Childress, players react to NCAA Tournament bid

COLLEGE STATION - I believe the expression is, "By the skin of their teeth."

Well, in actuality, it wasn't as close as the television broadcast made it out to be.

The Texas A&M baseball team has reached the NCAA Tournament for a school-record seventh consecutive season under head coach Rob Childress and was rewarded for their strong 2013 school and late-season surge with a surprise No. 2 seed in the Corvallis, Oregon Regional.

"Our guys were fired up, and you know it meant something to them," Childress said. "They put an awful lot into this season and to have the opportunity to be one of the 64 names called and continue on is something they went out and earned, and it wasn't an easy journey. But they didn't quit or splinter. To win 10 of our last 15 and give ourselves a fighting chance, I can't say enough about our guys."

The Aggies had to wait out the entire selection show on ESPN and were the last name called in the Field of 64. But the wait was well worth it in the end.

“It was really nerve racking," said sophomore right-hander Daniel Mengden. "We were all sitting there and we got really nervous sitting there, like, ‘Oh my gosh, its either this or we’re done.’ I got really nervous too. I started fiddling around, twitching, holding my chair. But getting that bid, it’s awesome. Can’t wait.”

“Oh, it was nuts," added fellow right-handed starter Parker Ray. "Of course they left us for the last regional and the last team on the board so that was pretty nerve-racking to be a part of that. We were just sitting in there and all of a sudden they called our name and everybody jumped up and down screaming. We're just ready for the opportunity that we have and [excited] to take on [the challenge].”

The Aggies will face the three-seeded Gauchos of UC-Santa Barbara Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT on the Oregon State campus. The winner will face the winner of No. 1 seed Oregon State and No. 4 seed UTSA.

"[UC-Santa Barbara] finished second or third in the Big West and you know they're battle-tested," Childress said. "We're fairly familiar with one of those teams and we're very happy for Coach Marshall and UTSA. Obviously Oregon State, the No. 1 seed, is going to be a great national seed and they're getting to play at home. But our whole focus is Santa Barbara."

The Aggies enter the tournament with a lot of confidence after ripping off wins over Florida and Vanderbilt - and playing Mississippi State and Vandy to close losses - last week in the SEC Tournament. That combined with what A&M did throughout May has allowed them to grab a spot in the NCAAs.

“I felt like it just came down to the end … the SEC Tournament," said third baseman Hunter Melton. "Shutting out Vanderbilt, beating Florida in the first game and then giving Vanderbilt a heck of a game on Friday is what put us in. Since we’re playing good ball right now, I think that’s what’s going to take us a long way.”

“I think that we’ve grown a lot as a team over the past month and our confidence is definitely going through the roof right now," Ray added. "It’s a good vibe in the locker room and that’s something to build off of. Our confidence is peaking at the right time and the same with our performance on the field.”

Another reason why Texas A&M should feel good about its chances this weekend is because of the sudden dominance at the top of the rotation, between staff ace Daniel Mengden and surging starter Parker Ray. Mengden tossed a complete-game gem on Tuesday to defeat Florida and Ray followed it up by shutting out top-ranked Vanderbilt over eight-plus innings in a 3-0 victory that essentially punched the Ags' ticket to the Dance.

"The last four weeks, I don't think anybody's thrown any better in the country than [Mengden]," Childress said. He's going to give us a chance against Santa Barbara."

“I know we’re really confident going into the game," Mengden added. "We’re all confident in ourselves. Everyone trusts the pitching staff, and we trust the hitters. We’re gelling at the right time, all doing well and we’re really excited."

Despite what happens in Corvallis, just reaching the NCAA Tournament after such a rocky road throughout the majority of SEC play in year one in the league is quite a success. A&M lost two of its top ten pitchers in school history following the 2012 season in Michael Wacha and Ross Stripling. The Ags also saw Tyler Naquin, Jacob House, Matt Juengel and Scott Arthur depart and leave gaping holes throughout the lineup. But the youthful Aggies came together down the stretch and found a way to keep the NCAA Tournament streak alive.

"You look at our body of work and I do feel like we've underachieved at times this year, but we didn't quit," Childress said. "I think it says an awful lot about the toughness of our guys. To lose Michael Wacha, Ross Stripling, Jacob House, Tyler Naquin, Matt Juengel and Scott Arthur - that's a lot of guys to lose [in one season] - and to play the schedule that we played this year … those guys stayed together. To get to the postseason and continue to carry the torch here at Texas A&M says a lot about their toughness."

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NCAA Tournament National Seeds

1) North Carolina
2) Vanderbilt
3) Oregon State
4) LSU
5) Cal State Fullerton
6) Virginia
7) Florida State
8) Oregon

SEC Teams in NCAA Tournament

- Vanderbilt (national seed; host)
- LSU (national seed; host)
- South Carolina (host)
- Mississippi State (host)
- Texas A&M
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Ole Miss
- Florida

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Post-Selection Show Quotes

Head Coach Rob Childress

On how it felt to hear A&M called in the regional field...

