Quotables
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
Opening Statement
“We threw the ball really well tonight. Easton Barrett threw it great. Colin Linder threw it outstanding. And Finn Edwards finished the job in the ninth. Offensively, we can continue to talk about the same guy, if you guys want. He's (Landon Hairston) kind of on another planet right now and doing what he's quite frankly, I've never really seen this, somebody like locked in this well, or the way he is. I just had never seen it. It's been pretty impressive to watch Landon do what he's doing. As far as the rest of the offense, for the most part, I think guys are worn down a little bit. At the end of the day, we did enough to get a win. We played stellar defense. The walks were down. Only walked two guys, which was great. But all in all, a complete game for the most part. Again, offensively, we were okay, but we did enough on the mound and defensively to win this one.”
On Landon Hairston being among the best players in the country
“I haven't seen somebody better. There are some great players out there. I definitely have not seen a better hitter than him. He's just in one of those zones that you can't teach. You can't. There's nothing you can do to get somebody to get like that. It's just a natural ability and it just happens. And when you're in a zone, you're in a zone. But, in my five years here, I haven't seen a player in college baseball that is hit the way he's hitting right now.”
On the combined pitching efforts of Barrett and Linder
“It was big that Easton (Barrett) and (Colin) Linder gave us a little bit of length there and chewed up them (SDSU’s hitters), but for the majority of the game, they were very efficient. So they'll be available this weekend as well, which will be big, because we're going to need everybody, all hands on deck. Obviously a big series this weekend for everybody. So to do what they did and just come and pound the strike zone and throw a ton of strikes was outstanding. I think that's probably the best that Linder has thrown all year, just as far as smoothness and working ahead and throwing a ton of strikes, pitching with this fastball, he was really good today, and Easton was very good as well.”
On Dean Toigo’s hot streak at the plate
“He's sticking with his approach and taking hits, and he's actually getting a lot of hits the other way. For him early in the year, the other way was anything from the second baseman, that was kind of him going opposite field, but now he's actually spraying the ball more to left field, and the teams that were shifting on him are getting burned a little bit. And he's actually hitting some balls the opposite direction, and taking his base hits and coming up with big RBIs as well. So we're going to need him to keep doing that.”
Outfielder Landon Hairston
On being named Golden Spikes National Player of the Week
“It feels good to be honored like that on a national level, it’s always a blessing to have that. I feel good about it but it's a new week and a new start. We’ve got a big series this weekend, so I'm focusing on that and giving my best.”
On adjusting as pitchers change their approach
“I’m just trying to stay within myself and trying not to play into their game. I did that a lot last year when a team started to figure out what my weaknesses were. I tried to play into their game and swing at what they wanted me to swing at, so I’m trying to focus on what I want and sticking to that.”
Catcher Brody Briggs
On how his plate appearances have improved
“I’m just trusting myself to get deep in counts and not chase early. I just have to let it get deep and not be afraid to hit with two strikes. I’m trying to work at-bats and get hits early in the count but knowing if it’s not something I can do something with, then just to lay off. It seems to be going okay.”
On watching Landon’s growth from last year to this year
“Just from talking to him, the biggest thing for him is he’s playing everyday. The confidence has never changed. He has been the same confident guy since he got in here and it’s just starting to click for him.”
Pitcher Colin Linder
On his strong performance
“I felt good, finally felt a few things start clicking better. There are still things to work on, but I’m pretty happy and the guys work really hard behind me. There was a great play by PJ (Moutzouridis) back there, and Beckett (Zavorek) made a couple of good ones too. A lot of really good defense behind me.”
On himself and Easton Barrett each going for four innings
“It meant a lot, especially considering we used a lot of arms this weekend. We did what we could to give guys a break and let them get rested up. It means all of us are hot again the second we get to Thursday and the guys are ready to go.”
