April 25, 2007
Recap |
Final Stats
TULANE HEAD COACH Rick Jones
On the come-back victory over Nicholls State
"I saw a different look in the eyes of our guys after the top of the fifth when they scored the runs to go up 5-0. I thought we responded well. We played well defensively and we pitched well. We've had so many tough-luck innings, it almost felt like we were due. But at the same time, we had to make it happen."
On the importance of tonight's come-back win
"Every game we play right now is monumental. We all know that. The sense of urgency that we have to have is on a daily basis. We've put ourselves in a situation where we don't have the margin for error that we've had in some years. Last year we didn't have it at this time and we really got hot. I think it was about the time we played these guys. You just keep your fingers crossed and maybe hope that the club can take on its own identity. I said this many times last year, bu tin the last third of the season, I was just along for the ride. All I did was put up the lineup and watch because I knew our club was holding itself accountable 24-7. This club has to do the same thing. I know we have too many competitive guys (to let that happen) but it takes a collective on the field, off the field accountability. We'll need to have that 24-7 down the stretch and we'll see what happens."
On the team holding a players-only meeting in the middle of the fifth
"They took their own responsibility tonight. There's a fine line of complacency and panic, and we've walked on either side of that too many times this year. The complacency - and I don't mean that in a negative way - but the idea that `I play for Tulane so I'm automatically going to the NCAA Tournament' is something a young player can get caught up in. And the panic part can be `I don't want to be the first team in a decade to not go and be a part of this and create a situation where I can't look the older guys in the eye.' We've got to walk in the middle there, and tonight, I think we did a little better job of that."
NICHOLLS STATE HEAD COACH CHIP DURHAM
Thoughts on the game
"We came out and the first four and a half innings were a pretty good ballgame. We were up 5-0 and they started getting their hits and scoring their runs. We had a chance to get out of the inning with the ball back when we made the error. You can't assume that you're going to turn the double play, but it was a pretty good chance to turn one there and get us out of that inning. After that, they stayed pretty consistent, they played pretty good defense on us and we never could get it back going again. We played hard, we came out ready to play, but we made a couple of mistakes here and there. They took over and we never could get back in command."
