May 25, 2001
RecapÊ|Ê
Box ScoreÊ|Ê
Notes
Game One Quotes
#1 Notre Dame 12, #4 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 4
Wisconsin-Milwaukee Coach Jerry Augustine
On tonight's game:
"I said yesterday that when you play a team the caliber of Notre Dame
you have play very, very well. You especially have to pitch very well, and we
did not do that tonight. When you play a team like Notre Dame with the great
pitching that they have you have to keep the game close. We had that one bad
inning and it took the life out of us to start the game.
You still have to compliment our players. They still swung the bat
and they still went after it real hard. Tomorrow is a new day."
On his starting pitcher Quintin Oldenberg's performance:
"In the fourth inning, he got behind a lot. I think Quintin
(Oldenberg) has the ability to be a very fine pitcher. It is up to him whether
or not he takes the next step. Quintin is going to be down, but this is really
a golden opportunity for the kid. He battled, and he battled for us a lot this
year, but at the same time, this is an opportunity you get once in a lifetime
and when you get it you have to make the best of it. Those are your winners
and those are the guys who take the next step. Quintin has to make that
decision for himself."
Wisconsin-Milwaukee Pitcher Quintin Oldenberg:
On Notre Dame's nine-run fourth inning:
"I broke down mentally. I just threw a couple pitches off. I gave
them the opportunity to score runs by throwing the ball over the middle of the
plate and they capitalized on it."
Wisconsin-Milwaukee Second Baseman Scott Gillitzer
On facing Notre Dame senior pitcher Aaron Heilman tonight
"I just focused on seeing the ball and forgetting who threw it.
Obviously it is a really great honor to face a pitcher like that, especially
one who was a first-round draft pick last year."
Notre Dame Coach Paul Mainieri:
On the impact of Kris Billmaier and Steve Sollmann
"I am so proud of our team for so many reasons. First of all, I am
very proud of Kris Billmaier and Steve Sollmann for making it into the line-up
for us tonight. It was nothing short of miraculous really. By having those two
guys in our line-up, the whole attitude of our team was one of toughness and
determination."
On dealing with the rain delay:
"I was also proud of our team for enduring such a long rain delay.
Aaron Heilman actually warmed up three different times. Not in my wildest
imagination did I think he would go nine innings tonight. But, when you give
him the ball, it is so hard to take it
away because you know he will finish with such determination."
On establishing an early lead in the first tournament game:
The first game of the tournament is just so critical. I am glad we
got that one under our belts. I think it is very key, especially in a game
where the players are a little tight, to get an early lead. That is
especially true with Aaron (Heilman) pitching because we know he is going to
keep the lead."
On his team's hitting tonight:
"We went up against the number two hitting team in the country. Our
guys took that as a challenge. We think we have a pretty good hitting team
too. Our guys were pretty determined to show that they can swing the bats and
deserve respect even though our batting average or home runs are not as high."
Notre Dame centerfielder Steve Stanley
On his team's hitting ability:
"We came to the game with a lot of confidence, especially with Aaron
(Heilman) on the mound. But we take a lot of pride in our hitting too. We
think that our hitting is underrated because our pitching is so unbelievable.
We are not a team that hits a ton of
home runs, but we scrap and we do what we need to do to win."
On his ground-rule double in the fourth inning:
"I was just in awe that I had hit the ball that far. That could be
the farest I have ever hit it. I was just glad to help the team."
Notre Dame Pitcher Aaron Heilman
On his perfomance after the long rain delay:
"I tried not to worry about that and to take care of the job at hand,
which was to give my team the best opportunity to win. The credit has to go to
these guys. They did a tremendous job today. It is easy to pitch when you've
got a 10-run lead."
On pitching with a large lead:
"I got comfortable once we put up the nine spot. I settled down a
bit, felt confident, and stopped trying to be so fine."
On Wisconsin-Milwaukee's hitting:
"They have a great hitting team. I felt pretty confident going out
there that I was going to be successful, especially with these guys behind me.
They made some great defensive plays and got me out of some jams."
Notre Dame rightfielder Brian Stavisky
On his approach tonight:
"I felt very good up there. I was seeing the ball well. I went up to
bat aggressive and put some good swings on the ball. That is what I need to do
to hit well, just go up aggressively."
