Opening statement...
J.D. Arteaga: That was a great team effort there, man, especially after the way that game started. First inning, give up a couple runs there, Lodgy. Not real sharp, leaves a lot of balls out over the plate. They came up with a good game plan, getting extended and driving the ball to right field there. But something we've been doing all year really is answering back. After we give up some runs, our offense has been relentless and putting up runs right away. That's demoralizing on the team. And it was a lot of different faces today. Peralta with the home rise, first one of the year, opposite field. And guys like Dubovic, a simple little two-out single in the hole to extend the inning and then Milano comes up with a big double on the right field line that scores in there. So a little bit of everything. Good solid defense, we have one error on a pickoff attempt at first base. And the bullpen was outstanding. But four shutout innings there at the end. So we were able to get everybody out there for one inning, kind of get their feet wet. So we're in good shape with our bullpen going into Saturday's game.
Reporter: Fabio and Gabriel are two very young players to have. Both of them have each three hit days in a postseason game. What does that mean, just based on the youth they have and all that?
J.D Arteaga: It's almost June, man. It's May. There's no more freshmen and no more young sophomores. You've got a lot of at-bats, a lot of experience. Especially Fabio. Maybe not Milano, but he's a kid that works so hard every day in practice and never took a day off. Coming and showing up to the park every day behind an All-American. And he knew he wasn't going to play. Cubes going to be in the lineup. He goes for an over 35 slump, he's going to be in the lineup. But the fact that he showed up every day and worked hard and he's that kid that thanks you on the way out to the field every day at practice. Like, we're doing him a favor by being there for him. But he worked hard and he got his opportunity. He's ran with it, man. So it's been great to see that happen there.
Reporter: Coach, first of all, congrats on a hundred wins. This is your second time in the ACC semifinals in the last three years. The last time it was kind of more of a Cinderella run getting up there. Is there anything you're taking from that first appearance there as the eighth seed, and now being, the five seed and being in control of three straight wins going into the game on Saturday?
J.D. Arteaga: All right, one at a time. we're going to play a really good Georgia Tech team, and we didn't get to play them during the regular season. That's kind of been a knock on us all season long that we didn't play them or Carolina or Virginia. So now we've got an opportunity to just kind of show what we're capable of doing. So we've got to just guard the mound. We're swinging the bats well, playing good defense, and just kind of, just another game going out and trying to win it. Again, sticking to the script. We're not gonna overextend anybody to try to win a game or win this tournament. Just kind of getting everybody ready for next week, and then if the script plays out and then are the right guys are in situations to be in the game, then that's what we'll go with.
On Lazaro Collera...
J.D. Arteaga: Early on he could not get the ball in, just kind of every time we went inside, he would overthrow and yank it or miss up and in and hit a guy, you got to be able to pitch in. I don't care what your stuff is and all the metrics, if you can't pitch in, if the hitter's not worried about the inner half of the play, then that really good slider down in a way, they're going to get to it, , spoil it. You make a mistake and hit it hard, so you've got to be able to pitch in. I think all the guys today did a good job of that after the second inning.
Reporter: Second inning, I guess. The last few weeks, you guys have really tightened up defensively, especially the last few weeks. How important is it for you guys to play that style of defense, because that brand of defense is so crucial to winning, especially games that become more and more important day by day against better opponents.
J.D. Arteaga: Our downfall defensively has not been lack of ability. It's more of a lack of concentration at times, making simple, simple errors, right? And we've been focused. I can tell you our practice on Tuesday was not the greatest. I told them, hope we get all the errors out of the way now in practice, and then so far we have. But it's just a focus thing. I mean, the guys out on the field, those positions are good, are good enough to make all those plays. It's just concentrating and being ready for the ball to hit to you and being prepared.
J.D. Arteaga: That was a great team effort there, man, especially after the way that game started. First inning, give up a couple runs there, Lodgy. Not real sharp, leaves a lot of balls out over the plate. They came up with a good game plan, getting extended and driving the ball to right field there. But something we've been doing all year really is answering back. After we give up some runs, our offense has been relentless and putting up runs right away. That's demoralizing on the team. And it was a lot of different faces today. Peralta with the home rise, first one of the year, opposite field. And guys like Dubovic, a simple little two-out single in the hole to extend the inning and then Milano comes up with a big double on the right field line that scores in there. So a little bit of everything. Good solid defense, we have one error on a pickoff attempt at first base. And the bullpen was outstanding. But four shutout innings there at the end. So we were able to get everybody out there for one inning, kind of get their feet wet. So we're in good shape with our bullpen going into Saturday's game.
Reporter: Fabio and Gabriel are two very young players to have. Both of them have each three hit days in a postseason game. What does that mean, just based on the youth they have and all that?
J.D Arteaga: It's almost June, man. It's May. There's no more freshmen and no more young sophomores. You've got a lot of at-bats, a lot of experience. Especially Fabio. Maybe not Milano, but he's a kid that works so hard every day in practice and never took a day off. Coming and showing up to the park every day behind an All-American. And he knew he wasn't going to play. Cubes going to be in the lineup. He goes for an over 35 slump, he's going to be in the lineup. But the fact that he showed up every day and worked hard and he's that kid that thanks you on the way out to the field every day at practice. Like, we're doing him a favor by being there for him. But he worked hard and he got his opportunity. He's ran with it, man. So it's been great to see that happen there.
Reporter: Coach, first of all, congrats on a hundred wins. This is your second time in the ACC semifinals in the last three years. The last time it was kind of more of a Cinderella run getting up there. Is there anything you're taking from that first appearance there as the eighth seed, and now being, the five seed and being in control of three straight wins going into the game on Saturday?
J.D. Arteaga: All right, one at a time. we're going to play a really good Georgia Tech team, and we didn't get to play them during the regular season. That's kind of been a knock on us all season long that we didn't play them or Carolina or Virginia. So now we've got an opportunity to just kind of show what we're capable of doing. So we've got to just guard the mound. We're swinging the bats well, playing good defense, and just kind of, just another game going out and trying to win it. Again, sticking to the script. We're not gonna overextend anybody to try to win a game or win this tournament. Just kind of getting everybody ready for next week, and then if the script plays out and then are the right guys are in situations to be in the game, then that's what we'll go with.
On Lazaro Collera...
J.D. Arteaga: Early on he could not get the ball in, just kind of every time we went inside, he would overthrow and yank it or miss up and in and hit a guy, you got to be able to pitch in. I don't care what your stuff is and all the metrics, if you can't pitch in, if the hitter's not worried about the inner half of the play, then that really good slider down in a way, they're going to get to it, , spoil it. You make a mistake and hit it hard, so you've got to be able to pitch in. I think all the guys today did a good job of that after the second inning.
Reporter: Second inning, I guess. The last few weeks, you guys have really tightened up defensively, especially the last few weeks. How important is it for you guys to play that style of defense, because that brand of defense is so crucial to winning, especially games that become more and more important day by day against better opponents.
J.D. Arteaga: Our downfall defensively has not been lack of ability. It's more of a lack of concentration at times, making simple, simple errors, right? And we've been focused. I can tell you our practice on Tuesday was not the greatest. I told them, hope we get all the errors out of the way now in practice, and then so far we have. But it's just a focus thing. I mean, the guys out on the field, those positions are good, are good enough to make all those plays. It's just concentrating and being ready for the ball to hit to you and being prepared.
