University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 5, UTSA 2
POSTGAME QUOTESย
UCLA 5, UTSA 2ย
Jackie Robinson Stadiumย
June 7, 2025ย
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John Savage, the UCLA Baseball Head Coachย
opening statementย
โItโs one game. You canโt get overly excited in these situations, and rule number one is that you donโt. Thereโs a lot of baseball left this weekend. We understand that. That game could have gone either way. We left some guys on base; they did a really good job of putting pressure on us. They pitched out some problems. Michael [Barnett] was really good, that was a really good start for us. To go six innings in a super-regional game, 75 pitches, very efficient. They clearly jumped on him. A guy hit the ball out of the ballpark on a 1-0 pitch. Theyโre very offensive, and it was one of those nights where we threw strikes. Thatโs always a good sign. The bullpen threw strikes, and the counts were good. Our defense was really good. I just look at it as one game and thereโs a lot of baseball left.โย
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on the mindset going into tomorrowโs gameย
โEvery game is a new game. Any good team wins games in a lot of different fashions. There are some nights where you have to give their pitching credit. They threw some double plays, struck some people out in some critical moments. We had Roch [Cholowsky] up there in some critical moments. Theyโre here for a reason; theyโre very good. You can leave 13 guys on base. You donโt really want to do that, but at the end of the day, itโs super-regional baseball and they have really good arms. They did a really nice job of keeping it 3-2. Youโve got to tip your hat. But itโs a new game tomorrow, and weโll go from there.โย
on adapting after the first few inningsย
โItโs baseball. Any good team understands that there are moments like that. Like the solo home run, that guy is a very, very legitimate player. We saw him at Oregon, and itโs come full circle. Heโs a really good player. Them stealing home was a lesson learned, throwing the ball from his knees, not throwing it firm enough. They picked up on that and stole home. A nine-inning game is a long game; I always tell them. There are plenty of opportunities that are still on the table. They jumped on us, no question about it. They had a lot of momentum. To Michaelโs credit, he calmed that down a little bit. We put enough across and then Roman came up with the big hit, obviously, late in the game. Every game is going to be a dogfight from the end of the season until the end of the year. I donโt think weโve really blinked an eye on not executing or not doing something well. If you feel sorry for yourself, or you get in your own way, youโre not going to get it done.ย
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on the depth of the teamย
"This is not a one-man show. I told the guys that all year long. This is a really good team that plays together and believes in one another. There are a lot of different weapons throughout the lineup. Roman, Dean West, AJ, and Payton Brennan had a huge weekend last weekend. Youโve got to keep going.โย
on having no walksย
โNo walks were nice. We threw strikes, and for the most part, we got in good counts.โย
on Easton Hawkโs performanceย
"Heโs been really good. Learning how to be a closer, they have a pitching change, so he had to wait. Thatโs a little adversity, a little time. Heโs had to really learn, and to his credit, heโs come in and pounded the glove pretty well with multiple pitches. You can clearly see his talent. The end of the game is no joke. Thatโs only built for certain guys, and we felt that he could handle it. Heโs still very young in his career and he has a long way to go, but heโs trending in the right way.ย
on Roch Cholowskyโs performanceย
"Heโs just missing some pitches, probably trying to do too much. Sometimes good players try to do that. The defensive play that he made late in the game was an exceptional play. It doesnโt carry over to his defense, so thatโs fine. We have other guys that can do things, and he had a couple of productive at-bats, a base hit. Weโre not worried about it at all. It doesnโt carry over to the defensive side of the ball, and heโs a premium shortstop. Heโs playing really good defense. All he cares about is winning; thatโs what all of these guys care about. We like an average Roch; average Roch is pretty good. Heโll get going. Itโs baseball, and itโs a new day tomorrow.โย
on tomorrowโs pitchingย
"Weโre going to decide that tonight.โย
Sophomore Infielder Roman Martinย
on his mindset in big momentsย
"Iโm not changing anything; Iโm just trying to be myself. I think myself is good enough and I stick to my plan.โ ย
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on his mentality throughout the seasonย
"I think it was a big confidence thing. I didnโt have too much confidence coming into the beginning of the year, but Iโve been sticking with myself and thatโs how Iโve turned things around. Working with Coach Ward, making some mechanical adjustments, but I would say the main thing was confidence.โย ย
on wearing glasses when he hitsย
"Itโs an eye thing. I can see the ball a lot better in the morning or when itโs sunny out.โย
Junior Pitcher Michael Barnettย
on his progression throughout his college careerย
"Itโs a huge privilege to be able to start these huge games for us, to set the tone. A little adversity early on doesnโt matter. This team is built off of adversity and being able to recover from that is very special.โย
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on the teamโs defenseย
"It provides a lot of comfort. I can throw any pitch, any count, and I know that my defense has my back. Itโs a huge privilege.โย