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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Regional Teams Meet with the Media
5/31/2007 | Baseball
The teams participating in this weekend's NCAA Baseball Regional in Oxford held batting practice Thursday folllowed by a press conference. Below are highlights from each team's Q&A with the media.
Ole Miss | Southern Miss | Troy | Sam Houston
OLE MISS
HEAD COACH MIKE BIANCO
On Luke Prihoda
“When a team has a closer like (Luke) Prihoda the goal would be to get the lead and not have him come in, but they use him from what we understand in not just that closer role. He is a guy that they are going to bring in when the game is on the line. It's the goal in every game to get the lead and extend it, but it's more important when they have a guy like that in the bullpen.”
On Cullan Kight
“He will start at designated hitter tomorrow night. The reason is not the one at-bat in the SEC Tournament, but is really the last month of batting practice. He has hit the ball as well as anybody. I think he deserves a chance.”
WILL KLINE, JR., PITCHER
On Sam Houston
“They are obviously deserving of their spot in the regional. We are not going to take them lightly. They are a lot like us. They have a good batting average and the steal bases well. They have pop in the middle of their line-up.”
On pitching staff’s season so far
“Its been a tough year, but a successful one. As a whole the staff has pitched great. There have been some times a pitcher has thrown well, but come away with a no decision. Its nothing that has made us put our head down. “
JUSTIN HENRY, JR., OUTFIELDER
On Luke Prihoda
“We have faced a lot of teams this year with good closers. I don’t think we ever approached the game any differently. We come out and try to score early. We will go out and try to put some runs on the board for Will (Kline) and get the crowd into the game.”
On playing in the NCAA Regional
“Its not a normal game, but you have to approach it like any other game. It comes from the older guys like me and Zack (Cozart) and Will (Kline). We just go about out business the same way. This is our third year of of this and it doesn’t seem any different now. I think that rubs off on some of the young guys.”
ZACK COZART, JR., SHORTSTOP
On facing Sam Houston
“It's just another game for us. We try not to look at it as we are the higher seed and we should win. We have confidence. We have Will (Kline) pitching, who is one of the best in the conference and the nation. If we play well as a team, we should win. That’s the way we look at it.”
On playing in the NCAA Regional
“We keep it as if we are playing the first game of the year. We practiced this week the same. Everything has been the same. We just look at it as a normal game.”
SOUTHERN MISS
HEAD COACH CORKY PALMER
Opening Comment
“We are very excited to be in our fifth straight regional. We are looking forward to a good match-up with Troy. These guys have worked mighty hard to get here. We were in bad shape about four weeks ago. We had a tremendous run, and we are very proud to be a two seed here in Oxford.”
On the Oxford field being pitching heavy
“I know we are and Ole Miss is too. Troy has seven guys who hit over .300. I think that is pretty potent. I think we have three. So I know that’s our game, pitching and defense and timely hitting. That’s how we have won this year and that’s how we will need to play to win in this tournament.”
On the status of Trey Sutton
“He is out for the season. He will not play anymore this year. He had a meeting with our team doctor on Monday. After the MRI did not come back with positive results, we decided not to play him. As swollen as his knee is, he could not have played unless he pulled a Kirk Gibson. He is out and we will go without him.”
JODY BLOUNT, SR, OUTFIELDER
On the motivation of a rematch with Troy
“We are definitely motivated. We swept them last year during the regular season, but they got us in the postseason when it really counted. It will be a good match-up with them.”
On how the team played against Troy in last year’s NCAA Tournament
“I thought we played pretty good against them. They had very good hitting team last year, and they threw some good arms against us. We just didn’t get the big hits. We played good defense and pitched pretty well. We just didn’t get those timely hits we needed.”
BARRY BOWDEN, JR, PITCHER
On whether or not they still have momentum from their winning streak
“I definitely think we still have momentum from that. We struggled in the Conference USA Tournament a little bit, but this is a whole new season for us and we plan on playing very well here.”
On having played in Oxford in front of a large crowd before
“It definitely gives me an advantage to have played in this atmosphere before. To be able to pitch in front of a crowd, it takes a little bit of the emotion off.”
RYAN BELANGER, SR, PITCHER
On being the opening day pitcher in the NCAA Tournament
“It’s very exciting. All year we have had such a competitive schedule that has prepared us for this. Troy is good team. Playing in a regional is a whole new ballgame. We are starting a new season and we are ready to roll and take the program to another level.”
