Game 12: The Citadel 6, Elon 5 (10 inn.)
The Citadel
Head Coach Fred Jordan
“That’s just a very big break for us. Then you’ve got to give our guys credit?they took advantage of the two mistakes late in the game by following them up with base hits by David Greene and Brad Felder.”
On the possibility of this being destiny... “I don’t know. This is a good ball club. I’ve been asked by some of the other clubs in this league if we’re great. They’re not great. We’re just pretty good and they’ve got a chance to do something great tomorrow.”
On Elon’s NCAA hopes... “If they don’t get in, it will be very reminiscent of our ball club last year getting left out. They’ve got the same resume, with the Clemson wins, the North Carolina wins, and North Carolina State. They are a good ball club?very good. We are just very fortunate against them.”
On Kyle Webb... “It’s very difficult to do the job that he did. He tied us up?the flipped his breaking ball away and he threw his side armed fastball running in on our hands. When he fielded that ball, it juggled in his glove and I think it threw his timing off. It’s very, very tough. He’s just a freshman, and that’s not real good because we’ll have to see him the next three years. He’s a very good player.”
On the team... “This ballclub is extremely unselfish. This ballclub has tremendous leadership throughout the senior class, the junior class and the sophomore class, and leadership is by actions.”
Sophomore Infielder David Greene
On the comeback... “Even though we did have two outs, there’s no doubt we all still believe we’re going to win the game, and that’s what’s so special about this team?we all believe we’re going to do it, and we all pick each other up. It’s just a great team win.”
On his history with Girdwood... “I’ve been pretty lucky against him in the past. He likes to throw that slider away to me, and I’ve been pretty successful with it over the past two years.”
Sophomore Outfielder Brad Felder
On playing for a Southern Conference title... “It would mean a lot. This will be the first championship I’ve ever played in. We’ve worked very hard through the fall and the spring, so we’re looking forward to it.”
On the comebacks this tournament... “A bunch of things have happened this season?we’ve had a bunch of wins in the late innings. I think Coach just tells us to not give up and to keep fighting because there’s not clock in baseball, so anything can happen. There’s no time limit.”
Elon
Head Coach Mike Kennedy
Opening Statement... “I’m proud of my players. I thought they competed and played hard. We were in a tough position, and our kids never quit, they never gave up, and as a result of taking care of each other, I thought we came out here and really competed hard and played hard all week. I’m extremely proud of them. Webb gave us a chance to win. It is what it is, and we’ll see what happens from here.”
On Kyle Webb’s throw... “I’ll defend him, I don’t think he lost focus. He just didn’t catch it clean, and he didn’t get a great grip on it. The ball just got away from him. Tough play, but he pitched his tail off.”
On starting Kyle Webb... “We’re thin. Kyle bounces back extremely well. He’s going to start and win a lot of games for us, and that was the right time. He’s a tough kid?he handles a lot of situations, and out of all our guys, I thought he could handle it better than anybody. And wow, he handled it.”
On the NCAA Tournament... “The Citadel’s got to win. It’s just a fact for our league?we’ve got the short end of the stick when it comes to NCAA bids. You guys saw us play, and you saw our league?it’s great baseball. At some point, hopefully they’ll reward us, but the Citadel’s got to win. If they don’t win it, we’re probably done. I don’t think that’s right, but that’s how it is.”
Freshman Pitcher Kyle Webb
On his errant throw... “I lost focus a little bit I guess. When I fielded it, I bobbled it a little bit, but it really doesn’t matter, I should’ve made the play. It’s inexcusable. When it comes down to it, if you want to win games like this, you’ve got to make the easy plays. That’s not a play I can have excuses for.”
Senior Infielder Ryan Adams
On the team peaking... “Our pitching has been the best that it has been all year, that’s without a doubt. We could definitely hit better than we have in the tournament. We wouldn’t be at this point without our pitching.”