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Arizona coach Chip Hale and second baseman Garen Caulfield after loss Friday to #UNC #azwildcats
Jun 6, 2025
Arizona coach Chip Hale and second baseman Garen Caulfield after loss Friday to #UNC #azwildcats
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0:00
Not the best uh first game, but it's one
0:02
game and uh it's a three game series,
0:04
which is the beauty of baseball. We're
0:07
not in unchartered waters. Uh we we've
0:09
lost some Friday games, come back and
0:12
won the series. So, I think the guys
0:13
feel that way and um obviously North
0:16
Carolina played a fantastic game and
0:18
that's their number one guy and he he
0:19
showed why and their offense was
0:22
tremendous today. So, hopefully we'll do
0:23
something to shut them down tomorrow and
0:25
and um because I felt like our offense,
0:27
we had good at bats all day. We had hard
0:29
contact. I think we struck out three
0:31
times. So, was proud of the offense. We
0:33
just, you know, obviously our pitchers
0:34
have picked us up so big all year. It's
0:36
just one um one bad one. So, that's the
0:39
way it goes. Questions? Just raise your
0:42
hand. I'll call you out in the second
0:44
half. Chip, when it came to Owen, did it
0:46
just look like he didn't have his best
0:48
stuff today? Uh, yeah. I think so. I
0:50
think you're right. I mean, Brian, I
0:52
think you're exactly right. I think he
0:53
was center cut a lot. It was a little
0:55
bit uh reminiscent of of Globe Life the
0:57
first start, you know, started. His
0:59
stuff wasn't bad. It's just the location
1:01
and these are, you know, you look up and
1:03
down their lineup, they're veteran guys
1:04
who know how to hit. They got short
1:06
swings. Um they're going to take
1:08
advantage of of bad location. So, yeah,
1:10
I think the first, you know, batter
1:12
getting hit by the cutter end. I think
1:14
that threw him off a little bit, too.
1:16
And and with him, but also other
1:17
pitchers, you always shift a lot, but it
1:19
seemed like Caroline was able to hit
1:21
away from the shift. Yeah, they did a
1:22
good job. Is that is that just the
1:24
nature of the beast when you go with the
1:25
shift? Yes, exactly. And they they like
1:27
I said, when you have short swings like
1:29
they do, especially with two strikes and
1:31
you leave the ball up, he can guide the
1:33
ball where you want to. If we make
1:35
better pitches, probably it's hard for
1:36
them to do that. What was the gist of
1:39
your message to the guys out on the
1:40
field after the game? Just flush it.
1:42
Flush it and move on. It's, you know,
1:44
we're a single elimination now. You
1:46
know, we've been in that in the Big 12
1:47
tournament. We just got to play our best
1:49
game tomorrow. And uh you know it's it's
1:52
part of the game. Like I said, it's a
1:54
three-game series and obviously we don't
1:56
like the score. It doesn't doesn't feel
1:58
good 18 to2, but um it's just one loss.
2:02
Tommy bases loaded and then get out of
2:05
it with a double play there. Even the
2:06
second inning just sort of sort of took
2:08
the wind out of yourselves a little bit.
2:10
A little bit. Yeah, like I said, we kept
2:12
having a good at bats. We just weren't,
2:14
you know, obviously not a lot of grass
2:15
was being hit by it. It was they were
2:17
caught. Yeah. I know you, you know, I I
2:19
hold up the runner at third with one out
2:20
with our top of the order coming up and
2:23
uh Britney gets you a little reachy and
2:24
hits a double play. But again, they made
2:26
the play. You know, that's the thing you
2:27
got to give them credit. They made the
2:28
double play. They've turned it
2:30
beautifully and it's a fast runner going
2:32
down the line. So, just the way kind of
2:34
the way the game went. Kip in in looking
2:38
back, you had a left-hander warming in
2:39
the bullpen, two left-handers coming up,
2:42
and you opted to stay
2:45
with that, right? hit a batter and the
2:48
two-run singler really broken. Yeah, I I
2:50
Yeah, I mean we we uh the right left
2:53
thing isn't a really a big deal for us.
2:55
Um some of our righties get lefties
2:58
better if you look at the splits. Um so
3:01
that's he's going he's going, you know,
3:03
Kevin makes those decisions. We talk
3:05
about it, but it's his decision. He
3:06
knows he knows what the guy has, what
3:08
the hitter's weakness is, and I think he
3:11
just felt like that was a good matchup.
3:12
And again, tip your cap, they hit the
3:14
ball. Grace than Brian. Erin, how do you
3:17
guys internalize this message from coach
3:18
to flush it and then move on to
3:20
tomorrow? Yeah, I think you just get
3:22
back to the hotel, you get some fluids
3:24
in you, a good meal, and um get in bed
3:26
early and just that's all that's all you
3:28
can do right now. And um just hope
3:30
everyone can focus up for tomorrow
3:32
morning.
3:33
Well, Aaron, this is I think 11
3:36
postseason games that you've been in in
3:37
the tournament. How do you just tap into
3:40
the experience even though before this
3:41
year there hadn't been a lot of wins
3:43
just for the team in general? Yeah, you
3:45
can't put too much importance on one
3:47
game. Um I've learned it's it was just a
3:49
baseball game today and uh there's
3:51
another baseball game tomorrow and
3:52
obviously our backs against the wall,
3:54
but um yeah, we just got to flush it and
3:56
uh get to get to tomorrow.
