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Pre-Chapel Hil Regional press conference with Alex Madera, Jason DeCaro and Scott Forbes. #UNC
May 29, 2025
Pre-Chapel Hil Regional press conference with Alex Madera, Jason DeCaro and Scott Forbes. #UNC
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0:00
all season to get to this point. Just
0:02
what has the last few days been
0:04
preparing for what's coming tomorrow?
0:06
Yeah. Um, you know, I think it's kind of
0:09
we just keep the same keep it the same
0:10
mentality. Um, you know, don't try to
0:14
make it any more than what it is. You
0:15
know, at the end of the day, it's just
0:16
another game. So, I think all the work
0:18
that we've put in throughout this season
0:20
has just been getting us ready for this
0:21
moment. So, you know, we're ready for it
0:23
and we're just focusing on one game at a
0:25
time. Jason, you're one of the only
0:27
starting pitchers that has been in the
0:29
spot to start a regional super in Omaha
0:32
Omaha. Have you talked to any of the
0:33
younger pitchers about kind of the
0:35
mentality and just the environment
0:37
they're going to be put into? Um, yeah,
0:39
we talked a little bit about it last
0:41
week or the week before. Um, thought
0:43
those are great environments.
0:45
Um, just kind of telling them like this
0:48
is what it's going to be like. Um, it's
0:50
good that a lot of guys got into those
0:52
games, into those situations. Um, so
0:55
excited to see what everyone does when
0:56
they get out there.
1:00
Jason, should we understand that you are
1:02
tomorrow's starting pitcher by your
1:04
presence here?
1:06
That's not for me to answer. You have
1:09
not been told when you're when you're
1:10
pitching. Um, no. Okay.
1:15
Alex, obviously different clubs last
1:17
year and this year. What's been unique
1:19
about the identity of this team and
1:22
finding that out throughout the course
1:23
of the season? Yeah. Um, you know,
1:25
obviously I think last year the long
1:26
ball was a pretty big identity for that
1:28
team. Um, I think this year, you know,
1:31
that's still still the case, but you
1:33
know, we just find different ways to
1:34
win. Um, whether it's, you know, playing
1:36
some small ball, sacrifice bunning,
1:38
just, uh, finding ways to get guys over.
1:40
Um, but I think the the biggest thing
1:43
with this team is just knowing that
1:45
we're never out of the fight. Just keep
1:46
working. um you know, sticking to the
1:49
process and just doing what we do best.
1:51
How much do you reference last season
1:53
when looking at that one four game and
1:55
Long Island, that testy ninth inning? Uh
1:58
how much do you reference that with the
1:59
other guys and think about it going into
2:01
this year? Yeah. Um you know, we we
2:03
honestly don't really talk about last
2:04
year too often. Um we talked about it a
2:06
little bit in the beginning of the year.
2:08
You know, obviously Omaha is where you
2:09
want to get to and you want to, you
2:10
know, find a way to host that that uh
2:12
trophy at the end of the day. Um but you
2:16
know, yeah, obviously last year that
2:17
that happened early and you know, we
2:20
always talk about how you know, if we go
2:21
down, it is what it is and you just got
2:23
to keep fighting and you know, find find
2:25
ways to score. Alex, this was this the
2:29
having the regionals at home and then
2:31
having the supers at home last year. I
2:33
mean, you're set up for sort of the path
2:34
that you took last year. I guess it's
2:36
the reward of having the season that
2:38
you've had. What what were the benefits
2:41
maybe that you can look back on of
2:43
playing all the games here that that got
2:46
you to Omaha last year? Like what do you
2:47
remember about like being at home for
2:49
the regionals and the supers? I I think
2:51
the biggest thing definitely for us is
2:53
the fans. Um obviously, you know,
2:54
playing in front of them, you know,
2:56
using the crowd to our advantage. I
2:57
think that's that's going to be the
2:58
biggest thing for us this weekend. And
3:00
you know, obviously our our home field,
3:02
you know, we we know it best and you
3:04
know, we just love playing here. Bosch
3:06
Magic. And it seemed like that Monday
3:08
night against LSU too was maybe one of
3:10
the biggest examples of like the rewards
3:14
of being at home. I would you agree with
3:15
that? Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Um,
3:18
you know, obviously the fans help the
3:19
most. I mean, when you when you have
3:21
them on your on your side, it's just so
3:23
easy to play in front of. For both of
3:25
you guys, um, you took two very
3:27
different paths to get here. You were in
3:29
D3 for four years and you skip a senior
3:31
year high school. Can you talk about the
3:33
journey of of getting to this spot now
3:35
two years in a row and how fortunate you
3:37
feel for the choices that you've made?
