University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Media Day Quotes
2/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Media Day Quotes
Southern Miss Head Baseball Coach Corky Palmer?s Media Day Comments:
Opening Statement:
?We are a week away from opening our season, and the weather has thrown us off a little bit. I think we will catch up in the next few practices. It?s very important that we scrimmage. We?ve got our game in, but we need to scrimmage to get adjusted. Our returning players are ahead of our new players at this stage. The thing that we won?t be able to see is how our new players will react to Division I baseball until we start playing. They have talent, but you don?t know how they will react. It?s very evident that Brad Willcutt, Jason Lowery, Marc Maddox and Beau
On The Middle Infield:
?On athletic ability, Chris Matesish is one of the best shortstops I?ve ever coached. He?s just got to play the game, but I?ve been pleased. He?s played well in scrimmages and in practice. Trey Sutton is a guy that is very tough. His toughness reminds me a lot of Matt Shepherd and Jarrett Hoffpauir. He doesn?t give in to anything. If you have to lose guys like Shepherd and Hoffpauir, it?s good to replace them with guys that are tough and hard.?
On The Youth:
?Three years ago, we had the same thing happen in our infield with Hoffpauir, Shepherd and Maddox. I think we?ll be fine. We?re going to have some up and downs. Trey Sutton will lead off for us this year. I have a lot of confidence. We?ve had players play as freshman and play well.?
On The Pitching Staff And The Starting Rotation:
?It?s hard to determine right now. We will go with Patrick Ezell, Cole Basinger and Mike Cashion as our front three. I feel that Matt Caire might be our second-best pitcher on our team. I don?t know where to pitch him. He might close, he might be in middle relief, or he might start. Caire will probably start the season in relief, but that?s not a demotion, it is a promotion. He?s got outstanding talent. He reminds me of Anthony Dewitt. He?s very mentally tough. We?re so unproven in the bullpen, I?ve got to wait and see what happens. He might be in the starting rotation before the season is over.?
On The Senior Leadership:
?They?ve been here and have been starters since their freshman year. I look at this program starting with the 2002 season. We got our baseball facility, we had a new freshman recruiting class, we lost some to professional baseball, but Jason Lowery, Brad Willcutt, Marc Maddox and Beau Griffin are still here. They understand what it takes. I?ve been pleased with the way they?ve pushed the younger guys. They?ve made them understand that it?s just not going to happen. We?ve won a lot of games in three years, and we?ve got to have a great effort out of everybody for it to continue.?
On The Leaders On The Team:
?Beau
On The Bullpen:
?Daniel Best has looked good with his new underneath delivery. But that has to carry over into the games. Rob Burns is one of our left-handed junior college transfers, and we need him to do what Ray Antonelli did for us in 2003. He has a lot of potential and has a great curve ball. He?s a strike thower and is a tough guy. We didn?t have that last year. Burns will be used to come in and get left handed hitters out. I think our middle relief is a big question. Matt Caire might take the ball in the seventh and finish a game, because he has stamina. It will be a little different from Austin Tubb, with the confidence he gave, knowing that you only had to go to one guy. We need someone to prove they can be that guy now.?
On The Injuries:
?Jody Blount has a chance to play on Friday, possibly as a designated hitter. We?re not sure if he can play in the outfield. The tests he had done did not reveal a crack in his shoulder, but it was a severe sprain. He is unable to throw, but hopefully he will at least be our designated hitter. Eddie Burger fought hard for playing time and was going to have a shot at designated hitter and possibly first base if we played Marc Maddox in some other places. He will not be ready for Friday?s opener. They are still running tests on his back.?
On If Burger?s Injury Could Affect The Infield:
?A little bit, but I feel good where we are defensively. If we hit enough, I probably won?t change the middle infield. But if we?re not, we?ll have to change some things. I?ve said all along that Marc Maddox can play first base, second base, shortstop, left field and third base. He?s the guy that knows the game so well, you don?t worry about where he plays. You just put him out there. We want him at first, but we can move him.?
