June 4, 2010
Vanderbilt 8, Illinois State 7 (13 innings)
NCAA Louisville Regional
Jim Patterson Stadium – Louisville, Ky.
Postgame quotes
Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin
Opening Statement
Usually you get into these regionals and you get the jitters right away. It is good to get the first one and get in the winner’s bracket. We saw about everything on the field today. I would have to say the highlight of it was the pitching we received after the third inning. I thought our relief pitching was outstanding. The defense during the course of the game, the two double plays, those are the differences right there. If we don’t make those plays, they score, the game’s over. Our offense just battled and it was good to see a kid come off the bench who hits every day and does not necessarily get the repetitions on the field. He got a big hit when we needed it most. He just competed and drove the ball down the right field line and Andrew made a very nice slide at the plate because if he does not he runs into the tag there. It was a tough, tough ballgame and I know tough for Illinois State but good for us and we have to go home and rest and look forward to tomorrow.
On the game focusing the team
“I do not know if it is a wake up call so much. Our year has been like this in many ways. We just needed to win [this game]. You can get beaten by anyone. I remember Florida State two years ago, playing at home, lost to Bucknell 7-0. That is what happens. They came back to win that regional. It really does not matter who you play. You just have to win them. You are playing the Missouri Valley regular season and tournament champion. They are here for a reason.”
On facing Louisville tomorrow
“Just wait and see what happens in this particular game. Our pitching, obviously we matched it up, to the point where it would give us the best opportunity to win. Whoever we play tomorrow, we just take it as the second game.”
On missed opportunities offensively
“It is encouraging that the kids keep battling. Sometimes you get in games like that you squeeze too tight at the plate. We have seen that plenty of times. The bottom line is they kept getting people on base every inning and sooner or later you felt like we were going to break the ice at some point.”
On determining starting pitcher for first game
“I told the team it is just a series of games you have to win. Everyone is going to have to pitch so it does not really matter. Once you get to this point you have to match it up. You match it up how you best see it. Taylor Hill, you look at his body of work, he did not have a good day today. But you look at his body of work and what he has done during the course of the season; he has had outstanding games against SEC teams. So it is not like we are throwing some chump up there. He is a good pitcher and I expected that he was going to pitch well and he did not have his best day. That is ok. He gets an opportunity to come back maybe because he came out so early.”
On facing Louisville
“I think the rivalry dates back to last year when we faced them so many times. We played them here in a game that was close during the regular season which Brian had a big at-bat to tie the game up. We came back here again and played them in a loser’s bracket game for us, winner’s for them and beat them. It came down to the final game where they won the regional here.
The game at our place earlier this year was just one of those like today. A lot of squeezing on both sides. It came down to a big hit at the end, it probably had to. We play good baseball against them, they are a good team. I have known Dan for years when he was a little third baseman at Citadel; I was a head coach at Presbyterian College.
On facing the Cardinals without McDonnell
“It is a tough situation. I just remember the game I had to sit out against Tennessee. It is like you are pounding on the glass and yelling at the top of your lungs and no one can see you and no one can hear you. It is terrible, I hate it. It is frustrating because you go through the season and coach your kids and you are not able to coach. That is a tough one.
On tomorrow’s starting pitcher
“I pretty much think we are going to throw Sonny Gray. It is game two and it is a winner’s bracket game and the only way you get to game three in the winner’s bracket is to win game two.”
Vanderbilt player quotes
Sophomore RHP Jack Armstrong
On getting the game winning hit
“Coach Holliday told to me to get ready by the seventh or eighth inning so mentally I was trying to get prepared. Actually I visualized that exact hit. I don’t know how it happened, but it’s kind of fate to be honest with you. But once the call came, I listened to the other guys trying to figure out what this pitcher was doing and took a nice opposite field approach and fate turned out that way.”
Senior catcher Andrew Giobbi
On Armstrong’s at bat
“He’s had four or five bats all year, but like coach said, he sticks it out and hits everyday in BP and keeps quite about not hitting. You know its tough going both ways hitting and pitching but he stuck in there and hit off a kid who pretty much had our number throughout the entire later half of the game.”
On why Long was so effective
“He didn’t make many mistakes. I’ve heard he did very well all year and he went in there and knew what he had to do. He back-doored the breaking ball and wrapped the breaking ball around the righties, and that’s not an easy thing to do.”
On pressure to lead the team during tournament time
“As seniors we kind of feel that weight a little bit and that pressure, but you can’t think about that too much. You just have to go out there and play and do the best you possibly can and help each other out.
Senior shortstop Brian Harris
On Armstrong’s winning hit
“Like Gio was saying, he works everyday and takes extra hacks when everybody else is in the locker room. It’s very comforting to see that. He’s the type of guy you root for and want to do well because he’s a good guy and works hard at it. He’s a winner.”
On the hidden ball trick
“Anybody can run that play. I saw the guy was kind of off the base during the dead time between plays. It was a prime opportunity to do that. It’s worked a couple times this year.”
On pressure to lead the team during tournament time
“As seniors we preach more about our mental game than we do about play on the field. We want to show a side of us that can calm a kid like Connor Harrell down, a freshman who was in there for the first time.”
Illinois State Coach Mark Kingston
Opening Statement
I would like to congratulate Vanderbilt. I don’t think either team deserved to lose that game … 13 innings of back and forth baseball and they got one more clutch hit there at the end.
On pitcher Kenny Long
“Kenny’s performance today was typical. He threw a lot of strikes. He’s a tough kid to hit and the question was `would an SEC team have more success against him than maybe a Missouri Valley Conference team and I think he answered that very strongly today.” (later, responding to whether Long would pitch on Saturday). “Obviously he will not pitch tomorrow.”
On the finish
“At that point, I wasn’t shocked at anything. We were 12 innings in. Crazy things were happening. If you’re involved in college baseball (you know that) if you play that many innings, anything can happen, and today, it did.”
On whether his team will be fatigued on Saturday
“No, absolutely not. We’ve played in some games that were very, very hot. We’ve played some extra inning games. We’ve come too far to come out tired tomorrow. Our guys are enjoying the heck out of this. We’re going to make the most out of this.”
Illinois State Player Quotes
Catcher Matt Mirabal
On Kenny Long’s effectiveness
“I feel like his effectiveness has come from his slider and his curve ball, he kept them down. He was able to work in and out on every hitter. He was real effective with his curve ball and slider, just varying it.”
On if he thought his home run was going out
“Actually, when I hit it I thought that it was gone. I got an outside change up and I saw it up and I swept at it and it went with the wind.”
On length of the game
“It was really hot. I made sure I drank a lot of water between innings. I had people help me out. A lot of guys whenever I got out or something got my gear ready to put on. It was tough.”
Pitcher Kenny Long
On fatigue down the stretch
“I threw a couple of innings and I started to get a little tired, kind of leaving the slider up a little but nothing I couldn’t work with.”
Third baseman Ryan Court
On going dry after the first four innings
“I think we just attacked poor. We were playing well and hitting well, but give credit to their bullpen though. Maybe it wasn’t as much us as hitters, but them hitting their spots and making good pitches. I wouldn’t say, I know me personally and I can guarantee that our nine hitters didn’t change our approach. It was just that maybe they were making better pitches.”
On not being fatigued tomorrow
“I think, like he said, this is the first time we have been to a regional in a long time. I think if we played 28 innings today, we would still be excited to play tomorrow and we have a lot of responsible guys. I think everyone will get a good night’s sleep. No one will go out. We take this seriously, this is a big opportunity for us. I think we will come out with as much, if not more energy tomorrow than we had today.”