3:41
Yeah, I mean obviously, you know, this
3:42
has been a dream school for me. So,
3:44
coming from a small division three
3:45
school, obviously to get to a spot like
3:47
this, it's nothing short of incredible.
3:49
Um, I'm always thankful for every
3:51
opportunity that I've gotten. And, you
3:53
know, just to play obviously in front of
3:55
front of these fans has been
3:56
unbelievable. But, just to play in spots
3:59
like a super regional and to go to Omaha
4:01
and regionals, you know, it's everything
4:04
you dream of as a kid. So, at the end of
4:06
the day, just, you know, going back to
4:08
having fun and playing the game that we
4:10
know how. Yeah. I think,
4:13
um, these last two years, uh, it's kind
4:16
of all we know, um, is to have success
4:20
and to be in the postseason. Um, and,
4:23
you know, hearing from other guys, it's
4:25
not like that, um, everywhere that
4:28
people don't have the opportunities that
4:30
we have here. Um, Just trying to be as
4:32
grateful as you can for that. And like
4:34
Amad said, just enjoy it while you're
4:36
here. Jason, you told me that you didn't
4:38
think you pitched your best in the
4:40
postseason last year. Do you are you
4:42
going to use that experience as some
4:44
sort of motivation, something to learn
4:45
from, or do you just kind of start? Um,
4:48
absolutely. It'll be in the back of my
4:50
mind a little bit.
4:51
um you want to be at your best in the
4:53
postseason and
4:55
uh I think all of us do and I think uh
4:58
we're in a good spot right now to do
5:00
that. With Aiden and Ryan being in
5:02
spaces where they can flex from the
5:04
bullpen to starting roles, how does that
5:07
just help the pitching staff with the
5:09
idea that you might not just play three
5:10
games, you might have to play a few
5:11
more? Um I think it frees us just from
5:14
the standpoint of more guys being able
5:17
to fill in more roles. um we don't have
5:19
to think about saving a guy to start the
5:23
next day. We can just go and get the
5:26
game that we're in that day. Um and know
5:28
that we have plenty of guys for the next
5:30
day. And I think that's just a testament
5:32
to how deep the pitching staff is.
5:35
Jason, how have you seen those freshman
5:37
Lynch McDuffy Craves sort of grow since
5:39
day one? Um they came in, they were
5:43
really good. Um but there definitely has
5:45
been growth. Um, I think most of it has
5:48
been mental. Um, I think they're a lot
5:51
tougher now. Um, and I think that is
5:54
just from being in tough spots and
5:56
finding success in those and not having
5:59
success. Um, I think just that
6:02
experience is only going to help them
6:04
moving forward. Jason, what have you
6:06
seen from guys like and kind of had to
6:08
watch last year as you guys went through
6:10
the postseason, but might be huge pieces
6:12
in the next year? Um, they've been great
6:15
for us. um every time they're out there,
6:17
we feel really confident and
6:19
uh just grateful to have more and more
6:23
guys that can contribute every day.
6:26
Alex, along these lines of the pitching,
6:28
I mean, obviously the depth top to
6:31
bottom has been phenomenal, but the two
6:33
guys at the top with with Nap and and
6:35
Jason, like what where's your confidence
6:39
level when those dudes are on the mound?
