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UNC's Scott Forbes and Jackson Van De Brake after the Heels rally but fall to N.C. State #UNC
May 10, 2025
UNC's Scott Forbes and Jackson Van De Brake after the Heels rally but fall to N.C. State #UNC
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0:00
Credit to NC State. I thought uh we
0:02
grabbed the momentum there. Just told
0:03
our guys, awesome group to coach. Tough
0:06
group. Don't stop playing. Um they got
0:09
it done tonight. We didn't. Plain and
0:11
simple. I thought we grabbed that
0:13
momentum. I thought Fritton was really,
0:15
really good. I thought Hal had good
0:16
stuff. Um off speed not that great. Um
0:19
and NC State's a team that if you can't
0:21
locate an offspe pitch, they'll make you
0:23
pay, which they did uh towards the end.
0:25
And our bullpin's been so good. Ryan
0:27
Lynch has been so good. Um it happens. I
0:29
told him same thing. Recover, move on,
0:32
be ready to go on Sunday on Mother's Day
0:35
and uh for the series. Did you not want
0:38
to use McDuffy two straight days? You
0:40
know what? Everybody recovers different.
0:44
Um I didn't want to use him. Uh I
0:47
considered using him. Uh but I just made
0:50
the decision we weren't losing McDuffy
0:52
today. What was the offensive plan going
0:54
into tonight with Burton? Just grind it
0:57
out. I mean, he's good, man. He's got
0:59
right on it. Um left-handed 92 95 up to
1:02
96. He's improved his composure, his
1:06
poise. Um and we just needed we got some
1:09
guys on. Um we couldn't strike anything,
1:11
you know, solid. And then Andy got the
1:13
big two-run home run and that changed
1:15
the momentum quickly. Um and I felt
1:18
really good like after we made it four
1:20
to two. I had a really good feeling and
1:22
had a really good feeling there up until
1:23
the end. Even when they went up by
1:24
three, I thought we'd manage a way to
1:26
get Ty run there and find a way to come
1:27
back. It just didn't work out for us,
1:29
especially with some single elimination
1:30
games coming up in the postseason. How
1:32
important is that ability to force a
1:34
hard starter like that out with a big
1:36
hit? Yeah. I mean, you know, if he
1:38
throws a complete game and we just go
1:40
away in that game, four nothing, five
1:42
nothing, six nothing, they don't have to
1:44
use Nance, they don't have to use uh
1:46
Hebrew, whoever they used at the end. I
1:48
can't remember who it is, but they're
1:50
two best relievers. Uh so it does matter
1:52
and it matters on Sunday.
1:54
Um, and you know, at the end of the
1:58
day, most of the time, team that pitches
2:01
and defends the best wins the game. And
2:04
I thought they did that a little bit
2:05
better than we did today. You get them
2:07
on there and you got hit by pitch on the
2:09
lead off. I mean, that's that's tough.
2:11
It's no good. Um, but you still got to
2:13
make the next pitch. We talk to our team
2:14
all the time. when something like that
2:16
happens, get the next guy out because if
2:19
you get that next guy out, your chances
2:20
of giving up a big inning are really,
2:22
really slim. Um, and you have to score
2:25
anyway, right there, even though the
2:26
game's tied. So, if they do happen to
2:28
score one run, I mean, you got to score
2:31
one run to win. So, it was just that
2:33
crooked number that hurt us there. Um,
2:36
we that we gave up two of them. Um, two,
2:38
three spots, right? Is that right? And,
2:41
uh, it's hard to overcome that when you
2:42
face a good team with good pitchers. You
2:44
had a mound meeting with Ryan in that
2:45
inning. You did take him out. Was it
2:47
more to talk about maybe prepping for a
2:49
buck defense or what did you say to him?
