Post game reaction from Wednesday's win over UT Pan Am

[Matt Cotcher]

Augie Garrido: "I think it went this way....they came in with a better spirit about them, about playing hard, playing as a team, and we were, um....kind of out there - not connected. It started in infield & outfield. There wasn't anything dramatically wrong during that period of time - we actually just kind of let balls roll out the end of our gloves. Just careless, careless stuff. The thing is, it's been pretty easy for this group the last three games. When we were at Rice, we hit balls hard, right at people, and they were outs. Then we had a nice feast on balls that are going through the infield, and in between the outfielders - things have been pretty sweet for everybody offensively. Well tonight when we hit balls hard in the first four innings, it went like that [catching motion]. Their body language revealed they wish they would have had a hit. There's nothing too wrong with that, except that isn't....we actually got beat in those first four innings at being a team. That shows just how important teamwork is in this game. Their spirit actually outplayed our spirit.

Now what happens in the fifth? Now we realize we're four runs behind, and need to do something. So what do you do? You start to try better. As soon as you try, you fail. As soon as you try, you fail in this game. Now they're trying to drive in runs - how many pop ups did we have? How many easy fly balls? How many easy slow rollers? We mis-hit the ball during that period of time, and it's the same guys that were hitting everything in sight for 4 games in a row. That's how fragile, how important the mind is as it affects the performance of the players. That's how fine a line there is between being very, very good and being not very good. That's what I saw happen. That's the lesson in it for them, and that's what I talked to them about in the clubhouse. We had something really important to learn tonight - it's about teamwork. The routines leading into the game did not get us back in touch with our competitive spirit. Our spirit and our appreciation and responsibility to each other. We played catch, but we didn't respect the guy that was catching the ball. Something as simple as that.

And so, in the 8th and the 9th they calmed down. They got back within themselves - took their walks, didn't try to get a hit, tried to get on base. It took that long - it took 4 innings being out of touch, then 3 innings trying to get back in touch, finally in the 8th inning they did. Then in the 9th inning, they stayed that way. It's an amazing game isn't it?"

Augie Garrido on Connor Mayes: "He got rushed. There were a lot of uncharacteristic things that happened in the first four innings - all based on what I've just been talking about...all based on that. They start to try."

Augie Garrido on Bret Boswell's game-winning hit: "He's good at that. He does that a lot. He won the national championship for his semi-pro team this Summer with that kind of a hit - a double to win the national championship. He's done that a lot. He did that in high school too. He's a big game player and a big game performer. He's got the most even-keeled personality that you will ever meet. It serves him well in big moments, other times it looks like he's looking around for butterflies, or something. It works for him."

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Collin Shaw: "I definitely think we came out a little flat. We didn't really get reconnected until the 6th or 7th inning. Then we put some rallies together. And that's what Coach [Garrido] talked about - learning from it. It's good to get in a tight ball game at home as well, and pull it out."

Collin Shaw on Bret Boswell: "Yeah, I thought that was getting through for sure. He's definitely a gamer. He was hurt all last year, or he probably would have played a lot last year. He's a really talented player, He's got some of the quickest hands on the team - good arm - great on D - he's doing a good job."

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Bret Boswell on his final at bat of the night: "I thought the 3-1 pitch was a little down and in. I just got back in there - got my mind right. Just thought I was gonna get a hit and looking to go up the middle with it. And just put a good swing on it. I was kinda thinking fastball, but was really just looking for anything close. Just anything to swing at really."

Bret Boswell on his demeanor: "Surprisingly, tonight I was calm. I didn't think I would be, but tonight I was. I was kind of shocked at myself."

 

[utisdabomb12]

You can tell why Augie is such a good coach from those quotes. Has a lot of Phil Jackson in him. Augie knows the game but he has a way of tapping into the mental game, that's what takes him to an entirely different level. 

 

[Matt Cotcher]

You can tell why Augie is such a good coach from those quotes. Has a lot of Phil Jackson in him. Augie knows the game but he has a way of tapping into the mental game, that's what takes him to an entirely different level. 

Phil Jackson has a lot of John Wooden in him. If you ever heard Garrido talk about Wooden, you wouldn't be surprised at the parallel you made.

All D1 coaches in all sports know their respective game very well. One of the underrated differences of successful coaches is their ability to connect with players and communicate information to them in an impactful way. That's a big piece of the genius behind Wooden, Jackson, Garrido.

 

[Johnstark23]

Garrido summed up the grand game the best,when he said if you go up there trying you won't. The hardest thing to do in sports is to hit a round ball with a round bat square. You add in extra stuff you end up rolling over a pipe shot fast ball to the short stop or popping it up to the right fielder.

 

[armadillo slim]

that's great stuff, fellas