Completed Event: Baseball versus (2) Georgia Tech on May 31, 2026 , Win , 15, to, 8
Final
Baseball
15
vs (2) Georgia Tech
8
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
NCAA Regional Press Conference Quotes
June 03, 2010 | Baseball
NORMAN, Okla. -- The four teams in the NCAA Norman Regional enjoyed a 75-minute practice and spoke to members of the media immediately after each session.
Below is a transcript from each of the teams, starting with No. 1 seed Oklahoma. More quotes will be posted immediately after each session.
NCAA Baseball Norman Regional Central
Opening Statement:
"We're excited. Our players, our coaches and everybody involved with our program is extremely excited to get started here in the Norman Regional. We've got an outstanding field and a very competitive field. I think the teams are playing really good baseball right now. We've got some baseball programs in this that have a lot of experience in the postseason.
"When you think of Oral Roberts and their string of 13, when you think about North Carolina and how many times they have gotten to Omaha recently, and the Cal Bears with their program. Their coach and their history with Coach Bob Milano and what he meant to their program for so many years on the west coast as I recruited as young assistant here at Oklahoma.
"And I think here at the University of Oklahoma with our College World Series appearances, and our National Championships and the fact that we have hosted three out of our last five. You have a lot of experience, so it should make for a tremendous experience in the regional field. We are looking forward to getting started and competing."
On mentality in a double elimination format:
"All year we are built on mental toughness. I'll be the first to tell you we are pretty tough on our guys during the season. We don't allow hits to go down or any kind of failure to be shown on the outside. We understand when we make mistakes, we understand we aren't doing things we are trained to do. Our mental toughness comes to a forefront when our backs are to the wall.
"Our players are trained that their backs are to the wall in double elimination when you have lost one game. It's a format we train for all year and we have been pretty successful. We have only lost two weekend series this year and last year. That is pretty remarkable when you look at the consistency of our program over the course of time. I like the fact that the NCAA Championships is set up in that format. I do believe you claim a true champion in the team that is playing the best at that particular time when you do that."
On the rotation for this weekend:
"We feel pretty good about how we rolled the guys out at Bricktown. (Michael) Rocha did a great job in that opening game, so we are going to start it out with Michael Rocha tomorrow. We feel like it's a good matchup based on what we have scouted and the men that they are going to bring to the plate.
"The key for us not so much how we roll our guys out, we have guys throwing really well right now and the key for them is to get ahead of hitters and to force contact with their pitch. We will start out with Rocha and come back with (Zach) Neal like we did in the past. The toughest decision will be (Jack) Mayfield or Bobby Shore at that point."
On rebounding from the series loss to Texas during the regular season:
"After a loss, it's always really hard and tough. After a loss it really makes a team focus and get back on the right track the very next weekend to come back out and win games. Like Coach G (Coach Golloway) said on mental toughness, after losing three it is pretty easy to put your head down and think, `man we are just going downhill now.' We are not a club like that. I really do think we are an extremely tough club and we were going to come back and win after that weekend. I think that is what we showed throughout the remainder of the season."
On last year's regional motivating this year's return:
"For the guys back, it is another shot to get to Omaha. Last year, we were unfortunate to run into a hot team and Arkansas was playing well. We feel like we are the hot team now and that we are on that push to Omaha. We have our heads on right and we know what we have to do. We think it is going to be really hard for someone to come in and beat us twice at home, just because that really hasn't happened all year. We are just looking forward to tomorrow and getting the regional started."
On the importance of building momentum in last game at Big 12 for this weekend:
"It was important for us because we wanted to stay on the roll that we've been on the last few weeks. We've been excited and we've been getting on a roll and building up, and we feel like we are as hot as anyone in the country right now. That last game just showed it with good pitching and we hit really well too."
Opening Statement:
"We're happy to be here. It's a great field and very competitive. I think all of them we've played before during my years at Cal. We have been to North Carolina a couple times, we played at Oklahoma last year and Oral Roberts has come out to play, so they are all great programs and very successful. This is as good of a field as there is out there. We are looking forward to it and getting started tomorrow.
