May 31, 2002
LONG BEACH STATE
Head Coach Mike Weathers:
Opening Statement:
"We knew coming in that San Jose State had the most wins on the WestCoast. They are a good team and they proved that today. That was a good ball game.With the two home runs against us early, that was a test for us. Danny (DanielEisentrager) staying with that and putting zeros on the board is really what youneed in the first game of a regional. I thought all around it was a very goodcollege baseball game."
On the team's defense:
"Our fielding percentage is not where we usually are. It's a concern. We got after high points after each game and we talked about those plays we made today. I talked about Jeremy's and Kevin's defense because those are big plays and you have to make those kinds of plays. We have made some, but we haven't been very consistent defensively.
On breaking a streak of four consecutive losses in NCAA Regional games:
"A lot of these guys weren't part of that last year. That's in the past and this is the present. We had an idea of what we needed to do here and obviously this is a big start."
Long Beach State Starting Pitcher Daniel Eisentrager:
On giving up two home runs early:
" That was a shock to me, those two home runs. I tried to get off the mound and calm myself down. I just tried to relax, work hard and throw my pitches.
On winning his 10th game:
"It feels great to get the 10th win, especially having it be a regional win."
Long Beach State Designated Hitter Paul McAnulty:
On getting to the bullpen early:
"We always want to get to the pen. We go after pitchers and try and get them to a high pitch count.
On his play today, and hitting behind in the count:
"I just wanted to do my best for the team. I wanted to get the hits when we need the hits and just see and hit the ball. At 0-2 a lot of hitters are very uncomfortable, but I think with two strikes I've already seen what he's got. It's an advantage sometimes, but sometimes he beats you. I just had the upperhand today."
Long Beach State Center Fielder Jeremy Reed:
On his defensive play today:
"Both catches today were with base runners on and I think it just kind of stopped their momentum. It was big both ways."
SAN JOSE STATE
Head Coach Sam Piraro
Opening Statement:
"What I told our players was that I thought we played a good ballgame. Long Beach State played an outstanding ballgame. We brought our B, B minus game, while Long Beach State brought their A game. Long Beach State in my opinion played flawlessly. They did a lot of good things. They deserved to win. They had some outstanding at bats with two strikes, they fought off some good pitches. Their pitchers really didn't allow us to do too much. We didn't get to have multiple runners on, and we rely on that."
On getting an early lead with back-to-back home runs in the first inning:
"I was pleased that we scored early. That was a good thing to help him (Matt Durkin) relax. That was bit, but Matt didn't have really good command and that was obvious from early on."
On starting a freshman pitcher in this game:
"As a freshman this is a big assignment. He's (Durkin) been in a lot off those this year, but probably none as big is this. I just didn't want him to labor out there and he was laboring. I think Andy Cook did a great job of keeping us in the game."
On what was said to the umpire over a disputed call:
"I just asked him if he knew what the pitch was and he said that he did not. With a curveball and two strikes you stay in there with the pitch. He said that he had stuck his elbow out. The key point is that it was a breaking pitch with two strikes. If it was a fastball I'd have agreed it was the right call."
On tomorrow's games:
"We'll utilize everybody at our disposal and go out with a survive and advance attitude. Our kids are pretty competitive and they understand that we have one more loss and our season's over. Whoever we play isn't going to be a picnic. We're just going to have to scrap and battle and the opponent will too.
Second Baseman Gabe Lopez:
On whether the team's offense struggled because of Durkin's problems on the mound:
"We don't take our offense out to the field. You've got to hand it to their pitchers, they just shut us down. The quality of our at bats, basically wasn't good. Their pitchers kept us off balance and we weren't able to hit a lot of balls hard."