March 27, 2007
Recap |
Final Stats
TULANE HEAD COACH Rick Jones
Thoughts on the game
"We pitched really well again tonight. Matt Goebel was good, Preston Claiborne was good, and Taylor Rogers was good. We played well defensively and we played errorless baseball. But I am disappointed that we didn't have as much discipline in our at-bats. I didn't think we swung at as many good pitches as we should have. We swung at some bad pitches. I didn't like our adjustments, or lack thereof, with two strikes until late in the game. We got out-hit 9-7 because I just don't think we didn't have a very good approach at the plate again."
On the team's offensive ups and downs
"We just can't expect to continue to shut people out. We're a better offensive club if we have more discipline and make better commitment, and with two strikes, we adjust. Tonight, I don't think we did a very good job of that. On Sunday, we did a really good job of it. Tonight was a step backwards in that respect."
On the state of the team through 27 games
"When you're 20-7, you really shouldn't be reflecting on the negatives. We've had two of the three things you need to win almost every single day. But the one we haven't had on most days is that consistent offensive output. With the schedule toughening, we need to make sure we understand that, and we're going to continue to work on that on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Seth Henry's performance at the plate and with his glove
"Seth is swinging the bat better. He's really been a bright spot. He had a great weekend. He's had some quality at-bats because he's staying back and he's staying above the ball. What Seth did to get himself out so much was to lunge and reach for the ball and not stay on top of it - his hands staying above the ball I mean, not rolling over the ball - and so he stayed above that ball and cut it in half. It was a really good swing and we saw a lot of those out of him this weekend."
TULANE STARTER Matt Goebel
On his performance against Nicholls State
"I wasn't sharp early on, but I felt like I actually got into more of a rhythm as the game went on. Any time you keep your team in the game until the offense gets going, that's what you're trying to do as a pitcher."
On the team not allowing an earned run in 30 consecutive innings
"All of our pitchers throughout the year have been stepping up. We've had guys out of the bullpen and those in starting roles going out and competing every day. When you do that and have the kind of quality arms that we do, good things are going to happen.
On what was working for him on Tuesday
"I was mostly just throwing strikes and getting a lot of ground balls. My sinker felt good, especially late. I was keeping my pitch count low and being aggressive and let my defense work for me."
TULANE THIRD BASEMAN Seth Henry
On his homer in the bottom of the eighth
"I'm just going out there trying to make plays. In that last at-bat, I was still a little upset that I didn't get that bunt down so I kind of got to take a little anger out on my swing."
On the difference between this year and last year
"I'm just trying to work on keeping my hips back. Last year, I was lunging a lot, the off speed was killing me and I was popping up way too much. I've tried to make that adjustment and it's really helped me a lot."
