May 23, 2007
– 2007 ACC Baseball Championship
Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina
Postgame Quotes
May 23, 2007
GEORGIA TECH HEAD COACH Danny Hall
Overall thoughts on the game…
“I was very proud of the way our team played today. I think that North Carolina is a great ball club and I told Mike (Fox) after the game that we have a great chance to see them again in Omaha. They are a great team and that is how good their pitching is. We struggled a little, especially the last weekend coming into this week, but I feel like we are capable of beating anyone on any given day. If we pitch well, like we did today, then we have a chance to get to their bullpen. We had a few clutch hits by Wally (Crancer) and Patrick (Long). It was a good game for us and hopefully gives us some momentum going into tomorrow’s game against Virginia.”
On the new format of the tournament…
“I really like the new format, and I think that it is the best format for our conference. It guarantees each team that is here to play three games, which allows your pitching staff to set a more normal rotation and keeps teams from playing teams several times. Plus, it keeps you away from overextending your pitching staff. This format better aligns everyone in the league headed into postseason play. I hope that the other coaches and fans like it, but most importantly, I feel that it is the best thing for our entire conference.”
GEORGIA TECH LEFT-HANDED PITCHER David Duncan
On giving your team confidence off the mound…
“I think that winning is contagious and if I could start this tournament on the right note for the team, then everything else will fall into place. If I start us off well and give a good showing, then it gives our players and pitchers confidence. Judging from how the season has gone, the team feeds off of me.”
On the wind conditions affecting your pitching mentality…
“It was a lot easier to pitch today with the wind and everything. It is kind of a backwards approach to pitching as usually you are trying to pitch down and get ground balls, but today I was allowing them to hit as hard as they could. Today they just weren’t going very far at all.”
GEORGIA TECH SECOND BASEMAN Patrick Long
On your confidence in your pitcher David Duncan…
“Like (David) Duncan said, the team feeds off of him. Even before we start the game, we know we have a chance to win the game with him on the mound. Then once we get a couple of runs and he shuts them down, that gets the ball rolling for us.”
NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH MIKE FOX
Overall thoughts on the game…
“We just got out-played today. Hats off to Georgia Tech, they just beat us. They pitched better than we did, they hit better than we did and they played defense better than we did. So we’ll regroup and come back to play tomorrow.”
On the wind conditions…
“Of all the days for our pitcher not to find the strike zone, today was not the day. If there is ever a day to throw strikes, today is the day. If this wasn’t a pitchers day with the wind blowing in, I don’t know what would be.”
