Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball Media Day, January 29, 2007
January 29, 2007 | Cowboy Baseball
Head Coach Frank Anderson
On the freshmen pitchers
“We have a big group of freshmen. All of them have a chance to pitch for us at some point this season. We have some high level prospects and some kids who are very talented. You do not know how well they will react when they get in a game, but this is the best group of young kids we have had in here. We have about nine freshmen or sophomores who have a chance to pitch for us.”
On the returning pitchers
“Some of those kids have had some injuries. We have had about three or four knee surgeries. (Matt) Gardner, (Oliver) Odle, (Jeff) Breedlove and some of those other guys will give us some veteran leadership. They allow us to go into the season with some guys who have thrown some innings.”
On losing Jordy Mercer to a knee injury
“We do not know (how long he will be out). They are saying it could be anywhere from two-to-three months. You always hope it will be two instead of three. He is a big loss as far as the leadership he brings. He brings a lot to the team with his defense at shortstop. He also pitched some innings for us so it is like losing two guys. We were going to have to find someone to come in and play that position when he came in and pitched anyway. We are going to find someone who can. We will also pitch some other guys who might not have gotten the opportunity because of him. Eventually, if we can weather the storm, which I think we can, it will make us better.”
On the potential of the offense
“On paper, it looks pretty good. You have to wait until you get in there and start playing to see how kids handle it. It is a pretty talented group, but that does not always equate on the field. Right now, we like this group.”
On Tyler Mach's move to second base
“I think he likes it. I think it is probably his more natural position. He has gone over there and played well. I think that is what he needs to play professionally. He probably is not the prototypical third baseman like we have now.”
On North Carolina State transfer Matt Mangini
“I think it has worked out real well. He is a good player. I think the transition has gone well. We expect him to have a good season. I think he fits in well. We have enough players around him that can protect him. He can go in there and not have many people pitch around him. He does not have to come in here and carry the load. There are some other guys around him who have had success at this level. I think that takes some pressure off of him.”
Senior outfielder Ty Wright
On transfer Matt Mangini
“It is solid for our lineup to have a guy like Mangini who is left handed. We are going to have some right handers and left handers so we will be able to match up with any pitcher in the country. Defensively, he is going to be as good as anyone out there. I have seen it in practice and throughout the work ethic he has shown. He is a big positive for this team.”
On returning the entire outfield
“It is always positive. We can all play every position. Coming back with the same outfield we did last year is great for this team. I feel we are really aggressive in the outfield. We do not let too many balls fall. It is a positive because we are confident in the outfield. I think it gives the infield and pitcher confidence because they know we can go get the ball anywhere in the field.”
On losing Jordy Mercer
“It is unfortunate, but you move on. We do not have a one-person lineup. He is a great baseball player, but we have eight other great baseball players and one more who is going to fill in for him. We feel sorry for him because you want him out there playing because he loves the game. We have other guys who will fill in.”
On the offense
“We have a good offense. I have been here for four years, and we have always had a good offense. This year is as good as it has been since I have been here. With the returning guys and with Mangini and the other new guys, we know how to play in this park. We are learning to play and adapt at other parks. It is going to be fun to see what we are going to be able to do this year.”
Junior pitcher Matt Gardner
On a deeper pitching staff
“We have a lot of new guys that have come in and pitched well. We feel like we are a lot deeper this year than we were last year. Last year, we had five or six guys that threw for us. We got some much needed help you could say. It should be fun because we have a lot of guys that can go out there and get the job done.”
On Coach Anderson
“Frank is great at getting us mentally ready to pitch everyday. He teaches us a lot about the mental aspects of pitching. He shows us how to go out there and compete at a good pace. He helps a lot.”
On expectations
“We just hope to go out there and play well each day. We want to give our team a chance to win every time we pitch. We have great expectations. We hope to do well and see where it goes. We want to play good baseball.”
