2012 Baseball Media Day Quotes

Feb. 13, 2012

Head Coach Sunny Golloway
Opening Statement:
“Well, we're excited, always excited on Media Day because we know we're getting ready to open the season and there's a lot of newness. We're going to have a new coaching staff and we've got an awful lot of new players after having 11 players drafted last year. We're going to have a new color commentator and radio guy. We're excited about Toby (Rowland) being with us. So, there are a lot of changes but I think the thing that stands out the most and the thing that I've been thinking about is, we're proud of our program. Someone asked earlier in the year if we would be ranked, and I said, 'You know I don't know after having 11 players drafted last year.' That's going to be a pretty good hit to any program, but we'll see. I think the fact that we're ranked anywhere from 14 to 19 in all four major polls is an awful lot of respect for the University of Oklahoma, its baseball program and its student athletes that compete within that program. But, it is a new staff and we've got Jack Giese, a new pitching coach. I've been extremely pleased and impressed with how he's worked with our pitchers in such a short time. Aric Thomas comes back to us. He played here at the University of Oklahoma, coached here and has mixed in really well. Our position players have seemed to really take to him. Rich Hills is our volunteer and he was a tremendous competitor when I coached here. Rich and I were here the same four years from '92 through '95. So, I like Rich Hill's toughness and what he brings to the table, and when you think of our twenty some new players on our thirty-five man roster- that's a large number. But watching them work together in the fall, blend and come together, has been exciting. I think pitching is going to be our strength and I think we've got a lot of assets we can work with. I think at this point we're excited to be getting started this weekend by going to Malibu and competing against Pepperdine University. We need to see the things that we really need to focus on. We need to be able as coaches to identify weaknesses and move forward from there.”

On Caleb Bushyhead's season outlook:
“We've got some positions that are really solid. Caleb Bushyhead is our shortstop. He was injured last year, but I asked Caleb earlier in the workouts about how he felt and he said, he feels like he's the best baseball player he has ever been in his life, which is saying a lot because he was pretty special as a sophomore. Last year was tough on him, missing the start of the season and he really wasn't himself.”

On Eric Ross' leadership:
“Erick Ross at centerfield has been a pleasant surprise. I knew that 'Woody' was a good player but there are some players in your program that you watch, Bryant Hernandez was that player a few years back. Woody has been in our program for three years now and I see a sense of maturity and leadership that you don't really coach. You just let that develop and take over. That's going to be in this clubhouse and on the field. He understands the leadoff role and has a chance to be a special player, a really special player for us, and somebody that our opponents fear in the leadoff spot with his speed.”

On regaining team chemistry with 11 players drafted:
“That's a great question, and to be honest with you, that's the most important thing that we've got to identify, work with and help develop. Last year's team was really 2010's team. We sat here last year (at Media Day) and talked and everybody was talking about going to Omaha, when we hadn't even thrown a pitch in 2011. To be honest with you, our team chemistry last year wasn't as good as it was in 2010. It's the same people, but it just wasn't the same chemistry because players change over a year, confidence, swagger, and what they feel about themselves and other people. So, I like that we have so many new players. I think our chemistry is really going to come back to our returning players. The guys that know they'll be in the lineup, barring injury, and that's Caleb Bushyhead, Eric Ross, Max White, and Dillon Overton on the mound. Some of those guys will be vocal and some of them will just go out there and do it with their ability. That's how I see Dillon (Overton). I see him being a guy that goes out on Friday night to start the season and just gets the job done and looks the next two starters and says, 'that's how to do it, and go get it.' That's going to be the key, how those guys accept the new players and how the new players accept their role. Also, how we kind of come together and explain the process of getting through the year. We don't have to be great this weekend, just good enough to win and be smart enough to get better and continue to do that throughout the season. We didn't do that last year, but we've learned from that.”

On importance of getting hits at the right time:
“Yes, I think it's important. I mean it's always going to be a blend. You know, we've hit over .300 and we've led the Big 12 in homeruns for several years and we've always been very good offensively, but that doesn't always equal winning ball games. It's timely hitting and manufacturing runs and I feel like, down the stretch, what we didn't do is be fundamentally sound, offensively. We had talented hitters throughout the lineup last year but sometimes it would come down to being able to bunt a guy up. The execution wasn't what it should've been, but we've made sure that it would be this year. Really, with the help of our leaders, some of the guys in this room, we've made sure everybody understands how important it is with the BBCOR bat. I think with our pitching and our defense, I think that we can manufacture (runs). I mean we're not going to try and trick somebody. If we can get a guy to lead off in any way, we're going to bunt him up.”

