NCAA Regional Post-Practice Press Conferences

June 3, 2004

OXFORD, Miss. -

OLE MISS POST-PRACTICE QUOTES

(on the health of Friday night starter Stephen Head):

"Stephen is fine and healthy. I know that has been a question, but he was healthy at the SEC Tournament last week."

(on why Stephen Head would not be on a pitch count Friday night):

"He was on a pitch count at the SEC Tournament, but since then, he threw 50 pitches at the SEC Tournament and had a hard bullpen this weekend. One of the reasons he was on a pitch count last week, because you had a pitcher who was stepping on the mound and throwing at 100-percent for the first time in a couple of weeks.

(on the excitement of the day before the regional starts):

"I think last Sunday was more special for the program when it was announced that we were hosting. Our fans have shown that they're excited through the ticket sales. I think you'll see the next emotion when we step out on the field Friday night."

(on the pressure of being the No. 1 seed):

"I think a lot of that depends on how you look at it. I like to be optimistic and positive and look at it as an advantage. You're the No. 1 seed and the expectations are a good thing. Certainly, with the expectations, comes pressure, and playing at home there's pressure. On the other hand, we have a much better home record than we do on the road, and that's why you want to be at home, playing in front of your large crowd and on your home field. "

Sophomore LHP Stephen Head

(on his shoulder):

"I threw a bullpen on Sunday and it felt fine. I'm going to go out there and see if I can throw the whole game."

(on hosting a regional):

"It excites me to know that we're playing at home and in front of our home crowd. We're excited to be hosting our own regional because this is the first step in getting to Omaha, which is our ultimate goal.

Junior RF Seth Smith

(on the advantage of playing at home):

"Playing here is a huge advantage. Not only in the games but in preparation and practices. There is always added stuff you have to worry about on the road, such as wake-up calls and getting to meals. You don't have to think about those things when you're playing at home. We're just going to come out here and play baseball. The more relaxed we can be, the better we will be."

(on the mood of the team this week):

"A lot of enthusiasm, which is something I'm fired up about. We've had some time to rest and have had some good practices this week. We're looking forward to this weekend."

Junior C Barry Gunther

(on playing at home):

"I think this presents a much better opportunity to get out of a regional, than it was last year for us playing at Rice."

(on hosting a regional):

"Ever since I came here, one of our goals was to host a regional. Now, we're hosting a regional, and one of our other goals is to win 40 games and right now we're a win short. No one will remember that we didn't win the SEC or didn't win 40 games in the regular season after this weekend. This weekend is what it is all about."

WASHINGTON POST-PRACTICE QUOTES

Head Coach Ken Knutson

"We're excited to be here. We feel it's just an outstanding regional. I think it's wide open and the competition is super. We were hoping to be sent to the South, because of the interest and the fan following. As big as SEC baseball is, we knew there was going to be some big crowds out here. I think for the players, coaches and everyone, it's going to be an exciting environment in a great venue."

(on starting Tim Lincecum):

"We had been going with Kyle Parker on Friday nights ... Then Kyle came down with the flu. Today is the first time he's thrown in two days. He's a little under the weather and didn't get his regular work week in. For Tim (Lincecum), it was easy. We just bumped him back a day with his bullpen. When Kyle got sick on Tuesday. I thought there might be a chance this might happen, so Tim's ready to go tomorrow.

"(Tim) has really good stuff. It's electric. He has got a really good fastball, curveball and changeup. I think the best thing about him is he competes really hard. He enjoys pitching, and he has given us a lot of quality innings. He has had a remarkable year. I think one of the keys to our season was how our young pitching developed.Tim has been good since the first start and has continued to improve."

Freshman RHP Tim Lincecum

(on his first NCAA regional):

"It's exciting. Playing against quality competition is another good thing. It looks like we brought the (wet) weather with us. We're used to it. I think it's a little bit of an advantage to us if it keeps raining."

Sophomore OF/IF Brent Lillibridge

(on the team's big series wins this season):

"Last year, we didn't win against some of the bigger teams. Winning the big series this year has been what we expected to do. I didn't expect to lose a series to Georgia Tech. Stanford matched up really well with us. Our pitching was amazing that weekend, and shut down those great hitters. Winning the big series is what's gotten us off the West Coast and a higher seed."

(on 2003 Team USA teammates Stephen Head and Seth Smith of Ole Miss):

"They're great baseball players. They're huge athletes. They both can hit the ball a long way. It looked like Head started with a bang and slowed down a little. That guy can put it out of the park and can hit it anywhere he wants. He can throw too. That's why I'm glad he's throwing tomorrow and not having to face us. They're quality guys, and you can't find better baseball players. I've talked to both of them. We try to keep in contact."

