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UNC's Gavin Gallaher, Scott Forbes, Ryan Lynch and Walker McDuffie after win over Oklahoma #UNC
Jun 2, 2025
UNC's Gavin Gallaher, Scott Forbes, Ryan Lynch and Walker McDuffie after win over Oklahoma #UNC
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0:00
Yeah, I want to congratulate Oklahoma on
0:02
a fantastic uh season. Um they have a
0:06
really good team. Obviously, they they
0:09
compete in a really good league like
0:10
ours. I've known Skip a long time. Um
0:13
he's a junior college coach for a long
0:15
time. I have a lot of respect for what
0:16
he's done. Um they made it really really
0:18
tough on us. Um and you have to beat
0:21
good teams this time of year. So, uh, I
0:24
do want to point out that, uh, you know,
0:26
they had some really, really good
0:28
players and we had to work really,
0:29
really hard. Um, Coach Jackson said it
0:32
best. You know, Coach Jackson's back
0:33
here and he said, "Man, we got another
0:35
week with our guys." So, that's as
0:37
coaches how we feel about this group.
0:39
Um, didn't surprise me what you guys saw
0:42
today. And ladies, they this group, they
0:45
bring it. Um, we talked about, hey, this
0:48
is just a series. Uh we got to find a
0:51
way to win the series. And uh you know,
0:53
we got two freshman up here that the
0:56
tone's always set on the mound. They
0:59
said it. And uh you know, I don't want
1:01
to say too much about this guy, but he's
1:03
been pretty good as well. So, I'm really
1:05
proud of our guys. We'll probably have a
1:06
short turnaround is what I told him. Um
1:08
you know, the way it works is we could
1:10
we'll probably be be playing Friday at
1:12
noon. Uh so, we'll take those showers
1:14
and move on and be ready for a super
1:16
region at the Bosch. Scott, you want to
1:17
talk about each other three performances
1:19
today? Yeah. I mean, I don't I'm I'm
1:21
afraid to talk about Gavin. It's like a
1:22
no hitter,
1:23
so you know, I just gonna tell everybody
1:26
else to just touch them. I mean, that's
1:28
just as good of a performance in a in a
1:30
regional that I've seen. But I see uh
1:34
you know, I gave a shout out to Adam
1:35
Lucas because Adam Lucas was the first
1:37
person that told me about Gavin Galler.
1:40
He was really, really young and he said,
1:42
"Man, I don't know how good he is, but
1:43
he's a heck of a baseball player." and
1:45
and we basically offered Gavin Gallagher
1:48
based on Adam Lucas's recommendation. So
1:51
he he was part of our recruiting staff,
1:52
I guess. Now, um Lynch, you saw in the
1:55
ACC tournament, we had a plan
1:58
um you know, to not use either one of
2:01
these guys unless we had a lead after
2:03
the seventh. Plans don't always work
2:05
out, but thankfully uh the players make
2:08
you look mighty good as a coach and and
2:10
Lynch set the tone and they felt he came
2:12
in right after him and they both just
2:14
did what they've been doing all season.
2:16
Start back right, how do you describe
2:19
what you saw from your pitching? I think
2:20
that was Oklahoma's lowest scoring game
2:22
in the regional. I mean, these two guys,
2:25
you know, I tell them all the time,
2:27
you're no longer freshman. You've
2:28
pitched in big situations the entire
2:30
year. Um, I've told them both, too. Uh
2:33
they're both starters. We just for us to
2:36
have success this season. We needed them
2:38
to to pitch out the bullpen and buy into
2:41
that and they both obviously did. Uh but
2:44
we also length them out, lengthened them
2:46
out. U had a start I believe against
2:49
Campbell or George Mason who's a really
2:51
good team and uh Lynch has been
2:54
lengthening out and got the start
2:55
against Clemson. But that just shows you
2:58
the type of stuff they also have. So you
3:00
combine that with command, um it's hard
3:03
to square up the ball. Ryan, uh Ryan,
3:06
can you talk a little bit about how to
3:08
this moment? It's obviously a small
3:10
school you chose not to to leave. It's
3:12
not necessarily known as kind of a
3:13
powerhouse that produces one time and
3:15
then can you talk about, you know,
3:16
you're pitching there last year and then
3:18
later you're pitching in front
3:20
of a chance to go super, right? Yeah, I
3:24
mean I had a lot of great coaches there
3:26
and a lot of people are supporting me.