3:59
Um for both um Aaron Walton had almost
4:02
had a great catch in the second inning,
4:04
right? Then he did have two great
4:05
catches later in the inning. Could you
4:07
just both you just sort of describe what
4:08
you saw, what you made of those plays?
4:10
Well, just great effort and he's, you
4:11
know, he's a fantastic defender, uh, a
4:14
fantastic baseball player, and it
4:17
doesn't matter what the score is,
4:18
whether it's early or late, he's going
4:19
to go 120%. He's going to run through
4:22
that wall to get a ball. So, he he, you
4:23
know, we know he's capable of making
4:25
those plays all the time. It's part of
4:26
the reason why I got him out of the
4:27
game. He started to cramp up, and I
4:29
didn't want him to do anything
4:30
endangering him for tomorrow. Garrett,
4:32
what did you think of those those plays?
4:34
I mean, anytime a ball's hitting the air
4:36
to center field, I feel like we have a
4:37
pretty good chance it's being caught
4:38
with him out there. Um, I mean, I credit
4:42
I credit it to his effort in BP. He's
4:44
making those plays in BP. I don't know
4:45
if anyone sees that, but um, he puts in
4:48
a lot of work, uh, when no one's
4:49
watching and, um, we're lucky to have
4:52
him out there in center. On the far
4:53
right over here on the end, Adam Chip,
4:55
what Chip, what did you make of the way
4:57
I'm sorry if you've already been asked
4:58
this skir in here late, but what did you
5:00
make of the way UNCC was seeing Owen
5:03
early on? It seemed like they were
5:04
obviously owned him from the get-go. Did
5:06
you feel like they were picking him up
5:07
pretty well? Yeah, very well. 100%. I
5:10
think we I said it earlier. I also think
5:12
his location wasn't very good today. You
5:14
know, he's had some of these games where
5:16
he he'll center cut some balls and these
5:18
are too good of hitters. They're veteran
5:19
guys been in college a long time and uh
5:23
really good swing. So again, we'll tip
5:25
our cap to them, but we got we have to
5:26
do a better job of location. I don't
5:28
know. Um maybe an excuse, but did you
5:31
feel like the heat and the humidity was
5:33
a factor? You mentioned cramping. Yeah,
5:35
I I don't I don't want to say that
5:37
because it's just an excuse. We just
5:39
played in Houston um three weeks ago and
5:41
it was it was warmer. It was turf all
5:43
over the field um you know for three
5:46
days, right? Would you say Garrett?
5:48
Yeah. I just think I think sometimes too
5:50
there's some anxiety to be frank with
5:52
you and stress that comes along with
5:54
with being one of the last 16 teams. Um,
5:58
and I think that, you know, even in our
6:00
pregame, you can see some guys
6:02
persspiring more than they usually do.
6:04
So, we have to do a better job um,
6:06
tomorrow morning of getting ourselves
6:07
and and figuring out maybe backing off a
6:10
little bit in DP and wearing something
6:12
different so we didn't get so hot. So,
6:13
that's on me a little bit. Last couple
6:16
of second. Yeah. Did you remove Hilker
6:20
from the game because he was dehydrated
6:22
at that point or was he coming out? How
6:24
you know he's dehydrated?
6:25
[Music]
6:27
No, he Yeah, we I always that was a big
6:30
thing when I was in pro ball. We used to
6:31
have guys that would vomit and I didn't
6:33
want anybody to be pull muscle or
6:35
anything like that. So, that's part of
6:36
it. The other part of it is he's
6:38
available tomorrow. He's available on
6:40
Sunday. Um, you know, once we get behind
6:41
like that, we're going to run some
6:43
different guys out there and try to save
6:45
some guys. Sure. You guys had actually
6:47
had the most hits against Knack that
6:49
he's given up all season. Garren, what
6:51
did you think of just the overall
6:52
approach the at bats that guys had?
6:54
Yeah, I thought I thought we had a The
6:56
first couple innings felt outstanding. I
6:58
think if we just credit that to the
6:59
staff and the plan we put together for
7:01
him. Um obviously we knew he was one of
7:04
the best pitchers in the country and for
7:05
the right reasons and um he's got good
7:07
stuff up there, but um I I was excited
7:10
to see those at bats and they were
7:11
really contagious early on. It felt like
7:13
we went down 5-1. It didn't feel like we
7:15
were quite out of it yet. Um but yeah, I
7:18
just credit that to the plan we put
7:19
together for him. Last one, Grace. Chub,
7:22
how did you make some intentional
7:24
pitching decisions, especially near the
7:25
end to get your guys set up for
7:27
tomorrow? Yeah, you just, you know,
7:29
unfortunately some of the guys that that
7:31
had to pitch at the end had have not
7:32
pitched a lot of innings lately and so
7:34
it's tough for them, you know, and we
7:36
talk about on Tuesdays, do they see some
7:37
hitters, but that we I'm glad we didn't
7:40
because we're able to use them and and
7:42
they're not they're not at their best
7:43
right now to be frank with you. So, it's
7:45
the back end of our bullpen, but I I
7:47
credit like Eric Waroff, he's been here
7:49
for four years. has been here since I
7:50
got here and he gave it everything he
7:52
has and he he's he sucked it up so so we
7:55
could have other guys available for
7:56
today. So I thank those guys for that.
7:58
Guys, thank you very much.
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