Head Coach Gene Stephenson:On playing at home:“Well I think it's going to be a great venue, an exciting day, tomorrow and the next day and beyond if necessary. I'm pumped for it, I think the players are excited about it. We're looking forward to playing well like we did last weekend.”
On UC Irvine:“They have no weaknesses. They're a team that runs well, they hit well, they play defense, they pitch well and do everything well. I hope we play well. I've said this all along, every team we've played all year long, if we play well we're going to be in good shape.”
On slowing down Irvine:“Well more important than him (lead-off man) getting on is not letting him advance. We're going to pitch from our strengths. We're going to do the things we've done all year long and pitch from what we perceive to be our strengths. We're not going to concern ourselves about what the opposing batter hits well or doesn't hit well. We're going to pitch what we pitch well, and from that standpoint I think we're going to play good defense, I think our players are ready and are excited for the opportunity, I think our crowd is going be a good factor from our standpoint.”
Pitcher Aaron Shafer:On starting Saturday's game:“It's exciting, we try not to overplay anything around here. It's a Super Regional and we've never done it, but you can't be too jacked because otherwise you'll be too focused on how big of a game this is. I'm just trying to get my mind right on pitching and trying to keep the ball down against these guys because I know they can hurt me.”
On pitching in big games:“I've pitched in big games before. It helps that I have Brent (Kemnitz) behind me, a guy that's been here forever, and he looks at you and says ?Listen, you're the guy I'm comfortable with, we want you out there and we know you can be successful', that really helps. He's seen a lot and he's not going to lie to you. He's confident in me and I'm just letting him be my experience right now.”
On his pitching approach:“I just try to attack the zone. I consider myself a strike-thrower and try to not walk many guys. I try to stay in the zone with all three pitches. I like to attack with the fastball, especially early in the game, and then I work off of it from there.”
Outfielder Matt Brown:
On being in a Super Regional:“We kind of made history, we haven't been to a Super Regional here in a while and I'm just glad to be a part of it. We have a long road ahead of us, it's a lot shorter now but it's a long road. Anything can happen in this series and hopefully everything works out right and we can do the little things right and we can get to Omaha.”
On UC Irvine:“They're a tough team. They definitely do the little things right and that's what wins ballgames. Our bats came alive and got a big win against Oral Roberts (in the regional) and I think that's going to take us to Omaha.”
On playing in front of the Eck Stadium crowd:“It's a rush. I love playing in front of fans, I'm a big fan guy. I'll talk to the fans, they're my friends, my family. We're playing right in our backyard and I enjoy coming out here and seeing 8,100 people chanting a name or getting all excited on a play. That's a rush for me and I just love it, I couldn't ask for anything more.”
