Quotes: Oklahoma vs. Xavier

Quotes: Oklahoma vs. Xavier
Location: Louisville, Ky. - Jim Patterson Stadium
Result: Win, 7-2
Attendance: 2,031
Date: June 2, 2017

Oklahoma Head Coach Pete Hughes (Opening Statement): “We had a really good team win. It was one of those typical games where we face a really, really good pitcher like we did today; one of the better pitchers in the country. I think the whole key to it is to not panic, stay with your routine, stay with your plan. You need someone to pitch on our side at the same level and then you need someone to get a big hit for you and we did that as well. It was a well-rounded, mature victory in a big venue that got us in the winner's bracket. I am really proud of our team today in every facet of the game.”

(About the seventh inning) “As you know, we haven't scored a lot of runs in the last four games, so it was nice. There was a lot of relief from me and throughout the whole dugout. These guys don't overanalyze things like I do. They went up two-nothing and catch us in a bunt situation and get the big double and here we go again. We were down two-nothing. So our guys don't think like that. I do. But they don't which is the most important thing. You just know that when you get in the game with a quality arm like that, you have to pick your opportunity to get runs. And geez, we had a lot of opportunities without even getting a hit. This was very unlike a Xavier team that is fielding .978, they gave us some opportunities. They made a couple of errors and had a couple of walks. We get Austin O'Brien at third base and we can't get a run in. All those things were adding up in my head. You know, you need to keep sticking with it. Hopefully, you get that third time around. There is a reason why bullpen guys in the big leagues make so much money because your stuff lessens as you get further and further in a game.”

(About Xavier Starter) “Zac (Lowther) is really good. His stuff did not really drop off a whole lot. But his velo did just a little and then you get patterns. There is a comfort level with your players. We got the big hit, but the turning point of the game was unintentional by Domenic (DeRenzo). He posed a threat to score there in that first throw during (Kyle) Mendenhall's great at bat. He doesn't get paid off and the ball is in the dirt, he runs to first and the first basemen pulls and that was the play of the game. It turned the tide and took the pressure off and then I thought (Brandon) Zaragoza did a great job working a walk. He doesn't get the bunt down, gets to 3-2, takes a pitch like a veteran player for a freshman in that situation to allow (Cade) Harris to get a big hit for us with the bases loaded. We knew exactly what was going to happen with that arm. Zac's (Lowther) reputation precedes him. He hadn't been in trouble for a long, long time this season. For a kid who led the Cape Cod league in strikeouts, I think he had a 56-4 strikeout to walk ratio. That is incredible in the best summer league in the country. He was everything as advertised. The kid was awesome.”

(On DeRenzo start over Ben Hollas because of lefty pitcher) “Yes, (Ben) he was struggling a bit with lefties. Zac's (Lowther) numbers are pretty good against righties. Dom (DeRenzo) feels pretty good against lefties and Ben (Hollas) doesn't. He gives you that opportunity to give you that three run homer anytime he is at the plate.”

(On the importance of winning first game) “It means everything. It takes a lot of pressure off and takes the pressure off the depth of your pitching staff. So the way that seventh inning was playing out, hey, you are up two then three, you are up five, then your closer is going in to get the final six outs. We want to get in the winner's bracket out of the gate, it is that important. We go up five and then I think, let's go with the set-up guy to save our innings and not have our closer (JB) Olson throw so many pitches. Then we throw six straight balls and I was not messing around with it. I don't make the move that quick if it is on a Tuesday night in Blacksburg, playing Virginia Tech. But game one in a regional? With a five run lead, I am bringing my closer in. Just because it is so pivotal to get in the winner's bracket.”

(On OU tradition) “That is why these kids came to Oklahoma. That is why I came to Oklahoma. It means everything. It is why they dedicate themselves in the off season. It is why they do things right academically. It is why they do things right socially. It is why they are committed in the weight room so they can be here and have these moments. Hopefully feel the momentum and continue to be around each other. It is a group that really enjoys being around each other.”

