Matt Kent details outing vs. TCU, current hot streak

Key quotes from Matt Kent interview

"There’s a lot of confidence in this team. With the relentless nature that we play with, elimination games are just games that have a little more pressure to them. We know that the game is played the same way no matter what day it’s played on. That’s the way we go into each day. It’s just another day.”

“Early in the game, I didn’t have my best control, but I was able to get through the first two innings with great defensive help with a couple double plays and the strike-‘em-out-throw-‘em out. Going into the middle of the game, my command became very key, and I had movement and velocity to go with that which made it a lethal attack. The defense stayed strong behind me, and then once I turned the ball over to (Ryan) Hendrix in the eighth, it was shut-down from then on except for the one run in the ninth.”

“When I got taken out of the starting rotation back after the Arkansas series, I didn’t change much in my routines or my mechanics. When I went back to the bullpen, I just talked it up to ‘that’s how baseball treats you sometimes.’ I kept my head and understood what I’m good at on the mound, and that’s controlling movement and controlling locations and having velocity do what it can. These last four starts are just a testament to being able to hit locations and getting hitters to swing at pitches that I like them to swing at and then letting my defense do the rest of the work.”

“The call it ‘the zone.’ And there’s ‘clearing the mechanism.’ Each game is a little different than the previous. I try and go in and take it batter by batter. If I catch myself looking too far forward in the game, then I might find trouble earlier in the game. The last four starts, it has been a pleasure to pitch for this team and watch the defense work behind me.”

“That Vanderbilt game (in the SEC Tournament), I really found the feel to go to my glove side with fastballs and sliders and also with my sidearm pitches. I was able to control those with more regularity and get more awkward swings with it. From then on, it was just about staying in that zone and keeping that feel and understanding what I was doing correctly to make those pitches and get the swings I was getting. These last four outings have just been the consistency of getting to my glove side and setting up the fastball off the breaking ball and setting up the change-up off the fastball and keeping hitters guessing.”

“Defense is huge, because if you’re only looking for singular outs in an inning and taking them as they come, your pitch count runs up. For me, a high pitch count doesn’t bode well. Those key double plays, whether they’re deflections off my glove or strike-‘em-out-throw-‘em-outs or just simple 6-4-3 double plays are huge. You’re now taking four pitches back that you could have had to throw to the next hitter in the line-up, and that causes the line-up not to turn over as fast. Going three times through a line-up, you kind of run out of sequences to throw to batters, and then the fourth time they’ve kind of picked up on what you’re doing. Then the defense becomes even more key at that point. Great defense behind a pitcher is what’s going to help any pitcher succeed for a long time.”

“I haven’t really sat back and thought about what’s gone on and transpired over the last few weeks. I’m just trying to stay with my team and enjoy my teammates for the time we have left together whether it ends today or ends in two weeks in Omaha. The time I have with these guys can’t be replaced. I can’t do anything that I’ve done these last four outings without the rest of the team. It’s one guy throwing the ball, but there are eight other guys out on the field that have got to catch and throw and run and put everything together to make this machine work.”

“When Tyler (Stubblefield) went down earlier in the season, as soon as he went down and got out of surgery and started his recover process, he goes, ‘I’m coming back this year. It’s some time in the playoffs, but I’m coming back. Y’all get us there, and we’ll see what happens.’ He’s held true to his word, and we’ve held true to ours. He’s going to come out, and he’s one of the greatest competitors on our team. He’s not going to back down from any challenge TCU throws at him.

Even with his knee being fully recovered with a brace on it, if they try to take advantage of him having a brace, he’s not going to let that happen. You saw him field his position against Cal in the regional. He’s proved to everyone that he’s ready to go, and he’s going to give us everything he’s got. We’re fully backing Tyler. His recovery’s been amazing from ACL in January or February to pitching in the Super Regional. It’s a great story, and you couldn’t write scripts better than this.”

“For me helping Tyler, it’s just going to be making sure he keeps his emotions in check, because it’s a big stage. There’s a lot of noise. Make pitches that they don’t want to hit. Hitting corners and changing speeds are huge for him. He doesn’t have all of his velocity back yet, so location is going to be key today. He lives on emotion, so if he can harness that emotion and take it throughout the game, it’s going to be a special day. No matter what, Tyler’s going to put on a great show.”

“These last four starts – I’m not sure what they’ve done to my draft stock. I haven’t been in too much contact. I’ve kind of stayed away from that. I’ve said my stuff to the scouts, and I’m letting them do their jobs from here on out. I came to A&M with a plan, and that was to get my degree in four years and contribute to Texas A&M as much as I can. I’ve accomplished my goal of earning my degree in sports management. I’ve also been accepted into the Master’s program at A&M, so I have that to fall back on. Whether I’m signing or coming back is a decision left to be made after the season is over. Right now my head is completely in on this team. If I’m picked, I’ll make a decision later on down the road when this season has come to a close.”