Everything Wright State Coach Alex Sogard and Players Said After Loss
Raiders' coach Alex Sogard's Opening Statement...
Yeah, one heck of a game if you like baseball. I thought, I was just proud of our guys, the way they fought tonight. I thought, kind of showed our toughness as a team, showed our resilience. You know, obviously, Vanderbilt's a very good team. They're very well coached for the plate. And, you know, I was just proud of the way the guys played. I thought our defense tonight was outstanding as well.
Cam, what was working well for you tonight, for your outing?
I'd say the cutter, the cutter and the fastball were jumping today. I easily set up pitches with the cutter and then just threw the pass into the fastball. So I think those were the two best pitches I had tonight.
How are you feeling before you left the game?
I felt good. I mean, it is what it is. Just gotta get right back to it. Just gotta keep grinding, fight.
Coach, this is now the third time in five years you've lost the first game of the National Regional. You just, you know, I know you don't like to hear that, but can you just speak to the character of the students that you have?
Yeah, I mean, I think, obviously, it's a tough pill to swallow. It's kind of a hump we want to get over as a program. But I don't think it's surprising to anyone in our locker room that we're in the region. And, obviously, talent's one thing. I mean, I do think we have a talented roster. But the toughness of our guys, I think they tend to thrive in these hostile environments. Obviously, it's a great environment tonight to play baseball. And that's when they tend to show up when the lights come on. And so a lot of credit to them and how they work, you know, for a program where we don't have the nicest facilities. But I think the toughness and the work that they put in day-in, day-out shows what we want.
Sogard on Riley Nelson's game-winning home run...
You know, our dugout is kind of a tough angle from the side. Like, I think everything to right field seems foul. So I didn't have the best angle. But, obviously, we hit it well. So, I thought it was a tough one to overturn. I did not agree with the explanation. But I don't want to get into that too much, I think. You know, I think if you leave it in the love of our team, it's tough, right? I think we could have done a better job. That was a pitch we were not trying to work around to an degree.
Sogard on Vanderbilt pitcher JD Thompson...
We felt like that was our best shot against our lineup. And then he was just a warrior out there. He was so good. And the second time through, I think he walked four of the nine. And he ended up hitting a guy. He was really fighting through it, kind of laboring, but made big pitches. And so, at the end of the day, I know his pitch count wasn't crazy. We just felt good with the others behind him. But, you know, me and our pitching coach, we talked throughout the game, every inning about him. And this guy was a total honor to pitch against.
Raiders' coach Alex Sogard's Opening Statement...
Yeah, one heck of a game if you like baseball. I thought, I was just proud of our guys, the way they fought tonight. I thought, kind of showed our toughness as a team, showed our resilience. You know, obviously, Vanderbilt's a very good team. They're very well coached for the plate. And, you know, I was just proud of the way the guys played. I thought our defense tonight was outstanding as well.
Cam, what was working well for you tonight, for your outing?
I'd say the cutter, the cutter and the fastball were jumping today. I easily set up pitches with the cutter and then just threw the pass into the fastball. So I think those were the two best pitches I had tonight.
How are you feeling before you left the game?
I felt good. I mean, it is what it is. Just gotta get right back to it. Just gotta keep grinding, fight.
Coach, this is now the third time in five years you've lost the first game of the National Regional. You just, you know, I know you don't like to hear that, but can you just speak to the character of the students that you have?
Yeah, I mean, I think, obviously, it's a tough pill to swallow. It's kind of a hump we want to get over as a program. But I don't think it's surprising to anyone in our locker room that we're in the region. And, obviously, talent's one thing. I mean, I do think we have a talented roster. But the toughness of our guys, I think they tend to thrive in these hostile environments. Obviously, it's a great environment tonight to play baseball. And that's when they tend to show up when the lights come on. And so a lot of credit to them and how they work, you know, for a program where we don't have the nicest facilities. But I think the toughness and the work that they put in day-in, day-out shows what we want.
Sogard on Riley Nelson's game-winning home run...
You know, our dugout is kind of a tough angle from the side. Like, I think everything to right field seems foul. So I didn't have the best angle. But, obviously, we hit it well. So, I thought it was a tough one to overturn. I did not agree with the explanation. But I don't want to get into that too much, I think. You know, I think if you leave it in the love of our team, it's tough, right? I think we could have done a better job. That was a pitch we were not trying to work around to an degree.
Sogard on Vanderbilt pitcher JD Thompson...
We felt like that was our best shot against our lineup. And then he was just a warrior out there. He was so good. And the second time through, I think he walked four of the nine. And he ended up hitting a guy. He was really fighting through it, kind of laboring, but made big pitches. And so, at the end of the day, I know his pitch count wasn't crazy. We just felt good with the others behind him. But, you know, me and our pitching coach, we talked throughout the game, every inning about him. And this guy was a total honor to pitch against.
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