The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
02.21.2014 | Baseball
Quotes from head coach Augie Garrido
Head coach Augie Garrido
On his team's performance tonight: Honestly I thought the game was a very exciting game from a lot of different points of view. It's always about the pitching, and when the pitcher can see the team is going to score consistently throughout the game, and they don't have to put a zero up every inning to get a win, that is the biggest thing that comes out of this. Just the confidence that it brings to the pitching staff that they don't have to go out and get a zero every inning. They can make their pitches and if something goes wrong and there is a tough inning and they give up runs, our team is going to respond. They saw that happen tonight, and it happened at a time where we were still comfortably ahead, which makes it even more important. We are responding to the moment, we responded to that moment, and that is the best thing of the whole night for me.
On if the most impressive thing about the second inning rally was the two out hitting: Yes, because that is what extended the inning and when you get better with two strikes and two outs, then you are a better team, period.
On if the second inning rally was the best rally so far this season: Yes, the second inning was the best rally of the season. Because they sustained it longer and more of it was with two strikes and all of it was with two outs. That is what made it the best.
On the fact that none of that would have happened if Marlow would not have beat out the dropped third strike: It's always about some little thing like that when you don't get your outs on time. It's always about that. This game is unbelievable about that. They tell you, three outs and you are on defense, but when you get four, and you get five, it usually leads to some runs as well, so it happened.
On if Payton looks even better at the plate than last year: He is really playing the game at a high and mature level right now. He is just hitting the ball where it is pitched. He is ready to hit on every pitch, and he is letting the ones outside of the zone go. And I think the other thing unknowingly he is doing is passing it on to his teammates, because a lot of them are doing that. McGuire did that tonight, took a lot of strikes but still hit the ball hard on the good part of the bat. Barrera made two of the hardest outs of the season. I think that is another point, from the third inning until the seventh we had zeros sitting there, but if you think back on the type of balls that were hit, they were competitive outs, they were quality at bats.
On responding when Stanford scored two runs in the eighth: It was awesome. I mean, that is what I said is the most important thing of the whole night, for the pitching staff to see that the offense has their back. You know, we use that term a lot, but you have go to do it before people believe in it. We at least did it once, so that's a start. You can't do it the second time before you do it the first time.
