The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Postgame quotes: Game 4 of NCAA Baseball Austin Regional
05.31.2009 | Baseball
May 31, 2009
TEXAS
Head Coach Augie Garrido
Opening statement: That is the best pitching performance by an individual pitcher in the 41 years that I've coached. Austin Wood did unbelievable. That is what needed to be done. We went to two Austins in a row, and Austin Dicharry matched up with Wood's performance. Dicharry complimented it. I've seen some great pitching performances against us, and I've seen some great pitching performances for us. But none have been any more courageous or better than the one Austin Wood put together tonight.
On what this win brings the team: What I hope comes from this win is another level of confidence that the players have earned. I hope they can build off the spirit that they showed tonight and the courage that they showed tonight. I hope this enriches their confidence, because to win the National Championship, you have to continue to develop not only your physical game but your mental game. Tonight can go a long way to establish a new level of confidence and togetherness that the players have already shown.
On having to face adversity being the visitor team: I think the adversity was on our side. We had more missed opportunities. We had twenty hits. We had runners in scoring position, and we kept making the final out instead of making the hit that would have scored the run. When you keep doing that, it's extremely depressing, especially when you're the visitor. So for the team to have the spirit and have such a high energy level throughout the game was an exceptional commitment to winning the game.
On the resilience of Austin Wood: In the dugout, Skip [Johnson] and I were talking about him and whether he should come out or stay in. He (Wood) walked by both of us and said, "I'm not coming out of this game."
Texas RHP Austin Dicharry
On coming in with two runners on: We're taught to take everything one pitch at a time and not get your mind too wrapped around what you're trying to do. Take it one pitch at a time and focus on the fundamentals.
Texas LHP Austin Wood
On pitching a career-high 13.2 innings: I try to do my job, take it one pitch at a time. I was tired but I put in the work, put in the dues and it showed tonight. I can't really believe I went 13.2 innings, but that's what they asked me to do and I tried to do my best.
On toughing out a win tonight: Every inning we believed in ourselves the whole time. We never doubted that we weren't going to win that game, and we won. We're 2-0 instead of 1-1, and that's a better position. We're exactly where we wanted to be.
Texas 2B Travis Tucker
On having confidence in the pitching staff: We knew that if we got one on the board, our pitching staff was going to close it down. We really believed that. Every inning, it felt like we had a chance to win it. Every inning, we thought we were going to win it and it ended up happening in the 25th inning.
On the respect Boston College had for Austin Wood's performance: I've never seen a guy on second base who said, "Wow, thank goodness he's out." I've never heard that from an opposing team before.
BOSTON COLLEGE
Head coach Mik Aoki
On being a part of such a historical game: I think we played an 18-inning marathon with Wake [Forest] a couple years ago, but certainly the implications were not even close to what they were tonight. We've been in some long ballgames, but 25 innings -- what time is it? The time of game was 7 hours and 3 minutes. I've never been a part of anything like that. I guess no one has, right? There was a three-inning stretch there where we were breaking or matching one record or another.
On turning around and playing Army tomorrow at noon: As Bill Belichick would say, it is what it is. We've just got to turn it around. We've got a good pitcher to start that game tomorrow, so hopefully we can tee it up again at six o'clock. Certainly Army is a formidable opponent. We're going to have to sleep fast and see if we can't get it done.
Boston College DH/LHP Mike Belfiore
On pitching 9.2 innings in relief: To me, it was based all on adrenaline. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done. I've never really thrown that much in my life. I've just always been in a reliever or closer-type role. In front of that crowd, how could you not have any adrenaline? It was one of the coolest stadiums I've ever played in during my life, and it came against the number-one team in the country.