[video=youtube]https://youtu.be/IraTomT-r2k[/video]
Head coach Michael Robertson
Opening Statement...
"We deserve to be here that's for sure. I feel like things that we've done during my tenure here at Texas Southern over a seven-year period of time, everything is a bi-product of what's happened with this ball club this year. Things are finally starting to come to fruition. Because we went out and got some better ball players. Just like any other school that's successful, we are recruiting kids that will play in our system. I don't even know what to call Texas A&M other than that they’re the best team in the country. So this is our reward for winning the SWAC Championship, we get Texas A&M. I watch them almost every night on the SEC channel and salivate at what Texas A&M Coach Childress has done with his ball club. I know that this team has a chip on their shoulder right now. So they have a chip on their shoulder right now and we have something to prove. I think it makes for an exciting first round match up."
On their running game...
“I’d be lying if I tell you we're going to get away from it, we're going to do it. That's what our tradition is - to run. It’s part of our discipline - we run. That's what we do at Texas Southern, I run three to four miles a day. So you know we came down here to run. We came down here to fight, we're not going to get away from it. We know we are going to get thrown on or what looks like stupid mistakes but that's who we are. We lead Division I in steals. We have to run. We aren't going to have a lot of opportunities to score runs against a pitching staff like Texas A&M, so when we get our opportunities we've got to be good at it.”
Thoughts on Matt Kent starting...
“He is excellent. When I look at him now, he has definitely developed. Coach Childress has done a good job of developing him. Also, we know what he's done against Vanderbilt. I think that from his mindset of making a move to pitch Kent, he is thinking what I’m thinking. He is a good matchup against us.”
Senior outfielder Zach Welz
On his confidence coming off an MVP performance at the conference tournament…
“I feel really good about our team right now. Coming off the tournament, it was hard when we lost that first game to Grambling, but we knew we were the best team in the conference. I think it was good that we actually lost one of those games, just make us think back to what we have to do, what we need to do and how we win games. The championship was great for the school, great for the community and great for the program, and we have a lot of confidence coming into this tournament right now.”
On how losing the game to Grambling helped his team…
“Elimination games, you have to dig deep in those games and just do what you have prepared for all year long, so we went back to our game plan, and we executed our game plan.”
On how much fun it is playing in this type of environment and playing Texas A&M in the Friday night game…
“It should be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it. I’m here to enjoy the experience, and I’m also here to win. So I’m really excited for the whole regional and everything.”
Courtesy: http://www.12thman.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27300&ATCLID=210114790
Head coach Michael Robertson
Opening Statement...
"We deserve to be here that's for sure. I feel like things that we've done during my tenure here at Texas Southern over a seven-year period of time, everything is a bi-product of what's happened with this ball club this year. Things are finally starting to come to fruition. Because we went out and got some better ball players. Just like any other school that's successful, we are recruiting kids that will play in our system. I don't even know what to call Texas A&M other than that they’re the best team in the country. So this is our reward for winning the SWAC Championship, we get Texas A&M. I watch them almost every night on the SEC channel and salivate at what Texas A&M Coach Childress has done with his ball club. I know that this team has a chip on their shoulder right now. So they have a chip on their shoulder right now and we have something to prove. I think it makes for an exciting first round match up."
On their running game...
“I’d be lying if I tell you we're going to get away from it, we're going to do it. That's what our tradition is - to run. It’s part of our discipline - we run. That's what we do at Texas Southern, I run three to four miles a day. So you know we came down here to run. We came down here to fight, we're not going to get away from it. We know we are going to get thrown on or what looks like stupid mistakes but that's who we are. We lead Division I in steals. We have to run. We aren't going to have a lot of opportunities to score runs against a pitching staff like Texas A&M, so when we get our opportunities we've got to be good at it.”
Thoughts on Matt Kent starting...
“He is excellent. When I look at him now, he has definitely developed. Coach Childress has done a good job of developing him. Also, we know what he's done against Vanderbilt. I think that from his mindset of making a move to pitch Kent, he is thinking what I’m thinking. He is a good matchup against us.”
Senior outfielder Zach Welz
On his confidence coming off an MVP performance at the conference tournament…
“I feel really good about our team right now. Coming off the tournament, it was hard when we lost that first game to Grambling, but we knew we were the best team in the conference. I think it was good that we actually lost one of those games, just make us think back to what we have to do, what we need to do and how we win games. The championship was great for the school, great for the community and great for the program, and we have a lot of confidence coming into this tournament right now.”
On how losing the game to Grambling helped his team…
“Elimination games, you have to dig deep in those games and just do what you have prepared for all year long, so we went back to our game plan, and we executed our game plan.”
On how much fun it is playing in this type of environment and playing Texas A&M in the Friday night game…
“It should be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it. I’m here to enjoy the experience, and I’m also here to win. So I’m really excited for the whole regional and everything.”
Courtesy: http://www.12thman.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27300&ATCLID=210114790