University of North Carolina Athletics
Game 3 Postgame Quotes: North Carolina 8, Michigan 1
June 3, 2017 | Baseball
NORTH CAROLINA
Opening statement from Head Coach Mike Fox:
“First of all, Congratulations to Erik [Bakich] and the University of Michigan on a great season. We obviously are thrilled to still be playing and get a win this morning. Game always starts with pitching, and we got a great performance by Luca [Dalatri] today. That kind of set the tone for us. So happy to have won and still be alive.”
Fox on how long he thought Luca Dalatri could pitch:
“Luca, pretty much all year long he's pitched pretty deep in the game. So we were certainly hoping that was going to be the case today, and we're obviously watching pitch counts and how he feels. It's hot. Fortunately, we had the lead so we could get some other guys in there. We're well aware of what's out there before us from a pitching standpoint. So that was pretty big that he could get us into the eighth [inning].”
Fox on Dalatri's maturity:
“You can just listen to him talk. He's pretty mature, and I don't think that's just jargon from him. I think that's really how he thinks out there. He's been taught very well from an early age. He's been around his dad and professional basketball. So he's got a really high IQ about this whole sports deal, and he gets it. So I think he really is just trying to go pitch to pitch, and he didn't let the home run bother him which was good.”
Fox on the dog, Remington, affecting the Michigan pitching:
“I don't think so. I mean, I don't know. That happened so fast. Our fans helped us big time right there. I think I kind of sensed a little bit that we were coming there, that we were going to score a few runs. I thought Ashton [McGee]'s swing of the bat was pretty special for him, a freshman to step up there with two strikes. That's what you've got to have to win these games.”
Luca Dalatri on what was working for him today:
“I mean, I guess everything if you want to say that. From the beginning, I just felt like I could command all four pitches for strikes, and that really enabled me to be able to work behind counts and keep them off-balance. For all seven [innings], I feel like I did a decent job of keeping them off-balanced, and it worked out for us.”
Dalatri on what went through his mind after Michigan's home run:
“Next pitch. Doesn't really matter. Home runs happen, so I don't really care about that.”
Dalatri on if he felt that he needed to pitch late into the elimination game:
“No. If you're competing out there, the only thing you're worried about is the next out, next inning. I don't go out there saying I need to go seven [innings] [or] I need to go eight. It's what's working that day, and I could have gone nine if I needed to, but coach did what's best for my arm and I appreciate that. But to answer your question, going into the game I just go out there to do the best I can, help my team, give them a chance to win and if they take the ball from me early it is what it is, but I was lucky to go seven tonight.”
Tyler Lynn on how the team was able to take advantage in the fifth inning
“The offense was kind of struggling there, but Johnny just kept throwing zeros up there for us. So that obviously helped us out, giving us some free passes right there. Then Ashton [McGee] did a good job of two-strike hitting, just taking what the pitcher gave him.
Lynn on the effect of REMINGTON running onto the field:
“The crowd was into the entire game, so it definitely loosened them up a little bit, but so did us getting on base.”
Lynn on this possibly being the last time he plays this season:
“Actually, when I woke up this morning I was like, 'Today doesn't feel like the last day I'm going to play.' So, I mean hopefully that's tomorrow. We were all still loose. We come in. The music is blaring. Adam [Pate] is acting like an idiot, and the locker room is loose. We played two-ball before the game just like another day, and that's just the way this team is.”
Ashton McGee on how the team was able to take advantage in the fifth inning:
“I think a big thing was taking advantage of their opportunities. Something that we've done all year is the teams making errors or walks, and we're just taking the opportunity and just scoring runs off of it.”
McGee on his two-RBI single in the fifth inning:
“I think it was a big thing getting a lead. I think we needed that to stay positive the whole game. Obviously, yesterday we didn't get the lead at all. We scored runs late in the game, but just having the lead kind of gave everybody a deep breath and just got in a play.”MICHIGAN
Opening Statement from Head Coach Erik Bakich:
“I'd just like to say I'm proud of these guys and proud of this group. It's not the ending we wanted, that we drew up. This one stings the most of the five years our staff has been here because of the kids on the team. Guys like Michael Brdar and a lot of the upperclassmen and seniors have made this ride so much fun. They've been so consistent all along up until the end. I'm really proud of them and love them. You never want it to end when you're having that much fun.”
Bakich on Michael Hendrickson losing control of his pitch location in the fifth inning:
“He was very good through the first four, so that escalated quick. His command was good, but it was a couple of walks and a couple of hit by pitches, and sometimes that happens so fast. If there's one guy you know who can pitch out of it, you trust him, your starter, to do that, and Michael to do that. He's been very good for us, especially of late, which is why we moved him up into the second starter role. That's what North Carolina does really well. They hold the zone. They draw a lot of walks – they have over 300 this season. They're a very dangerous club when you put them on base and give them free passes. Unfortunately for us, we did that 12 times today via walk and hit by pitch. Against a team like that, that's a bad recipe.”
Bakich on what he thought changed for Hendrickson in the fifth inning:
“I don't know. I don't know. He was smooth sailing. If I knew, I'd tell you. If I knew it was going to happen we would have had someone ready to go sooner. It looked like a rally started and a couple of walks, a couple a hit by pitches, a big hit, and before you knew it they had a three spot.”
Bakich on the seniors on the team:
“I don't know if I can put it into words, but it's the best group of leaders, by far, in the five years we've been here. It's a group of kids that every training session, every weight lifting session, every day… You're talking about a group of kids that gave 100 percent of whatever they had in everything. These guys did it in the classroom with a GPA of 3.0. They did it on the field. They did it in everything. This older group, what they did, to not only get the success we had, but more importantly the culture that was established. What they leave behind to a younger generation of Michigan baseball players, a great foundation to build off of. And the journey's not over. Michael Brdar's got a lot more baseball to play. He is going to be a heck of a professional baseball player as well. These guys aren't going anywhere. You don't go to Michigan for four years, you go for life, and they'll be back. They'll be part of the Michigan baseball family for life. When this guy (Michael Brdar) is done playing baseball, he'll make a hell of a coach."
#9 Michael Brdar on North Carolina's Luca Dalatri's pitching performance:
“He attacked us on the fastball. He's a good pitcher. We hit some balls hard, we hit a lot of balls hard. Each and every guy, we didn't throw away any pitches. We connected on the ball all the way down the lineup. Sometime the hits don't fall, but you've got to tip your cap to a guy like that. He went seven and gave up one. He did a good job today.”
Brdar on the seniors on the team:
“It's a great group of guys to be around. You can honestly say that everyone on the roster gave it all they could. No one held anything back on every single pitch. Our pitchers did a great job, hitters, defense… We all left if out there. That's what you're most proud of. It didn't go our way, but we did everything we could and we can hang our hat on that one.”
