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STANFORD
Head Coach Mark Marquess
(Opening statement): "It was a very important game for us and a great pitching performance by Ryan McCally. He was fantastic today. He hadn't pitched for us in two weeks. There were some big spots in the game where South Carolina could get on the board and do some damage. Ryan was able to do the job. It was a great performance by Ryan. He's done whatever I've asked of him this year -- started, middle relief, closer. He has two of the biggest wins of the year (also the win over Illinois-Chicago in the Regional opener). The other thing is we really swung the bats well. We hit the ball hard. We backed up the pitching with hitting. We didn't get walks so we had to earn the runs. I was very pleased with the offense, but the key to the game was McCally's pitching performance."
Leftfielder Danny Putnam
(on his 4-of-5 day at the plate): "The last game I struggled. I had a bad game. I thought they would try and attack me the same way Cal State Fullerton did the other day with change ups and fastballs in. I was able to hit a fastball up over the middle and was looking for pitches over the plate. It's kind of nice hitting behind two of the best hitters in America (Carlos Quentin and Ryan Garko)."
Starting pitcher Ryan McCally
(on his pitching performance today): "The defense was great. Danny (Putnam) made a couple great plays in left field and Jonny (Ash) had some good ones at third. That was the toughest win I've ever gotten. I was struggling with control, which usually isn't a problem. I was going from at bat to at bat, trying to get through the game."
Probable Wednesday starting pitcher John Hudgins
(on preparing for Wednesday's start versus Cal State Fullerton): "I'll go to bed early, eat well and do my normal thing. I'll go out and prepare like I always do. The other night was the fourth time we've played them this year. We've played them eight times over the last two years, so we all know what we're getting into. It's a battle."
Second baseman Jonny Ash
(on his offensive performance in the CWS): "It's the College World Series, and I tend to take a team focus to the games. The point is to win every game. I'm trying to do my job and execute. If I'm going to make an out, I'm trying to make it a productive one for our team."
SOUTH CAROLINA
Head Coach Ray Tanner
(opening statement): "My congratulations go out to Stanford for advancing. Their team did a tremendous job hitting in the game, especially with two outs early in the game. They had three base hits with two outs in the first to get their first run and things kind of went from there. Then, they made some great defensive plays to keep us off the board and kept getting the hits to get out to a big lead. They are a team that capitalizes on your mistakes, and they were certainly the better team today."
(on his pitching staff's performance at the CWS): "Today, they got the big two-out hits, and combined with them being able to make big pitches and get good defensive plays, they were able to stretch their lead out to where it was a little too big for us to come back. I was proud of our effort throughout the season. We won a lot of games this year and our pitchers were a big reason for that. We did struggle out here in Omaha, but we also faced some good opponents that can really swing the bats."
Starting pitcher Chris Hernandez
(on his performance on the mound): "They did a great job against me, especially with two outs. They exploited my mistakes, especially when I got behind on the count. You have to give them credit."
Third baseman Brian Buscher
(on his team's offensive performance today): "We were hitting the ball pretty hard, but most of them were either right at them or they were able to make good plays. That's just part of the game. We swung the bats pretty well, but didn't get much to show for it."
Catcher Landon Powell
(on the 2003 season): "I am proud of the season we had. We had a lot of adversity early in the year but we were able to overcome it, thanks in large part to the older players on the team. We came a long way this year and getting to the World Series once again is something the returning players can build on for next year."