TROY
BOBBY PIERCE, HEAD COACH
On being selected to the NCAA Regional
We’re pretty excited to be here, because we were certainly a bubble-type team. We sat down to watch the selection show and we knew we had a decent resume with our strength of schedule and certainly our non-conference strength of schedule. We had some big wins at home against good teams like Coastal Carolina and a couple of SEC wins. We had done some good things, but we also had very high expectations for this team. We didn’t reach those and we didn’t play all that well down the stretch. Our pitching has certainly come around and done some good things for us recently. Offensively, we are looking to get back on track in this tournament and score some wins.
On the difference from being a conference champion a year ago
This year was a lot different, because we didn’t even know if we were going to get in. I was very pleased that the committee did take a look at our strength of schedule. That is what committee members tell coaches across
On senior closer Josh Dew
He throws strikes. He’s got a good fastball with a little run. His slider is his out pitch, and he’s been able to add a change-up to counter left-handed hitters. He competes hard. I think that’s probably his best attribute. He’s a competitive person that wants the ball in his hand with the game on the line.
On the team’s senior leadership
That’s why we had the high expectations for this team. We do carry a lot of seniors that not only have experience and regional play experience, but they’ve had experience with success at this level. We went into this season having lost a couple of juniors last year and a couple of these guys on our ballclub we thought we might lose in last year’s draft, but fortunately we kept them in school, and because of those factors we had high expectations for our season. Our schedule was really a tough schedule, and these guys played pretty well throughout it. Our numbers match up favorably with anyone, but we’ve just been a little inconsistent with our play. Hopefully we can lean on the experience of our seniors, their leadership, their successes, and have a good tournament this week.
JOSH DEW, SR., 1B/P
On making the NCAA Tournament after losing in the conference tournament
Honestly I thought the season might be over with. I knew we were on the bubble. I thought it was the end of my college career. I’m kind of like a man on a mission. I’m not ready for it to end. I definitely want to get back out there and do what I’ve done all year long. This is like the beginning of a new season. We know what’s right in front of us and we’re going to accept the challenge. We’re ready to get out there and play.
CLEGG SNIPES, SR., RHP
On the pitching staff
We’ve had struggles for most of the year, but we’ve had a lot of great performances as a team. In the regional our pitching staff has to step up and lead the team.
On his performance this season
I feel pretty successful. We’ve had a lot of successful outings in the past. We should be pretty ready and prepared for play.
CLINT ROBINSON, SR., 1B
On playing against the nation’s top competition
We’re playing in a regional now where everybody is 0-0. We’re going to be playing against what the higher-ups in the NCAA think are the best teams in the country. By playing the Coastal Carolinas, the
On picking up teammates when one segment (e.g. the pitching staff) of the team is struggling
Sometimes you feel that way, but really our inconsistency, other than the physical stuff, it’s also been a mental thing. We kind of go out there and say so-and-so is not hitting, so we try to up it a little bit. We need to pick each other up and try to play together instead of one person doing it all, putting it all on Josh in the ninth inning. We’ve got to make it to where our offense scores runs for our pitchers and they keep runs off the board for us, because momentum swings are a big thing in a tournament like this. You’ve got to keep momentum on your side to get through it.
SAM HOUSTON
HEAD COACH MARK JOHNSON
Opening Comment
“We are obviously very glad to be here and represent the Southland Conference. We think it’s an outstanding conference, and we hope we can show that this weekend. We were the four seed in the conference tournament and came through the tournament at Northwestern State Louisiana. We have 38 wins and have done some things well. The three guys sitting here with me (Jeremy Holzbach, Luke Prihoda and Bobby Verbick) are three guys that helped us along. They’ve done a tremendous job for us. We’ve got two seniors and one junior here, and all three have been an integral part in our success.”
On this being his first year in a long time
“I wouldn’t give any of my years of coaching for this year I had with this group of young men. It’s been a special year for me. I’ve coached 38 years and there have been a lot of good teams, and some have gone to Omaha. This is a star group. When I came here, they had not experienced a winning season or gone to the tournament. We got the seniors together and tried to get them on board. They’ve been very receptive and respectful of what we are trying to do with our system. It’s all new to them. They’ve played with their heart. They have a lot of want to, and they have a lot of skill. It’s been fun to watch them improve. I sat out a year (had one year left on contract at Texas A&M) but I really wanted to stay in coaching. I am a man of faith and felt God was leading me back. This was a great match-up with Sam Houston State. I got to stay in the state where my family lives.
