June 4, 2007
NCAA Nashville Regional
Final: Vanderbilt 10 Michigan 7
Michigan Coach Rich Maloney
I really liked the way our team battled back after giving up the seven run inning. We could have folded but yet we made somewhat of a game of it. And I was really pleased after that bad inning. You can’t give up an inning like that and expect to win. To Vanderbilt’s credit, they did it in the first game and they did it in this game, you have to tip your hat to them because they hit the baseball well today.
On their pitching:
You have ten walks a couple hit batsman, you can’t expect to beat the No. 1 team like that. We’re lucky they only scored ten runs, it could have been a football score. With that being said, we’ve got to do a much better job in that area tomorrow. I like the fact that we still have some pitching left, we pitched some freshman and they held it reasonable, so we’re in about as good a position as we could be. We have a fighting chance and the guys are optimistic and they should be, it all comes down to one game.
Jason Christian
I think it’s important right now to stay positive and I know our team is positive and confident going into tomorrow. We’re looking at it as a three-game series and we’re coming into tomorrow for everything and I think we’re confident.
On facing Jacobson:
I think we were just missing the timely hit, our guys seemed to be picking him up well but they couldn’t get ahead or miss the timely hit.
Eric Rose
We are confident. This game was disappointing. Any time they put seven runs up in one inning they have to be doing something right. It’s disappointing to me but at the same time we have one more game left.
Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin
Opening Statement
It was a good day. We came out, won the first one, and applied some pressure there in that big seven-run inning, which probably needed to be done because that’s a very good offensive team…I thought the inning that changed the complexion of the game was the seventh when Brett shut them down and I thought, `okay, we’re going to take it from here.’ Offensively, we got a lot of guys on base and Frenchie’s home run, happy for him, because that was a bolt and it came at the right time. That home run and Davis’s squeeze were important. Jacobson was big tonight. He did a nice job.
On Jacobson’s maturity this season
It points to the fact that he come in a game that’s in question and throw strikes with three different pitches…As the year has progressed, I see a kid that has come a long way in a short period of time.
On expecting the offense to bounce back like it did Saturday
Just recent history, watching what we’ve done in the past. I’m not a prognosticator but when you see the team react the way they do in certain situations during the course of the year and come back from adversity, I felt like the only thing was to get positive in the locker room last night before they left and then this morning come in with a full steam of energy and say, `let’s take it to them one inning at a time.’
On Jacobson and Ty Davis’ ability to eat up innings
Enormous. The fact that they could finish games because they not only came in and stopped the bleeding twice, but they finished the game. We sent Cunningham down there, we sent Casey down there, but it’s so important for him to chew up innings so we can be active tomorrow. Tomorrow we’ll just have to take a role call when we get to the park and see who can throw. Weathers can, Rhoden’s probably going to be the starter, Cunningham, Price can pull off a Hershisher 1988 performance and give me an inning. It’s a National Championship run; you’ve got to do whatever you can.
On Ryan Davis’ squeeze
I thought he handles the bat really well; we’re gonna squeeze here to get this run across. I thought five was a whole lot better than four going into the latter innings.
On the advantage of hosting the Regional
The energy you draw from the crowd is the most obvious thing and the comfort level of playing at home and getting back on the field tomorrow and taking BP. We’re a team that thrives on playing in our own ballpark… This was a dream come true to bring this Regional here.
Opening Statement
Basically today was about the offense. Anytime you put up 10 runs you have an excellent chance to win.
On bouncing back from Saturday’s loss
You go home last night. We didn’t get home till 1:30 in the morning and I couldn’t fall asleep. When you wake up in the morning you can either make a choice to be angry and think about yesterday or wipe the slate clean and say, `okay. I’m gonna play loose. I’m gonna play like we’ve got nothing to lose.’ I chose to just kind of be loose and say, you know, I’m ready to go. I’m gonna pitch like I know I can to get these guys out. I know our team’s gonna hit today.
On the importance of him eating up innings
That game tomorrow is going to come to the bullpen, who has pitchers left, and when I came into the game, my goal was to finish that game out. I said, `I need to finish this game so we can save guys for tomorrow.’
Opening Statement
Today was a really important for us. Our backs were against the wall and we knew we had to survive another day. It’s been shut a little bit the past couple of days so it was good for our offense to come out today and score some runs for the pitchers.
On bouncing back
I think what was key today was that everyone showed up to the locker room and had a looseness about them. Nobody was really tight, everyone was still joking around in the locker room, we kept the same routine that we have all the time, put some music on during BP, everything was loose, even from Coach Corbin coming in and joking around with us this morning.
On his homer
It’s good to hit behind Shea Robin, a guy that gets pitched to a lot like I do. Seeing a guy throw a fastball hard and away three straight times to Shea right before that, in the back of my mind, I have to be thinking he’s going to pitch me the same way. So when I came up that’s what I was looking for and that’s what I got and I was fortunate enough to put the barrel on it.
