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#UNC coach Scott Forbes, shortstop Alex Madera and catcher Luke Stephenson after win over Kansas St.
Feb 19, 2025
#UNC coach Scott Forbes, shortstop Alex Madera and catcher Luke Stephenson after win over Kansas St.
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0:01
um I just told the guys I thought that
0:02
was a
0:03
really complete team effort a game like
0:06
that helps you in the long run hard
0:08
fault Kansas State's a good team I know
0:09
they hadn't got started like they want
0:11
to they were a Super Regional team last
0:13
year physical
0:14
players um I thought we fought and found
0:17
a way that was the story of the game I
0:19
thought Maddie had great stuff at the
0:22
end he just got to put those guys away
0:24
that he had him like one two 02 multiple
0:26
times um I thought cam in his first
0:29
outing was good and fers are going to
0:31
only get better uh after after that
0:33
surgery and uh you know one play where
0:36
personal flipped that ball up but
0:37
besides that it was pretty clean
0:39
baseball um and we got big hits when we
0:41
needed them uh so a big win for our guys
0:44
and excited for them because that was a
0:45
good team we played I know you said
0:47
you're not worried the home runs are
0:49
going to come but they still haven't
0:50
come and I think he last time the
0:53
program had fourth straight without a
0:54
home run was
0:55
2018 oh you know what happened in
0:58
2018 what yeah we went Omaha here we go
1:02
so a good omen you know what this team
1:05
reminds me of 2018 I told the guys
1:07
yesterday that that was a team actually
1:10
I referenced to it's funny you said that
1:12
um that just ironically came up because
1:14
this team has to have that type of
1:16
toughness and play with that hard noosed
1:18
mentality something to prove um so yeah
1:22
that's the last thing I'm concerned
1:23
about I thought we hit some balls I
1:25
thought after about the the first inning
1:27
they gave us runs basically but I
1:29
thought we really we Ram drove that ball
1:30
really hard but besides that we had not
1:32
really hit the ball hard and I thought
1:34
the last four innings were our best at
1:37
bats luk could have hope that went to
1:39
right to the wall yeah I mean Luke's
1:41
just a matter of time for somebody pops
1:43
a home run no better time than do it in
1:45
the jungle right what can you say to
1:47
folder's resilience coming back in that
1:49
second inning more with his stuff his
1:51
fastball command after a little bit more
1:53
of a shaky start yeah you know both our
1:56
lefties they had to pitch today um you
1:58
know we had a plan and we knew certain
2:00
guys were available and certain weren't
2:03
uh and they were going to play eight it
2:05
wasn't the best match up for Lefty but
2:06
they both needed to pitch and I thought
2:08
him coming back after that inning going
2:10
one two three was big for him and uh his
2:13
command of his off speed wasn't where it
2:15
needed to be but that's usually the last
2:17
thing to come and there's no doubt that
2:19
it will come I'm I'm just impressed that
2:21
he's throwing the way he is you know
2:23
having surgery not that long ago but a a
2:26
lot of your runs came with two outs a
2:28
lot of clutch hitting tonight
2:30
yeah you know I feel like we've done
2:31
that quite a bit um and in that game I
2:34
thought Texas Tech was really good but I
2:36
felt like we were in control mostly the
2:38
whole time against Texas Tech I felt
2:39
like in that game uh you know we had to
2:43
find a way to get control of it which we
2:45
did later in the game but our guys
2:47
stepped up and I I felt good about bass
2:49
bass had has had really good at bats
2:52
hasn't struck out much his average is
2:54
low but average is the most misleading
2:56
thing in baseball and um I just wanted
2:58
him to hit the ball hard on the barrel
2:59
that was a big hit for us Gavin got off
3:01
the snide a little bit for a big hit
3:04
yeah how good you think that feels yeah
3:06
really you you could tell it like sort
3:09
of lifted off man I remember I was over
3:12
32 uh at nor CL Wes and got benched and
3:15
I got a hit and run it shouldn't be like
3:17
that but you think about that as a
3:18
hitter and uh that was really good for
3:21
Gavin he's played really good defense
3:22
for us and the thing about it is you
3:25
know it's four games so I don't get
3:26
caught up who's hitting what and it's
3:28
more who's who's having good at bats
3:31
when it means when it's the most
3:32
important in the biggest situations and
3:34
I feel like for the most part we've done
3:36
a pretty good job all of our guys have
3:38
doing a pretty good job with that what
3:40
would into the decision to pinch hit m d
3:43
for St Angelo yeah he's one of he can
3:46
really hit uh so we need to get him in
3:47
there anyway it was a great matchup he's
3:49
he's his history is really good against
3:51
left in pitchers um you know we were giv
3:55
