May 26, 2007
Recap |
Final Stats
TULANE HEAD COACH Rick Jones
Opening Statement
"I thought we played really hard today. I was impressed with our effort. We got behind early and had a communication issue there. Aja (Barto) said he was yelling as loud as he could and Anthony (Scelfo) couldn't hear him. With that crowd out there, I don't know, but that hurt us. We did a good job of fighting back to tie the game, but you have to give East Carolina credit. They had good at-bats when they needed to with runners on."
On the performance of freshman lefty Aaron Loup
"I thought we had a great pitching performance from Aaron Loup, and that bodes well for the future. He just came on in the last month to six weeks. He's gotten better and better with every outing. Today, he showed why we're so excited about having him in a starting role next year. When you throw him in there with Shooter Hunt and Preston Claiborne, the rest of the freshmen we have coming back and the recruiting class that we have coming in, which we're real excited about. It's got a chance to be a very special pitching staff."
On the comeback
"Both Timmy and Brad with home runs got us there. It was just one of those things where East Carolina is playing at home and they're on a roll. I have no issue whatsoever with our effort. I thought we played as well as we can play. I thought we played with a lot of confidence, that we could win this thing, and I believed it."
On the team's performance over the last two years
"As I just said to the club, we're not excuse makers but since the storm, but we've been on the road for two years. We're 78-46 with a Regional final, and it looked like we were on that way again. I don't know how that can't be viewed as anything other than a positive. I'm disappointed that this is club is where we are at this point. We're so used to being in better position, but I'm not disappointed with any of these guys. I know what they've been through more than anybody, and I would say how we handled it and what we've done is enviable. We look forward to getting rewarded with the guys we have coming back in a palatial new ballpark that is currently under construction."
On how much the three errors in the first inning hurt
"It did, but we tied it up. Aaron just minimized his pitches. With him being a lefty, he changes the look which was something we weren't able to do at all last year and it's something we'll be able to do more. But he featured three pitches today and you could see their hitters flinching because he threw his breaking ball and change-up down in the zone for strikes. Then all of the sudden he comes with a fastball from a low arm slot at 90 miles an hour, and guys just could not adjust to that. Like I said, he's gotten better every time. You buy into consistency in performances and his last few performances have been very consistent. I really think he has a chance to be special."
On the bullpen giving up five runs
"Let me say this in regard to Daniel (Latham). Nobody, and I mean nobody, right now feels worse about his performance today than Daniel because he's such a competitor. We wouldn't have many of the wins we've had in the last two years, and actually the last four years, if it weren't for Daniel Latham. We had to use him so much early in the season because we just didn't score many runs and had so many save situations early in the season, we had to milk more out of Daniel then we wanted to. He's not tired right now, but he was pitching not as fresh as we would have like him to be and had a couple of games that didn't go as well. Then when that happened, I think he made some changes I think subliminally - maybe he didn't realize it - in his arm slot. Today, there were two or three times when his arm slot wasn't Daniel and that's when you know he's not free and easy. He's forcing the action a little bit.
"The combination of him being tired early and not having success in a couple of outings created a situation where maybe he without any knowledge of it changed some things in his delivery and his arm slot. I really think that's a residual from us using him so much early to win games early or we wouldn't have been in a position where we could make the stretch drive. Last year, we didn't have to use him as much late and he was able to catch his breath. We started scoring more, but nothing is ever etched in stone. For three and three and three quarter seasons, he was as consistent of a guy as anyone I've ever coached. That's why he's the Tulane and Conference USA career saves leader. You don't' get that unless you're really good. The only person I feel bad for today in that regard is Daniel because I know how competitive he is, how much this program means to him and how much he means to us. I know he feels awful, but that has nothing to do with Daniel. It has to do with the fact that we had to work him so much, and those things happen."
On the team's attitude after battling back to tie the game at 3-all
"I really felt confident that we were going to win the ballgame with the way we were battling back. When you feel the momentum shift in the dugout and you know you have a rested bullpen. You start thinking you have the momentum, and if we can get this first one then we've really got a shot (to advance to the championship game). But you have to give East Carolina credit there. You have to pay respect to that because they kept battling also. They put some good swings on some good pitches, too. That's why they had such a good year."
TULANE JUNIOR THIRD BASEMAN Brad Emaus
On the team's offensive performance during the C-USA Tournament
"I just thought this whole stretch of games we played in this tournament was probably the best stretch we played all year together. We put good swings on the ball and our pitchers threw great. I think being in a ballpark like this, it's like Coach said, if we do square up a ball like you're supposed to, you can start hitting line drives and maybe get one out. That's the one thing about Zephyr Field that I think kind of mentally got into our hitters. When you get play in a park like this, which is a great college park, I think you start to get a little confidence back and I think that showed with our approaches this week."
On the come-back effort against East Carolina
"I still felt the momentum was with us. After they put the three-spot up in the first, we just kept coming back and coming back, and I really felt we had them on their heels. I know that sometimes things just don't go your way and I that's pretty much how it happened."
TULANE SENIOR FIRST BASEMAN Tim Guidry
Thoughts on the game
"I think we really fought hard today, and like Coach said, there was no quit in anyone out there. We fought our way back into that game, and it just got away from us at the end. I felt like everybody during this tournament was pulling together and really making an effort to win this tournament."
