May 31, 2003
NCAA BASEBALL REGIONAL (at Stanford, CA)
Game 3 - Richmond 5, Illinois-Chicago 0
Illinois-Chicago
Head Coach Mike Dee Opening Statement
"I'm disappointed that we didn't play better today. I felt we lost our composure on the mound for the second day in a row. It's something that we haven't seen all year, and I think that was the ball game. It's a new experience for our kids and new level of pressure, and hopefully we'll be back here a year from now and we'll be better prepared to handle it.
Coach Dee on the pressure of playing in Regionals:
"I think the game starts to speed up for guys, and a lot of things are happening in a big hurry, and we make some decisions that we don't normally make-a bunt down the third base line that we should have let go. Martin's an outstanding defensive pitcher, and he made a bad decision there (on a bunt single by David Reaver in the fourth inning) and I think he he knew it, and he just could not separate himself from that and move on to the next pitch. It's ironic, but that 25-foot ground ball had a huge impact on that game. He'll recover-he's a freshman and he had a great year for us. I just think that it's a different level of pressure that it's impossible to simulate. I'm sure we'll be better a year from now.
Nelson on Richmond's Mike McGirr
"He mixed up his pitches well, and that was his strong point. He was mixing them for strikes. He'd open up with a ball, then come back with a slider or a changeup and he'd throw it for a strike. He made them very effective, and he kept the ball down."
Nelson on what he'll take away from Regionals
"The competition. No doubt, playing the top teams in the nation."
Richmond
Head Coach Ron Atkins opening statement:
"Well, what a day. We came out right from the word go, and when you have a bulldog like Mike McGirr on the mound, and the game he pitched today...he was just outstanding. Clutch, threw strikes, got ahead of the hitters-I just can't say enough about what he did. I thought we played better defense today...Adam Tidball came up big for us after I moved him up in the lineup, coming through with a big 3-run homer. I can't say enough about this ballclub. they find ways to win, and we've done that all year. Today was no different than what we try to do, scratch in runs, moving runners, doing the little things to get the game in hand. I'm proud as I can be of this ballclub."
Adam Tidball on his three-run homer:
"It was a 2-0 count, and I really wasn't thinking at the plate at all. I was looking for a fastball down the middle, and I got a hanging curveball. My eyes lit up a little bit, and I turned on it. The next thing I knew it was over the fence."
Pitcher Mike McGirr on his performance:
"I had pretty good control, and Adam called a great game. (I had) good defense behind me, as long as you're throwing strikes. I knew we were in an elimination game, and I had some experience from last year, so I wasn't jumpy or over-anxious, I was just kind of mellow, just like a normal start."