him a hard time cuz he was literally in
3:56
there 10 seconds uh but you're going to
3:59
see more of him as the year moves along
4:01
a guy like Perry har we you know uh like
4:04
I said like I told our team after Texas
4:08
Tech I mean sha spray wasn't even in the
4:09
mix so there going to be somebody else
4:11
pop in that's going to help us
4:13
offensively and on the mound how did you
4:15
see Maddie bounce back coming back in
4:17
that ninth inning starting with those
4:19
two after the eighth inning that maybe
4:21
wasn't his best closer like you know
4:23
what I felt like his stuff top to bottom
4:25
velocity off speed he didn't throw any
4:28
splits which coach gain said after in
4:30
the locker room he probably should have
4:31
caught a couple of those to the lefties
4:34
um but I thought he had great stuff and
4:35
he was ahead of everybody and he was
4:37
pounding the strike zone he he lost a
4:39
3-2 count to one hitter um but you know
4:42
he just didn't put hitters away with two
4:44
strikes and then that's an older guy he
4:46
goes back out he gets the two strikes
4:48
and he makes his pitches instead of
4:50
mistakes SE Graves similarly seemed to
4:53
do that he had two really really big
4:55
strikeouts and he's young kind of speak
4:57
to his ability to do that at I mean his
4:59
Che out yeah I told him when I took him
5:01
out that I was most impressed of how his
5:03
stuff after just pitching um because he
5:05
is a smaller kid right now he is a
5:08
freshman and how you bounce back most of
5:11
the time is decided on what type of work
5:12
ethic you have you know are you getting
5:14
in the gym on Sunday are you doing all
5:16
your post are you are you staying in
5:18
shape to flush out all that other stuff
5:20
but he's got great stuff so if he's in
5:22
the zone he's hard to hit and that tells
5:24
you the kid that uh I think it was her
5:25
third baseman had a really good at bat
5:27
against him um but learning other things
5:30
he felt you know he should have our
5:32
pitchers need to know what their best
5:33
pitch is and not be afraid to go to it
5:35
themselves if they need to so he threw a
5:37
slider there instead of the curveball
5:38
but he he's going to be special for sure
5:40
what was the chirping about the pitch
5:42
clock I mean I don't know it wasn't our
5:44
chirping it was their CH but you know
5:47
the Rule's been the rule and uh you know
5:50
I think it I think the rule is extremely
5:52
clear the hitter can has until 8 seconds
5:55
or on the pitch plot to get in there and
5:56
he has to have eye contact with the
5:59
pitcher the pit pure starts before I
6:01
contact comes up you get one warning and
6:03
the rest are balls is the eye contact
6:05
thing new this year or is it like it's
6:07
well no it's not new this year but the a
6:10
seconds is it used to be you have to be
6:11
it used to have to be a little bit
6:13
quicker um but credit to our coaching
6:15
staff they spent a we spent a lot of
6:16
time on the preseason both as pitchers
6:19
and as hitters of working on it knowing
6:22
the rule how to use it to our
6:25
advantage going back to the lack of home
6:27
runs isn't it more encouraging almost
6:29
that you guys are finding ways to win
6:30
without you know without that and you're
6:32
able to string hits together when it
6:33
matters against Big 12 competition
6:35
absolutely well I mean you kind of saw
6:37
the arms too I mean we're not seeing 85
6:39
to
6:40
88 guys or guys that just aren't good
6:43
and I feel like we've had to work to
6:46
score against Texas Tech and against
6:48
Kansas State Kansas State thre some of
6:50
their best guys the same guys that they
6:52
you know they played Friday but a lot of
6:53
those guys were available today cuz they
6:55
had three days rest um but yeah I think
6:58
that speaks hey we can find other ways
7:01
and then we should even score more when
7:03
we start bopping some of those two more
7:05
can you uh talk a little bit more about
7:07
Tyson's um mentality at the plate and
7:09
how it's translating to the division one
7:11
level I mean you see him he's much
7:12
relaxed kid uh he looks like he's on
7:15
tranquilizers when he stands in there
7:16
half the time the bat comes out of his
7:18
hand um but man he is so talented no
7:22
moments too big he's very confident and
7:24
he hits the ball really hard like even
7:26
our stronger more physical guys they're
7:28
more physical than him him for sometime
7:30
in all and BP just how his exit velocity
7:33
what you saw when he hit that ball hard
7:35
even though it was kind of on the ground
7:37
if he barrels the ball he's got a good
7:39
chance to get on base and that's why I'm
7:41
most excited about what you said with
7:42
our offense hitting's contagious and we
7:44
have good hitters um we we've managed to
7:47
go four and0 without a ton of home you
7:49
know no home runs and not a ton of
7:51
doubles some doubles but we've got some
7:53
big hits of big situations they don't
7:54
have brick walls at wesling behind first
7:57