Senior Infielder Caleb Bushyhead
On being a leader for the young team:
“I know I'm the only guy on this team that has been here four years, the closest ones are three. I'm going to accept that role. I'm ready to fill my role as a leader, vocally, on the field, off the field and every way possible. Being here four years, I know the ins and the outs of the program and how school works. I want to help the young guys and I just want to help this club be the best we can.”

Sophomore Pitcher Jordan John
On his role with the team:
“It's a huge honor for me and it shows that the staff has a lot of confidence and respect for me, having them trust in me to be the guy they come to when we're in a jam as my role. I feel whenever coach says my role is needed, I'm able to just step in there and play the game. Last year, I did a lot of mixing between starting and long relief so, with experience in both of those areas, I have the ability to come in and shut the door, throw a few quick innings, but I'm also a guy that can come in early in a game to get our team out of a jam and also throw long innings. I'm very happy with where I'm at. I love being the go to guy, it shows a lot of confidence in me and I appreciate the confidence that the coaches are showing in me. So, I'm just going to take it one day at a time. Hopefully I'm not needed that much and that the starters get everything that they need to do and we'll just go from there and win.”

On evolution of the game and the focus on pitching:
Well, definitely the pressure is on us. The coaches always joke with us. All eyes are on us during the game. We have the ball, we're in control of the game's tempo and speed and that all depends on the pitcher. With that being our main focus, we go out there, we simplify the game, we throw strikes, especially with the new BBCOR bats. You're not going to get over powered that much. Our philosophy is to fill up the zone, don't give free passes, and do not let guys get walks. We do PFP (pitchers' fielding practice) and things like that to field our position along with throwing strikes and quality pitches. So, with everything mixed like that, it definitely boils down to us putting up zeros and if we can put up zeros it gives us the best chance to win. It takes a lot of pressure off the hitters to be able to just go and swing and be comfortable in the box. A lot, I feel, does rely on how good our pitching staff does and it's going to be a challenge for us. But I think with coach Giese coming to the staff, I think he provides a lot more comfort with us and just helps us feel really confident and just relax. That's the key when you're pitching. As long as we can make those pitches, relax and get those key outs, and of course behind us have our defense come in and shut the door and make plays, it's a recipe for real easy baseball. It's not too complicated and it takes a lot of pressure off of us.”

Junior Infielder Jack Mayfield
On the differences between this year and last year:
“There are a lot of differences, but I would say the newcomers. We have 35 guys and we have a few leadership guys, seniors and juniors, that came back and the newcomers are learning from us and they're adapting and learning to play the game better. I like the leadership we have and I think that's going to take us a long way.”

On what he worked on in the offseason:
“Learning how to handle the bat more. It's not just trying to swing for the fence anymore. Now with the BBCor, you have to learn how to drag and push and hit and run. So, just different ways to handle the bat. ”

Senior Outfielder Cody Reine
On the pitching staff:
“This is the deepest our pitching staff has been since I've been here the last three years. The amount of arms that we have and the ability from each guy we have going out to the mound, I think it gives us a much better chance than we have had previous years.”

On what he worked on in the offseason:
“My swing feels really good right now. I've lost some weight. I'm able to move around the yard a little better. I'm hoping this year is going to be a lot better.”

Senior Outfielder Erik Ross
On being a returning starter:
“It feels good, a little bit of pressure but I feel like I'm up for the task. I feel like it's about that time for me to step up and really help this team do something big.”

On the pitching staff:
“My neighbor is Jonathan Gray, he lives right above me. Him and Okert and Overton are always together. I get to see those guys all the time and I face them every day in intrasquad. I'll tell you, they're pretty hard to hit.”

On Damien Magnifico:
“Magnifico is an awesome kid too. He throws absolute cheddar. I faced him my first time in the fall and I got a 101-mile per hour fastball inside on me and I didn't know what to do. His arm is live and I'm excited to see what he can do for us this year.”

Junior INF Max White
On his personal improvement since being at OU:
“Well, here at Oklahoma, I moved around a lot. Transitioning from position to position, it's just what I've done and it's been a part of my game for a long time to just help this club be a contender for a championship. “

On adjustment made in his game with new bats:
“When I was a freshman, I was seeing a lot of different pitching. Coming into my sophomore year, the bats changed and I've kind of put a name out there. Pitchers were throwing to me with schemes and were strategic about it and I wasn't used to that. But this year, with the new bats, I've played summer ball with a wood bat and it's kind of the same concept. But my swing has changed. I'm more of an average hitter and the homeruns will come.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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