Earlier this afternoon the four coaches of the Tallahassee NCAA Regional appeared in a press conference at FSU's Dick Howser Stadium. Credit goes to UCF Media Relations for providing the above video.
UCF coach Greg Lovelady spoke for about eight minutes, the majority of which was an opening statement.
At the beginning, Lovelady joked that he was relieved to hear the Tennessee Tech coach lacked a Southern accent as he felt he'd be the only one without that drawl.
He then recognized the accomplishments of this year's team.
"We're really excited," he said. "I'm really proud of this group of kids. It's been a whirlwhind 10 months for me, moving my family to Orlando and obviously getting a group of kids I didn't recruit. I told the kids when I first met with them, 'This is your journey. This is your program. I get to be the leader, but at the end of the day it's your alma mater and it's what you make of this.'
"They told me the things they wanted to accomplish and I said, 'Okay, if this is what you guys want, this is what you need to reach those goals.' I'm really proud of the seniors and the older guys who set forth on this mission. They had to do certain things and change certain ways they were accustomed to. I never got any kickback, any fight. All I got is whatever it was going to take to reach the goals we set forth on Aug. 26."
He added that even if UCF didn't make a regional this year, he felt they accomplished so much that the season "wouldn't be a failure."
Lovelady then made a reference to FSU's infamous "Section B" fan section.
In talking about Auburn, he added, "I'm not too excited to face Keegan Thompson."
Thompson is starting for Auburn tomorrow. Casey Mize is another excellent pitcher in their rotation.
"I've seen a lot of great pitchers this year and (Keegan Thompson) might be the best," Lovelady said. "As long as Mize doesn't come in for relief, I won't have an absolute heart attack."
Then he answered three questions from the media. The first one revolved about a potential matchup with Florida State and the fact UCF played the Seminoles earlier this season.
"I have no idea who we're going to play," Lovelady said. "I have too much respect for Butch and Auburn to look anywhere past them. We played them so much earlier the season, Mendoza wasn't playing... They've been extremely hot. Things change. You can't go by a report of what you saw in March, no matter who you're playing."
He then brought up Auburn, noting that several weeks ago both Thompson and Mize were out with injuries, missing a combined six starts in SEC games (which is one of the reasons the Tigers had a late-season slide).
"Now you're facing two of the best arms in the country," he said.
Is UCF pitching Robby Howell tomorrow? Lovelady said yes.
"You need somebody like that to beat those guys," he said. "He'll throw. He'll be our guy. He's been the ace of our staff for two years and had a lot of success for two years. I'm not in a position where I feel I can throw anybody else but Robby Howell. We'll go with our best guy and do our best to keep the game closer, then hand the ball off to the strength of our club."
Lastly, Lovelady was asked to comment on the strengths of Auburn's starter, Keegan Thompson.
"Pitchability," Lovelady said. "To have that type of velo and breaking ball and throw it any time he wants to. And have the command. You wouldn't expect anything else from a Butch Thompson disciple. There's a reason why he's probably going to be a first rounder next year. I said it earlier, I'm a professional wrestling fan, Rick Flair. If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best."
Lovelady ended by congratulating Auburn assistant coach Brad Bohannon, who earlier in the day was named the new head coach at Alabama. Lovelady and Bohannon are friends, having become close through the years crossing paths on the recruiting trail.
Auburn head coach Butch Thompson announced earlier that Bohannon will remain with the team at least through the NCAA Regional.
