May 31, 2009
IRVINE, Calif. -
San Diego State Head Coach Tony Gwynn
Opening Statement:
"There isn't much I can say. [UC Irvine's] a really good ballclub, a very balanced ballclub. When we gave up the four earned, and got back to 4-2, we just couldn't stop them offensively, they're moving the ball around, playing hit and run, and Coach Gillespie did a great job with those guys, and they exploited us in every way that they could.
"I thought it was a super season for us; I'm very proud of this group. They battled hard from the very beginning."
On starting Craig Rasmussen:
"We felt like [Craig Rasmussen] would be able to change speeds and field his position. It was a better fit, we thought. Originally we thought Jon Berger, but we thought [Rasmussen] would be able to hold back their run game a little bit. Our only concern was that he hadn't had a whole lot of work, so it was really important to throw strikes today. I thought that even though he did that, early in the game, they still put the bat on the ball. Looking back on it, would we have done the same thing? I think so."
San Diego State Sophomore Craig Rasmussen
On his first start since the Mountain West Tournament:
"I wasn't as nervous as I was for that game. Everything was the same as it was when I pitched against Utah. I thought I did well, moved it in and out, but they put the bat on the ball, and there wasn't much you could do."
San Diego State Sophomore Matt Parker
On playing in the postseason:
"I think it's a great experience to play in something like this tournament, since we have a lot coming back next year. We know what it's like to make it into the postseason and play in pressure games, so next year, we know what we have to do to get back to this point and know what we can't do if we want to avoid going home."
San Diego State Junior Erik Castro
On catching Stephen Strasburg:
"Obviously, not everyone has the talent that Stephen Strasburg and some of the other top guys do. When he's got his stuff, and he's putting stuff in the zone, he's very tough to hit."