Everything Vanderbilt Coach Tim Corbin and Players Said After Latest Comeback

Here's everything Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin, pitcher JD Thompson and first baseman Riley Nelson said after Friday night's 4-3 win against Wright State in the NCAA Regional.

Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin's opening statement...

It was a good college baseball game. A heck of a pitching performance by both guys, and not leaving out Hawks at the end. But that kid was very determined on the mound. He had a good face, made pitches, watched a lot of film on him, and I hope I'm not misrepresenting him, but I thought that was one of the best performances that he's had. He really, really sold out for his team. We just couldn't get to the ball. Probably trying too hard, too, but we have to give him credit. On our side, J.D. was pitching outstanding. I mean, did a lot of outs on his own. They ambushed a couple of balls, but outside of that, he found a way to respond favorably and get us off the field. He just kept the game right where it was. It was within reach, obviously, but he did such a good job of getting us into the ninth inning in these tournaments that's so very valuable. And then you just get to the latter part of the game, and you get big hits. Brody, certainly, he clipped a breaking ball and pulled it. And then Manny, he hit a ball hard. We hit a couple of balls hard to the fence, but they got caught. They're center fielder had a hell of a game. And he drove a ball out, and then Rooster found his way on. RJ traded places with him, and then the ball that this guy on my right hit was hit it hard. I mean, he's done this all year. I mean, you talk about the big hits going back to Arizona, you know, just throughout the year. You look up, and this guy has a way of finding the ball and the barrel together. So it was such a big hit, and then Sawyer closing it down. It was a tight ball game. You could feel it. It was heavy. It was, you know, what you might think it would be. We probably played the circumstances early, just felt that way. We really didn't loosen up until the latter part of the game. But, you know, I admire the kids because to fight through something like that is tough. We've been there before and for a lot of years at this level and played those games. And you just watch TV and see how difficult they are. So we won, and that's all that matters. We move on.

Riley Nelson on his game-winning, two-run home run...

Yeah, I mean, I saw it, and then nobody was, like, giving the home run sign, and then I looked back at the home plate umpire because I thought he was going to call it. And then I'm, like, looking at him like that, and I look at the first base umpire and he threw his hands up, and I was like, oh, boy. But no, I thought it was fair the whole way.

I knew he wasn't going to throw me many fastballs there. I knew he was going to spin a lot of balls. I mean, I knew if he spun one in the right direction that my swing path would have had a good chance to hit it hard somewhere.

To Nelson, what makes you feel so comfortable in these moments?

You know, just having trust in everyone on our team. I knew our team was going to beat that hour rooster getting on. I knew, even when we were down three and six, that there's just no way we're going to lose this game.

So just having trust in all the guys and giving the same trust back.

How, if at all, did the energy change once you guys got to the bullpen?

Once we got into the pen, we knew that we loosened up right then and there. I mean, not a weight off our shoulders. We were just playing tight the whole game. We just loosened up once the pen started rolling. Yeah, just playing tight. But, you know, the first game is always tough, especially against a scrappy team like that. They're hot. They won their conference, so that's a great team.

How do you think of the Alabama game and the Kentucky games and all the moments like you've had like that? How much does that help?

Nelson: Well, you know, during the mound visit, they got the 2-0 and then the mound doesn't happen. I was doing my routine, and I just looked up at my dad, and I just kind of smirked because I was like, I knew something was going to happen. And I kind of knew, like, all the guys have done it, and it was just my turn.

J.D., which pitches were working the best for you today?

Honestly, all I had was a fastball curveball, so I just had to work with those two. So, like, I left some pitches open to play. Slide wasn't as good as it has been, and they ambushed it. They got a good swing on it. So I had to work with what I had. Just wasn't one of those days where I had everything working, but, you know, couldn't control that, so I had to work with what I had. It was enough. It was enough to give us a win, and it gave them a chance to come back and win the ballgame.

Your four-seamer looked like it gave them a lot of issues?

Yeah, yeah. I just had to understand, just get it in the zone. At first, I was kind of pulling off on it, just doing a little too much, squeezing a little too hard. But I understood that, you know, it plays off. It's one of my best pitches, and I have to trust that pitch, and, you know, working that for me.

J.D., you got out of some trouble early, and you did the same thing in the SEC tournament. Is that something you've improved throughout your career?

Yeah, I've done really well, just not panicking. We have one of the best defenses in the country, and I understand that. I don't have to do all the work. It takes a lot of stress off my shoulders knowing the defense I have behind me. I just got to make the right pitches, and, you know, don't give them anything until I can do it.

Riley, you showed a little more emotion in the box than you normally do when you hit a homer. Was that due to kind of the moment and how big it was?

Yeah, it was just because of the moment right there. I was trying not to show emotion when I was rounding, and then I hit second base and saw the crowd, and, you know, the moment was there, so I just kind of reacted.