"We have a fairly young teams and a little bit of a mix of experience. Fortunately, we have a great leader in Mark Canha and a lot of young talent. Our number one pitcher is a freshman in Justin Jones, who pitched on Friday for us and our leading hitter is a freshman in Tony Renda. We have an interesting mix of players, but they all come together working hard, and are committed to each other and this is the reward for us getting to the postseason."
On playing North Carolina, a team that has been to four straight CWS:
"This is great for us. We pay attention and watch the College World Series year after year and they have been right there each of the last four or five years. With the type of team, and where we are headed as a program, this fits us perfectly. We don't want to be in any other place and we want to play the very best programs in the country. This will raise our game a little bit and set the foundation for these young freshman the next couple of years. Quite frankly, I think they are in a position to expect nothing less in the next coming years and it's really going to be a nice step for us."
On last year's Oklahoma team compared to this year's:
"I know a lot about the conference they play in and the record they have right now. I know they have three or four guys pitching really well. Some of the names we see are the same of the guys we saw last year with Seitzer and Buechele and some of those players, so we know some of them. It is just a high standard. Oklahoma baseball is a top program and you have to play well to beat them and you have to play even better to beat them at home."
On what it means to be a freshman starting on Friday:
"It's an honor. I can't really put into words how much it means. It means a lot and something everyone dreams of to get this opportunity. I am going to take advantage of it and do the best I can."
On being a freshman in the regional as Cal's leading hitter:
"It's a huge honor. To play for a team like Cal, it's amazing. It's like a dream come true. To play in a regional we have a chance to do something great here and I think we have as good of a chance as anybody to win the whole thing. We are looking forward to getting started and playing tomorrow."
On leading the young Cal team:
"They make it easy on me to lead them. They have followed me from the beginning and it is a good group of guys to play with, and a good group of guys to have behind you."
Opening Statement:
"We couldn't be more excited to be here, be a part of this regional and be in the NCAA tournament again. Getting in at the very end, to say the least, was suspenseful for us. We are happy to be one of the 64 teams and I don't think many of the guys on our team, including myself and the staff, have been to this part of the country before, so it is exciting to be some place new and we are excited to get started."
On playing as an at-large team as opposed to a national seed:
"It was different in the room watching the show because we didn't know if we were in or not. We had to wait for the very last regional to come up so it was very suspenseful in the room because none of us knew before hand whether we were in or not. A little different but the excitement is still the same."
On Oklahoma:
"Obviously we've been focusing on Cal so far, but I think this is a terrific regional and Oklahoma has a very storied tradition in baseball. They play in a great league of course, as we all know, and against great competition, as do we. I don't know a great deal about them right now. I know their record, how well they play and they are hosting this regional which certainly gives them the advantage right out of the gate. They have been good for a long time here and we'll see if we get the opportunity to play Oklahoma."
On playing their best baseball of the year right now:
"I definitely think so. Like Coach said, the week layoff has been different but you just look at the results of the games and you can tell we are clicking on all cylinders right now. If you look back to the Virginia series, with the biggest crowd they've had and their history, we had two out of three games come down to the wire with Virginia having walk-off home runs. We feel like we can play with anybody right now."
On this being the last year at Rosenblatt Stadium:
"It is a very special place for us who have been there. Our main goal is getting back and trying to be in history playing in the last time out there. We are going to do everything we can to get back and hopefully we'll be sending it off on a good note."
Opening Statement:
"We've had some adversity with some injuries to our team. Several guys with injuries that we've had to overcome and most of it on the pitching side. I am very proud with the way we've competed, handled the adversity, continued to process, continued to compete and now if we can get a few guys to step up on the mound and to continue to do what we can do offensively, reach our potential offensively then some good things can happen down the road for us. We feel very fortunate to be in the tournament and being sent anywhere would have been fine with us because I know there is plenty of quality teams throughout the country that are deserving to get in that are not getting an opportunity. We feel really blessed to have the opportunity we've got."