On confidence of having the lead in the 7th and 8th and giving the ball to (Luke) Prihoda
“We’ve gone to Luke 33 games out of 60. Our whole team will tell you. We play a seven-inning game and then we knock on Luke’s door. He has answered the call big-time for us. It makes it a lot easier, when you have a short relief guy who is a closer who can control the outcome of games. He can’t do it every time, but the players believe in him and he believes in himself. It elevates all of our play when he comes into the game. Luke’s been a prominent part of all of our success this season. We haven’t blown people out, so we’ve knocked on his door quite a bit. He loves the role. He has a passion for that role.”
On game one starter Jacob Howard
“Jacob’s talents were born from (pitching) Coach (Justin) Hill and the job he has done with him. In the fall he (Howard) was just ok, and we weren’t sure where he would fit in. He has improved each week, and last week was his best outing. We used him twice in the Southland Conference Tournament. He threw very well in both games. He’s not a pure power pitcher, but he can run up there and keep people honest. He’s a movement type pitcher. He has off-speed pitches, and he can make the ball move both ways, which causes problems for the opposing offense. He’s a real good competitor. You’ll see that Friday night. He’ll take his stuff out there. If it’s good enough, fine if not, that’s fine. But he’ll bring his stuff.”
LUKE PRIHODA, SR., PITCHER
On how long he can go in an outing
“My longest outing this year has been six innings. I can go three or four innings, depending on what they need me for. I don’t like to give up the ball once I get it. I finished all but two of them that I came in. Once I am up there, I just trust my stuff and go with it. Whatever they need me for.”
On the role of being a closer
“I love being a closer. You have a chance to pitch everyday. You have a chance to go out there with the game on the line. You can’t ask for much more. I like the pressure and having my teammates behind me. I like knowing that it’s on the line and if you get the job done, your team wins. Once you get that last out you get to walk through the line with your teammates. It’s a great feeling.
On the feeling of being here for the first time
“I got some good advice from my brother, who played in the UT regional. He said we belong here, don’t just come in here being happy to be here.’ We played well the whole year, and we played well in the (Southland) tournament. We belong here and we are here to try and shake things up. We are going to go out there and play our game and do what we do best, which is play small ball, pitch well and play good defense. We earned the right to be here. It’s not just a fluke that we got here.”
BOBBY VERBICK, JR., OUTFIELDER
On playing in front of a huge crowd
“I am sure we’ll all be nervous at the start, but then once we get into the game, we’ll be fine. Some of us have transferred in from other schools, so we are used to a crowd like this. That will help. Once you get into the game, it’s just like any other game. You just do what you know how to do.”
JEREMY HOLZBACH, SR., INFIELDER/OUTFIELDER
On Coach Johnson
“Coach Johnson called us after he got the job back in July. From our very first meeting, we all felt as seniors very excited to be a part of this last season with Coach Johnson. We knew what he was going to be able to bring to the table from his previous years of coaching. It’s been very exciting. This year has been the year of the seniors as Coach Johnson would put it. It’s been a very unique opportunity to be able to go out like this.”
On what they’ve learned from Coach Johnson on playing in a regional
“To take your stuff out there and know that you can compete with anyone else. You can’t get too high or too low. Playing in a small conference like the Southland, you’re not going to be used to seeing several thousand fans at the game. We’ve seen some big crowds playing mid-week games at Rice or Texas A&M, some of the bigger schools that attract crowds. It can either help your level of play or change things, depending on how you react to the fans and the atmosphere. If we just keep our eyes on our goal for this weekend, and don’t let outside forces take hold, we’ll be ok.”
On being placed in the Oxford Regional
“When we were watching the selection show on Monday, we were all very surprised. When we saw that we were paired up with Ole Miss our jaws dropped at first. Right after that, we were like alright, lets go play ball. We knew it was going to be a long drive, but it feels good to get out of the state and see some other towns. Some of these guys got to play here in 2005 (when Ole Miss hosted Sam Houston state in a three-game series), but I had to take a medical redshirt so I wasn’t able to come here. We were all kind of expecting to be in Texas somewhere, because that is where they’ve generally seed Southland teams. But we are excited to be here.”