(Tomorrow's pitching) “Jake Irvin with throw tomorrow against the winner of game two. He certainly has the stuff to beat anybody in the country and he has proven that. The key is adrenalin at this age and at this stage of his career. That was the same with Devon (Perez) too. He came in after the first inning and I said, 'you did a great job with your adrenalin, I am proud of you'. That was the only thing I was worried about. The stuff plays. He is a strike-throwing machine and he has good stuff but sometimes adrenalin takes away their stuff. It flattens out their fastball. They lose command and their touch and feel. That will be the key with Jake (Irvin).”

(About order of pitching) “I thought we needed to go with Devon (Perez) because I thought it was a match-up thing. At this stage of the game, there is no such thing as a Friday, Saturday, Sunday guy. It is who matches up with whom. If you look at Xavier's numbers, their offense is predicated off the walk, so I thought a strike-thrower was a better fit. So they couldn't get their offense going via the walk. I think Devon (Perez) punched out seven and walked one. So that was the reason behind that. We have lost our last four coming in. Strike throwers usually get you off to a good start. We couldn't give away baserunners or easy runs against a guy I knew who was going to throw us today.“

Oklahoma Player Quotes

(About what was working well facing Zac Lowther)

Dominic DeRenzo: “Coach Anderson prepped us right coming into the game, I was just trying to see as long as I could off a lefty. I mean, I try to pride myself off of hitting lefties and Coach just kept saying he's coming in and I like inside pitches, that where I live. I got on the dish and I was just going try to barrel it up as much as I could and just try to fight for our team. So that's pretty much all I was doing. I didn't really have a mindset other than keep swinging, keep going.”

(On what did Harris see on that first pitch in the 7^th)

Cade Harris: The pitch right before (Brandon) Zaragoza walked, I looked at Coach Hughes and I was like 'what should I look for right here because I really wasn't sure'. He said, 'just look for a pitch up and drive to the alley.' And he threw that first fast ball up and I got a hold of it.” It felt really good once we kept piling runs after I got that big hit, so hopefully we can it to tomorrow.”

(About what made Zac so hard to hit?)

Cade Harris: “He's a lefty and I am a left-handed hitter. He lived on the outer half, that's what made it kind of difficult because I had to step into it.”

Domenic DeRenzo: ”I think my first at bat, I was really anxious and I was just trying to hit the ball like 800 feet. I was trying to kill it. But my other at bats, he gave me a curve ball which was really good, then he took me off guard, he was really painting in varieties which was tough to get the head out there. He just knew how to work it and brought good velo. He is a really good pitcher which was awesome.”

(About Devon Perez' first regional experience )

Devon Perez: “Yeah, it was a big day for me all I wanted to do was to go out there and throw strikes. I wasn't really too nervous. I didn't have any extra pressure on me just because it is a regional. I just tried to stay calm.”

(On what pitches were working for Devon Perez)

Devon Perez: “It was definitely my slider. I had got two strikes ahead, I knew I could bury it. Try to hit that outside corner and hopefully the umpire will call it.”

(On DeRenzo trying to fake out to Soria to try to get him to hold the ball)

“Well, honestly at first, I was like as soon as it came in my head Coach (Mike) Anderson was saying no but in my head I was like as soon as he throws this, I'm gone, like I'm going try to score. But, then I was like he was kind of like double clutched. He looked at me and I was like 'I'm going like take three steps really hard and then I'm just going to sprint back to the bag and get one of those two off balance so hopefully I can get there.' Then once I didn't even see the first baseman get off or anything, I just, as soon as he threw it I just like darted back. Hopefully, something happened and it did. I mean it was just a shot in the dark but I was just trying to make something happen like get a little diversion going but yeah that was before my leg started cramping, which was good so, yeah that's pretty much all.”

(On what kind of offensive day did the players suspect was going to happen)

Cade Harris: “No, I really just stuck to our game plan and trust in my preparation, we worked hard for a reason hopefully it pays off and it did. That was the only thing that we could do.”

(On the mood in the dugout before the seventh inning.)

Cade Harris: “I feel like we have definitely been in this situation before this year and very done exactly what we did today, I don't think anybody was really nervous, nobody was really putting pressure on anyone. We knew at some point we were going to come back and get the win. We did it.”

(On DeRenzo's cramps)

Domenic DeRenzo: “When I started off the bag to come home, my calves just cramped up really bad. I just needed to get fluids in me. I was on the bench getting fluids and that was pretty much it.”