2:50
No, just trying to slow them down,
2:52
encourage them. Um, I've been coaching
2:54
long enough. I don't believe in any
2:57
negativity in a game. It doesn't do any
2:59
good. Our players aren't going to play
3:00
the game the wrong way. They're going to
3:01
play the game the right way. They're all
3:03
giving effort. Um, you know, and and I
3:06
played. So, whenever you you make a
3:08
mistake, you sure didn't try to make the
3:10
mistake. Uh so really as a coach it's
3:13
enforcing positivity. Hey man, make the
3:15
next pitch. We bought into this pitch
3:18
and really he, you know, he had pretty
3:19
good stuff. The end we gave up the one
3:21
run. Um Carter bobbled the ball that was
3:24
hit off the end and then they hit
3:26
another ball off the end. So we felt
3:28
really good about sending Ryan back out
3:31
there because he's been in that
3:32
position. That's kind of how we've been
3:33
piggybacking these guys. Um, but I'll go
3:36
back and look at that and and we'll see
3:38
if when the next situation comes the
3:40
same thing. Will I make the same
3:42
decision or I won't. It's felt like
3:44
Aiden was bad rough inning, good inning,
3:47
rough inning, good inning. How do you
3:48
get him back consistent? I mean, his
3:51
fast ball is as good as it's been all
3:52
season. It was it was electric. Um, but
3:54
he's had his change up most every single
3:57
time that he's pitched really well and
3:59
it's been a swing and miss pitch. I
4:00
thought the curveball was a little bit
4:01
better than the change up. Um, and
4:04
again, I'd have to go back and watch
4:06
because it's hard to see exactly where
4:07
those pitches are. Sometimes you say
4:09
something and you go back and watch and
4:10
the pitches were pretty good pitches and
4:12
the hitter did a really good job of
4:14
getting a swing off on a good pitch. Um,
4:17
but you know, everybody gets caught up
4:18
in velocity, but the easiest pitch to
4:20
hit is the heater. And if you don't have
4:22
something to go with it and you can't
4:24
locate to keep hitters off that pitch,
4:28
um, you know, it can be in for a long
4:29
day against any good offense in the ACC.
4:32
Also feel like we had some some two
4:34
strike pitches that were just mistakes
4:36
and we didn't make them. And uh if you
4:39
don't make them, good teams make you pay
4:41
for them. So you're close. He is getting
4:43
close. Yeah. I don't think he's game
4:45
ready. He's got to hit off the machine
4:46
with some velocity. But today was
4:48
probably the first day that he looked
4:51
like he had his normal bat speed and now
4:53
we just got to see how the hand reacts
4:56
to that 94 95. Um but he's been working.
4:59
I I do think he's pretty close. Scott,
5:02
along the lines of what Tommy's asking
5:03
you about Aiden, like where would you
5:05
say your confidence is with him right
5:08
now? Because I think it's like three
5:09
starts that have been sort of less than
5:11
ideal, like you know. Yeah. Where's your
5:14
confidence with him? Where do you think
5:15
his confidence is? I think his
5:16
confidence is high. My confidence is
5:19
extremely high. Gotcha. Um Virginia
5:21
Tech, that was just one of those, you
5:23
know, I still think he had really good
5:25
stuff. Um I thought he was extremely
5:28
aggressive. Uh but again, you know,
5:32
unless you're Jay Knapp and you have
5:34
that type of fast ball, which not many I
5:36
don't think anybody does in this league,
5:38
um you have to have your off speed pitch
5:40
and he just he didn't have that change
5:42
up. So, we'll get that change up back,
5:44
but man, he's he's been one of our best
5:46
and we're going to keep rolling him out
5:48
there. Is that is that one of the common
5:50
themes maybe from the last couple times
5:52
he's gone out where the off speed hasn't
5:53
been there for him? Is there a common
5:55
thread that you've seen as you've looked
5:57
into? Yeah. Yeah, I would say I mean I
6:00
thought he was golly I thought I know
6:02
they got the one run, but I thought his
6:04
stuff top to bottom today was really
6:06
good. The change up was coming out of
6:08
his hand good. It just was a ball
6:09
usually right out of the hand. And I'd
6:11
have to go back and look, but that's
6:13
probably the most common thing. Um Aiden
6:16
has to pitch, you know, and and he's
6:18
he's not a a fast ball challenge guy
6:21
right down the middle. Um so he's you
6:23
know, all a sudden that fast ball's
6:24
spiking like that. You try to be who
6:27
you're not. So, we'll just get them back
6:28
to to giving and taking a little bit
6:30
more. And I say giving and taking,
6:31
that's change of speeds. Was the
6:33
decision to bring in the Fulier and
6:36
Chewy for Sosa just purely based on
6:38
splits? No, not just his splits were
6:40
about even. Um I thought I mean Fulier
6:44
looked really good. Put him away really
6:45
quick and I thought she was about to put
6:47
him away really quick and threw a nasty
6:48
slider one uh 01 and then threw a
6:51
literally a slider just came out early
6:53
and right down the middle which can
6:54
happen. again. He wasn't trying to make
6:56
that mistake, but he'll learn from it.