6:41
because it seems like, you know, they
6:42
can match up with anybody that you might
6:45
face from here on out. Like, what
6:47
where's your confidence with those the
6:49
top two guys? Yeah, I mean, they're
6:50
unbelievable and I think everybody in
6:52
our staff is unbelievable and I think
6:54
that, you know, on a defensive uh
6:56
aspect, I think that we have the most
6:58
confidence in them. Um, we know they're
7:00
going to get a lot of ground balls, so,
7:01
you know, that's always fun for me. I'm
7:03
looking forward to getting those. But,
7:05
yeah, no, they've been incredible this
7:07
season, and I think that's just a
7:08
testament to them and all the work that
7:09
they put in. the fact that Map is not
7:12
still has a zero in the loss column. Um,
7:15
do you do you all talk about that at
7:17
all? Like, let's try to keep him
7:18
perfect, you know, like that's kind of a
7:20
cool thing to be almost in June and in
7:22
the record, not have a loss on. Is that
7:24
a point of discussion at all? I don't
7:26
think so. I think we'd rather not
7:30
honestly think we just push that aside
7:32
and, you know, let him go to work.
7:34
Gotcha. After all that you guys did last
7:36
weekend, enough to earn the top
7:40
ranking, but you only got a number five
7:43
overall seed. Is that a motivating
7:45
factor for you guys? Have you guys
7:46
talked about that? Um, I mean, we try
7:49
not to talk about the rankings too much.
7:51
Um, obviously, you know, we kind of use
7:53
it as fuel in a way. Um, but we really
7:55
don't look at the rankings. We're just
7:57
going to, you know, play our brand of
7:58
baseball and, you know, do what we can
8:00
to win each and every day.
8:03
Alex, the middle infield, you guys have
8:05
been solid turning turning two with
8:08
regularity. What is the shift for you? I
8:10
know you were short stop, but you were
8:12
second base last year. How's that been
8:13
moving over and then having Jackson
8:15
there at second? Yeah, I think it's
8:16
great. Um, you know, obviously he's a
8:18
he's a very vocal leader and uh he's
8:21
awesome to play with. Um, such a great
8:23
guy. But I think moving over, you know,
8:25
kind of helped me a little bit become a
8:27
little bit more of a leader myself. um
8:29
just being a little bit more vocal and
8:30
you know knowing that we have a lot of
8:32
young guys so just stepping up in the
8:34
leader aspect I think that's been the
8:35
biggest thing for me by moving over
8:37
there this year.
8:39
Alex is there a sense of of momentum
8:42
gained from the way you guys played in
8:44
the ACC tournament particularly against
8:47
FSU and Clemson two teams that are
8:49
regional hosts. Um, you know, I mean, I
8:51
know it's it will be will have been a
8:53
week since you play, but like do you
8:55
feel like maybe this team is playing
8:57
about the best it has been this season
9:00
at at this point? Yeah, definitely. Um,
9:02
I think ever since honestly our Boston
9:04
College series, we've been playing
9:06
really good baseball. Um, we had a
9:08
little team meeting there and we kind
9:10
of, you know, had to figure out who we
9:12
were as a team and I think ever since
9:14
then, we kind of just, you know, decided
9:16
to keep playing the game that the way we
9:17
know how, have fun with it. um stick to
9:20
the process, know that if we're down,
9:22
you know, we're never out, and uh you
9:24
know, just keep working, keep pushing,
9:25
moving forward. In that meeting, was
9:28
there anybody who was particularly
9:29
vocal? Um, obviously Jackson and and uh
9:33
Jake Knap were the two, you know, main
9:35
vocal guys of it, but a lot of a lot of
9:37
the older guys stepped up and talked
9:38
and, you know, everybody was able to say
9:41
whatever they wanted to say, you know,
9:42
kind of lay everything out on the table
9:43
and just, you know, go from there. Alex,
9:45
we saw how important small ball was in
9:47
the postseason last season and it seems
9:49
like you guys are really executing on
9:51
all fronts. How have you seen the
9:52
execution of this team down to the
9:54
little details? I think um you know just
9:57
going back in the cages and out on the
9:58
field, you know, we bunt every day and
10:00
making sure we do all the small things.
