Steve Sabins press conference summary: Kentucky
West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins addressed the media following the 6-5 win over Kentucky to win the Morgantown Regional and WVSports.com provides a summary of what was said.
–That was fun. Couldn’t draw it up any better. Everything that you love about coaching and everything you love about the players was on full display this weekend. It was cinema. It had everything you could imagine and it was a beautiful week of baseball and getting to spend more time with these kids is great. It’s been cemented that this is the best college baseball atmosphere in America. They’re bringing a Super Regional to Morgantown for the first time in program history. The goal in 11 years was to do things that hadn’t been done in program history and they’re doing that.
–Sabins is not out there pitching and hitting but a lot of it had to do with Chansen Cole. He is even keel and the kids were pretty special and when things go bad it’s easy to point fingers. If you’re weak minded and not strong mentally you can think somebody is screwing you but you need to make better pitches and keep their cool. Winning in extra innings on the road is extremely hard. Being able to put up two innings without them scoring and being able to walk them off. Kentucky had four walks today so they had to earn everything today. It was an incredible performance.
–On going to Dawson Montesa he said before the game you’re going through each pitcher. Ben McDougal didn’t throw as much but that’s the most he has thrown this year. David Hagen hasn’t thrown twice in a weekend. You’re trying to understand where bodies are at. They literally measure everybody’s strength levels on their arms, shoulders, etc. Everybody’s body is different and Montesa they had self evaluations and arm scores. He said he felt better today and he said he was ready to go today and he told him be ready to go. He wasn’t going to start the next inning because they felt he had given them everything he could. He got two huge outs for the program and if he could get them to the bottom of the tenth with two huge outs to win the game, he would take it.
–It was huge for Maxx Yehl to get the first three outs and then to take the lead in the first inning. Yehl had his worst outing of the season but then came back and had a successful outing it shows the fortitude. For him to basically recover, work on his body and come back and give five innings that’s a pretty ridiculous growth moment. Talk about facing adversity and coming out on the other side.
–Armani Guzman likes the moment and likes to win. He’s probably the best athlete in the country. He is a great practice player now, but when he showed up he relied on athleticism but he’s learned to put the work in.
–Sabins walked out there at 3:30 p.m. and there were guys with their shirts off and girls in bikinis on the hill and he felt they were really dedicated. He said they need to put some permanent seating on the hill.
–Now they get to do it all over again they just had a wacky weekend but being in the arena is the funnest part of the job. Regardless of where it’s held you’re two games away from Omaha. He doesn’t know which game is more exciting, it’s a push because they were both insane but it’s about keeping their exposure. They’ve been winning a lot of series this season so they can’t lose their focus. It’s another week of preparation for the guys.
–Guys in this program has been part of so many special moments. This week was more fun and more exciting and to be able to do it in front of the home fans. You felt that energy and everybody in the entire state is probably tuned into this. Just growing with the kids and developing this.
–Sabins said he’s trying to play good opponents and regional opponents. There is so much that goes into it. Some of the schedules are done two, three, four years in advance. The first three or four weeks of the season is weather issues for both Kentucky and West Virginia. If there is a weekend that works out he would love to do that.
–Done that a few times bringing guys in mid-count. They had start to adjust to the mix a little bit on Chansen Cole and his speed was down obviously. Sabins said we might be standing there watching the next pitch as a Wildcat crosses home plate so they brought in Montesa and it ended up playing out well.
–It’s already started with people noticing Gavin Kelly on a national level. Four straight regionals, three straight Super Regionals. Doing these things people start to expect they’re a top 16 program in the country nationally so there has to be some good players on those teams. It becomes easier for publications to say who is the next first rounder coming out of West Virginia.
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