March 15, 2008

Recap |  Final Stats

TULANE HEAD COACH Rick Jones

Overall thoughts on the game
"The wind was blowing out to right and we did a good job of taking some pitches to right. Jared Dyer and Andrew Rodgers hit the ball to right for home runs. Sam had a good day, looked good. He had a good rhythm and stayed on the ball. We took advantage of the weather today, and Aaron Loup shut down their offense and kept the ball out of the air."

On the performance of sophomore southpaw Aaron Loup
"He was more aggressive and his mechanics were more sound. He put in a lot of mound work over the last few days. After the first inning, he really settled in. His breaking ball is still not as consistent as it has been, needs to be and will be, but I thought today was a major step in the right direction."

On pitching Loup into the seventh
"His pitch count was down so we went through seven with him instead of taking him out in the sixth. He needs to stretch out and get a little bit deeper. He needs to be able to be a guy who can take us into the seventh."

On the performance of junior right fielder Scott Powell
"I was really happy with Scotty. That was a big plus for us today. He got a bunt down and had a single up the middle. He only had one chance to handle it in the outfield but he handled it without any problem. If Scott swings it, he adds a big dimension because he can really run. He didn't do anything today but positive."

SOPHOMORE SOUTHPAW Aaron Loup

On his performance on the mound
"I had some rough starts the last few weeks, and I just had to work in the bullpen real hard this week to prepare and get ready to go today. I felt balanced, my arm felt fresh, I was able to establish my fastball inside and I started to get a feel for my offspeed pitch."

On if he pitched differently with the lead
"With the lead, I was able to relax not worry too much and just go out there and pitch the way I know I can pitch."

JUNIOR OUTFIELDER Scott Powell

On posting a pair of hits in his first career start
"I didn't know I was starting until Anthony told me. It just gave me a chance to be relaxed, stay within myself and not get too tight. I just tried to go out there and do what I've been doing in intrasquad and in the fall."

On the difference in the offense's performance today and yesterday
"Yesterday, we hit a lot of balls hard and they just didn't fall. Their guys were making plays. Today, we found the spots where they weren't basically. Across the board, we hit the ball really hard and were able to find gaps in the defense."