10:02
Um especially when we practice first and
10:04
thirds, even on defense, we'll have the
10:05
outfitters and some of those guys bunt.
10:07
So, I think just really sticking to the
10:09
little things like you said and just
10:11
focusing on, you know, those aspects
10:13
because that's what you got to do to be
10:14
able to win those close games. So, I
10:16
think every day just focusing on that,
10:18
you know, it's been very helpful to us.
10:20
Carter and Perry both told us that they
10:21
came in as terrible wunters and now I
10:24
say probably two of the best in that
10:26
lineup. How is their just commitment to
10:29
getting better at that small aspect of
10:31
the game indicative of this entire team
10:33
playing more complete baseball? Yeah, I
10:35
think it just goes to show, you know,
10:36
the type of team we have and, you know,
10:38
the way that the guys know the type of
10:40
players that they are. You know,
10:42
obviously speaking for myself and
10:44
probably Barry and Frenchie, you know,
10:46
we're not the long ball hitters, so we
10:48
know we got to be able to get a bunt
10:49
down in a in a big spot. So, you know,
10:51
just buying into that and buying into
10:53
the team and just doing everything we
10:54
can to help our team win. Jason, what
10:57
what have you noticed just in your study
10:59
of Holy Cross? um as you've gone
11:02
through, you know, their lineup and
11:04
tried to pick out what you want to do
11:06
against those guys, like what's what
11:07
stands out about their lineup. Um as a
11:11
team, you know, we really just want to
11:12
focus on the little things right now. Um
11:14
we know that they're a team that like
11:16
us, they like to play small ball a
11:18
little bit. Um they like to cause a
11:21
little chaos in the bases. So just
11:23
trying to stay within ourselves there
11:24
and slow down as much as we can. Jason,
11:27
for whenever your next outing is, are
11:29
you going to be watching any film from
11:31
your previous outings this season to
11:33
kind of try to replicate some of that
11:35
magic? Absolutely. I think, you know,
11:37
every week I go back and look um and try
11:41
and watch as much video as I can on
11:42
myself. Um just trying to see what was
11:45
working, what wasn't working. So, I'm
11:48
definitely going to continue doing that.
11:49
And do you always watch the outing from
11:52
the week before or does it just depend
11:54
on what you're watching to prepare? for
11:56
who you're about to play. I definitely
11:58
watched the outing from the week before,
11:59
but if there's something that I'm
12:00
looking for, then I'll go back and try
12:02
to find it. Y'all touched on this a
12:05
little bit, but obviously there were a
12:06
lot of guys last season who didn't play
12:08
in in the the run to Omaha. Um, you
12:11
know, was has there been anything that
12:13
that they any advice or anything that
12:15
they saw last year from the outside that
12:18
they've been able to say, "Hey, this is
12:20
what we saw that y'all are taking into
12:21
this postseason."
12:25
um talking about like the guys from last
12:27
year's team. Yeah. Well, the guys who
12:29
were still on the team but didn't like
12:31
Jake Nap or or Hunter, you know, they
12:33
watched it um but they didn't play. Was
12:35
there anything that they're like, "Okay,
12:36
this is what we saw um from the dugout
12:39
and you know, is there anything that
12:41
y'all have used this season?" Um, I
12:44
think it's kind of just, you know, what
12:46
we've been speaking about, just, you
12:48
know, keeping it, um, keeping everything
12:50
in control, just playing the game the
12:52
way that we know how. Um, obviously it's
12:54
what's got us here to this point. So,
12:56
you know, just focusing on our brand of
12:57
baseball and, you know, that's going to
12:58
push us to, you know, the next step.
13:03
Anything else?
13:05
All right. Thanks, fellas. Thanks,
13:07
y'all. Appreciate it. What's been unique
13:09
about the journey of this team? Uh but
13:11
looking back at last year and then a lot
13:13
of new faces on this year. Yeah, I would
13:16
say the word unique. Um for me that's
13:20
what it would be would be, you know,
13:23
it's not easy to lose
13:26
uh the firepower, I guess is the word
13:28
that we use as a coaching staff that we
13:30
lost last year. um in the production and
13:34
for these guys to still
13:37
uh find a way to, you know, not only
13:39
have a great season, but be a national
13:41
seed, uh put themselves in a great
13:44
position. Um, you know, and and I would
13:48
also add to we weren't sure last year
13:51
that Madera was going to be able to have
13:52
another season. We weren't sure that
13:55
Vandenbreak was going to get cleared.
