Baseball Holds Annual Media Day

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma baseball team held its annual media day on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

OU head coach Sunny Golloway and select players addressed the media about the upcoming season which begins in Edinburg, Texas against Texas State on Friday, Feb. 2. The Sooners' home opener is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 23 against Western Illinois. Click here for more information on season tickets for the 2007 baseball season.

Below is a transcript from press conference.

OU HEAD COACH SUNNY GOLLOWAY
Opening Statement:
“We are excited to start playing some baseball and have been blessed with some good weather recently. One thing you can always tell early on about your team is the athletic ability. Our practices have been very clean and that speaks volumes about our athleticism and that is due to recruiting some key athletes to plug the holes left by the 12 seniors. At the end of every year you don't really get the opportunity to recognize the seniors that you lose and what they meant to your program. We are extremely proud of the large step they took in getting us ranked No. 9 at the end of the season and that had a lot to do with our strong recruiting class for this year. So we are not only excited for this year but the next couple with this group of freshmen and the classes to follow.”

Photos | Video | 2007 Schedule | 2007 Roster

On the progress of the program after taking over as head coach:
“You always want to set a bar in terms of where you want to be during certain years when you take over a program. And I think with the finish that we had last year, we really feel like we are on track. When young men come into our program and ask that question, we tell them that you come to the University of Oklahoma to win National Championships. Now, talk is cheap. You have to go out and do the work, recruit the right athletes and you also have to go about the organizational day-to-day duties to put yourself into a position to win. And we feel like we are right on track for that. Do I think we will contend for a National Championship this year? Absolutely, and I really believed we would do that last year. I like our future.”

On the weekend rotation:
“Last year, the starting rotation at the start of the season remained the same at the end of the year and we were very fortunate. We knew who we were going to roll out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday because we were blessed to not have any injuries. This year, we open up and know who we want to go with for the opening weekend. We feel really good about Ryan Mottern being the Friday starter and Jimmy Rollins, a left hander and a senior (on Saturdays). Rollins pitched really well at the Rice Super Regional and has continued that through the summer, fall and carried that into the spring. And Joseph Hughes has pitched well too and he deserves that No. 3 spot. However, I will say that we have a lot of depth that I don't feel we have had in the past, (and those guys) are really going to be able to compete. So that rotation could change.”

On some of the other pitchers competing for starting spots:
"The first guy that comes to mind is coming off an injury and that is Brad Burns. I am sure everyone remembers what he did as a freshman. We were playing Oklahoma State in the third game of Bedlam and it was a must win. The winner of that game was going on to an NCAA Regional and we gave it (the ball) to a freshman-Brad Burns. And he won that game and that is going to carry over after being plagued with injury last year. We has been very strong and could easily have been penciled into the No. 1, 2 or 3 spot (this year). But we feel with the three guys that were already mentioned, Brad will come out of the bullpen early on and I fully expect him to win a job because he is so talented. Another guy is Stephen Porlier, a transfer from Tulane. He was a starter for Tulane last year and he has the experience. He has a tremendous arm and is a tall, lanky, experience right-handed pitcher that is going to compete for a starting job.”

On Devin Shepherd:
“He is a special talent and there is no question that Devin Shepherd, a fifth-round draft choice by the Minnesota Twins out of Oxnard, Calif, comes very highly touted. But I think he is like any other athlete that has come to the University of Oklahoma in all of our various sports. He doesn't have to carry our club. He gets to come in and be one of nine guys in the lineup and right now, he has won a job in the outfield as a starter. Everyone knows about him and tried to recruit him and he is a smart kid because he chose the University of Oklahoma. He has a lot of power for a freshman and he will drive in lot of runs.”

On the Closer:
“I think when we get out there for that first weekend we are going to try Garrett Richards. We have been setting it up in intrasquads and giving him some closing opportunities. Yesterday, he had (runners on) second and third and a one-run lead and got a punch out to end the game and then showed a lot of emotion. We are glad he plays that way. He plays with a lot of emotion and enthusiasm. He has the ability to do it (close). We just have to bring him along in the right situations and put him into a position to be successful.”

On the veteran experience of the team up the middle:
“Its the key, there's no question. Any coach will tell you that you have to have the pitchers first and foremost. Pitching and defense are the keys in getting to Omaha. When you look at our defense, you are right, we bring back a returning two-year starter in Jackson Williams. A shortstop that committed one error in some 200-plus chances in Aaron Reza and then Aaron Ivey, who has been around for four years now. He has experience, gets a great jump on the ball and knows how to direct traffic. So that leadership is important to us early on. Those guys know that they have to compete and play hard because we have a lot of talent behind them. Our biggest concern (after last season) was second base. We lost Russell Raley and (we asked) who was going to be that fourth guy in the middle of the diamond. Then we get a junior college All-American in Aljay Davis. He and Reza work really well together in the middle of that diamond.

On the offensive philosophy:
“What I have seen so far in the intrasquads is that it would be easy to sit back and play for the three-run bomb with this club because of the talent. But we won't do that, that's not our style. We are going to try and take control of the ball game, get the lead and try to run away late. We have guys that can really run. We have a couple of guys that I think will compete for the 30-40 base margin this year. Aljay Davis, Aaron Ivey and Aaron Reza run well. Then you think about the power bats that we have talked about; Joe Dunigan, Devin Shepherd, Aaron Baker, Jackson Williams, Jarod Freeman and Brandon Moss. We have guys that can really hit. We are going to be able to do a lot of things. We are going to steal a lot of bases. We are going to try to put pressure on the defense with the small ball and the hit and run."

Season Preview | Diamond Dinner

JUNIOR CATCHER JACKSON WILLIAMS
On preparing for the season:
“We have been working extremely hard preparing for the season. We have all been very anxious to get back to work and there are a lot of new faces, but after only a few team practices in the fall and now the spring, it has been fun to watch the team come together. It has been our goal from day one to get to Omaha and it will be fun being a part of the process of attaining our goal.”

On the positives of having hosted a regional:
“Having hosted a regional and winning it, is only going to help our team. And the experience the veterans had in that process will help to pull the new guys through the season and show them what it takes to repeat that process. That experience makes us want it that much more.”

SOPHOMORE PITCHER JIMMY ROLLINS
On the opportunity to be a starter:
“This is a great opportunity for me individually. This is something I have dreamed about since I could throw a baseball around. And that was to be a pitcher for the University of Oklahoma. Having lived only five minutes away from Norman makes this experience even more gratifying. This is definitely a dream come true.”

On the experience he gained from pitching against Rice in the Super Regional:
“It was an experience that I can use to build upon for this season. I went out there trying to throw strikes and the my defense behind me made some great plays to help me out.”

On his variety of pitches:
“I have three pitches that I am very confident in. I have a fastball, curve and a change-up. And I am very confident that I can throw all three of those for strikes. I have worked very hard with Coach Corral and have made improvements that I believe will make me more confident and better throughout the year.”

SENIOR OUTFIELDER AARON IVEY
On the relationships players build between each other:
“Each year is different going into the season because there are always fresh new faces. Its always fun to see the relationships guys build between each other, whether it is living in the same apartment complex or the same housing edition. The chemistry that is built is what will help carry us through the season. The team chemistry comes with the talent that comes in each season. The talent can be there but if there is no chemistry, than that does not matter.”

On the season:
“We are extremely excited as a team for this season. The best part is just getting out on the field with the new guys. And it is exciting from the aspect of being an upperclassmen and getting to build chemistry with the freshman. This year, the team chemistry has been excellent and the friendships will be key in us making a solid run this season.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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