May 29, 2003
Georgia Tech Head Coach Danny Hall
“I think we have a lot of confidence coming in. Whether we can turn that into momentum remains to be seen, but any time you wins three games in one day to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, that gives your team a lot of confidence that they can play well. Now we need to use that confidence to try to create some momentum this weekend. We’re definitely looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead.
“The advantage of winning the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament is that it earned us a national seed, so we know that as long as win, we’re going to play at home. We played extremely well the last two days of the ACC Tournament. I think we’ve gotten our legs back underneath us and mentally we’re ready to go. Now we’ve got to play well three days in a row.
[On matchup with Stetson] “I think they’re very good. They’re were in this regional a few years back [in 2000], and that’s who we ended up beating for the championship. They have a history of putting guys in professional baseball. I know they’ve got a great player in Snyder, who everybody tells me was one of the best players in the Cape Cod league last summer. I think they’re a team that can score runs and has solid pitching. We’ve got our hands full, there’s no doubt about that. They’re a perennial top team in college baseball. “I have the utmost respect for Pete Dunn. I know his team is very good and will ready to play.
[On drawing South Carolina as the No. 2 seed] “They finished second overall in the Southeastern Conference. They played for the national championship last year, and that’s the team that eliminated us from Omaha, so I wouldn’t say you want them in this regional, but they’re here. To get where we want to go, you’ve got to beat good teams, and certainly they’re one of the three good teams in this thing that we have to try to beat.
“Randy Mazey and East Carolina have been a top 25 team the last three or four years. They’ve kind of been a thorn in everybody’s side, particularly in the Carolinas. They play a lot of ACC schools midweek, so I know we’ve got our hands full with everybody in the field.
Eric Patterson, Sophomore Second Baseman
“We have three great ballclubs here who traditionally have good teams. Everyone here has a great team, or they wouldn’t be here. You’ve just got to focus on the things you’ve done all year and learn from the mistakes you’ve made.
“Getting three wins against three quality teams has definitely given us a lot of momentum coming into the NCAA Tournament and we just look to build on that. We understand we have a job to do. All year long we’ve set goals, and winning the ACC Tournament was one of those goals. So that’s done and behind us, and now we have to re-focus on the next goal and do our job here.”
“It’s always to great to play here and have all the comforts of home. Our fans are great, and we’re looking forward to a great weekend all around.”
Matt Murton, Junior Outfielder
“The way we finished the ACC Tournament gives us a lot of confidence. We faced three really good opponents Sunday, so for the team it was a great boost and hopefully some momentum that will carry over into this tournament.
“It’s the game of baseball. You have to put the last game behind you, and I think we’ve done that. All you can is just take the positives and build on them. We have to continue to work hard.
“It seems as if this entire season we’ve faced everything we could possibly face, from weather to tough opponents to three games in one day. I don’t think there’s anything we could face the rest of the way that will be a shock or a surprise to us. We’ve just got to bear down and do what we’re capable of.
“Stetson is a quality program and that’s our chief concern right now.
“It is awesome to be playing at home. We’re very fortunate to have the stadium that we have and to have had the season we’ve had to put in this circumstance where we can host. And we have a lot of fine ballclubs coming in here, so now we have to do our part and come out of here with some wins.
