Postgame Quotes
4/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 15, 2008
Baylor head coach Steve Smith:
On tonight's game:
"Our guys took them very seriously, took their starter very seriously, and we competed extremely well at the plate. We got a lot of things done with two strikes, which we have not been doing, and we actually had right-handed hitters hitting the ball to right field. Up and down the lineup the focus was just really good."
On Tim Matthews:
"He did a good job. They got the two runs early, and then our guys answered, and then he did what he needed to do by going out there and putting up zeroes. They got a couple of guys on and had some chances to drive some guys in, but he just made some really good pitches. His velocity has been really good. On occasion he'll have a good slider - it's not there all the time, but he's had it enough. He's learned how to change speeds with the fastball, and he's got a changeup that's not really the true 10-15 mph difference that a lot of changeups are, but it's effective. His biggest strength is his command of the fastball - he can pitch it on both sides of the plate. If a guy has got a hole in his swing, he's got a good chance to find it because he's got such good command of his fastball."
On playing Dallas Baptist on the road tomorrow:
"These two games really concerned me because they hadn't played in a week; and because we were going to match up with a couple of really good guys. Maybe it hurt them a little bit tonight not having played in a week. I'm sure their starter wasn't as good as he's been, but I give our guys some credit because we really competed well. Tomorrow will be a little bit different story in terms of them. They've played now, and tonight they looked like a club that just hadn't played. Having said that, our guys played really well, and Tim threw the ball really well."
Baylor senior RHP Tim Matthews:
On giving up two runs in the first inning and none in the next five innings:
"That was a rough first inning. I was just having a little bit of control problems, and it was a tough inning, but my defense played behind me and we got a key double play and got out of there. I just had to start over from there. The offense gave us a lead and gave me something to work with."
On getting 11 runs of run support:
"Our guys really broke out and had a great day at the plate today, and that's exactly what we needed. We've been kind of off on our game hitting-wise. We've got so many talented guys that were just playing under their potential, and they really came out today and did a great job at the plate."
On pitching as a starter and reliever:
"When you get the opportunity to pitch, it really doesn't matter; whatever I can do to help the team. If it's starting in the midweek and coming out of the bullpen on the weekend, that's great. I'm just glad I'm getting innings and getting out there, and coach is putting the ball in my hand, so it makes me feel pretty good."
Baylor sophomore 1B Dustin Dickerson:
On the offense putting 11 runs on the board:
"We needed a spark in our bats and 18 hits feel good all around. We knew that we needed to get going because we've been under-performing, but I guess we were all just really seeing the ball well tonight, and it worked out well for us."
On his two-run homer:
"There were two strikes and I was just looking for something in play to put a short stroke to it. He threw me a fastball that I could hit and I made a short stroke to fit, so it felt good."
Baylor sophomore 3B Shaver Hansen:
On the offensive outburst:
"We were kind of cold both bat-wise and literally at Kansas State. The pitching was really good, and that's what won it for us this weekend. When you come back here to the hot weather everything's a lot looser, the bats are warmer, and everybody was hot today."