6:57
Make a better one next time. But I like
6:59
both those guys against lefties. With
7:01
the day off, it's sort of like a maybe a
7:03
college World Series type set up here. I
7:05
mean, so what do you do tomorrow with
7:07
everything that's going on? Yeah, we're
7:08
going to meet at 1:00. We'll move around
7:09
a little bit. Um, hit a little bit. You
7:12
know, we don't know who they're
7:13
starting. It was TBA. Uh, but you know,
7:16
it allows our guys a day to recover.
7:18
Everybody's going to I told our guys
7:19
like, you know, this is a super regional
7:21
type weekend and it's awesome. Mother's
7:23
Day on Sunday. It's going to be a
7:24
beautiful day. Um, we'll maximize
7:26
tomorrow. We'll recover. We'll make sure
7:28
we're nutritionally sound and um, we'll
7:31
be ready, that's for sure. Anything in
7:33
the back of your mind to keep Secrets in
7:34
a little bit longer? Man, he threw he
7:37
was on two days rest. Um, you know, he's
7:40
not a really big kid, so I want to take
7:42
care of him. Um, he's a max effort kid,
7:45
but I tell you what, he's really
7:46
emerging, too, as a guy. We need another
7:49
guy. And, uh, he is extremely
7:51
aggressive. He's extremely competitive
7:55
and I can see us using him even more uh
7:58
down this stretch run which we need to
8:00
have somebody like that and he's got
8:02
weapons. So that was really really good
8:04
to see. What uh what do you think
8:06
contributed to that free run ninth
8:08
inning for for
8:10
you know what leadoff batter on um and
8:14
then again the slider today for Lynch
8:17
when he couldn't land it. Uh he's still
8:19
throwing 95 and they they just put good
8:21
swings on him. What's the message? Like
8:25
Tommy saying you got the day off. Like I
8:27
mean is there any sort of particular
8:28
thing you're thought you're leaving
8:29
these guys with tonight since it's a
8:31
since you're not turning around and
8:33
playing tomorrow afternoon? You know
8:35
what after wins you say a little. After
8:37
losses you shouldn't say much at all. Um
8:41
we talk about being processoriented.
8:42
Take your shower and move on. It's not
8:44
the last game of the season. Again, it's
8:46
just that's my message was, hey, how how
8:49
would we respond if this was a super,
8:52
right? I mean, you you had all the
8:54
momentum. It looks like, hey, we're
8:55
going to find a way to win this game. We
8:56
tied up five to five, but we didn't. So,
8:59
if you feel sorry for yourself, you're
9:02
not doing what we talk to you about all
9:03
the time. You take that shower, you move
9:05
on, and I always remind them the year
9:08
LSU won the game two, they lost 24 to4
9:11
to Florida. Um, and they came back and
9:14
beat Florida the next day. So, that's
9:15
just the game of baseball. Uh,
9:17
everybody's really, really good. And I
9:19
think the teams that can do that and not
9:22
get too high or too low, um, have a
9:24
better chance to win when they go to
9:26
those game threes, for sure. Yeah. Not
9:28
let it linger. No. Heck no. Yeah. Like
9:31
this time of year, man, we have an
9:32
unbelievable group. Uh, they work their
9:35
tails off. They're they're pleasure to
9:36
coach. There's nothing to get on them
9:38
about. I mean, that's the type of group
9:40
they are. They're going to play hard.
9:41
They're not trying to make mistakes. of
9:42
anything this time of year. If you have
9:44
any feel, and I hope I have a little
9:46
bit, it's it's hey, stay the course. And
9:50
you know, the fear of failure is a
9:52
powerful thing. And I want our guys to
9:55
play free. And I want them to have a
9:57
blast, plan, and go after it and have no
10:00
fear. And you do that when you're
10:01
prepared and you work hard. And that's
10:02
what these guys do. So, if anything,
10:04
tomorrow we'll get them in there at
10:05
1:00. We'll have some fun. Um, talk very
10:09
little about that game. just a couple
10:11
defensive miscues that we have to
10:12
correct and get them out of here. And
10:14
I'll tell them if their families are in
10:16
town to make sure that they spend time
10:17
with their families, don't miss the
10:18
moment. And we'll wake up Sunday
10:19
morning, have a pregame field meal, and
10:22
tea it up at 1:00 like we always do.
