2013 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT – GAME 4 QUOTES
No. 7 Georgia Southern vs. No. 2 College of Charleston
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Fluor Field, Greenville, S.C.
Georgia Southern head coach Rodney Hennon
Opening statement…
“Just proud of our team.It’s always good to get that first one here in the tournament. Great effort from Justin (Hess) on the mound; it was a gutty performance. And of course, T.D. (Davis) with the homerun early, giving us the two runs to work with. In order to make a run in this tournament, the seniors are the ones to step up, and these two guys certainly did that today, and I’m just proud of the whole team.”
On the team being seeded low but turning in a good performance
“When you get over here, it’s a new season, and my guys understand that. It starts with your pitching.You have to pitch well in this tournament in order to give yourself a chance, and we did a good job here today. We played pretty good defense, we had one miscue there, but I was proud of the way our guys responded there with two outs.”
Any thoughts of taking Justin Hess out of the game?
“He wanted to finish. We had some discussion in dugout, and he might have knocked me out if I tried to take him out. He wanted to finish that game awful bad.”
How was it to come back and play this morning after waiting last night?
“These guys have experienced that before. When you get into the tournament, you can’t worry about all that. The adrenalin gets pumping, you’re excited about playing no matter when you start, be it 10 a.m. or midnight. We have experienced both, so I don’t think that was a factor at all.”
Justin Hess
How important was this game for you as a senior?
“With my experience last year, I know the first game is the most important one. You got to come out with the right identity, and give my team a chance to stay in the game.”
How important was that two-run lead?
“That’s big, especially in the first inning, because that gives you a lot more liberation in a 3-2 count. You know you have insurance.”
How were you feeling going in, and how was your arm?
“I was very determined to go as deep as I could, and I would have been very unhappy if coach would have pulled me out. (In the last inning)I was ready to go, no point in wasting time.”
T.D. Davis
About his homerun
“I’m a leader and I go to work, but the credit goes to (Justin) Hess for that game. I knew coming into this weekend that they were going to try and come in with a fastball, but he left it out over the plate and I put a good swing on it.”
Have you been feeling pretty good?
“I didn’t have much to show this past weekend in Charleston, but I felt like I’ve had some better at-bats and starting to feel good again. I just got to keep it rolling in the tournament.”