13:56
So, a lot of things had to go in uh you
14:00
know, the dominoes had to fall in the
14:01
right place for this team to to be
14:03
successful. You had to have a little bit
14:05
of luck along the way, but you know, the
14:07
old saying, if you work your tail off,
14:09
you have way more luck. Uh so, that's
14:11
another thing. It's not unique
14:12
necessarily, but this team
14:15
um has worked from the first day. uh no
14:18
issues as a coach. So, not that that's
14:21
unique, but it's uh it it's it's just
14:24
rare and really difficult to get to that
14:27
40
14:29
win before the regular se right in the
14:31
regular season or in the ACC tournament,
14:34
you know, when you lose that many great
14:35
players. Have you ever been part of a
14:38
group? I mean, players are different and
14:41
all, but styles of play are so different
14:43
this year from last year. Have you ever
14:44
been a part of that kind of drastic
14:48
turn? I guess probably. Um, you know,
14:51
I've been coaching long enough now where
14:53
we've had different teams, but Tommy, I
14:55
think, you know, I don't think I know my
14:57
favorite part about being a coach, a
14:59
head coach, is understanding that that
15:02
every team is different some way, shape,
15:03
or form, but they're they are
15:05
drastically different uh from the
15:07
standpoint of just a lot of a lot of
15:10
different style of how we have to get
15:12
things done. Um, you know, you go from
15:15
having a left-handed closure to three
15:17
freshman or two freshman that are doing
15:18
the bulk of the relieving. Um, you go
15:21
from hitting and whatever home runs we
15:23
hit to how many do we have now? I don't
15:25
even know. 73. I mean, that's not that's
15:27
not terrible, but it's also, you know,
15:29
we're not 20, 18, 15, 18.
15:34
Uh, but you know, that's a credit to our
15:36
to our coaching staff. Not me, but these
15:39
guys that I see that put in the true
15:41
work. Coach Jackson, Coach Ricky, Coach
15:43
Gains, and Coach How. Um, us working
15:46
together to figure out, okay, how can we
15:48
take this team and help them maximize
15:49
their potential and then the players
15:50
buying into it and understanding, hey,
15:52
we have to do this well, we have to do
15:53
that well, and landing some key parts to
15:56
allow us to do that and the Kane Keeps
15:58
and the Tyson Bass and those type of
16:00
guys. Alex and Jackson have both talked
16:02
about the meeting that was had during
16:04
the Boston College series where the team
16:06
really came together, tried to find
16:08
their identity, say what they needed to
16:09
do to get to the point they are now. How
16:11
have you seen that kind of discussion
16:13
between these leaders and this entire
16:15
team just take effect getting them to
16:17
where they are now? You know, I'm not in
16:19
those discussions when they have a
16:20
player only meeting. So, I trust the
16:22
team. Um, you know, when I when I meet
16:24
with players early on, if we do
16:26
designate captains, I just let them know
16:28
like, hey, if it if it gets up to my
16:31
office, usually that's not too good
16:33
because usually that's the end of the
16:34
road. Um, and if you want I've been in
16:38
locker room, I played um I was
16:41
fortunate, at least I thought I was.
16:43
You'd have to ask Coach Fox, but I felt
16:45
like I was one of our leaders. And in
16:47
1997, man, that sounds like sounds like
16:49
a long time ago, doesn't it? Uh, but
16:51
that was my last year playing for coach.
16:53
I really wanted to get North Carolina
16:55
Westland back to the Division Three
16:56
World Series or help us get back. I
16:59
don't think we have been since 94. Uh,
17:01
and I understood then at a young age
17:03
what coach meant by like this your
17:05
locker room and the older players like
17:08
need to control that locker room and
17:10
make the younger players and the new
17:11
players understand how we do things
17:13
here. Uh, and that's what they've done.
