The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
04.08.2014 | Baseball
Quotes from head coach Augie Garrido
Head coach Augie Garrido
On the team's performance tonight: [Rice] came in with a must win attitude, they really needed to win this game for their own reasons. We have beaten them twice, they have had their own problems, they have been slipping and sliding around, and this was a big game and a big challenge for them. For them to come in and demonstrate the will, the attitude, the purpose they had, and they all acted on it together, got them a lot of great results.
On Rice hitting the ball well off of starter Lukas Schiraldi: They were ready, they hit balls hard. They must have had six or seven hits right over second base, and the ball went in the right places. But really, it was about them outplaying us, they outplayed us. What we have to recognize is that their are no days off when you are the Longhorns, everybody comes in here with a purpose, some with a stronger purpose and a stronger will than average, and that is really what I think separated the two teams. It is usually about attitude, we didn't really do anything to take their pitcher out of rhythm or threaten him or put pressure on him. [Rice] sailed along very comfortably, and when they put that rally together the whole thing loosened up for them, and they became even that much more aggressive. This is all to their credit, they outplayed us.
On not getting to Rice's starter despite his lack of command early: I think we were satisfied with a lot of the wins that we had and the two wins we had over them earlier, and took a less than highly competitive frame of mind in the game. That is the first time we have done that. But, I don't want it to sound like we turned them game over to [Rice]. They took an excellent approach to what they did and they executed at an extremely high level at every position, so the credit goes to them. We didn't do anything to turn it over to them, but we didn't do anything to take it away from them either. But, they earned it.
On if this game was a learning experience for the team: Absolutely, because it hasn't happened to us before. The thing we want to do is separate the emotional bad feelings, or embarrassment or whatever you want to call it. Everyone is going to be effected a little differently emotionally. We are going to take that out of it, and we didn't discuss it tonight. We are going to take from it the positive things that they need to recognize when they are in that state of mind.
Pre game infield was the worst it has been all year, it really was. But, I didn't do anything to change it. I had the same confidence that they would play the game the way they normally do. [Rice] came in with a stronger purpose than we had, and they kept it, and they did something about it. They outplayed us.
