University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC vs. LSU - Postgame Quotes
June 16, 2008 | Baseball
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LSU Head Coach Paul Mainieri
(opening statement): "It was a frustrating game for us. We got off to a great start with the leadoff home run in the first. (Jason) Verdugo was throwing well in the bottom of the first - a guy was safe on a swinging bunt, a good piece of hitting on a single the other way, a tough play on a grounder - all of a sudden the bases were loaded with nobody out, and I felt like our guy was throwing well. It was a series of tough breaks for us, and we got in a hole."
"They earned what they got, to a certain degree, but we made some mistakes as well. They swung the bats well, but we helped them out with some mediocre defense."
(on the ball that Mitchell lost in the sky): "He thought the ball was hit harder than it was. He went back, thinking it was deeper, and then lost the ball in the high sky."
(on the number of high-profile teams that have lost in the CWS and Tuesday's game): "In today's age, anybody can beat anybody - you have to be ready to play. The teams that deserved to win this weekend won, and the ones that deserved to lose lost. Rice (LSU's Tuesday opponent) is a great ballclub... It's just the state of college baseball today - anybody can beat anybody."
LSU first baseman Matt Clark:
(on UNC starter Alex White): "He throws hard and threw well against us tonight. He has some good pitches, but we helped him out early by swinging at some out of the zone. His slider was biting, but we helped him out a bit."
(on comparing his first at-bat home run with his strikeout later in the game): "I got in a good hitting count, and he left a ball up in the zone. I was able to put a good swing on the ball. My other at-bat, I missed my pitch to hit. He came with a good curve ball and I was trying to put a good swing on it and put it in play, but couldn't get a piece of it."
LSU third baseman Mike Hollander
(about Sunday's game): "They definitely outplayed us tonight."
(on his leadoff home run): "It didn't mean anything because we lost. I was up there trying to put together a good at-bat and help our team win."
North Carolina Head Coach Mike Fox
(opening statement): "It's always good to get the first win here. Any win here is a good win, but the first win is important. I think the game was typical of our team - a team effort. We singled them to death. Things didn't start well for Alex (White) but you got tsee how much he's improved from last year. It was a total team effort. We're certainly happy with the win."
(about Alex White's performance): "Alex, they're not going to let you forget last year. We joke around about it all the time. You hope kids learn from mistakes. They're older and more mature. Alex has worked very hard and improved, which is to his credit."
North Carolina starting pitcher Alex White
(about his top pitch today): "I threw a couple of sliders to the lefties. My best pitch without a doubt was my split."
(about his performance): "Scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning was the most important thing for us."
North Carolina shortstop Ryan Graepel
(about his offensive performance): "I definitely felt comfortable today at the plate. Something about the batters box set me at ease."
(about singling LSU to death): "When you get guys on base we know from a defensive standpoint, it puts more pressure on the defense."
North Carolina centerfielder Seth Williams
(about being relaxed at the plate): "Being here three years in a row, I think I was more relaxed out there. With our offense, we're not going to get beat by one run."