On The Tradition:
?Each year you?ve got a different team. Some years are better than others. You?ve got to create some tradition, and we?ve done that with 36, 47 and 45 wins. We?ve got to find a way. We?ve lost some very good players. We had some guys that had you asked me last year if they?d be junior MLB draftees, I wouldn?t have said yes. But they had big years, and it helped them and us. I was surprised where they were drafted. The rounds they were drafted in, they should?ve signed. Middle infield is the key for us. People also forget about Ryan Frith hitting 22 home runs last year. Someone has to hit some home runs for us this year, other than the guys we?ve got coming back.?
On The Youth:
?It?s not like we?re starting over. We have
On Hosting The Conference
?I think it?s great for our fans. They are very supportive and every year we?ve in the top-20 in attendance. We?ve been rewarded for that. It?s a win-win situation. Hopefully not, but if we are a few games short, and we need some wins to possibly get into postseason, you like to play them right here at Pete Taylor Park.?
On The Outfield Starters:
?Drew Carson will start in left field, and Jody Blount will be in right field. Jacob Fowler could see action in either left or right. Bo Davis is our fourth-best outfielder. He?s a true freshman and has a lot of talent. I haven?t made a decision on letting him play or redshirt. Blount?s injury might result in him playing.?
First Baseman Marc Maddox -
On How The Weather Has Affected Practice:
?The rain has hurt us a little bit. We?ve got some work to do, but we?re pleased with the progress we?ve made. We like the way things are shaping up.?
On The Youth In The Infield:
?They?re learning, but are doing a great job. They?re going to help out tremendously, and we?re looking forward to seeing what they?re going to do.?
On How He Will Miss Jarrett Hoffpauir and Matt Shepherd:
?They were great players, in all aspects of the game. It?s definitely going to hurt not having them here. But they?ve taught everyone a lot and both of them have been at practice helping the middle infield. So hopefully the younger players can learn a lot from them.?
Third Baseman Beau
?We?re on schedule. Feb. 18 is coming quickly, but the coaches will have us ready. We?re looking forward to starting.?
On The Young Players:
?They have the talent and are willing to work hard. It will pay off for them and the team. It will be interesting when game-time situations occur to see how they will react.?
Catcher Brad Willcutt
On The Team?s Style Of Play:
?We?ve been concentrating on the small game in the fall. We?re not going to hit home runs like we have the past two seasons. We?re going to win this year with our short game, instead of the long game.?
On The Leadership:
?We had a veteran team last year. This year, we still have some veterans, but we?ve got a lot of young guys as well. That?s where our leadership will have to come through, pulling these guys together through the hard times. It?s a long season, and we?ve got to work together as a team to wins.?
On His Role As The Team?s Catcher Due To A Young Pitching Staff:
?We?ve got a great pitching staff. There are some veteran guys, but we?ve got a lot of new players that are very talented. It puts a little more pressure on me, and losing Cliff Russum hurts. But we?ve got a good pitching staff.?
Pitcher Patrick Ezell
On Being The Team?s Ace And Getting Preseason Recognition:
?It?s nice to get some preseason recognition, but you?ve got to take it one game at a time. That?s one of my main focuses. That?s all I can do and ask of myself.?
On Added Pressure Of Stepping Up In Place Of Cliff Russum:
?I don?t think there is much added pressure. It would be awesome to have Cliff back. We have the staff to fill the position, but that?s not to say his position can be filled adequately. We?ve got the staff that can do well.?
On The Key To The Season:
?I think the key is playing together as a team. We?ve got a lot of new guys. Last year, our team was like a big family. We?re getting there this year, and I?m excited to see that. We?re coming together as a team. We have the potential for good team chemistry, and I think that will be a big key.?
On The Middle Infield:
?I was put in the same position last year, being a freshman in the starting rotation. Just like me last year, all they need is a chance. Losing one of the top middle infields in the nation in Hoffpauir and Shepherd is tough, but I have complete confidence in our infielders.?
