Postgame Quotes
2/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2008
Baylor head coach Steve Smith:
On tonight's game:
"This one was pretty sharp. That was a goal, to try to play well, and that started on the mound with our guys throwing strikes. Most of our free bases that we had given up over the weekend had to do with the mound - either bases on balls, hit batters, or a wild pitch here and there. Wade (Mackey) only walked two guys, one of the guys that reached by error we picked off, and so they only got two or three free bases tonight, and we had over 20. From that standpoint, we played the game itself pretty well."
On Wade Mackey's performance:
"Given what I asked him to do, which was basically to throw a lot of fastballs right at guys, he did a good job."
On tonight's offense:
"They throw you a soft left-hander, with the wind blowing in your face, and that is a recipe for a lot of fly ball outs. The guys knew that going in, and they did a good job of trying to stay on top of the ball and stay away from that. We hit the ball square more often than not, and we hit some balls really well. The ball (Ben) Booker hit that they caught against the fence, I really thought that ball was going out even with the wind. I don't know that I've seen him hit a ball that well in a game."
On the upcoming QTI Baylor Classic:
"The thing that's different about this weekend is that everybody we play will have played (this season). We're not going to have the advantage that we had against Purdue. We clearly had an advantage in that series defensively because they hadn't even been outside. We won't walk into this weekend with that kind of advantage because everybody's had a chance to be outside and play some games."
On sophomore RHP Kendal Volz being named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week:
"I see a lot different. He's a lot more comfortable, and his body language on the mound looks a ton more confident. His command of his stuff is better. He just pounded the strike zone the other day with three pitches, and his velocity was 92-96 the whole time he was out there. He's just continuing to get better as he matures, as any player will do with the more opportunities they get."
Baylor sophomore RHP Wade Mackey:
On pitching with a strong wind blowing in:
"The ball's never going to go anywhere when the wind is blowing like that, so it's not a bad thing. It's something that you know in the back of your mind; if the ball gets up it's probably not going to go out. As far as pitching, it doesn't really change my thinking."
On his approach on the mound:
"(It's) pretty much the same as last year. I just try to go out there and get comfortable. I want to throw strikes; I really don't like walking people.
Baylor junior SS Beamer Weems:
On having his first multi-hit game of the season:
"My swing's felt good all year. It's just been my timing, and I felt like my timing kind of kicked in today. It felt good to get a couple of hits."
On Wade Mackey's performance:
"Wade (Mackey) came out there and threw strikes and did really well, and for the most part the defense did really well. We (the offense) kept the ball out of the air, so it was a pretty good turnout today."
On adjusting hitting style based on conditions:
"You kind of have to (adjust). If you hit the ball in the air with the wind blowing in like that, they're just going to catch it, so you really try to get on top of the ball and hit hard ground balls and line drives. That's your best bet at getting on (base).
On playing three games against three different teams starting Friday:
"We've played in different tournaments over the years, and it's actually kind of fun playing three different teams in three days. It should be a lot of fun seeing new faces every day, so we're looking forward to it."
Baylor junior RF Adam Hornung:
On tonight's offense:
"For the conditions, we did a pretty good job of keeping the ball out of the air and trying to hit it on the ground to make them make plays. We hit a few balls well too. (Ben) Booker hit that ball to the wall that would probably have gone out any other day. We did a good job of laying-off of a lot of pitches, and we didn't strike out much, so that was a plus."
On playing in cold weather:
"It's something you go through each year. Starting in February, you're going to play in some cold weather. The cold weather's not bad, but wind and cold is pretty rough."
