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Texas A&M baseball quotes after losing to TCU

Posted: 3:42 PM Jun 3, 2012
Reporter: Texas A&M Sports Information

Texas A&M baseball raw postgame interviews after falling to TCU

Texas A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Rob Childress
“To say there is a certain amount of disappointment with our team and our coaching staff would be an understatement. We didn’t play good enough to win today. [Stefan] Crichton and TCU’s hitters didn’t allow us to do that. You have to have a great performance on the mound if you are going to try to come through the loser’s bracket and TCU did. They did a great job against our pitching. Rafael [Pineda] felt like he was up in the zone. They were taking some good swings against him so we went to Daniel [Mengden]. We got some momentum back to even the score at two. For us it was a matter of being able to get off the field with two outs. Out of the ten years we gave up, six were with two outs. We weren’t able to make pitches when it mattered the most to get the team off the field.”

On failing to get off the field with two outs…
“When you only hang two zeros out of eight innings that tells you TCU has things rolling offensively. They are going to be a tough team tonight. They scored 28 runs yesterday and then today that carried over. They have momentum; that’s something we weren’t able to grab.”

On the importance of momentum offensively…
“It can start with a spark. That is what happened yesterday, TCU was in a dogfight with Dayton. They were down 9-6, when just like that a spark hit. When Dayton went to the closer in the fifth inning that was their last line of defense, and when he could stop things it unwound for them. TCU’s momentum carried over today for them, and I assume it will tonight. They are going to face good pitching tonight from Ole Miss but I expect a dogfight.”

On looking ahead to next season…
“First and foremost nobody’s expectations are higher than the coaches and the players. There is no one more disappointed than the 27 players, the coaching staff, and the support staff. This isn’t where are road was supposed to end, but it was a good journey. It was a good team to coach, and a fun team to coach. They loved to compete, and they played hard for us all year long. The thing that sticks out for me about all five seniors is that nobody handed them anything. They had to work, compete, scratch and claw for everything they had. Estevan Uriegas went from being a walk-on in our camps to being the guy who set the school record for appearances in a season, and turned into to a dependable young man who’s engaged, and has his degree. Ross Stripling sat in my office the summer after his senior year and just asked for an opportunity. Five years from now he will be in the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame. Matt Juengel, nobody recruited him out of high school. He had to go to Carthage, Texas just to prove he could play, and he hit in the middle of our lineup for three years. Scott Arthur, his dad played football here, he came into our camp and stood out because of his effort and his attitude. It took him four years to earn a scholarship and an opportunity to play every day, and he made us better. Jacob House, he shouldn’t have been here. He had to go do things academically that I don’t think most people could have done. He left our program in a better place, on the field, off the field, in the Bible, and in the athletic department. He was a special kid. There will be underclassmen who will be leaving. They will be pretty good draft picks tomorrow night. They handled things the way you can only hope. They played and pitched for the team all year long, and for that I will always be thankful. But, going ahead we will be talented. We will be young next year. We are going to be playing a challenging schedule but we embrace that. Our expectations won’t change.

Senior Infielder Scott Arthur
On how hard it will be to take off his jersey…
“It will be real tough. When you wait this long to get the opportunity to play every day and then just like that it’s gone. It goes by quick and it’s going to be tough, but tomorrow is a new day.”

On the fans’ ovation after his last out…
“It was great. It is tough having high expectations and then it ending this short. The fans supporting you even during a disappointing season means a lot.”

Junior Outfielder Tyler Naquin
On what could be his last game at A&M…
“You really think of the guys around you. Scott [Arthur] plays hard. Some days I might have taken for granted by he never did. [Jacob] House, Matt [Juengel], those guys play hard every day. The whole team did. From the whole coaching staff, everybody in the ballpark, to even the elevator lady, people like that are who make Texas A&M what it is.”