10:25
Appreciate. Thank you. Thank you.
10:29
Yay. Grace. All right. Can you just take
10:32
us through the homework and the momentum
10:33
shift there? It was the last I mean you
10:36
were the last batter song. Uh yeah, I
10:38
mean Fritton was obviously really really
10:40
good today. He had his stuff going
10:42
pretty much throwing everything for a
10:43
strike.
10:44
Um and when he's going like that, it's
10:47
it's tough at bat. Um sometimes what it
10:49
takes is it's a Kley gets on base and
10:52
it's one sw one swing from from one of
10:54
us and that's just how it goes and I
10:56
happen to be that guy.
10:58
Um, but I think I don't know if if he
11:00
was coming out there either way or not,
11:02
but um, it was going to come down to
11:05
somebody making a swing and it again, it
11:07
just kind of happened to be me. How did
11:08
you guys prep for Britain? I know Kane
11:10
told us yesterday you originally thought
11:11
he was going to start on Friday and you
11:13
had a little bit more with the extra
11:15
weekend to prep for him. Yeah, I just
11:16
kind of the stuff that we always do. We
11:18
have our machines. Uh, we know the fast
11:20
ball is really, really good. Um, so you
11:21
have to be on the fast ball
11:23
and again when he's landing his off
11:26
speed like he was tonight that makes it
11:27
a lot more or a lot tougher. Um, and
11:30
especially the way we hit the fast ball
11:31
last night.
11:32
Um, but yeah, I mean we we we have our
11:35
process and we were locked in what we
11:37
had to do and it just a lot of times
11:39
it's tougher than when just talking
11:41
about it. So did you allow yours or you
11:44
still keep going? I would say Carter,
11:46
Kane, those two guys with speed, one of
11:48
them will sometimes, you know, Carter
11:50
will sometimes hit in front of you.
11:51
Kane's definitely hitting in front of
11:52
you. Just their ability to grab an extra
11:54
bag. How important is that for you guys?
11:56
It's unbelievable. I think the last two
11:57
nights it's obviously really come out
11:59
with Ke. Um, but he's been doing that
12:00
all year. I'm just kind of lucky to be
12:03
the guy that's there behind him. Um, but
12:06
the their ability that to just be on
12:08
base a lot in general and then once they
12:09
are on base, they find a way to score
12:11
pretty much every time. the left fielder
12:14
loses that ball for the Wolfpack there.
12:15
Whatever it was, eighth inning, I guess
12:17
it was. Were you allowing yourself to
12:18
think there might be some Bosch magic at
12:20
work here? I mean, they would have been
12:22
out of the inning if if he makes the
12:24
catch, obviously. Yeah. I mean, you
12:25
never rule it out. We've seen it too
12:26
many times. Um, and we just, you know,
12:29
sometimes it takes a break like that to
12:31
get back in the game and that's all it
12:32
was tonight. And Frenchie got in there.
12:34
Big swing out of him. Um, and yeah, I
12:37
mean, sometimes you need one of those
12:39
and and we got it and we're able to tie
12:42
it up. obviously didn't hang on to it,
12:43
but those uh those sorts of things can
12:46
you need them every once in a while. We
12:48
talked with Ke last night about you
12:50
hitting behind him from your vantage
12:52
point, hitting behind him when he's on
12:54
first or on second, your mindset when
12:57
you know he can steal the base or you
12:59
got to get the ball in the grass and he
13:00
may score. Just talk about having a guy
13:03
like that in front of you and your
13:04
mindset when he's on. Yeah, I mean when
13:06
he's on first base, you pretty much
13:08
expect him to seal second at some point
13:10
through that at bat. Um, it's kind of an
13:12
adjustment that I've had to make. Like
13:13
with a guy like that, you if you see him
13:16
take off with a good jump, you kind of
13:17
tend to shut it down. And I will do that
13:19
if it's early in the count. Um, but I've
13:22
had to kind of catch myself taking good
13:23
pitches when I know he has a bag stolen.
