University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Quotes
May 22, 2008 | Baseball
May 22, 2008
North Carolina head coach Mike Fox:
On the latter stages of the game... "We just couldn't get anybody to come in and close the door. We walked the leadoff guy in extra innings and that's just a killer when you let them walk to first base. They're going to put pressure on you then, obviously to bunt, and you've got to make some big pitches. You've got to give them credit. They came up with some big swings of the bat when they needed to with people on base.
"We lost that game in the first inning. We had to climb out of a hole right out of the gate. It was an awful start, the worst possible way we wanted to start the game, walks and errors. When we do that, we generally don't win."
On the talent level in the ACC... "This is what we go through 30 times during the year. Thirty games, they're all like this. They're all big games and big pitches and good teams and really good players that make great plays. That's why it's fun to coach in this league. You get to watch some great baseball."
On the perseverance of his team... "Both teams get competitive and want to win, and I like that about my team. I just wish that we would play better, but, we played hard all year. Virginia plays hard; that's the way they're coached and it's fun. Both teams want to win. It's being competitors."
On keeping Alex White settled after the first inning... "Alex, unfortunately, threw about 20 more (pitches) than he needed to, but, he usually gets stronger as he goes. You saw what happened in the middle part of the inning when he settled in. There were a ton of strikeouts tonight on both teams. That's a credit to both pitchers, and Alex has tried to persevere. He did what he needed to -- He got us into the 7th. Normally our bullpen has been good about holding leads and we just didn't do it tonight."
On losing a game on two stellar defensive plays in the 11th... "Both teams gave here and there, and made great plays here and there. It was kind of ironic that the game ended on that. It's a game of inches. Their guy grabs a ball up the middle and I had to stop Seth (Williams) at third and that guy caught it by inches. Whoever coined that phrase, it was true tonight, because it was literally that they won by inches and we lost by inches.
On whether he felt it was Carolina's night with numerous rallies... "I thought for a little bit that maybe we're going to dodge a bullet here. I was upset with my team right out of the gate, just the way we started. I don't like the game not to start cleanly, and we're all kind of on edge. There's our starting pitcher throwing 33 pitches. When we battled through that and got the lead, Seth hit the home run to tie it, I thought maybe we're going to dodge another bullet here and not play like we're capable and like we did at Miami. We were so fortunate to win down there, and it's going to catch up with us if we don't make plays like we should."
On facing Wake Forest, which North Carolina didn't play in 2008... "I really don't know a lot about them. I've seen them a little bit today and I know they'll be ready. We're all kind of fighting for our lives here and trying to get that first win in the tournament. They always have a good club. I respect them greatly and it should be a good game."