17:15
You know, they decide to have that
17:16
meeting. Uh, and they know more about
17:19
what was said in there than I do, but
17:21
whatever was said in there, it
17:23
definitely worked. Scott, as you've had
17:25
a couple days now to dig into Holy
17:27
Cross, like what are the things that
17:29
stand out to you? What would you say if
17:31
you're preparing your your scouting
17:33
report or whatever it is you prepare?
17:35
Like what are the like the top line
17:36
items that that that you've noticed
17:39
about Holy Cross? I think they have a
17:40
really good starter that that we're
17:42
going to have to try to beat. Um, he's
17:45
competitive. He doesn't walk you. He's
17:47
got good stuff. Uh he's got a chance to
17:49
be a draft pick. Um so that stands out
17:52
number one always. I'm going to look at
17:53
like who's who who we going to face on
17:55
the mound because that guy dictates
17:56
everything. They're extremely aggressive
17:58
on the bases. They got a ton of stolen
18:00
bases. Um they bunt a lot. So really
18:03
very slim. They're going to play a style
18:06
that Louisville and Boston College play.
18:09
Uh so we practice really hard this week
18:11
on being ready for for that part of the
18:13
game. Um, obviously you don't have to be
18:15
as ready if you don't let as many people
18:17
on base. Uh, but they're they're a
18:20
really good club. They've had a great
18:21
year. We'll have our work cut out for
18:23
us. Um, I think they have a really good
18:25
team and he's not the only good pitcher
18:27
they have. So, uh, we're just going to
18:30
have to play well. Which one of those
18:31
guys do you mean? The guy with I think
18:33
it was a last name M and a last name W.
18:36
Yeah. I mean, both guys, both of those
18:39
guys were really good, right? The one
18:40
was the Patriot League pitcher of the
18:42
year, I think. Is that the one you're
18:43
talking? I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Um,
18:45
whoever they announce they've started is
18:47
good. Um, that's all I know. Uh, and I
18:50
lay my eyes on them. I, you know, I let
18:52
the coaches do do the reports, but I I
18:54
do like to watch a game or two just to
18:56
see what their style of play is. Um,
19:00
they're older, too. You know, they're
19:02
played a lot of baseball. They're not
19:04
going to back down. They're going to be
19:06
excited. Uh, I think they're going to
19:07
play well, and we'll and we'll have to
19:09
match it, for sure. Have you gone back
19:11
and looked at any of the film or your
19:14
critiques, your grades of the BC and the
19:17
Louisville games to make sure whatever
19:19
kind of pitfalls the team went into in
19:21
those, they won't recreate against Holy
19:23
Cross. You know, we just practice it
19:24
daily. It's part of it's our fault as
19:27
coaches if our pitchers can't control
19:28
the running game, if our middle guys
19:30
don't control the running game, um if
19:32
we're not prepared for it's because we
19:34
don't practice it every day. And we
19:35
practice it every day, even if we're not
19:36
going to face it. Because usually one
19:38
team, every team's going to have one or
19:40
two guys that run. And I explain to our
19:43
our players all the time, you don't want
19:45
a weakness because if we find a weakness
19:47
on another team, we are going to pick on
19:50
that weakness all game. if it's slow to
19:51
the plate, if the catcher has a slow
19:53
exchange, um if he if he's lazy, if the
19:56
outfitters are lazy, um you know, we
19:58
advance on the ball in the AC tournament
20:00
based on what we saw on video. Uh so
20:03
it's more it's not pulling up the
20:05
opponent for me, Grace, it's it's us
20:07
knowing like here are things that we
20:09
need to be able to do no matter what.
20:11
And even if a team doesn't run, you
20:13
know, we we practice not being I was
20:15
pitching coach. I mean, our pitchers
20:16
aren't going to be one six to the plate.