TULANE POST-PRACTICE QUOTES

Head Coach Rick Jones

(on playing in the Oxford Regional):

"It is sort of a unique situation. When we hosted our first regional, Ole Miss was in it. I think it is a very strong field, but then again it is hard not to find a strong field when you get to the NCAA Tournament. This one is very, very tough here. Washington finished second in the Pac-10, Ole Miss is having a great year, we've certainly been pretty good all year and Western Kentucky is playing very well right now as their record indicates in their last 20 ballgames. It is going to be a challenge.

"I am excited to be here in this setting. I am also excited about the fact that we have a lot of Tulane alumni in the greater Memphis area who can be here. All of our alums can actually drive up from the New Orleans area and they are looking forward to it. If you are not going to host, you want to be in a place where you feel like you have a competitve chance and I think we have that here. We don't have an advantage or disadvantage, we are on an equal playing field. "

(on the impact of junior transfers Greg Dini and Matt Barket):

"They have made as tremendous amount of impact as possible. They are not your normal transfers in that fact that Mark Kingston our associate head coach used to be an assistant at Miami and assisted in recruiting those two guys. Both Mark Kingston and I worked for Jim Morris, Mark at Miami and myself at Georgia Tech. Mark is as good of a friend as I have.

"This was a situation where both Greg and Matt were splitting time, not getting full-time playing time. I think they would have gotten to play more this year, and Miami is a tremendous program. It was a situation where they were looking for more playing time and we had a need. Obviously, with our connections at Miami it worked out really well. The concern you have anytime you get transfers, especially when they played two years somewhere else, is how quickly they will buy into to your program and mesh with the players you have returning. You are concerned with how well they will adjust to the setting, going to New Orleans from Miami.

"Both these guys made the transition in a tremendously positive way very quickly. They integrated themselves and they did not come in with an attitude of having come from Miami. They came in wanting to see if they can help Tulane play better. Dini did not start our first two or three games of the season, Barket did. Both of these guys had to work their way into our line-up. Once in, they have both made a big impact."

WESTERN KENTUCKY POST-PRACTICE QUOTES

Head Coach Joel Murrie

(on Western Kentucky playing in its first NCAA Regional since 1980):

"I have tried to avoid talking about this being our first NCAA Regional since 1980 because I think that gives too much attention to me. This is not about me and this is not a self-centered program. This is about the young men on this team. This group has really given it their all and has made me proud throught the season."

(on the NCAA Oxford Regional tournament field):

"We are in a tournament with three outstanding ballclubs -- Ole Miss, Washington and Tulane. Ole Miss was very competitive in the Southeastern Conference, which many regard as the top baseball conference in the nation. Washington has beaten some great teams this year, including three of the top-eight national seeds in this tournament. Tulane has been to seven NCAA Regionals in-a-row, so that speaks for itself."

"Based upon their last 17-18 weeks, those three clubs knew that they were going to be playing (in the NCAA Tournament) this weekend. We, on the other hand, had to take care of business in Mobile, Ala., at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. We accomplished our goal (of winning the tournament) and now we have to get ready for what will be some outstanding competition this weekend."

(on WKU early in the year vs. WKU now):

"What we did in February and March is so far removed from what we've done over the past three weeks. From top to bottom, I like what I've seen over the past 10 days. We are hitting, pitching and playing defense. We are the new kids on the block so-to-speak. The game hasn't changed, just the competition that we will be facing. We just need to control what we can this weekend. I'll be more concerned with how we're playing and not with who's in the other dugout."

(on picking up momentum as the season has gone along):

"We have won 10 of our last 11 games, so things are going in the right direction at the moment. We are playing good baseball right now. As a coach, you can't write a better script for the situation we're in. We are playing our best baseball heading into the NCAA Tournament and I think that's something every program strives for."

"We had a rough start to the season with a young ballclub and several injuries. We also had a very tough schedule at the beginning of the season and several of our younger players were at positions that they weren't conditioned for. All along, this team has shown true character. The young men on this team never quit and we have certainly picked up a lot of momentum as the season has moved along. At one point, we weren't even sure about making the Sun Belt Tournament. Now, we are playing in the NCAA Tournament and looking forward to this weekend."

Senior INF/OF Matt Gunning

(on the team's approach this weekend):

"We want to take the same approach (this weekend) as we did in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The atmosphere at this year's conference tournament was much different because we were relaxed and confident. We are having fun and playing good baseball right now. We hope both of those factors continue this weekend. "

Junior LHP Grady Hinchman

(on pitching against Ole Miss in the first round):

"I (physically) feel pretty good right now. I am looking forward to tomorrow's game. It will be an honor to face Ole Miss on its home field. The competition at this tournament may be a step up from what we've seen during the regular season, but it's a good opportunity to see how we stack up against some of the top teams in this country."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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