3:27
Um, it's probably different than a lot
3:29
of guys on the team are used to coming
3:30
from. I mean, I'm close to AAD, but uh,
3:33
so he understands, but uh, just a lot of
3:36
like the ideas of just trying to be
3:37
tough and, you know, tough weather and
3:39
long season with not quite the same
3:41
resources that I have here. Um, but it
3:44
it really helped me and shape me for the
3:46
future and, uh, the crowd is a lot
3:49
different. It's a lot different
3:50
environment, but um, a lot of the guys
3:52
here help me to get used to it. Great.
3:54
Kip, then Adam. Yeah, Adam, excuse me,
3:58
Ryan, you mentioned that um you know,
4:01
pitching against Clemson last week, are
4:03
you getting a reputation as a big game
4:05
pitcher? You pitched in the ACC
4:06
championship game, pitched in the
4:08
regional championship game. Is is that
4:11
is that developing kind of a mindset for
4:13
you? Um I I don't think I'd say so. I
4:15
think it's just the way it's worked out.
4:16
I mean, I threw probably majority of my
4:19
innings this year again like midweek and
4:21
play games like that, but um I think
4:23
it's just a a pretty big coincidence,
4:25
but I'm grateful that I was able to uh
4:27
pitch the best I could in these
4:28
situations.
4:30
Gavin, we we asked you a little bit
4:32
about it last night, but but having the
4:34
experience, this team having the
4:35
experience of having played in that that
4:38
Monday night game against LSU last year,
4:40
going to the final game of the regional,
4:41
how did you see that maybe affect or
4:45
help fuel what you guys did today? And
4:47
how important was the start that y'all
4:49
got off to getting getting out to the
4:50
three nothing lead early on? Yeah, I
4:53
think that was definitely big. Uh I
4:54
think, you know, drew off that
4:56
experience a little bit uh from last
4:58
year. It was going to be a tough game.
5:00
Uh, and when you jump out to a three
5:03
nothing lead early like that when we
5:05
know what we have in in the pen and on
5:07
the mound, um, it definitely definitely
5:10
takes a little bit of that that weight
5:12
off your shoulders. So, um, I think that
5:14
first inning was huge uh, to extend
5:17
that, turn it into three runs, and then
5:20
just let these two kind of do their
5:22
thing. I think we we felt pretty pretty
5:24
comfortable.
5:26
Gavin, after, you know, top of the
5:27
third, you guys get four runs, bottom,
5:29
you go three up, three down. How does
5:30
that quick turnaround help that
5:32
offensive momentum continue being able
5:34
to go three? Yeah, it's huge. Um, shut
5:36
down innings. That's what, um, I know
5:39
these guys obviously they always looking
5:41
to put up zeros, but, uh, having that,
5:43
you know, going having a big inning
5:45
offensively and then a quick inning
5:47
defensively, it, um, keeps the momentum
5:50
in your dugout keeps those guys and the
5:53
other team on the field longer. Uh that
5:54
pitcher is getting tired. Those guys are
5:56
sitting in the sun longer. Um definitely
5:59
definitely good to have. Yeah. Grace and
6:01
Tom Brian, how did you draw off your
6:04
start from Clemson and just the rest of
6:05
your games throughout this entire season
6:07
to keep you grounded and in a mindset
6:09
for Yeah, I think just a lot of things I
6:11
learned from leaving this year. um help
6:13
me with the mindset of just never trying
6:15
to cruise and always just be aggressive
6:17
and you know picture same situation as
6:20
if I was coming in jam or I was only
6:22
throwing for an inning in a midweek or
6:24
whatever it might be just never changing
6:26
my mindset and just trying to continue
6:27
with the same you know concepts that
6:30
I've been trying to use the whole year
6:34
coach I don't know the exact number but
6:36
a ridiculous amount of runs scored with
6:38
two outs just can you and Gavin talk
6:41
about the ability to We talked about
6:42
situational hitting all year and you
6:45
really came through today. Yeah, you
6:47
know, these guys, yeah, I have to give
6:48
them credit because the players have to
6:49
do it, but they've completely bought in
6:52
um to not looking at the scoreboard, the
6:54
outs, just trying to have a great at
6:56
bat.
6:57
Um you know, you you have to be careful
7:00
trying to do too much with runners
7:02
scoring position. Uh and all you're
7:04
trying to do is is have a quality at
7:06
bat. Keep a quality at bat chart. Um you
7:08
know what that is is you control the
7:10
zone, you get a good to hit you, you get
7:12
your a swing off and you can't be afraid
7:14
to take a walk and trust the guy behind
7:16
you. So, you know, these guys have they
7:18
have really bought into that and uh
7:20
that's helped us pressure teams, you
7:23
know, especially the second half of the
7:25
season. Raise your hand if you have a
7:27
question for Walker.
