NCAA Tournament Selection Quotes
5/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 30, 2011
Second-year Head Coach Mitch Gaspard
On making the tournament field:
"It feels good to see our name up there, but it's a really tough regional. We played Central Florida earlier in the season and they have a really good club and Florida State is a tough place to play. We're excited to be in and we have a lot of guys back from last year that played extremely well and won a regional. I think we're going to lean on that. We're excited to still be playing and this team deserves to continue on."
On what the team needs to improve on:
"For us right now there is a formula for our success and it starts on the mound with our starting pitching. Offensively we've had a drought the last two games of the (SEC) tournament, so we will need to get back to work and get our offense going. The key for us is pitching and defense and they we have to be creative offensively and pick up runners when we have opportunities. We have to play hard and really get after it and have more energy than our opponents."
On playing in Tallahassee:
"Any time you play in a ballpark like that your offensive mentality rises up. The great thing for us, the SEC is the toughest college baseball league in the country. It prepares you for these regional opportunities and there is nowhere you can go in the country where you're going to be intimidated. Our guys are going to be very comfortable going into that ballpark and I think we'll play really well this weekend."
On seven SEC teams making the tournament:
"I really thought LSU would be the eighth SEC team to make the tournament, so I'm a little surprised they're not in. All the teams that get in are in a position to have a lot of success this weekend."
On the level of play of the ACC:
"The ACC is very good. Any time you see teams from the ACC and the SEC, those are the teams that continue to advance to the Super Regionals and Omaha, that's really the cream of the crop in college baseball with those two conferences."
On making the fourth straight NCAA Tournament:
"I'm really proud of this team. Going into the season, it was a transition year with a lot of new guys after losing a number of talented players from last year. This team has had to really grind to get to this point and has gotten better throughout the course of the year. It's a great reward for them, but we need to tighten the belt and prepare to play really well this weekend."
Junior Taylor Dugas, CF
On making the tournament:
"It's the fourth year for Alabama and third year in a row for me. I'm excited about it and I like our chances going to Tallahassee as I think we match up well against those teams. I'm excited that we get to play Central Florida again after our meeting earlier this season."
On playing Central Florida again:
"I'm excited about playing Central Florida again. They are a good team and we saw that the first time we played them, and they hit the ball very well. We've got a lot better since the first time we played them, so it should be a good game."
On this team making the tournament:
"There was a lot of doubt by everybody else about how good this team could be. Give our guys credit, they stuck with it, worked very hard, and its paid off as were back in another regional."
Senior Nathan Kilcrease, RHP
On making the tournament for the fourth year:
"It's fun to make it to the NCAA Tournament. This is what you work for all year, to give yourself a chance. Every year I've been here, I've been fortunate to be on a team that made the tournament, and the last couple years, I've been a big part of helping the team get there. For me, my senior year, it's important to get off to a good start in the regional and set the tempo for the team and to show the younger guys how you have to play in the postseason. You start that in the SEC Tournament and this is where the leadership really shows."
On going to Tallahassee:
"Every year they tell us that were going to be there, and I never believe them. This year I thought we had a really good chance to go there. I think it's a good matchup for us. We get Central Florida again, and we look forward to a competitive game against them."
On playing Central Florida again:
"You can't really overthink things. I get in trouble when I try to do too much and be too fine. If the offense continues to get timely hits, our defense continues to play well, and we (the pitching staff) keep the score close and minimize any runs, then we should have a great chance to win."