On the pressure to maintain the streak of 13 straight regionals:
"I honestly don't think about it too much, if any. My focus is on improving and this particular spring I have been sitting in the bullpen two or three hours at a time trying to get our guys to step up to another level and improve. The year we ended up going to Arkansas and winning the super regional I remember coming into a tent like this and we had just won, and somebody asked the question how does it feel to win 33 of your last 34 games. I had no idea. My focus is always on the players making the necessary adjustments they need to make and to improve. If that happens I know the wins will come. I try not to think about it, but 13 in a row is a pretty good run at it and again, we are happy to be here."
On the teams home run hitting:
"I think, going into it, we knew we had the potential to be a special offensive team and these two guys (Nick Baligod and Tyler Saladino) are our most consistent players. Tyler might be our MVP. He's made some plays at shortstop that are really unbelievable and I wouldn't trade him for any shortstop in the country. Nick I think is as good a hitter is there is in college baseball. I think these two guys have really carried us and been our most consistent players all year round.
"I think there is a lot of potential in our lineup and I think the thing we are always looking for is to get several guys hot at once and see what we can do. In the beginning of the year one or two guys would get going and maybe the bottom of the lineup was going good. Then the bottom was doing good and the top wasn't getting going. Here lately it seems one through nine have swung the bats really well. We have some power and some physicality to us, and when we are disciplined in the zone, we are a very scary offensive team. We can put up a big number in a heartbeat."
On playing the regional in state against Oklahoma:
"Being in state is nice. I think everyone wanted to fly somewhere and go somewhere cool, but it's also nice going right down the street. I have a buddy here from junior college , so I am excited to play with him. Just being here in the regional is real exciting and it's nice having a lot of get to experience this with my teammates, Coach Rob and the coaching staff. It's an honor."
On playing the regional in state:
"We are really happy to play here. We get to play against OU which is a big school and a big program. It's exciting to play against them in the regional."
Below is a transcript from each of the teams, starting with No. 1 seed Oklahoma. More quotes will be posted immediately after each session.
NCAA Baseball Norman Regional Central
 |
OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway |
Opening Statement:
"We're excited. Our players, our coaches and everybody involved with our program is extremely excited to get started here in the Norman Regional. We've got an outstanding field and a very competitive field. I think the teams are playing really good baseball right now. We've got some baseball programs in this that have a lot of experience in the postseason.
"When you think of Oral Roberts and their string of 13, when you think about North Carolina and how many times they have gotten to Omaha recently, and the Cal Bears with their program. Their coach and their history with Coach Bob Milano and what he meant to their program for so many years on the west coast as I recruited as young assistant here at Oklahoma.
"And I think here at the University of Oklahoma with our College World Series appearances, and our National Championships and the fact that we have hosted three out of our last five. You have a lot of experience, so it should make for a tremendous experience in the regional field. We are looking forward to getting started and competing."
On mentality in a double elimination format:
"All year we are built on mental toughness. I'll be the first to tell you we are pretty tough on our guys during the season. We don't allow hits to go down or any kind of failure to be shown on the outside. We understand when we make mistakes, we understand we aren't doing things we are trained to do. Our mental toughness comes to a forefront when our backs are to the wall.
"Our players are trained that their backs are to the wall in double elimination when you have lost one game. It's a format we train for all year and we have been pretty successful. We have only lost two weekend series this year and last year. That is pretty remarkable when you look at the consistency of our program over the course of time. I like the fact that the NCAA Championships is set up in that format. I do believe you claim a true champion in the team that is playing the best at that particular time when you do that."
On the rotation for this weekend:
"We feel pretty good about how we rolled the guys out at Bricktown. (Michael) Rocha did a great job in that opening game, so we are going to start it out with Michael Rocha tomorrow. We feel like it's a good matchup based on what we have scouted and the men that they are going to bring to the plate.
