June 5, 2011
TROY UNIVERSITY
Head Coach Bobby Pierce
Opening Statement
“Everybody wants to get to the College World Series and we were no different. We have been a team that’s gotten timely hits in the second half of the season. We couldn’t really find that this weekend. We are really, really proud of our club and how far they have come. The bunch came together early on, was extremely hard-working and had great senior leadership. They got us to this point.
“Then, baseball takes over. Sometimes you don’t get the hit you are looking for. We had exactly the hitter [Tyler Hannah] we wanted at the plate [in the eighth inning]. He’s delivered in that situation time and again. He did exactly what we wanted – he got the ball off the bat and gave us a chance. It could have been a game-changer but didn’t go our way.”
On your feeling about this season …
“This is where we would like to be every year, with an opportunity to get to Omaha.
“We had a great season and I am very proud of this group, but we just didn’t get the big hit when we needed it to finish off the tournament.”
Compare this team to your former Troy squads …
“This team had a quieter confidence. Our ’06 team was more outwardly confident than this club. But I really enjoyed this team. They’re a real blue-collar bunch that just believed in themselves.”
Third baseman Tyler Hannah
On his final at-bat (a deep flyout with bases loaded in the eighth inning) …
“I was thinking it was off the wall at least. I got good metal on the ball. I rounded first base and saw he made the play. I wouldn’t say [that play] deflated us any. We still had an inning left to get the runs back.”
Was there a key to your team’s lack of run production?
“The whole year we have been coming up with timely hits and we just didn’t come through this time. It was one of those games that we didn’t come though. It is pretty frustrating.”
Infielder/Reliever Tyson Workman
On the two-hour rain delay affecting the teams …
“No, I wouldn’t say that. The other guys had to go through the same thing we did. It’s not an excuse.”
On the wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning …
“It’s not like me. I was trying to get the guy to chase a high fastball. I was having a problem [gripping] the ball with the humidity.”
On your feelings about the season that just ended …
“After the game, coach just harped on how good of a group this was to coach, especially chemistry-wise. I had a great time playing and just hanging out with them. I made some great teammates and I’m ready to come back next year and see what we can do.
“We had a blast. We had [Vanderbilt] out-hit until the eighth [inning]. Like coach said, we just couldn’t seem to put together the timely hits.”
