Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Excited About NCAA Regional Opportunity
May 25, 2009 | Cowboy Baseball
May 25, 2009
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State earned one of 64 spots in the 2009 NCAA Baseball Championship field and will be headed to the NCAA Clemson Regional later this week.
The Cowboys, who are 32-22 on the season, are the third seed at the Clemson Regional. The host Tigers are the top-seeded club, with No. 2-seed Alabama and fourth-seeded Tennessee Tech rounding out the field.
OSU opens Regional play Friday at 2 p.m. (CST) against Alabama.
Several members of the Cowboy baseball team met with the media today to discuss their NCAA tourney selection, and the following is a sample of quotes from those players and OSU head coach Frank Anderson, who has guided the Pokes to four-straight NCAA appearances and five in his six seasons as head coach.
Sixth-year head coach Frank Anderson
On being selected to the tournament field
"Obviously we're excited. We weren't sure what was going to happen with the committee. When you put it in the hands of somebody else to make those decisions, you're always anxious about what would happen. We had a good schedule with a good NCAA RPI strength and so we knew we had a chance."
On why OSU got in
"I think the (Big 12) conference as a whole as much as anything. I think our RPI, conference-wise, is as good as it's ever been so I think that's the biggest reason."
On putting the regular season behind them
"It's a new season for everybody at this point. It's a clean slate for everybody. If you have to do something to get excited to play, you need to do something else. This is a fun time of the year."
On the Clemson Regional
"There's some really good teams; it's a tough regional. Clemson is a really good place to play. They draw really well, there's going to be good fan support. Alabama is not that far away so they're gonna have good fan support. And we've actually played pretty good in venues that have quite a few people. It's one of the better regionals around, and we're looking forward to it."
Junior pitcher Tyler Lyons
On being selected to the tournament field
"Some people said we wouldn't do it, but we got in and that's all that matters. I could see it going both ways. I didn't know if we'd get in or not, but I was optimistic. I'm just excited to get in. I didn't really care who we played or where we went. We just wanted in, and we got in."
On putting the regular season behind them
"I think if we go out there and win a few games, win a Regional and who knows past that, I don't think anyone will remember we didn't make the Big 12 Tournament and won't remember that we didn't have a very good Big 12 record."
On watching the NCAA Championship selection show
"Some people didn't want to watch, some people did, some people were (at the field), some people were at the weight room. I told myself I wasn't going to watch, but I ended up watching. Then I kind of heard some optimistic news that had me interested so I ended up watching."
Junior outfielder Neil Medchill
On being selected to the tournament field
"It's exciting. A lot of the guys were down, including myself. We practiced all week thinking we weren't practicing for much. But they let a team with a lot of talent get in. Hopefully that will spark us a little bit, and we'll try to make things happen. ...
"I was surprised but excited we made it. The thing with RPI, if RPI means anything, we should have been in. I know there's a lot of people out there who aren't thrilled with us getting in, but we should be there."
On playing with a chip on your shoulder
"With everyone saying we shouldn't be there, it gives us extra motivation, especially for a team that has underachieved all year and knowing that we can do some big things and surprise some people."
Senior third baseman Tyrone Hambly
On being selected to the tournament field
"I was really nervous this morning, didn't really give it much of a hope. But it was always in the back of my head that we did have a chance, and I'm excited. I can't wait to play this weekend."
On why he thinks OSU got in
"There are a lot of things that go into it, not one factor that helps more than another. Definitely our RPI and strength of schedule. We beat some good teams early in the year. And we play a quality team every week. Eight teams from the Big 12 are going to the postseason. That's a big number. When you look at it that way, every time we rolled out on a weekend we played quality opposition. The biggest thing that worked in our favor was we come from such a good conference."
On putting the regular season behind them
"We didn't have the year that we planned obviously. But we won some games when we had to and lost a lot of games by a small margin. But overall, this is a second chance to prove to some teams that we should be there.
"We're there, and we feel like we're good enough to be there. I know a lot of people out there don't, but we're there and I think we can prove to some people that we should be there."