"Our guys were fired up, and you know it meant something to them. They put an awful lot into this season and to have the opportunity to be one of the 64 names called and continue on is something they went out and earned, and it wasn't an easy journey. But they didn't quit or splinter. To win 10 of our last 15 and give ourselves a fighting chance, I can't say enough about our guys."

On starting a new season and beginning a regional with Daniel Mengden pitching...

"It's a good feeling going in. The last four weeks, I don't think anybody's thrown any better in the country than he, and he's going to give us a chance against Santa Barbara. They finished second or third in the Big West and you know they're battle-tested as well. We're fairly familiar with one of those teams and we're very happy for Coach Marshall and UTSA. Obviously Oregon State, the No. 1 seed, is going to be a great national seed and they're getting to play at home. But our whole focus is Santa Barbara."

On going from 22-22 to this point after being written off...

"All the credit goes to our guys and our players. They're not going to quit and they're going to continue to fight, scratch and claw, and that's what they did. I was just thinking that stabilizing our rotation on the mound gave us a fighting chance and playing great defense behind them, got a couple guys healthy, and in the midst of it we found another bat in Hunter Melton. That's what all gave us a chance, and those guys staying together."

On the strength of schedule weighing with the committee...

"I think that's what got us in. Obviously our strength of schedule and our finish gave us a chance and we're just happy to be playing."

On finishing strong heading into the postseason instead of fading down the stretch...

"If that had been the case, we'd be having year-end meetings right now and, for the way we finished, it obviously gave us a chance to continue on playing. Had we limped to the finish line, we would be having year-end meetings right now."

On worrying while he was hearing other names...

"You never know until you see your name. I'm not counting schools and I'm looking for Texas A&M. That's the only one I care about. I wanted to see our name and they certainly made us wait 'til the very end."

On the four teams they had to play at the SEC Tournament, compared to the regional field...

"There's nothing we haven't seen. We've seen it all, from Cal State Fullerton to North Carolina to the 30-game schedule in the Southeastern Conference, there's nothing this group hasn't seen or we're not prepared for. We know we're going to be facing three great teams out there, but they're as prepared as any team in the country going into this one."

On how successful the season feels after getting back to the tournament...

"Well, it is. You look at our body of work and I do feel like we've underachieved at times this year, but we didn't quit. I think it says an awful lot about the toughness of our guys to lose Michael Wacha, Ross Stripling and Jacob House and Tyler Naquin and Matt Juengel, Scott Arthur, that's a lot of guys to lose going in to play the schedule we played this year and those guys stayed together. To get to the postseason and continue to carry the torch here at Texas A&M says a lot about their toughness."

On beating three of the four single-digit-loss teams in the nation...

"I think it's reflective of our RPI more than anything. Being able to find a way to beat those teams and giving us a chance. We're very thankful. But at the same time, we went out and earned it too. We got what we deserved. Had we not gotten in, we earned it. The fact that we've gotten in, we earned it. I'm not going to apologize for anything and I don't think our guys are either. They're fired up."

On whether he's surprised Wacha is about to get called up with the Cardinals...

"Not at all. I mean, he's a special young man, he's a special pitcher and I feel like he's got a chance to pitch as long as anybody I've ever coached. Usually, good things happen to good people, and Michael's as good a young man as I've ever coached. He is [humble]. He's been a great leader and a great role model for the guys the three years he was here, even as a freshman, the way he went about his business. He's going to have success. Success finds those that are humble and work hard. That's what he does.


Pitcher Daniel Mengden

On the moment watching Texas A&M be selected at the very end…

“It was really nerve-racking. We were all sitting there, got really nervous sitting there like ‘Oh my gosh, its either this or we’re done.’ I got really nervous too. I started fiddling around, twitching, holding my chair and stuff. Me and Parker were sitting there and it was really nerve racking. But getting that bid, it’s awesome. Can’t wait.”

On whether it was more nerve racking against Florida in the 9th or watching the selection show…

“Honestly in the chair. That was more nerve racking than anything.”

On confidence in knowing the visiting teams have a good chance to win the regional…

“We have a great team and we’re starting to get hot at the right time I think. We’ve been playing well the last couple weeks, we end up getting the bid to the tournament and we’re really excited to go to the west coast. We honestly didn’t care where we would play, but it’s baseball and anybody can win anytime. We're really excited to go out there and have a chance to play.”

On confidence going into the first game…

“I know we’re really confident going into the game. If I start or Parker starts, whatever we do, we’re all confident in ourselves. Everyone trusts the pitching staff, we trust the hitters. We’re gelling at the right time, all doing well and we’re really excited."

On recent confidence in playing top teams like LSU, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State…

“Yea, we always come out with the same mentality if we’re playing LSU or I guess a lesser team. We just have to take it the same way. Everyone is the same competition. Gotta play every game, gotta win every game. We’ve been playing those tough teams at the end of the season, I think it’s really good for us to see all those really high caliber teams. Playing in the SEC, I think we’re ready for anybody. Oregon State is a great team and I know everyone else is really excited to go up there too.”

