NCAA Starkville Regional: MSU Quotes (June 4, 2021)

NCAA Starkville Regional
Postgame Press Conference - Game 1
Mississippi State
June 4, 2021

Chris Lemonis | Head Coach

Q: How do you think Will Bednar performed and overcame the first inning home run?
CL: "I thought he [Bednar] was really good. The guy [Samford's Max Pinto] hit a good pitch in the first, and he hung a slider to the one guy [Samford's Kaden Dreier] who hit the ball out to left. I thought he was really good today. I gave him the shirt after the game just because I thought it was competitive – being able to take the ball, throw 120 pitches and give us a great chance to win. Those guys are good. We knew we were matching up with a really good offensive team and a team that can hit the ball out of the ballpark. I thought that was some of the better stuff he's had in his career, they just hit a couple pitches."

Q: How good was it to see the offense producing following last week's SEC Tournament?
CL: "I thought the guys were great today. I thought we did a great job with situational hitting – moving a runner, getting a runner in, just making things happen and having quality at-bats. We didn't get too big. Sometimes in the opening game of the [NCAA Regional] tournament, everybody is trying to swing a little too hard to loosen things. Our approach is to stay on balls and make them make plays. I thought our guys did a great job of that. Rowdy [Jordan], Luke [Hancock], Kellum [Clark] and Brad [Cumbest] all had big days at the park."

Q: How big is it that Will Bednar was able to go so long today and open up your bullpen going forward?
CL: "It was big, plus we had two guys get out there in a regional atmosphere. Preston [Johnson] got to get out there and get his feet wet. He hadn't been out there in about 10-to-12 days, and Stone [Simmons got to play]. Now, they've been out there and pitched. They'll be available tomorrow. We should have everybody available. That was a big piece on Will … When you look and we're up 8-3, it wasn't a big decision. But at the time, we weren't [ahead] 8-3 when he went back out there – him taking the ball was huge for us."

Q: Is it likely that Will Bednar will continue to give up home runs since he likes to challenge hitters up in the strike zone?
CL: "If I'm not mistaken, the fastball to start was down and away [in the strike zone]. They hit a slider on the one [later]. He made a bad pitch on the slider. The slider was a bad pitch. He left it over the plate. Right now, with spin rate and everything, you're trying to pitch in the top half of the zone. He usually doesn't give up the home run there, it's when he leaves it over the plate. He'll give up some, [because] he's a power pitcher. As long as we're not giving up three-run home runs – the solo home run doesn't usually kill you. That's what their offense is built for. This is a pretty offensive regional with the offenses that we have here. Those guys are swinging, and they're swinging for the home run most of the time."

Q: What has made Luke Hancock such a consistent batter this year?
CL: "He's [been] like that his whole career, I remember putting him in the lineup in 2019. He sees a lot of pitches – grinds out a lot of pitches, doesn't swing out of the zone and he doesn't really change with the moment. If it's a big moment, he stays relaxed."
"He makes somebody give him a good pitch. Usually, pitchers fall behind so he gets a good pitch to hit. He doesn't try to do too much. I thought he was really good. That two-out single he had was a breather for us to be able to run out there and play that game today."

Q: How big has Luke Hancock's play at first base been?
CL: "It's huge. Then, we have [Josh] Hatcher who runs out there in the eighth and ninth innings and makes a couple of nice plays. We have a good combination. They're both good athletes and players. He's playing a good first base, he's been fine."

Q: Do you ever take time to enjoy the moment of postseason baseball in Starkville after not having it last season?
CL: "I told our guys that I never get to enjoy it, unfortunately. That's the hard part until the regional is over. For some reason, I was up at 5 a.m., and I was in my office at about 6:25 this morning. Like I told our players before the game, I haven't been this excited for a game in a long time. We're just excited to play and to be in the postseason. I told our kids this is where our program belongs. It's just fun to be back out there in this type of atmosphere. When they play that NCAA song, you know it's a fun time of year. I really challenge our kids to be able to enjoy this – to have fun and enjoy this time."

Q: Are you locked into your pitching plans for tomorrow regardless of matchup?
CL: "We're going with [Christian] MacLeod tomorrow. We feel like we have two number one guys. Christian has pitched in that spot because Will [Bednar] had the injury all year, and we're getting him back in. We feel like we have two number ones. We went with Will [Bednar] today because was the matchup against an all right-handed lineup. Every scouting report we had said 'sliders,' and Will [Bednar] has one of the better sliders out there. Christian [MacLeod] will pitch tomorrow, it doesn't matter who we're playing."

