a year of eligibility just shows you how much he cares about his team. For him to give us five innings was very special. It paid off in the regional. The Super Regional is about going and playing good baseball for three days. You can have one bad day and continue to play. If you have two bad days, your season’s over. Our guys embrace that. You don’t have to scout multiple teams like the regional. We’re back to a three game series.
Matt Kent
Our success on the road stems from the team being together all the time. We have a routine, and we’re always together, which isn’t always the case at home. We stay very focused and keep each other that way. Being on the road is a test, but it can be a blessing too.Locating my pitches is big for me. I’ve been able to hold my location deep into the last few games I’ve pitched, even when velocity falls off. For me, location comes first, then movement and velocity. If velocity drops but I keep my location, I can keep going. That’s a big part of my success, and the defense behind me is too. It can help you keep your pitch count down, letting you go deeper into games.
TCU has performed well to get this far. They have great plate approaches, and they like to steal. I’m not sure which game I’m pitching, but I know that Grayson Long will throw the first game. If we win that, Coach Childress will make a decision. We’re focused on that first game. You can’t look too far ahead. We’re living in the moment and finding a way to get better every day.
We figured we weren’t going to get Tyler Stubblefield back,
even though he told us he’d make it. He’s a great competitor on the mound, and
watching him go through that process makes me so proud of him. You saw it when
he pitched in the regional. He got it done. He went out there and proved to
everyone that he was ready to go.
Michael Barash
Winning the regional was unbelievable. The 12th
Man was out in full force, and that was the loudest I’ve ever heard Olsen get.
Competing with my teammates is a great experience. Cal is a great team, and
they have a bright future ahead of them. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing.
We’re going to come out and do what we need to do. We’re putting last weekend
behind us and focusing on the challenge ahead.
Coach Childress always tells us to enjoy our time together,
so we try to stay loose as you saw with the Cheez-It box rally caps during what
could have been one of the last games of our season. We pride ourselves on
toughness and relentless attitude. That’s the way we’ve been all year. We’re
just glad to play this weekend.
We’re completely focused on this first game. Taking things
one game, one pitch at a time is the way we’ve done things all year. We have a
game Saturday, and I don’t know anything after that. We don’t care who we’re
playing. We’ll respect our opponents, but it doesn’t matter to us who they are.
We’ll play Aggie baseball and compete like we always do.
Tyler Stubblefield was gutsy. As the game went on, his stuff kept getting better. For him to come back and do what he did was simply amazing. We couldn’t stretch him out too much, but Coach Childress knows how to handle his pitchers. I can’t wait to have him back on the mound. I love catching for him. He hasn’t been out there much, so he had to get a little rust off. Once he got comfortable with his fastball, he was very dangerous. Mitchell Nau and I will take care of our pitchers at all costs.
Some people have been questioning our pitching recently, but I think this weekend gave everyone an answer. It’s been a strength for us all year. We just ask the pitchers to go as long as they can. Don’t discount Andrew Vinson’s performance in the Coastal Carolina game. That was big for us. We have a great offense and great pitching. We’re going to make the routine play, and we’re going to make the great play. That’s just the way we are.
Matt Kent’s confidence level has been through the roof since
that Vanderbilt game in the SEC Tournament. He’s always going to fight for us.
He’s just a bulldog on the mound. He won’t overpower anybody, but he’ll change
his speeds well. I’m really proud of him coming back on such short rest. We can
go up and down the line-up, running through all the heroes from this weekend.
Tyler Stubblefield
I’m glad to be back with my team behind me. They give me
great confidence. I had to get that first inning out of the way, but after that
I felt very comfortable. They tried to
test me with some bunts, but I’ve been working hard in rehab. If they want to
give me a bunt then thanks. That’s a free out. I don’t even think about my knee
during the games. If I get called on to pitch in the regional, I’ll be ready.
Right out of surgery, you have to learn how to use your leg again. Sitting at home for three weeks makes you wonder if you’ll really make it back. My teammates had my back and pushed me to get back on the field. We’re like brothers, and they provided plenty of motivation. I just fought for it.
That first time back on the mound was thrilling. I just wanted to show everyone what I had. It’s just baseball. I’ve played it since I was a little kid and being back was exciting.
