June 1, 2002
2002 NCAA Baseball Regional Quotes
New Mexico State 1, San Diego 2
(37-25) June 1, 2002 (39-22)
Mesa, Ariz. (Hohokam Stadium)
Game Start: 10:00 a.m.
Game Time Temp: 97?
Game Time: 2:26
Attendance: 439
San Diego Head Coach Rich Hill :
"To win the 10 o'clock game after
an emotional loss last night really speaks volumes about the character of
our kids. New Mexico State is a tough team. They battled all day, and you
have to give them credit."
San Diego Right Fielder Gavin Ng:
On his gaming saving catch in the
8th inning
"As soon as the ball was hit, I thought it was going to be a routine play. I didn't think I was going to have to dive for it at all. It started tailing like normal balls, so the first thing I thought was oh boy I have to run faster. I started running, and it didn't feel like a dive, it felt like a natural falling down motion."
San Diego Pitcher Tom Caple:
"It is a team effort. We're a scrappy
bunch. The team plays hard, and day to day it seems like someone will step up."
"It's just another win for us. It has more proportion because it's in the regionals. It's a great win because New Mexico State is a great team... It's just a big win for us because it's the first time ever (win in the NCAA Tournament).
New Mexico State Head Coach Gary Ward: "It's really, really frustrating for a good offensive ballclub to not be able to break through. They gave a whole lot of effort, with not many results. We really swung the bats well, and that's hard to say. We came in here hoping that we could do a better job of putting the ball on the ground hard. This is like playing on a parking lot. We wish the best for the remaining clubs. Hopefully, the team comes out of this regional healthy and well and plays well in the super regional because they represent us. As we felt that we represented the Sun Belt Conference."
New Mexico State 1st Baseman David Licini:
On Ng's game saving
catch in the 8th inning
"At first, I didn't think that it was going to fall. Then I saw it tailing away. He just made a great play on it."
"It's disappointing just scoring one run in two games. But, it's exciting to be here. I wish we could have done better. It was a good experience."
New Mexico State Pitcher Christian Jackson:
"I pitched today the
same way I always pitch, I throw my fastball hard in and fast away. I tried
to keep the players off balance and give us a chance to win"