On kicking it in gear at the 22-22 mark of the season…

“We started off pretty good. We had a big speed bump there, but we got hot at the right time like I said. We’re just rolling with it right now and hopefully we can keep it going.”

On being well rested going into the CWS…

“Yea it’s just normal rest. Me and Parker and Pineda and Grayson in the bullpen so extra rest is awesome. We know we have to do it, coach expects it of us and we did our jobs. The extra rest is awesome.”

On the emergence of Hunter Melton as an offensive weapon…

“He came in the middle of the season and no one had any idea who he was and he’s been awesome. Hitting the ball well, being the key to our offense, getting everyone going, hitting 6 jacks half way into the season. I’d like to see him from the start of the season. He might have 15 by now.

On everyone bouncing back and Melton being the catalyst…

“He starts us off, gets one hit and everything gets going like a domino effect. One hit, another hit, two, three hits in a row. That’s 2 runs an inning. It’s an offensive spark to get the offense going. Helps the pitcher out knowing the offense is going to score some runs for him. Being up 4-0 after 2 innings is just a great cushion. You know you have room for mistakes but can still get the job done. So, run support and been hitting really well. It’s just awesome.”

On one swing saving the season…

“I don’t know. You never know. Maybe not.”


Pitcher Parker Ray

On confidence going into the series…

“I think that we’ve grown a lot as a team over the past month and our confidence is definitely going through the roof right now, especially getting into a regional. It’s a good vibe in the locker room and that’s something to build off of. Especially doing good in the SEC tournament when you think about the teams that we played. Florida and Vandy and Vandy again. I think that our confidence is peaking at the right time and the same with our performance on the field.”

On the emotion in watching the name being called…

“Oh it was nuts. Of course they left us for the last regional and the last team on the board so that was pretty nerve racking to be a part of that. We were just sitting in there and all of a sudden they called our name and everybody jumped up and down screaming. Just ready for the opportunity we got and to take it on.”

On the factor of rest giving confidence to the pitching staff…

“Yes sir. Last week we were on 4 days, 3 days rest and we did OK with that, but hopefully with enough rest now we’ll be able to push further into the game and be leaders for the team on and off the field.”

On familiarity with west coast teams…

“Me and Mengden played Summer ball in the California league so we met a lot of friends over there and UTSA is in the regional with us to so we know guys from over there and it’s just fun. The California kids are real athletic and so are we. It should be fun when we meet up.

On the key to where he has gotten in his baseball career…

“I give everything to coach Childress just giving me the opportunity to be where I am right now. After that I would just say hard work and dedication. Then just putting God first and that’s where all my confidence comes from. Growing from that.”

On the level of surprise in where it has taken him…

“It is fun to look back and see where I came from and say ‘You’re not done yet. The journey’s still going on.’ Hopefully that’s true this year with the regional and then on to the super regional.”


Third Baseman Hunter Melton

On the moment they found out they were in the tournament…

“It was good seeing our name come up on the board. No matter where we’re going, or what we’re doing, it’s always good making a regional. That gives us a shot to get to Omaha. Seeing our name on the board was a real excitement there in the locker room. We’re going to take advantage of it, that’s for sure.”

On if they felt like they had done enough to make the tournament…

“I felt like it just came down to the end; the SEC Tournament, shutting out Vanderbilt, beating Florida in the first game, then giving Vanderbilt a heck of a game on Friday. I think that’s what put us in, the SEC Tournament for sure. Since we’re playing good ball right now, I think that’s what’s going to take us a long way.”

“My heart, everybody’s heart, was running. You could tell on everyone’s faces by looking around the room. We didn’t know what we were going to get. Seeing our name come up on the TV, and everybody going crazy was pretty awesome; giving everybody high-fives and everything, getting ready to come out, practice, and go to work.”

On the belief this team had from when they were 22-22 up until now…

“Coach told us he said, ‘We still have a chance.’ We weren’t going to shut down. We knew we had to get to work. Obviously, the last part of the season, last month of the season, we’ve been working pretty hard and going through practice and working hard. We finally got some wins in the win column and gave us a chance to get in.”

On what they thought when bubble teams were being announced…

“I think it was Auburn and somebody else, I can’t remember, but it was between us and them. We all didn’t know what to do. We were just shaking in there, doing our own thing, and that’s about it really.”

On if they have confidence going against the 3-seed Oregon State…

“For sure, we have a lot of confidence. Even in the SEC Tournament, playing Vanderbilt and all of those teams like that right there. Beating them was a big, big win for us. We have a lot of life in our team right now. This last month has put a lot of life in our program. I think going to Oregon State is not a big surprise. We can go in there and win it, no matter what.”

On how confident they are with Mengden on the hill…

“Oh yeah, for sure. Mengden will give us a great start; he has the last month that we’ve been playing good. We’ll take the first one and if we win, Parker will give us a great shot too. Parker has been dominant on the mound, shutting out Vanderbilt. I mean, that was pretty big on his part. Our starters are bringing some life, so it’ll be fun to watch.”