Q: What did you see from your guys today that you'd like to see them continue through the remainder of the regional?
CL: "They weren't cool, but they were just loose today. They were ready to play and ready to get after it. They accepted the challenge. From the minute we got there, I liked the vibe. The coaches kept saying 'We like the vibe'. Everybody is in good spirits, bouncing around, and we got a really good start. When you're up 4-1, you can get to playing with that type of crowd behind you. It's a lot of fun."

Will Bednar | So. | RHP

Q: How did you feel after giving up the leadoff home run to start the game?
WB: "It's a little bit of a shock to have the first pitch you throw in [NCAA] regionals be a home run. I thought it was as good of a pitch I could have made. He [Max Pinto] did a great job of smoking that ball. Give credit to him."

Q: How did you stay resilient when they got a few more runs later on?
WB: "Just trusted my defense and do what I could to get outs. I got a few strike outs. I had a great defense behind me so I let them do some work too."

Q: How important was it for you to go seven innings today?
WB: "It's pretty big. I'm really happy I could do that for us and eat up as many innings as I could. It will help us these next few days."

Q: When did you find out you were starting today?
WB: "I found out about it at the beginning of this week. We modeled my routine off of what I would usually do if I were to start Friday. I think [the decision was based on] matchups. We have a ton of great guys. Them not having a lot of right-handed hitters made it better for me to pitch than Christian [MacLeod]. Either way, we would have been fine."

Q: What is your mindset when you are in trouble on the mound?
WB: "With home runs, I try to flush it – forget about it and focus on the next pitch. With guys on-base, I try to get my best or even better than my best. I just try to prevent those runners from scoring."

Q: How did the atmosphere feel for your first ever regional game?
WB: "It's electric, there's no place like Dudy Noble. Growing up, I never played in-front of big crowds. Coming here and playing in front of 10,000 to 15,000 people is incredible. There's nothing like it."

Q: What did you do to get out of the fifth inning with the at-bat to Sonny DiChiara?
WB: "I attacked [the strike zone] with high pitches. He [DiChiara] swung at the first one. So, we went back to it. I made a good pitch, and he swung and missed."

Q: What would you share with the rest of the pitching staff to prepare them?
WB: "Most of the guys know just to compete no matter what the situation is. We've had some big crowds like this before such as the Ole Miss weekend. I have no worries about them not competing and not doing what they do."

Q: How comfortable were you to go back out in the seventh inning?
WB: "After the sixth inning, Coach Foxhall asked me if I was good to go, and I said yes. I was going to go out there and do whatever I could."

Luke Hancock | Jr. | 1B

Q: What is your approach at the plate with runners on-base?
LH: "Just try to do whatever I can for the team. A sacrifice fly or get somebody over. I just try to hit the ball hard. Luckily, the ball was finding some holes for me."

Q: Did Coach Foxhall expect the double steal attempt from Samford to happen in the fifth inning?
LH: "It was just Coach Foxhall, [Will] Bednar, and Logan Tanner on the mound talking about the hitter. We had an idea [it could be coming]. We had been working on it at practice this week. We didn't get an out, but Will came back the very next pitch and struck him out. That was huge for us."

Q: How important was it to not give up a run on the double steal attempt?
LH: "It was big. Not giving up a run being up two [runs] was big."

Q: How fulfilling was it to be able to piece runs together throughout the game.
LH: "We were able to move runners around which was big for us. Today at the plate, we played a clean game of baseball. We just have to carry that over into the next couple of days."

Q: How did you feel about the depth of the lineup today?
LH: "In order to win, everybody one through nine, has to produce – whether it is getting someone over or getting a sacrifice fly. Kellum [Clark] is a great player. He showed that over the past couple of weeks. He has continued to get better and better. He's hot right now."

Q: Did you get a full week of work after getting injured last week?
LH: "After the two off days we had, I was back out there. It was a little sore, but I'm good now. Everything is back to 100 percent. I had a full week of practice which was big for me."

Q: Are you surprised how well Kellum Clark is hitting the ball?
LH: "I'm not surprised at all. He just has a different presence in the box, especially for a freshman's presence. He's going to be a really great force and will help us these next couple of weeks."

Mississippi State University Athletics

NCAA Starkville Regional: MSU Quotes (June 4, 2021)

Players Mentioned

Will Bednar

Kellum Clark

Luke Hancock

Logan Tanner

Related Videos