7:29
Grace, Walker, I mean, you started
7:32
pitching in middle innings and now
7:34
you've kind of settled into the closer
7:35
role. Just how do you embrace that? How
7:37
do you think it's led to the results on
7:38
the field? Um I mean I just want to
7:42
pitch right and help the team. So
7:44
whatever role that is going on into
7:51
uh Gavin just kind of talking about
7:54
regionals your mindset obviously
7:57
performances across this year and last
7:59
year. Are there any changes that you
8:00
make in your mindset or any sort of
8:02
adjustments coming into big games like
8:04
these?
8:06
Uh, I wouldn't say in particular to
8:08
playing in a big game, but um, you
8:11
definitely make adjustments throughout
8:12
the season as it goes. Um, this year as
8:14
a whole, it's been a little bit up and
8:16
down. Uh, but I've start started I feel
8:18
like I've started to, you know, put it
8:20
together a little bit this back half of
8:21
the season. So, being able to do that,
8:24
I've really just tried to buy into uh,
8:28
our approach at the plate, trying to
8:29
execute that, get a good pitch, and get
8:31
a swing off. And uh I think I've started
8:34
to realize that if you do that, you
8:36
can't control anything after that and it
8:38
makes hitting a whole lot easier. So uh
8:41
right and you know a little bit of
8:42
traffic there those first
8:44
two slider really started coming around
8:47
for you as all
8:50
kind of find for that.
8:53
Yeah, I think a lot of it was just um I
8:55
think I was just trying to cruise a
8:57
little bit in the first couple innings
8:58
and uh wasn't quite being as aggressive.
9:01
So At that point, I guess after the home
9:03
run in the second, I think I was just
9:05
trying to get back to being really
9:07
aggressive um and just, you know,
9:09
picturing myself as a reliever and just
9:11
chuck in as much as I could.
9:15
Coach Forbes, uh, after the game, the
9:17
the fans were chanting ACC, ACC, and I'm
9:20
I'm curious with the national narrative
9:22
around, you know, the SEC and and and
9:24
the kind of disrespect a little bit the
9:26
ACC gets. Did it mean a little bit more
9:28
to to kind of win this regional and take
9:30
make a statement against an SEC team? I
9:32
mean, not for me, honestly. Um, I just
9:35
want to do all we can to put these guys
9:37
in position to win a national
9:39
championship. I don't care who we're
9:40
playing. We talk about it all the time.
9:41
We're going to work hard. We're going to
9:42
lift hard. We're going to practice hard.
9:44
so we can try to dominate whoever we
9:45
play. Um, you know, if that's something
9:47
people want to write about, that's fine.
9:49
I do feel like the ACC,
9:51
uh, this year was the best it had been
9:53
top to bottom. Um, it was a battle every
9:56
single weekend, no matter who we played.
9:58
Uh, you're seeing that right now in the
10:00
postseason. You know, Duke is in a
10:02
super. Um, so, you know, I have a lot of
10:05
respect for the SEC, but
10:07
also, you know, think the ACC is as good
10:10
as any league in the country.
10:12
Jaden and Kip and Rod Walker, you're one
10:15
of the youngest guys on this team. You
10:17
know, when you're when you're in a
10:18
bullpen with guys like Jake Knap, what
10:20
are what are some of the notes that
10:22
you're taking uh you know, as you're
10:24
watching them either in a game or in
10:26
practice or or what are some what's some
10:28
advice that they've given you uh
10:29
throughout the year? Yeah, just try not
10:31
to um make it bigger than it is and make
10:34
them hitters like make them better than
10:36
they are and just kind of keep in that
10:38
routine and stay neutral and not be too
10:42
high or too low. Yeah. Scott, the third
10:46
inning when you guys broke it open, they
10:49
bring in the left-hander. All four of
10:52
your lefty hitters reach base safely. A
10:54
walk three base hits. Did their approach
10:57
change at all after yesterday or or new
11:00
advice or anything? No, I thought the
11:02
lefty that started I think was was it
11:03
what was his name? Barnfield or
11:05
Barfield? Yeah, he he had a tough angle.
11:07
Slider took off. Um, you know, again,
11:10
Coach Jackson and Coach Rzbiki, they
11:11
have these guys so prepared. And these
11:14
guys, again, the players have to buy
11:15
into whatever you're working with them
11:17
on back there. They move them on the
11:19
plate, that move them off the plate, and
11:20
they're always going to have an approach
11:22
no matter who the pitcher is. The
11:24
report's done. Um, so yeah, I mean,
11:26
whatever lefty came in, there was a
11:28
certain approach and that definitely
11:29
helped those lefties have more success
11:31
for sure. Last four questions. Rod, Pat,
11:34
Grace, Tommy. about Ryan and Walker.