place you know what no um and I I said
8:00
that exact thing to Tyson I was like hey
8:02
man we're not at bowfield um and Angelo
8:05
almost did the same thing but those are
8:06
things on a series know that you can't
8:08
do those little things matter and uh
8:10
we'll address those um at practice
8:12
tomorrow that's a just a mental mistake
8:14
you know you you got to know that brick
8:16
walls there he he does he just got a
8:18
little bit excited but um they're
8:20
they're fun kids to be around for sure
8:23
thanks go thank thank you oh fantastic
8:27
unbelievable one of the best days of my
8:29
life had to start him off with a good
8:30
question that's a great question a good
8:32
question I mean not much to it just a
8:35
testing midweek game I you came through
8:38
in the clutch teammates came through in
8:40
the clutch just kind of talk about like
8:42
coach warb said if you're able to get it
8:43
done without getting on yeah um I mean I
8:46
think that's going to be one of the big
8:47
things with this team uh you know just
8:49
finding a way to get on finding some
8:51
barrels um you know I thought our
8:53
pitchers stood pretty well as well um
8:55
defense was there which is always going
8:56
to be huge for us um but you know kind
8:59
of just focusing on the process and you
9:01
know doing what we can do to help us win
9:03
and just you know find ways to get on
9:06
you've played Short year basically
9:07
entire career L yes or last year how has
9:10
the transition kind of been being with
9:12
Jackson Gavin and then Hing back yeah I
9:15
mean I think it's obviously huge you
9:16
know returning a lot of guys especially
9:18
in the in the infield is definitely
9:20
really big for us but you know we've
9:22
we've jelled um last year was huge
9:24
having those guys and just kind of
9:25
talking to them and finding my way in
9:27
and then you know this year just playing
9:29
with them it's been I mean our uh the
9:32
way we've just jelled together and and
9:33
done everything is just huge do you
9:35
think you've made any particular kind of
9:37
gains at the plate going into this
9:39
season um I've definitely switched a
9:42
couple things so I feel like I'm kind of
9:44
swinging at better pitches and not you
9:46
know I I feel like last year I kind of
9:48
was just you know swinging to swing at
9:50
some pitches and I feel like this year
9:52
you know I know exactly what I'm looking
9:53
for and trying to drive the ball a
9:54
little bit more what's been the
9:56
adjustment obviously like you said short
9:58
stop your whole career but the
9:59
adjustment between second and short for
10:02
you yeah um I mean honestly so playing
10:05
short stop your whole life I feel like
10:07
second base kind of comes naturally as
10:09
well so I feel like the switch would
10:11
either way if you put Vandy at short or
10:13
me at second you know I feel like either
10:15
of us could do it and I feel like it's
10:17
really not that that big of a of a
10:18
difference I feel like it's honestly
10:20
easier at Short a little bit because
10:21
your momentum's kind of going towards
10:22
first whereas second you're kind of on
10:24
your heels a little bit making play so
10:26
feel like I feel like it's good over
10:28
there I like it What was the mood when
10:30
Gavin got his first H oh that was
10:31
awesome we were we were so happy for him
10:33
that was just a a great moment for him
10:34
he actually said something in the locker
10:36
room he was like you know I finally got
10:37
my first Barrel so you know it's it's
10:39
good for him to get out there what does
10:41
it say about getting putting together
10:43
that many runs without getting one out
10:47
of the park yeah honestly it's it's kind
10:49
of weird um you know we have a lot of
10:52
guys that can obviously hit the long
10:53
Ball but I think it's it's definitely
10:55
something that's really going to help us
10:57
honestly because we're showing ourselves
10:58
that we don't need the long ball to
11:00
still generate runs so I think it's
11:02
going to be big for us in the long run
11:03
but it's so different from that the way
11:06
last year's team won yeah yeah
11:08
definitely I mean last year I feel like
11:10
it was more of a kind of home Runner
11:12
strikeout kind of situation with some of
11:14
the guys so I feel like with us just
11:17
putting the ball in play you know we
11:18
find ourselves a little bit of a
11:19
speedier team so I feel like we give
11:21
ourselves a better chance of of finding
11:23
ways to score that way just putting the
11:24
ball in play maybe more
11:26
discipline um I mean maybe a little bit
11:29
yeah I feel like some of the drills
11:31
we've been doing we've been taking a lot
11:32
a lot more pitches and you know swinging
11:34
at the right pitches so just focusing on
11:35
getting our a swings off you and Rah
11:38
both seem to really be hitting the ball
11:40
in the Gap recently what have you kind
11:41
of seen from him he's I mean he's really
11:44
good he I feel like for him it's kind of
