Feb. 1, 2008

Head coach Steve Smith

On starting practice:
"Our guys are excited to be outside. The Lord gave us a good day today weather-wise, and they're pretty excited to be out here."

On what he takes from preseason rankings:
"I participate in those rankings, so I buy them. Time will tell. This sport determines its champion on the field and not in the polls, so that's one good thing we have going for us."

On expectations for this team in conference play:
"We should compete for the (Big 12 Conference) championship, but there are other good teams in this league that could feel just as strongly. The league is good, there are some very good teams in it, and Missouri has probably got their strongest team in the history of their school. There are some other programs in the league that are just as capable of setting that goal."

On returning a more experienced team:
"It's very experienced, but it's still very young. I just think it's extremely talented. I don't think we've ever had as much talent across the board - offensive, defensive and pitching - as we have right now. They're highly motivated, they're very disciplined, and they've set their goals really high. They're all smart kids. They look around and they know how good this club can be, and they're going to apply themselves. We'll play it out on the field over the course of the next few months and we'll see how it shakes out."

On schedule changes:
"There will be some changes, but none of them are bad changes. With baseball players - particularly once the season gets going - practice is not what they want to do. The game was meant to be played, and there's only so much practice you can do in terms of getting better. It's not like football or basketball where you're putting in new plays every week. You play the game, and the only way to get better is by playing the game. That's why the players are going to love the five games a week. One pitcher is going to get to pitch in a starting role that wouldn't have, the hitters are going to be seeing game pitching more frequently, which will get them either in the groove or get them back in it quicker. I just don't see anything bad about it as long as you're in a situation where you're not having to travel a lot and miss a lot of class, and we're not, so I see nothing but good out of it."

Baylor junior shortstop Beamer Weems

On starting practice:
"We're excited to get out here with the nice day. We're ready to roll."

On having to wait longer than in the past to start practice:
"We got a lot of good practice in. A lot of guys worked hard on their own. We got together and came out here, so that was fun. But the first official practice is always exciting, so we're ready to get after it a little bit."

On the team's expectations:
"We've definitely got some talent out here, so it should be a great year. Omaha is where we want to go, so we'll see what happens. Hopefully we'll start off well this season and take it from there."

On Raynor Campbell and Shaver Hansen swapping infield positions:
"They both can play, so they're interchangeable. This might be a little better infield for us, but both of them know how to play anywhere in the infield."

On being a veteran leader on this year's team:
"We've got great leadership on the team. The freshman came in here and worked really hard this year. From the freshman to the seniors, everybody's working really hard, and there's a lot of dedication out here so it should be fun."

On expectations compared to last season:
"We definitely don't have the excuse of being young this year, so if we put it together we might make a run for something. I guess the expectations are just to do the best we can this year, and hopefully we'll go pretty far."

Baylor junior outfielder Ben Booker

On starting practice:
"It's running a little late, and the whole team has been dreaming about getting started. There are a lot of expectations, and we just want to fulfill them. Everybody's here really early, so we're really anxious to get on the field."

On the team's goals for the season:
"The team really hasn't talked about goals, but the main thing is that we want to host a Super Regional here and win it, and that's our biggest goal. We haven't talked about a Big 12 title or anything like that, just winning the Super Regional and going to Omaha."

Baylor senior relief pitcher Nick Cassavechia

On starting practice later than in past years:
"We're all extremely excited right now. There's been a lot of anticipation to get the season started, and though today's the first day when we're out having our first official practice, we've been out here the past couple of weeks going through practices lead by Paul Miles and me. We're just excited to get things rolling."

On starting the season two weeks later than last season:
"It's a little bit different with everything being pushed back. Most of it is just us having to be more patient. We're so excited; we just want Feb. 22 to get here."

On the team's expectations for the season:
"The expectations are extremely high, and we're holding ourselves accountable. The expectations on the team are really high, and everyone else has expectations, too. We're expecting to make it back to Omaha and get a national championship."

On how he feels about the team:
"I feel extremely good. This has been the most dedicated team since I've been here. Over Christmas break about 20 guys were back up here working hard by themselves before we even had to be up here. Everyone seems really dedicated."

Baylor sophomore right-handed pitcher Kendal Volz

On getting ready for the season:
"We're all ready. With practicing and intrasquad games, we just really want to play an opponent and see how we match up."

On what the team's been doing while waiting for practice to start:
"We've been doing a lot of stuff on our own. Pitchers have been throwing bullpens, and hitters have been fielding and hitting. Just the regular practice stuff. We've gotten together to do team defense a couple of different times, but we haven't done anything out of the ordinary."

On starting the season later than last year:
"Hopefully these next three weeks will go pretty quickly. It's different, but hopefully it'll be warmer than it usually is in the first couple weeks of the season. It's always more enjoyable playing when it's warm."

Baylor sophomore outfielder Aaron Miller

On starting practice:
"These next couple of weeks we'll be doing a lot of intrasquads and just trying to get back in the flow and get our timing. The biggest point for a hitter right now is just to come out here and see a lot of live arms and try to get our timing back. Pitchers are the same way, just trying to get back in the flow of the game."

On expectations heading into the season:
"A lot of people are looking forward to this year with everybody that we've got coming back and all of the firepower. We're all anxious to take it off of paper and put it on the field to see what we can do."

On being ranked in six preseason polls:
"That's always exciting whenever you're getting that kind of recognition, but it's just a preseason poll, and besides the little excitement you get from it, it's not going to offer a whole lot. We've still got to go out and put it on the field, and a lot of people are here feel that we're probably one of the top-five or top-10 teams in the country. We're definitely top-eight if we think we're going to be in Omaha. That's what we believe, so we believe we're one of the top-8 teams, and we've still got some ground to cover from 20 to eight to make sure we can get there."

On the team's offense:
"We're going to be able to match up offensively with anyone in the country. All the way up and down the lineup we have so many power threats that one swing can drastically change a game. From an opposing team view, attacking our lineup is going to be really hard because we have so many matchup problems with left-handed and right-handed power, and with guys who can run. We have three or four guys who can hit a home run, get a triple, or steal a base, so it's going to be really hard to match up with our lineup."