May 28, 2006
KANSAS QUOTES
Head Coach - Ritch Price
"First off, I want to congratulate Nebraska for a great year and a great tournament. They've become a model for a winner in the country. Our goal is to become one of the best winning teams in the country and we're on our way. We did a really good job of being aggressive. We're predominantly a right-handed team, and with the way the wind was blowing it really helped us out. I think Nick (Czyz) set the table for us. Obviously we didn't want to bring Kody (Quick) or Don (Czyz) until we had to, so Nick going until the 6th was huge for us."
"When we first got here we weren't able to compete, so it says a lot about our progress that we've gotten to this point. It's more of a sense of accomplishment that we can finally compete in this league. There's a great sense of pride today as you can well imagine. It's certainly a new experience for us. Someone just told me we hadn't won a championship since 1947. We're going to enjoy the experience. We got on a pretty good roll - when you beat four in a row, including Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Nebraska, that's a pretty good run because those are four of the best teams in the country.
Player Quotes - Matt Baty, CF, Sr.
"When you have a freshman on the mound, all the runs scored are huge. He needs some confidence and with the runs, he starts feeling stronger and stronger. We were hitting a lot of first-pitch fastballs."
On winning MVP honors...
"It's an unbelievable accomplishment. I owe it all to my teammates. Without them it's not possible. What my teammates went through, with all the injuries we've had this season including mine, it was a great accomplishment to get things done."
On winning the first Big 12 championship...
"It's a privilege to be a part of that foundation. The future is bright at Kansas, and everybody knows it."
On Nebraska's rally in the ninth inning...
We knew they would make a run. They're Nebraska. We just had to stop the run. But we knew they weren't going to quit. They're Nebraska.
On what this does for Kansas...
"I think it helps in recruiting a lot. It's a privilege to be apart of that foundation. The future's bright at Kansas and everyone knows it. Younger kids are starting to notice it and come out to our games and we'll recruit them hard. It can't not help us."
Don Czyz, P, SR -
On ending the game...
"To tell you the truth, I wanted Kody (Quick) to finish it. This was one ball game I was content with staying out of. It was one of those things that it came down to it where I could throw a one-hitter and get the game over with. I was just trying to make a pitch. I knew if I got down in the count, I had to start making the pitches late, but I came in with a one-hitter to get the game over with.
"I had to get the pitch, a fast ball, in on him. He grounded out to Jared (Schweitzr) and that was the end of that."
Ritchie Price, SS, Sr.
On his four-year career at Kansas
"It's been a long four years. When we first got here, Kansas was the worst team in the Big 12 and probably in the Midwest. Four years later, with all the frustrations, building up to win the tournament has been a culmination of our careers as college baseball players."
NEBRASKA QUOTES
Head Coach - Mike Anderson
"First and foremost, congratulations to Kansas. They are the deserving champs. I'm happy to see them advancing to regional play. Again, congratulations to Ritchie Price and Kansas."
"I felt that the first four or five innings, it was a matter of want probably more than anything. I think it was evident by the end of the game and it was evident at the beginning of the game. They just wanted it a little bit more. We made a good push late. That was good to see, but we didn't execute. We had two soft lefties going in the game with (Jon) Klausing and (Nick) Czyz and they executed and we didn't and you have to give them credit. I just felt that the outcome of the game had a lot to do with want and they wanted it. We did at the end, but it was not enough."
"Obviously, we would like to win every game. It just looked like we were out of the flow. I'm not questioning our kids. I'm just saying that the intensity was a little bit down. We got it going. Our kids fought and that is a good sign. To me, you could just see that there was more intensity on their side."
"I haven't lost the confidence in the team. They were built for regional play. I guarantee these kids won't be thinking about Kansas next week. I love this team. I love everything about them. They're built for the right reasons - strong pitching, good defense, we just need timely hitting. When you evaluate this team from the whole season, the good and bad stretches, and it comes out where we've come out, that's a pretty good ball club that I'm really excited about. We've had our ups and downs and they don't mean anything now, you just go play a regional. Hopefully what you've done during the season is what you pull from; you go win a regional and go from there. I can't tell you anything about seeding, but I can tell you I love this ball club. I wouldn't trade a single soul on this team. Not one."
Player Quotes - Jake Opitz, 2B, Soph.
"We were a couple of hits away from being right back in that game when we got going there at the end, but we couldn't get that big hit. We were a lot more intense getting back into the game; we had it there in the end but couldn't finish it. It just wasn't there for us."
Ryan Wehrle - SS, Soph.
"It obviously showed with their intensity. They came out a lot more aggressive than we did. Once we got down, we tried clawing our way back into, but it didn't work out. We came out and played to the best of our abilities, but we just couldn't get it going. We still have some of our season left and hopefully we can bring it back. No matter how many runs we're done, we're always going to come back and fight. There's really no excuse for letting the balls fall like I did."
"(Our goals) are the same as they were in the beginning. We want to win a national championship. It doesn't matter who we play on Friday, we're going to come out and play."