20:18
They're not going to be human rain
20:19
delays. It's just not the way it's going
20:20
to work here. What's your pitching plan,
20:25
Nap? And Holy Cross. You know, the guys
20:27
asked me if I was going to go in and
20:29
pull the old uh every every answer Holy
20:31
Cross. Holy Cross because that's all
20:34
we're focused on. Um but NAP is going to
20:36
start and right now Daro will start game
20:38
two. And if you noticed, Oklahoma is
20:40
apparently saving its ace for Saturday.
20:43
Yeah. You know, I talked to our team
20:44
about that too. Um, I you know I I just
20:47
addressed that quickly like listen at
20:50
the end of the
20:51
day we might not play Oklahoma. We
20:54
might, but if we're focusing on Oklahoma
20:57
or who they're going to throw or who
20:59
they're saving, Holy Cross going to come
21:01
in here and whip our tail. So, we have
21:02
to focus on Holy Cross. So, that's all
21:04
we talked about. Um, if we take care of
21:07
business, you know, we'll we'll figure
21:08
out who we're playing after we watch
21:10
Nebraska and Oklahoma. Uh, and I also
21:13
told him, I said, "It doesn't matter who
21:14
saves who, doesn't matter who's
21:15
pitching. If you want to win a national
21:17
championship, you have to beat really
21:19
great teams and great individual
21:21
players." You know, West Virginia had a
21:23
first round shortstop. Um, they had a
21:25
pitcher that threw a complete game every
21:28
time he went out there. Jamie Arnold, we
21:30
had to find a way to beat him. That's
21:32
just the way it goes this time of year.
21:33
And, uh, I just said, "Hey, we don't we
21:36
don't need to talk about it. And if we
21:37
face him, we face him." How have you
21:38
seen the ability of this team find a way
21:41
to get it done even in those Jamie
21:43
Arnold situations that they have maybe a
21:46
few more obstacles where the other
21:48
player that they're playing has a lot of
21:49
the draft chatter? How do you find this
21:51
team particularly gets it done? They've
21:54
completely bought into to not looking at
21:57
the scoreboard. Um not counting outs. No
22:01
more one more. Uh you know I talked to
22:03
him about that from my experience of
22:04
being in Omaha, being in two national
22:06
championships. just playing, you know,
22:08
playing free and easy, being aggressive.
22:11
We use the word the two words default
22:13
aggressive all the time. If you have a
22:14
default, be aggressive. Go get it. Don't
22:17
back down. Um, and they do play with an
22:19
edge. I mean, this team, uh, you know, I
22:23
think a lot of those guys feel like our
22:25
program's a really good baseball program
22:28
and they want to make sure that
22:30
everybody else feels like that as well,
22:32
and they carry that chip a little bit,
22:34
but they're going to I mean, this team's
22:36
going to play. uh you know they may we
22:39
may get behind, we may not get behind,
22:42
but they're going to play until the that
22:43
last out is made. Scott, you've talked
22:46
about it uh I mean throughout the
22:48
season, but um what sort of luxury is it
22:52
for you as a coach um just like with Nap
22:56
and Carol at at the top of the lineup in
22:58
terms of like the starting pitching? I
23:00
mean, like, you know, whether somebody
23:02
saving an ace or whatever, like there
23:04
seems like there's a confidence there
23:06
because, you know, both those guys are
23:08
big game pitchers and and capable of
23:10
being in huge huge moments. Yeah. And
23:13
you can add Aiden out to that. I mean,
23:14
if you look what he's done this season,
23:16
his numbers are, you know, everybody has
23:19
one or two outings that just aren't
23:21
fabulous sometimes. And some guys have a
23:23
little more luck here, a little more
23:25
luck there, get more double plays, you
23:27
know, things like that. But I think we
23:29
have three Friday night starters and
23:32
they're all going to pressure you. I
23:34
mean, Hal in a huge game for us. Where
23:37
was it? At BC. I mean, that was a huge
23:40
game. We weren't playing that well.
