Feb. 17, 2009

Head Coach Tim Jamieson
On the preseason ranking:
"It's nice to have the attention. I think this group is handling it better. It's the third year out of four that we have been ranked in the top ten. It's a growing progression."

On the pitching staff and the rotation for this weekend:
"All of the guys that are starting should be able to give us at least seven innings if their pitch count is efficient. Friday will be Kyle Gibson, Saturday Ian Berger, Sunday morning Kelly Fick and Sunday afternoon Nick Tepesch. We have nine games in 11 days, so we will find out a little bit more about our pitching. The main thing between now and the beginning of conference is finding out who we want to have out there when we start playing Texas (in the first Big 12 series of the season)."

On this weekend's opponents at the Grand Canyon Classic:
"One thing I can tell you about the teams we will be playing in the next 11 days is that they are all going to think they are good because they all still believe they are good. That doesn't change until further in the season. We will see the best of Nevada, Gonzaga, Arizona State, Oregon State and Northern Illinois. With all the teams, we will have to play well to win."

On the long road trip:
"I'm not concerned about it because we have the depth and chemistry to handle it. I'm more concerned about missing class then who we are playing. It's a great learning experience. When they get back from the 11 days they will certainly know what they need to work on and we'll learn more about the players."

On who has been impressive this preseason:
"I've been impressed by the normal guy-- Trevor Coleman, Ryan Lollis, Steve Gray. Steve hit a ball to the top of the (Dan Devine) building, furthest ball I have ever seen hit out here. I've been most impressed by freshman from last year like Ryan Ampleman, Jonah Schmidt, Rex Meyr."

Junior pitcher Kyle Gibson
On the preseason All-America honors:
"It's great to get those accolades and it's awesome for all the guys who have gotten pre-season All-America, but we all realize that there are other things we are here for. The preseason awards and the postseason awards, that's not what we are about."

On the chemistry of the team:
"We are all about being a great teammate and fighting for the guy next to you and then going out and winning the games for the guy next to you. Playing as hard as you can because at the end of the day when all your baseball is done you are going to get judged by how good of a teammate you were and that's what we always talk about."

On adjustments made early in the year:
"There are a lot of adjustments you have to make. One of the things we aren't sure about is who is going to play what position right now. We've got nine games in 11 days and we only have four starters mapped out right now, so there are a lot of questions marks. That's what you use the first few weeks for, before Big 12 Conference play. You use it to see who is going to play where, who fits what position best and once you get in the conference, maybe even the second or third week of conference, that's when you have your lineup figured out and that's when you really start to roll."

Junior catcher Trevor Coleman
On getting the season underway:
"We've just been playing against ourselves and seeing the same guys. So it is going to be exciting to face a guy in a different jersey. It's going to be a wild ride, I can't wait."

On the depth of pitching staff:
"It starts up top with Kyle Gibson and how hard he works. He really leads and shows everyone how much is expected of them as far as the coaches are concerned. We have a tough group of guys from the top to the bottom. And the guys we trust have had to work long and hard getting here and they are ready."

On being one of the veterans on the team:
"I enjoy it. Being a catcher and being an older guy, it puts me in a leadership role. I enjoy having other guys look up to me and to be the guy they look to in a crucial situation in the game. Not necessarily for the hit or anything, but to look at me on the bench with my demeanor. One of the great things about Coach Jamieson is his stone face, good or bad. We give up a home run or we win the game he has the same face. That's something I learned from him and I enjoy being in that role."

Junior Outfielder Aaron Senne
On expectations of the season:
"We are looking forward to having a lot of fun and giving it all we got. We have high expectations for ourselves. We'll go out and leave it on the field. We want to help lead our team in the postseason and accomplish the goals that we have."

On the preseason rankings:
"I'm not a big fan of preseason hype, because no one has done anything yet. We are all in the same boat. We are all 0-0."

On taking on a leadership role:
"It is a little different. It's exciting being the older guy that the others look up too. We have a good tight knit group going into the season."

Sophomore Pitcher Nick Tepesch
On going to Arizona this weekend:
"It's great to get some warm weather and get out of the cold. We're ready to play. We have been practicing forever. Everyone is working hard and can't wait."

On moving into the Tigers' starting rotation:
"In high school I was a starter, except for just one year that I was a reliever. I'm getting used to it and I'm ready to start. I'm comfortable in that role."

On the team's mindset heading into the season:
"Everyone is ready to go and working hard. We take pride in everything we do, not just the pitching. We have a great line-up too, so it's not just a pitchers' team. We learned from the players last year, not to take a minute off and always work as hard as possible."

Junior First Baseman Steve Gray
On the expectations of the team:
"We are really excited and we have high expectations. We are returning pretty much the whole starting line-up. We are ready to show what we can do. Our offense is pretty solid from top to bottom and I don't think the pressure falls on any one guy individually. It's a team effort. I think we will all be able to split up the load and be more productive than last year."

On playing nine games in 11 days to open the season:
"It is a lot of games, but we are all looking forward to it. None of us think of it as a bad thing. If we were not playing we would be practicing anyway. We are all looking forward to playing some good competition."