13:26
But he's going to find a way over there
13:27
one way or another. Um, like last night
13:31
he I think double maybe and then pass
13:34
ball and then he scores on the
13:36
shallowest fly ball of all time.
13:38
Um he's the only guy that's scoring on
13:40
that play. So I he's pretty uh he's fun
13:44
to watch out there and he's kind of I
13:45
mean he's stealing every bag and scoring
13:46
every time he's on base. It's pretty
13:48
unbelievable. Is it is it sort of
13:50
maddening for you though trying to No, I
13:53
mean I love it. I I would I uh would
13:56
take that every time. If every if all of
13:57
us could run like that, we'd probably
13:58
score a few more runs. Coach Forbes
14:01
talked about you guys trying to make
14:02
sure you guys are playing free. As one
14:04
of the leaders on this team, especially
14:05
when you have a loss that goes from they
14:08
had the lead, you guys come back, and
14:10
then they take the lead again. How do
14:11
you kind of make sure in that clubhouse
14:13
that your guys are playing free? Yeah, I
14:15
mean, I think we do a pretty good job of
14:16
that. I think that I think a night like
14:19
tonight is pretty evident like we we're
14:21
down all day and we're able to come back
14:23
late. Um, and whether or not we end up
14:25
winning or losing that game, we we know
14:27
that we have the ability to win it. Um,
14:29
and that's what I think is important and
14:31
going forward we can kind of learn from
14:33
that that we're never out of a game. Um,
14:36
and like post game tonight, like
14:38
obviously it's it's a quiet locker room.
14:39
Everybody's, you know, we're not happy
14:41
that we lose that game, but we do know
14:42
that coming back Sunday is is important
14:44
and we've done it all year. Going
14:46
towards the postseason, how big is it to
14:48
just have that confidence that you guys
14:50
can not just win a game like you did
14:52
yesterday, but when you may have the
14:54
ability to come back in the late one?
14:56
Yeah, I mean, it's everything. I think
14:57
that it doesn't matter who you're
14:58
playing or what kind of game you're in.
15:00
Um, we have the ability to get right
15:03
back into a game in an inning and a
15:04
couple of at bats. Um, and when you know
15:07
that you have that ability, it kind of
15:08
allows you to have that freedom that
15:10
you're talking about. Aiden has had some
15:12
lights out starts this season.
15:14
Obviously, the last two or three haven't
15:16
been his best. What would you say just
15:18
from your vantage point as a guy who's
15:20
seen a ton of baseball? What do you
15:22
think maybe isn't working for him right
15:24
now that had been you know, maybe a
15:27
month ago, month and a half ago. I mean,
15:29
have you seen what have you seen change
15:31
for him, maybe? I mean, I don't I don't
15:33
know if I've necessarily seen anything
15:34
change, and I'm not the biggest pitching
15:35
guy to to, you know, break that sort of
15:38
thing down. I think that he really
15:39
really battled tonight, and I think he's
15:42
just as confident as ever, which is the
15:43
biggest thing for a guy like that. Um,
15:45
and we know how good he can be and how
15:47
good he how good he has been this year.
15:49
Um, so I don't think I've necessarily
15:51
seen anything change. I think he had
15:52
some tough breaks tonight honestly and
15:54
that sort of thing can kind of change
15:56
your outing. So you haven't, like you
15:57
said, you haven't sensed any loss of
15:59
confidence? No, no, not one bit. Was um
16:02
was there anything in particular that
16:03
went wrong in that ninth inning and what
16:05
was your guys' mindset then going into
16:06
the bottom of the inning? I mean there
16:09
you can you can I guess point a couple
16:11
things out, but we were going to have to
16:13
score a run anyway if we wanted to win
16:15
that game. Um and that's kind of what we
16:16
talked about coming in.
16:19
Um get a guy on base. Stokeley makes a
16:21
good swing on that. The kid obviously
16:23
made a made an unbelievable play. Um but
16:25
all it takes is a couple of swings and
16:27
you're tied back up. Um so I mean we
16:30
whether we're down one or tied or down
16:32
three, it doesn't necessarily change.
16:34
You're going to have to go get guys on
16:35
base and get them in regardless. Can I
16:38
ask what the last question for? Sure. Um
16:41
my grandpa's nickname was Doc and he
16:44
gave me this this necklace way back in
16:45
the day when I've I it doesn't come off.
16:49
Not right now. Thanks, Jackson.