23:42
Tough conditions. He throws a complete
23:44
game, seven inning, no hitter, one
23:46
hitter, whatever they called it. It was
23:48
a one hitter. Um, but it's a huge luxury
23:50
and and and we talked about that like
23:53
Jason Dero pitched game one in the
23:56
regional. He pitched another game in the
23:58
regional, elimination game against LSU
24:01
and then he goes out there against West
24:02
Virginia um in game two and I think he
24:05
went six or seven and then you know he's
24:08
got the bases loaded against Virginia
24:09
with Ditawick up he's got 20 some home
24:11
runs and he strikes them out. So you you
24:15
could also argue that Jason has the most
24:17
big game experience of anybody um
24:19
besides Matt Matias but he's he's not
24:22
here. Um so it is a luxury. It
24:25
definitely helps you sleep good at night
24:27
because the better pitching you have,
24:29
the better your team's going to be.
24:30
That's just the bottom line. With all
24:32
the experience that Jason has in those
24:33
big game situations, have you seen him
24:35
kind of grow and help some of these
24:38
younger players or even the players that
24:40
are older than him that he has more of
24:42
that big game experience this season?
24:44
Well, there are no younger players than
24:46
him right now. He's the he's the
24:48
youngest player still on our team, which
24:50
blows my mind. Um, but yes, I mean, he's
24:53
a leader by example. Uh, he won one of
24:56
our awards that Coach Gats, our strength
24:58
coach, gives out.
25:00
Um, you know, and Coach Gats is really
25:03
good at that. He's one of my go-tos when
25:05
guys get here in summer school. Uh, he
25:08
he has a good idea of what kids are
25:11
doing, how hard they're working, are
25:12
they maturing? Um,
25:16
and you see that first and foremost. And
25:19
then the thing about Jason is when he
25:21
goes out there, he likes the bigger
25:23
moments. That's just how he's wired. Um,
25:26
you know, I could see it in him uh in
25:29
the ACC tournament, you know, against
25:31
Florida State, packed house, like he he
25:34
likes that. So, he just got that and and
25:37
then you add in the work ethic. Uh, his
25:40
best baseball still is down the road.
25:42
Um, you know, I'm hoping he'll have
25:43
another velocity jump when he's here,
25:45
but again, he was really young.
25:47
Everybody talks about the BC meeting. I
25:50
remember after Yukon, you were not
25:52
pleased talking to us, but it seems like
25:55
when Carter French solidified left
25:57
field, it really settled your defense
25:59
down on the hole. Is that a thing with
26:02
Carter being able to do that or or is
26:04
that just a coincidence there? I don't
26:07
think so. another credit, you know, to
26:09
to my staff. Um, you know, we were in we
26:12
meet all the time. Uh, and we were just
26:16
discussing, okay, you know, how do we
26:19
make our defense the best we can make in
26:21
2022, we made the change and put Kobe
26:23
Wilkersonson at second base. And as soon
26:25
as we put Kobe Wilker at second Kobe
26:27
Wilkerson at second base, we didn't have
26:29
this pitching staff. You're going to
26:30
strike all these guys out. of this
26:31
pitching staff because their velocity
26:33
gives up a ton of fly balls and a ton of
26:35
ground balls to the opposite side of
26:37
whatever the hitter is. Um, and we just
26:40
made collective decision like Carter
26:42
French is one of our best outfield
26:45
defenders. Definitely top three. You
26:47
could argue top two. Get good reads,
26:50
athletic. Uh, we weren't getting a ton
26:52
of production. And it really reminded me
26:54
too when we plugged in Mikey Mday. I
26:56
don't know know y'all remember Mikey. uh
26:58
switch hitter could run and you know
27:01
next thing you know he's locking down
27:03
left field. He's making every play uh
27:05
and then he's having good at bats. I
27:07
mean that's the thing that Carter is
27:09
average is a little misleading because
27:11
he knows the strike zone. He's not an
27:12
automatic one two three strikes you're
27:14
out. He's gotten better and better and
27:16
better. He's getting bunts down and he
27:18
can pressure the defense with his speed
27:19
when he gets on the bases. He's an
27:20
advanced base runner. So 100% you know
27:23
he's really solidified our defense and
27:26
our lineup in my opinion.
27:29
Anything else?
27:33
Thanks, man.