June 5, 2004
2004 NCAA BASEBALL REGIONAL
POSTGAME QUOTES - Game 3
#3 St. John's vs. #4 UNLV
ST. JOHN'S
HEAD COACH ED BLANKMEYER
(on the win)
I thought our guys swung the bat pretty good against a good UNLV team. They spotted from a loss yesterday, a tough loss and we did some good things. We're here to survive and advance; advancing to the next game that's what it's all about right now.
(on last night's game)
"The guys are disappointed because we didn't win, we knew we had the game in hand but we just didn't manage the game properly, but these guys are resilient, they've done it all year. So, it's not any different, it's just another game and we just got to go out and learn from the past and do the things that keep us playing. We take them one at a time, we'll have guys that have to come back, and if they have to they will."
(on the regional and playing doubleheaders)
"We're just thinking about winning a baseball game, any way we can we'll find a way to win. In the conference tournament we had to play back-to-back - we're going to show up and play hard. Pitching and defense are the name of the game."
(on Stanford or Long Beach St. for the night game)
"We have some guys left, we have some relievers. We're ready. It doesn't matter, Matt Tosoni's going to pitch, either or."
SENIOR SHORTSTOP MIKE ROZEMA
(on the last two games)
"Like coach said, yesterday I thought we gave that game away. We had the opportunity and we didn't take advantage. Today we got some big hits, so you take it one game at a time and hopefully tonight we'll put on a good performance and get it done today and go to tomorrow."
UNLV
HEAD COACH BUDDY GOULDSMITH
(on the win)
"It's always tough to comment in defeat, but I know for a fact that our guys gave their best effort today: we didn't make an error, we had 8 hits. I thought we had a chance to really gain some momentum in the first inning after the double play. But the season as a whole was ultimately successful, it's our second consecutive regional and I think our guys have learned a lot in the past two years. And as we continue to get back into this situation we'll undoubtedly become more successful."
(on facing tougher pitching in a regional)
"I think definitely guys made some key pitches but I think we hit some balls right at them. Eric [Neilsen] hit that ball hard in the first inning, but it happened to be right to the second baseman. We gave up 10 runs yesterday and 9 runs today and ultimately, when you're going to get through a regional, every phase of the game has got to step up. You've got to get that key hit, you've got make key pitches, and the club we faced, hats off to them because they did that. It was an extremely tough regional and we're just going to have to play better so we can get out of this regional.
(on the difference from the 3 & 4 seeds and top seeds)
"The difference for us was winning that game at the beginning vs. Cal Fullerton...with five more wins we're sitting at 41 or 42 wins going into the regional, with some good quality wins against Fullerton and Arizona and I think we would've been an easy 2 or 3 seed at that point. We're games away and they were all games that we were in."
(on potentially no position players returning)
"Well, the draft effects everybody it's a nuance to college baseball and we've prepared for that. We signed the 8th ranked recruiting class in the fall, voted by Baseball America. We're just in the beginning of our third year and I think that says a lot about the success that we've had and about these guys that played out here today. They've set the foundation for all the guys that will come after them. Recruiting has been outstanding this year. We'll continue to recruit Northern California heavily."
JUNIOR RIGHTFIELDER ERIC NIELSEN
(summing up the last two days)
"You know we gave it our best effort the last two nights and we just came up short. That's the thing about baseball, sometimes you can be hot during the conference tournament and not as hot during regional. That's just the way it is, that's the game of baseball and that's why we love it."
SENIOR PITCHER DAVID SECCOMBE
(on St. John's getting hot having some fire for this early game)
"I think they did; their backs were against the wall just like ours were. I think they came out really aggressively, and I think I underestimated them a little bit, they are a good scrappy team. They put the ball in play and good things happen when you put the ball in play. I thought I was going to have a lot more punchouts, but like I said they put the ball in play a lot and I was surprised about that. I think I felt a little too comfortable in the 5th, I came out there thinking I could just cruise into the next inning and get the momentum going again and I just hit a wall there."