"The key for us not so much how we roll our guys out, we have guys throwing really well right now and the key for them is to get ahead of hitters and to force contact with their pitch. We will start out with Rocha and come back with (Zach) Neal like we did in the past. The toughest decision will be (Jack) Mayfield or Bobby Shore at that point."
|
Sophomore Shortstop Caleb Bushyhead |
On rebounding from the series loss to Texas during the regular season:
"After a loss, it's always really hard and tough. After a loss it really makes a team focus and get back on the right track the very next weekend to come back out and win games. Like Coach G (Coach Golloway) said on mental toughness, after losing three it is pretty easy to put your head down and think, `man we are just going downhill now.' We are not a club like that. I really do think we are an extremely tough club and we were going to come back and win after that weekend. I think that is what we showed throughout the remainder of the season."
|
Senior Pitcher Jeremy Erben |
On last year's regional motivating this year's return:
"For the guys back, it is another shot to get to Omaha. Last year, we were unfortunate to run into a hot team and Arkansas was playing well. We feel like we are the hot team now and that we are on that push to Omaha. We have our heads on right and we know what we have to do. We think it is going to be really hard for someone to come in and beat us twice at home, just because that really hasn't happened all year. We are just looking forward to tomorrow and getting the regional started."
|
Junior Second Baseman Danny Black |
On the importance of building momentum in last game at Big 12 for this weekend:
"It was important for us because we wanted to stay on the roll that we've been on the last few weeks. We've been excited and we've been getting on a roll and building up, and we feel like we are as hot as anyone in the country right now. That last game just showed it with good pitching and we hit really well too."
 |
Cal Head Coach David Esquer |
Opening Statement:
"We're happy to be here. It's a great field and very competitive. I think all of them we've played before during my years at Cal. We have been to North Carolina a couple times, we played at Oklahoma last year and Oral Roberts has come out to play, so they are all great programs and very successful. This is as good of a field as there is out there. We are looking forward to it and getting started tomorrow.
"We have a fairly young teams and a little bit of a mix of experience. Fortunately, we have a great leader in Mark Canha and a lot of young talent. Our number one pitcher is a freshman in Justin Jones, who pitched on Friday for us and our leading hitter is a freshman in Tony Renda. We have an interesting mix of players, but they all come together working hard, and are committed to each other and this is the reward for us getting to the postseason."
On playing North Carolina, a team that has been to four straight CWS:
"This is great for us. We pay attention and watch the College World Series year after year and they have been right there each of the last four or five years. With the type of team, and where we are headed as a program, this fits us perfectly. We don't want to be in any other place and we want to play the very best programs in the country. This will raise our game a little bit and set the foundation for these young freshman the next couple of years. Quite frankly, I think they are in a position to expect nothing less in the next coming years and it's really going to be a nice step for us."
On last year's Oklahoma team compared to this year's:
"I know a lot about the conference they play in and the record they have right now. I know they have three or four guys pitching really well. Some of the names we see are the same of the guys we saw last year with Seitzer and Buechele and some of those players, so we know some of them. It is just a high standard. Oklahoma baseball is a top program and you have to play well to beat them and you have to play even better to beat them at home."
|
Freshman Pitcher Justin Jones |
On what it means to be a freshman starting on Friday:
"It's an honor. I can't really put into words how much it means. It means a lot and something everyone dreams of to get this opportunity. I am going to take advantage of it and do the best I can."
|
Freshman Pitcher Tony Renda |
On being a freshman in the regional as Cal's leading hitter:
"It's a huge honor. To play for a team like Cal, it's amazing. It's like a dream come true. To play in a regional we have a chance to do something great here and I think we have as good of a chance as anybody to win the whole thing. We are looking forward to getting started and playing tomorrow."
|
Junior Second Baseman Mark Canha |
On leading the young Cal team:
"They make it easy on me to lead them. They have followed me from the beginning and it is a good group of guys to play with, and a good group of guys to have behind you."
 |
UNC Head Coach Mike Fox |
Opening Statement:
"We couldn't be more excited to be here, be a part of this regional and be in the NCAA tournament again. Getting in at the very end, to say the least, was suspenseful for us. We are happy to be one of the 64 teams and I don't think many of the guys on our team, including myself and the staff, have been to this part of the country before, so it is exciting to be some place new and we are excited to get started."
