University of North Carolina Athletics
NCAA Baseball Quotes: Western Carolina 9, East Carolina 5
June 3, 2007 | Baseball
June 3, 2007
No. 3 Western Carolina 9, No. 2 East Carolina 5
Chapel Hill Regional Game 5
Postgame Quotes
Western Carolina Head Coach Todd Raleigh
Opening Statement:
"It was a great game from our perspective, thought we battled really hard after not getting off to a good start. We did not get a really good start from our starting pitcher, but Brock and Chris came in and really slammed the door. This team has a lot of heart and fought back all year, so it was a great win for us."
On finally beating ECU this year:
"It feels real nice, I would trade both of our earlier season losses for this win. The loss the other night really did not sit well with us, but it feels great. They are a great program and play the game the right way, so it is a gratifying win."
On pitching situation for the rest of Regional:
"Believe it or not it might sound crazy we do have some pitching left. Sexton the game one starter can come back, Saberhagen said he was ready today but I do not know how that is humanly possible. Tyler Johnson can pitch, Greg Holland our closer, Brock and Chris can pitch for us. I do not have a starter yet, but we look at some things and come up with something."
On possibility of Saberhagen pitching tomorrow:
"It is a possibility, it will be hard to keep him out he has been bothering me all day. He threw today and they said he looked good. This is a regional championship game, we are going to do whatever we can. If he can help us out, then we will use him but not at the expense of hurting anyone."
Western Carolina Pitcher Brock Thornburg
On shutting the Pirates down:
"I just tried to throw strikes and let my defense help me. I got two pop flies and I think that inning really swung the momentum our way."
On beating East Carolina after losing 9-8 on Friday night:
"That is always going to be in the back of your mind, but it's a new day and you have to think like that. Just try not to do too much and just stay within your game, I think we did that really well tonight."
On playing North Carolina:
"They are definitely a good team, but from our perspective we think we can beat them and know we can beat them. We just have to go out and play our game, hopefully it will turn our way. They are a great team take nothing away from them, but if we play our game I think we got a pretty good shot."
Western Carolina First Baseman John Ingram
On the rain delay:
"It was tough. We got up to the field and hit, but the rain started coming and we had to turn around and come back. Coach told us all day to stay in it and we've been around the rain long enough to know that the game is never rained out, you always have to be ready to play. We stayed focused and came up here ready to play."
On his offensive performance:
"I just got some good pitches to hit and the guys before me got on base. Just saw some good pitches to hit and I have been feeling really good at the plate this whole weekend."
East Carolina Head Coach Billy Godwin
Opening Statement:
"To sum it up, it's certainly disappointing to lose. Take nothing away from Western Carolina, they have a very good club. I think we're like the little engine that could. We started good and just couldn't do enough to hang on. To be picked by a lot of people not even being in the postseason and fifth in Conference USA, for us to end up the way we ended up, I couldn't be any more proud of our season."
On not reaching Omaha:
"It drives me tremendously. I thought we had a very good year, but ultimate goal is to play in the College World Series in Omaha. I thought we made significant jumps from the first club I had last year. I can't speak to anything but my two years and I feel like this program is heading in the right direction. The recruiting is going good, these guys are buying into what we're doing, and I don't see anything but bigger and better things for East Carolina University."
On the confidence he has with the team returning:
"It's very confident because these are guys we depend on. They've had great years, but there's no substitute for experience. We're real excited about our recruiting class also coming in. That's the key. The key to have a good program is to surround these guys that are coming back with guys that can come in and take us to the next level. We feel like we've done that with the recruiting class we've got coming in."
On Western Carolina's relief pitching:
"I thought they did a great job. They threw strikes, threw more than one pitch over for a strike. I thought we hit some balls on the button, but it's baseball. I thought they did a great job of coming in and turning the momentum of the game around. I've got nothing but good things to say. Western Carolina is a very good club and they swing the bat very well. I thought their relief pitching tonight was the key to the game."
1B Stephen Batts
On if last night's game had much of an effect:
"It had an impact, but we tried to sleep on it, get up the next day, and play hard."
On starting off hot and cooling off when Brock Thornburg came in:
"He made some good pitches, but we scored some runs, but I don't think it was enough."
C Corey Kemp
On failing to score in the last five innings:
"Don't take anything away from them- they pitched well. I think we hit balls hard. For three innings right there, we stung the ball, couldn't hit the ball any better. Hit the ball right at people and they made the balls and that's baseball. I think we swung the bats well all three games we played and we just couldn't scratch one."
On looking back on the season and calling it a success:
"Any time you win 40 baseball games throughout a year and you make it to a regional and do the things that we've done, I think you can look back and call it a successful year. I think we were a team who's never satisfied by what we did and no matter how good we've played, never satisfied. We always wanted the next step and that was the next step for us and we just didn't get there. We fell a little short. Disappointing for us, we wanted to go further, but I think in a couple of days you look back I think we'll say we had a pretty good season."
