Postgame Quotes: Quinnipiac (March 8)

2020 Mississippi State Baseball
Postgame Quotes
Mississippi State vs. Quinnipiac
March 8, 2020

Chris Lemonis | Head Coach

Q: How would you assess where Eric Cerantola e was today, and David Dunlavey?
CL: "Eric [Cerantola]'s stuff was really good, but he had some big misses in there, on the breaking ball and off-speed. So, as the jam started going he kind of started to unravel a little bit, and we didn't want to get that game expanded. I thought that was the turning point in the game, David [Dunlavey] coming in, stopping it, minimizing it, and then two really clean innings after that."

Q: How good was it to see the bats come alive again today?
CL: "They were good. When you get a two-out hit in the first, which we haven't had a chance to get a lot of, it really let us relax and breathe. That let us play more free today. They threw out some of their better arms today, and I thought we had some really good swings."

Q: You had three or four big hits when you had a chance to put runners on base. Is that kind of what the team is?
CL: "I think so. [Jordan Westburg] getting the big hit and being in the middle of it, Rowdey Jordan was in the middle of it. When those guys play really well it seems like everybody else really relaxes and plays well. We are a good offensive team, we've just been in a little bit of a funk, and it's nice to see them get some big swings and get out of it."

Q: How big was this weekend?
CL: "It's huge. There's an old saying, 'it's a lot better to win than lose,' and I know it sounds simple, but it lets you wake up in a good mood. We're getting on a bus, we're traveling, and we're going to play a big opponent. I think it just puts a good taste in your mouth. Our goal every day, we talk about it a lot, is to play great baseball. We still feel like we can improve in a lot of areas, but the attitude around the ball club [will make that] bus ride to Biloxi a lot better."

Q: What did you think you were getting with David Dunlavey?
CL: "We thought we were getting a veteran guy who had been out there and wouldn't get rattled. We were kind of worried coming into this year with so many new bullpen pieces of young kids, him and Carlisle [Koestler] were both very similar type of stuff. They are more mature and older. The team picks on them all the time because they are 24 and 25 years old it feels like, but they bring some stability there, and that's what David has been able to do. I got on him a little bit last week. He's just been okay for us, missing some pitches here and there, and I thought he came out today and pitched like he should. His stuff is good, but he's been missing. He'll miss a couple and then he'll throw one down the middle. Today he didn't do that, he located all day long."

Q: Have you ever had a regular season week as tough as the one you have coming?
CL: "I feel like we are in a good spot. Getting through the weekend let us get into a good spot. David [Dunlavey] was so efficient, he'll be available Tuesday and Wednesday. So, I think we have all our guys ready. It is a big week...You are playing Texas Tech and Arkansas in a week, and then the next week you roll into Baton Rouge. But that's what it is, when you come here you know you are going to play the best. You are in the best conference in the country, the best division in the best conference in the country we feel like. It's just another good team after another good team, and we just have to be ready to play. It's exciting. The purpose of going to the coast was so our fans down there can see us, and they've responded because I think they bought a lot of tickets there in Biloxi Shuckers' place. It'll be a fun two days, and I think we will find out a lot about our ball club."

Q: Logan Tanner's home run kind got that five-run fourth started...
CL: "It was nice to see him get the head [of the bat] out. That was a really nice swing by him, and he is having some really good at bats for us. He hit a really good ball yesterday to the warning track when the wind had switched, but he's doing a lot of good things for us right now. He is catching at a high level. I'm really excited about his future."

Q: How are you feeling about the younger guys in the lineup?
CL: "I thought [Kamren James] was good. Tanner Leggett, he's not really a younger guy, but he is a new guy...Tanner is everything we are not doing right now because he is just competing. He is putting balls in play, he is running bases, just some gritty baseball and it shows you that balls find holes. He takes off on that ball that Rowdey [Jordan] hit in the eighth inning. [They're] just playing some good ball. I'm excited about those guys."

David Dunlavey | Gr. | RHP
Q: How do you feel like you performed today?
DD: "I felt good today. I was pounding the zone, which is something that I've struggled with lately. I really felt like I had all of my stuff today. I came in a big spot, which I have become more comfortable with since I've been here. It was good to get out there, feel good, and put us back in the momentum column there in that game."

Q: You were a starter at Furman, but now you're working out of the bullpen. Do you feel good about that?
DD: "I feel good any time I get to get out onto the mound. It was just a small adjustment. It's a little bit different getting ready quick and stuff like that, but once I get out there it feels the same to me.

Q: With three perfect innings, it seemed like your job out there was to steady things. Was that how you approached it?
DD: "I knew that game was in balance right there. It could have gone either way. I went out there and pounded the zone. We've kind of gave them [some runs] this weekend. I made them take it from us that time."

Q: What was [Chris] Lemonis and [Scott] Foxhall's message to you?
D: "[Coach Lemonis] told me that the first guy was most likely going to bunt, and he did. We got one out there. With the next guy, they just told me to attack him and not give him anything [and not let] him get ahead in the count. [It was] mainly staying ahead and making them pit it in play instead of giving them a free base."

Jordan Westburg | Jr. | IF
Q: The top of the batting order really did some good things today. How did it feel out there?
JW: "It's what we expected coming into the year, for us older guys to step up in big moments and come through with some base hits. It was exciting for us to do that. Kamren James, he's not in the top of the order, but he's a young guy who came through with a big knock in the first [inning]. I thought that's kind of what kick-started our offense, his two-out knock. It was good. It was good for us to contribute to the offense. It was good that we have younger guys like [Logan Tanner] and Kamren James in the mix."

Q: After the way last weekend went, how big was the sweep this weekend?
JW: "This was huge. Yesterday wasn't pretty. Today we came out and played a lot better I thought. I thought the pitchers did a really good job of filling up the zone. I thought on offense that we were back to our normal selves a little bit. We really grinded the pitchers out and put hard at-bats together all day long. It was very good for us to come out and get a sweep this weekend, especially going into a tough week."

Q: That big double of yours, did you think it was out off the bat?
JW: "No. He got in on me just a little bit. I knew the wind was blowing, but I didn't think I got all of it. I'm glad it got off the wall and took a hop that allowed Rowdey [Jordan] to score that second run."

Q: How big is it for you as a two-hole hitter to have a guy like Josh Hatcher behind you hitting missiles like he is right now?
JW: "It's awesome. They're not wanting to face him, so they're going to throw to me a lot of the time. I know I'm not hitting fantastic right now, but I'm going to keep grinding and working at it. I'm going to come through and continue to grow and learn."

Q: What's more important for this team right now? The hitting or the fielding?
JW: "I think the defense. Defense wins championships. We're never trying to make errors. We're never trying to throw balls around and look like the Bad News Bears out there, but it happens. It's baseball. Some of it is just us letting the game speed up a little bit when we need to slow it down. We're going to keep working. We're going to get better and look to improve in that area."

Q: What do you think of the next few games on the coast against Texas Tech?
JW: "It's going to be a good matchup. I know they're hot right now with some good arms and good bats. I feel like this sweep will give us some momentum. I heard it's a sold out crowd, so I'm excited to get down there."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Quotes: Quinnipiac (March 8)

Players Mentioned

Eric Cerantola

David Dunlavey

Josh Hatcher

Kamren James

Rowdey Jordan

Tanner Leggett

Logan Tanner

Jordan Westburg

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