On playing as an at-large team as opposed to a national seed:
"It was different in the room watching the show because we didn't know if we were in or not. We had to wait for the very last regional to come up so it was very suspenseful in the room because none of us knew before hand whether we were in or not. A little different but the excitement is still the same."
On Oklahoma:
"Obviously we've been focusing on Cal so far, but I think this is a terrific regional and Oklahoma has a very storied tradition in baseball. They play in a great league of course, as we all know, and against great competition, as do we. I don't know a great deal about them right now. I know their record, how well they play and they are hosting this regional which certainly gives them the advantage right out of the gate. They have been good for a long time here and we'll see if we get the opportunity to play Oklahoma."
|
Senior Shortstop Justin Ryan Graepel |
On playing their best baseball of the year right now:
"I definitely think so. Like Coach said, the week layoff has been different but you just look at the results of the games and you can tell we are clicking on all cylinders right now. If you look back to the Virginia series, with the biggest crowd they've had and their history, we had two out of three games come down to the wire with Virginia having walk-off home runs. We feel like we can play with anybody right now."
|
Junior Pitcher Matt Harvey |
On this being the last year at Rosenblatt Stadium:
"It is a very special place for us who have been there. Our main goal is getting back and trying to be in history playing in the last time out there. We are going to do everything we can to get back and hopefully we'll be sending it off on a good note."
 |
ORU Head Coach Rob Walton |
Opening Statement:
"We've had some adversity with some injuries to our team. Several guys with injuries that we've had to overcome and most of it on the pitching side. I am very proud with the way we've competed, handled the adversity, continued to process, continued to compete and now if we can get a few guys to step up on the mound and to continue to do what we can do offensively, reach our potential offensively then some good things can happen down the road for us. We feel very fortunate to be in the tournament and being sent anywhere would have been fine with us because I know there is plenty of quality teams throughout the country that are deserving to get in that are not getting an opportunity. We feel really blessed to have the opportunity we've got."
On the pressure to maintain the streak of 13 straight regionals:
"I honestly don't think about it too much, if any. My focus is on improving and this particular spring I have been sitting in the bullpen two or three hours at a time trying to get our guys to step up to another level and improve. The year we ended up going to Arkansas and winning the super regional I remember coming into a tent like this and we had just won, and somebody asked the question how does it feel to win 33 of your last 34 games. I had no idea. My focus is always on the players making the necessary adjustments they need to make and to improve. If that happens I know the wins will come. I try not to think about it, but 13 in a row is a pretty good run at it and again, we are happy to be here."
On the teams home run hitting:
"I think, going into it, we knew we had the potential to be a special offensive team and these two guys (Nick Baligod and Tyler Saladino) are our most consistent players. Tyler might be our MVP. He's made some plays at shortstop that are really unbelievable and I wouldn't trade him for any shortstop in the country. Nick I think is as good a hitter is there is in college baseball. I think these two guys have really carried us and been our most consistent players all year round.
"I think there is a lot of potential in our lineup and I think the thing we are always looking for is to get several guys hot at once and see what we can do. In the beginning of the year one or two guys would get going and maybe the bottom of the lineup was going good. Then the bottom was doing good and the top wasn't getting going. Here lately it seems one through nine have swung the bats really well. We have some power and some physicality to us, and when we are disciplined in the zone, we are a very scary offensive team. We can put up a big number in a heartbeat."
|
Junior Shortstop Tyler Salidino |
On playing the regional in state against Oklahoma:
"Being in state is nice. I think everyone wanted to fly somewhere and go somewhere cool, but it's also nice going right down the street. I have a buddy here from junior college , so I am excited to play with him. Just being here in the regional is real exciting and it's nice having a lot of get to experience this with my teammates, Coach Rob and the coaching staff. It's an honor."
|
Junior Outfielder Nick Baligod |
On playing the regional in state:
"We are really happy to play here. We get to play against OU which is a big school and a big program. It's exciting to play against them in the regional."
Thursday, June 25
Wednesday, June 24
Monday, June 22
Monday, June 22
