Quotables
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
Opening Statement
“They didn't panic, which was good. It was very sloppy early on. We don't need to go into all the details, other than just a whole lot of walks and a whole lot of standing around. They could have put a statue in the box, and we might have lost there early on, but our guys settled in. Jaden Alba did a great job calming the waters. Offense wasn't stellar today. We got a bunch of base runners, but didn't do a great job of situational hitting, but we did enough to get it done. Took advantage. They had one mistake there on a PFP in the eighth, and we were able to take advantage of it, so we will take the sweep. Obviously, that's a great part, a great way to start the year, but there's some glaring stuff that we got to work on clearly, so we'll get back to the drawing board and back to work tomorrow.”
On Beckett Zavorek's clutch hit
“He's been great. Beckett's one of those kids. He’s just a gamer. He's not going to come out and wow you with overwhelming athletic ability, he just plays baseball, and he's good at it. So in that situation there in the eighth, we talked about it, and I just bet on the kid more than anything. He hadn't had a great day offensively. But some of those times you just bet on the kid, and what's inside, what's under the hood, what kind of motors you got. And it was this no brainer, just let him go. He'll figure out a way, hopefully, to get it done, and he put together a great at bat, base hit up the middle. And it was big for him, big for us.”
On Brody Briggs providing energy to the team
“Briggs, he's just overall energy, kick-started us. So the homer was icing on the cake. From an offensive standpoint, it got us rolling a little bit, but just look at what he did behind the plate. Guys were flat and not to dwell on the walks, but when you walk that many guys early, you got a defense standing around like, ‘Okay, let's go.’ He never once wavered on his energy behind the dish, did a great job blocking balls in the dirt. At the end of the game, had some huge blocks with Buxton out there too, 56 foot breaking balls that spiked, and he blocked them up and kept runners in their position. So just a huge day for him, not only offensively, but also defensively.”
On the team overcoming adversity
“We didn't fold. And I guess the biggest takeaway for me is that we got faced with that situation, and we didn't give in. We recognized it. We didn't panic. We strung a few things together. Were we sharp throughout the game with that stuff when we had our opportunities? No, not at all, but didn't waver on it. We kept battling, kept grinding, and were able to push enough runs across to get a win. And learning how to win is sometimes difficult. But in expecting to win, if we do get down early, expecting to win is another acquired taste, if you will. As you kind of get going, you don't flinch, and when you get down, you don't flinch, you keep going, you keep battling. And our guys did that today, so that was a good thing. Good takeaway from today's game.”
Pitcher Sean Fitzpatrick
On the importance of being a successful leader on and off the field:
“I wouldn't say succeeding on the field matters that much. Honestly, I don't really care how Nu’u [Contrades] does or how I do myself, this is about us winning as a team. At the end of the day, it's great that we both had good weekends, and we did what we're supposed to to help us win, but that's it at the end of the day, right? We’re trying to win games.”
On the momentum the team gets from a home opening sweep:
“I think it's good. Again, kind of what [Head Coach Bloomquist] said yesterday, I'll reiterate it. It's great that we're 3-0, but we're not where we need to be, as a team and how we're playing. So, we're very excited to be able to get back after it and get better and keep working to get to where we want to go.”
Infielder Beckett Zavorek
On his eighth inning 2-RBI single:
“It felt great just to finally break open and get ahead in the game. We were playing from behind all game, but it just shows the toughness we have as a team and how we're never out of the game.”
On the depth of the lineup:
“I think we complement each other nicely, so we're never out of a game. We're always a couple of hits away from being back in it.”
Catcher Brody Briggs
On the importance of clicking with other catchers, like Coen Niclai:
“It's huge. It's huge for me to come out and him to go in, and it kind of be seamless. We're going to obviously need that later in the year. And [Cooper] Clouser too, he came in and made a big play and looked comfortable. So, to have all of us fire on all cylinders is big.”
On having five different pitchers throughout the game:
“I think guys are just struggling to find the zone early. So I guess my job was to try to calm them down. It wasn't great, but we made it happen at the end.”
Up Next
Arizona State remains at Phoenix Municipal Stadium for a midweek matchup with UConn on Tuesday at 6:35 PM MST. The Sun Devils and Huskies face off for the first time since 2004, when ASU swept a three-game series to open the season. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
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