11:37
What What goes through your mind as you
11:39
watch Gavin do what he did today and
11:41
then throughout the weekend as pitchers?
11:44
I mean, he's you see him work every
11:45
single day. I mean, when it's just us
11:48
back here and I mean, I'm just proud of
11:49
him. He's nobody else sees what he does
11:52
and for him to go out there and do that
11:53
and for everybody to see it, it's pretty
11:55
cool.
11:57
Walker, I'm sure, you know, watching
11:59
last year's team make the run, you guys
12:01
were pretty locked in kind of watching
12:02
that to be out there on the in this
12:05
environment with the stakes which were
12:06
just kind of what was that just kind of
12:08
feeling like after seeing that? Yeah,
12:10
I'm pretty grateful for the opportunity
12:12
for sure. Um I was actually at the game
12:14
and watched it last year and just was
12:16
wanting that to be me and I'm glad that
12:18
was actually unable to able to fold out.
12:21
But he was really nervous. I saw him on
12:23
TV. I slowed it down in the game like
12:25
this again. Who was it? LSU.
12:29
LSU. Not too bad down there for old
12:31
Sanford boy, is it?
12:35
Adam. Adam. Go ahead. Thank you, Kirst.
12:37
Very nice to meet you. Uh Gavin, what
12:40
scientific question here? What does it
12:42
feel like to be as hot as you are?
12:45
And you were mentioning it earlier, but
12:48
like can you point to one specific thing
12:51
recently that has really helped this
12:54
streak take off?
12:56
Um, well, I guess first first part of
12:59
your question, just trying to keep, you
13:00
know, keep my feet under me, not not
13:03
make it uh any bigger than it is. Um,
13:06
baseball is a funny game and the second
13:08
that you lose, that humility is when
13:10
it'll catch up to you and uh I got a
13:13
piece of that yesterday for sure. So,
13:16
um, yeah, I mean, feels good. Just try
13:19
to repeat it. Uh, I'd say that the best
13:22
thing I've tried to do, especially this
13:24
weekend, was um just slow the ball down,
13:27
start early, move slow, and uh get that
13:30
good pitch selection. Grace, Kevin, can
13:33
you just take me through this whole
13:35
season? I mean, you talked about it a
13:36
little bit. It's been a bit of a roller
13:37
coaster. Maybe didn't start in the way
13:39
you wanted to. Now, it seems like you're
13:41
playing your best baseball. How have
13:42
those emotions, you think, just improved
13:44
yourself as a player? Uh, I'd say just,
13:46
you know, try to stay level the whole
13:49
season, not be too high or get too low.
13:52
Um, it can be easy to
13:58
You can do whatever you want.
14:07
I was looking to see how many ACC teams
14:09
have made it.
14:12
Four.
14:15
that
14:16
um sorry, what was I saying? I'm sorry.
14:20
No, you're okay. Highs and lows of the
14:22
season. Um yeah, just trying to keep a
14:25
level head throughout the whole season.
14:27
Be the same person every day. Uh and buy
14:29
into what we talk about is the process.
14:33
Um it's yeah, like I said, it's easy to
14:35
beat yourself up. Uh so just take every
14:38
day as a new day and um be consistent.
14:41
Last one, Tommy. Coach words to sort of
14:44
wrap it up. Obviously, you prefer not to
14:46
have to play a second a second game like
14:48
this, but the silver lining is it builds
14:51
these guys and all. Just talk about the
14:53
experience factor in playing these high
14:55
leverage games. Yeah. Um, you know, most
14:59
of the time you you playing some type of
15:03
actual elimination game like you know
15:05
it's winter or go home. So, you know, I
15:08
would have preferred obviously to have
15:09
won it yesterday and rested, but I just
15:12
woke up unfortunately yesterday and just
15:14
had this feeling, hey, obviously felt
15:16
like we had a chance to win, but I just
15:18
thought, man, this thing might go to
15:19
Monday. Um, so we have to make the right
15:21
decisions in the game and make sure we
15:24
have these two horses ready and uh stay
15:26
positive. But yeah, I mean, that's good
15:28
for you. Um, you know, we we did it in
15:31
22, we did it last year, but I tell the
15:33
guys, it's this time of year, you have
15:35
to expect hard. If you if you pull away
15:38
like we did, that's awesome. Um, I enjoy
15:41
that, but you know, it's not as the
15:43
harder it is, these guys know, the
15:46
harder you have to work for it, the more
15:47
gratifying that is. All right. Thanks,
15:49
guys. Congratulations.
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