11:47
just a a mind I don't want to speak for
11:49
him but I feel like it's kind of a
11:50
mindset thing and I feel like you know
11:52
he kind of just has fun playing the game
11:53
and you know he swings I mean as hard as
11:56
I've ever seen anybody swing every time
11:58
so I mean he's just trying to hit the
12:00
ball hard and you know if it goes It
12:01
goes two more can can you talk a little
12:04
bit more about the clutch HS
12:05
specifically the Tyson and luk there in
12:07
the bottom of the seven yeah I mean I
12:08
think everybody's kind of just ready for
12:10
the moment you know they step up in a
12:11
big spot and you know everybody expects
12:13
them to succeed and everybody's pulling
12:15
for him so I think they're just you know
12:16
ready for the
12:18
moment than
12:22
alexu so you you almost got the first
12:25
one there in the what the third inning
12:26
to the boarding track did you think you
12:28
had that one I hit it well just got a
12:31
little under it so but good swing I
12:34
guess has the team talked about hey we
12:37
haven't had a home run that yet is is it
12:39
bugging some people or you just not
12:40
worried about it no I mean it's early uh
12:42
obviously we know we haven't but uh
12:45
we're winning ball games and like kind
12:46
of Alex said before we're proving that
12:49
we can generate runs without it and we
12:51
still have a lot of power threats on
12:52
this team that are going to leave the
12:54
yard and we're just doing everything we
12:57
can to win ball games
12:59
what did you see from folder Cameron and
13:02
Maddie when they kind of started off
13:04
maybe not their best and then really
13:06
came back and responded all those D just
13:07
compete you know whether they're on
13:09
whether they're not I mean I think they
13:11
all had good stuff and they're just you
13:13
know figuring themselves out a little
13:15
bit early on but everyone everyone that
13:18
we threw out there competes their tail
13:19
off and that's what they did and they
13:21
were able to ease their way in and and
13:22
get outs with or without their best
13:24
stuff you've been a freshman in a big
13:26
situation before what have you seen from
13:28
Cameron tonight and then last weekend
13:30
with McDuffy and Lynch coming in in
13:32
those big situations and being able to
13:33
deliver they confident you know like
13:36
they they came in they both they all had
13:38
good Falls good preseason and you know
13:41
they they step up there they step up
13:42
there knowing that their stuff's better
13:44
than the other guys and and they deliver
13:46
and you know I think they're going to be
13:47
big for us and they're just they're
13:48
confident day in and day out and they
13:49
compete and that's all you can really
13:50
ask for so Gavin get off the get off the
13:54
ofer street there and then Tyson had a
13:56
big hit as well Alex had a couple big
13:58
hits it's just the offense without
14:00
hitting the the home runs being able to
14:03
score 12 runs against a team that was
14:05
here to
14:07
compete question said just talk about
14:09
the offense my bad just talk about the
14:11
offense not hitting the home runs yeah
14:14
same thing like it's it's early um like
14:17
we're just all trying to put up put good
14:18
swings on balls and every time that
14:21
there's running scor position we're
14:22
doing everything we can to scor you know
14:23
I mean home runs are going to come we're
14:25
all going to hit home runs it's it's
14:27
going to come and we're just looking to
14:29
generate runs and like I said we're
14:30
trying to win ball games
14:32
so but you know you're going to hit home
14:34
runs but it's not going to be like last
14:37
season it seems like we hit one 15 it
14:39
might I don't know we'll see did you and
14:42
fuler have any kind of sentimental
14:44
moments before today's game your first
14:46
time catching him in a start since he
14:48
got injured last year yeah you know we
14:50
we we I both we both knew his first
14:52
start and he came in this weekend and
14:54
I'm just happy for the kid like he he
14:56
worked really really hard this this
14:58
whole year did everything he he did
15:00
everything he needed to and some and uh
15:02
we're all we've all been pulling for him
15:04
him and nap and I'm just glad to see him
15:06
out there and competing again so I'm
15:08
happy for him can you um talk about
15:11
Tyson you obviously had a big hit for
15:12
your big hit in the bottom of the
15:14
seventh inning and how he's kind of
15:15
transitioning to the division level yeah
15:17
no I think he's done I think he's doing
15:19
a great job you know he's same thing
15:21
came in had a good fall good preseason I
15:23
think he's an unbelievable hitter and uh
15:25
he got a pitch that he could handle and
15:28
big spot wasn't wasn't anyone for him me
15:29
he he was used to it and I think he's
15:31
it's going to be exciting to
15:33
watch thanks Luke thanks
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