J.D., that's a good offense what allowed you to settle in later into the game and have some more success?

It was just execution. You saw when you leave balls over the plate, good teams and good hitters are going to put a great swing on. And, you know, they hit the ball out of the ballpark, and they sure did it on a few of them, but for me it was just execution, staying ahead, not trying to fight back behind the count, and just make some good pitches.

J.D., from your position and your vantage point, what allows this offense to be so resilient and believe when they're down a couple runs?

We've been there before. We've battled out some tough situations in the past, so we have those experiences and the level of trust we have right now. And for me, just to keep the game where it was and not add on to it, I believe that kept them in the game and kind of allowed them to loosen up and just put a few at-bats together and then, you know, one swing kind of got us right back into it.

Riley, what did the home crowd do for you guys tonight?

I mean, it was special. You know, being in front of a crowd like that, a home crowd, it's unreal. You're in Hoover, and everyone's rooting against you. Coming here, it's pretty special to see.

Tim, did you have a good view of the home run?

I thought I did, yeah. To be honest with you, I didn't think it was a decision. I just thought he hit it so hard and so high that it had cleared the pole, and then after it went past the pole, it went in the other direction. But I actually didn't think it was a decision. And then when the umpires got together, they all saw it in the manner that I did. But I thought it was plenty fair.

You've experienced some of these really tense games in this tournament before. Is there ever a carryover when you win?

Sure. I mean, yeah. Personally and selfishly, I've been through a lot of these, so I know what they feel like. But for the guys, for the team, it's always different. It's always unique. And until you're in these circumstances, you don't know how anyone's going to react. But to JD's point, and Riley certainly knows this too, is we have been there before. We've been in tough situations. So we've had these experiences. And it's a vision. It becomes a vision of what you're capable of doing. But once you win it, then it's just move on. It's move on. I mean, we've won this. I was an assistant at Clemson. We lost 24 to 2 in the very first regional game. Came back and won it. So it's like you just got to get through getting into games. You just got to win them. Do the best you can.

Do you look for something for your players in the dugout in terms of handling them all?

Yeah, but it has to happen organically. I mean, you can't go in there and just say, all right, loosen up, guys. It's like something has to happen on the field. Someone has to make something happen. It's usually a play. It's usually a pitch. It's usually a hit that gets people going. It's a momentum changer. And we see it all the time in regular games. But when the situation and outcomes are heightened a little bit, you feel it more in this situation. But yeah, I didn't doubt it. I felt like we were going to catch them at the end. I didn't know how, but I felt like we were going to catch them at the end. It would happen. And I feel like the kids did, too. I know they did.

Corbin on pitching staff status...

It's very, very important on the very first night to stretch out like he did and pitch in the manner that he did. And the ball to Sawyer, and Sawyer managed to get three hitters out, so we reduced the pitch count for him, which is good. So, from a pitching standpoint, we're in good shape. We're right where we want to be.

Tim, how did you see JD settle in after giving up a couple early runs?

I think he's been able to do that over time. He doesn't panic. He just doesn't panic. He nods his head. You know he's there. He's competing. He does it in his own way. He never changes. I mean, the same conversations that I would have with him if he was coming off the field are the same ones I would have today when we'd watch. It's just the same personality all the time. He doesn't make moments bigger than what they are. And I'm proud of him. He's a tough, tough competitor. I'm always fired up when he's on the mound.

Coach, was there any surprise when Tim Allen left the game?

I don't know if I was surprised. I mean, his velocity of his fastball started to go down a little bit, and I know he hadn't given up a hit, but he walked a couple guys, he hit RJ, and I thought, okay, we're going to catch him. But when I saw him run down to the bullpen, I thought, okay. And sometimes just a change of pitcher changes the feeling of a ball game. And, you know, Brody got the big knock, but I think, you know, the kid just did what he did. They know their team better than I do.

J.D., it's evident pretty early the ball was going to travel pretty well. What's going through your head as a pitcher right off the bat? You're noticing that. Do you pitch any differently?

No, I mean, I just don't leave stuff over the plate. I don't hang pitches. I mean, any good hitter is going to hit that. But for me, it was just about execution and not trying to force something. I knew the slider wasn't as good as it has been, so I didn't try to force that. I knew I still had two other pitches that were still working. They helped me along the way.

Tim, you know, Brody's gotten several of those big home runs this season. What is it about him that allows him to come through in those spots?

He's got a short memory. He doesn't let one at bat move to the next one. He just moves on. And he always feels like he's capable of doing that. So he's a confident young man. He's still learning the game, and he will continue to do so. But he's confident on the field. I would say that about him defensively, too, because he's made some really, really nice plays. His first baseman has, too. He made some nice plays tonight on stretches. But, you know, Brody's just confident in himself.