June 18, 2006

Recap |  Box Score |  Notes |  Photo Gallery

Clemson Head Coach Jack Leggett
(opening statement): "It was a little bit frustrating. (UNC pitcher Robert) Woodard did an outstanding job. We just didn't make enough hitting adjustments. The opportunities we did have we didn't take advantage of. I thought Stephen Faris pitched a great game."

(about not getting leadoff batters on tonight): "The key to getting the offense on track is getting the leadoff man on base. You have to give them credit. They kept us off base. It was a frustrating game offensively."

(about whether he was surprised Robert Woodard pitched the 9th inning): "No. He was mowing us down. He was in charge of his pitches and throwing strikes. I was hoping to get our leadoff man on and score some runs in the 9th inning."

(about Clemson's lack of offense): "I'm a little surprised. I think we're a little better offensively than we've shown here. We have to go out and prove it. It was a long day today. I spent a lot of time alone out there. There weren't many runners at third base."

Clemson Pitcher Stephen Faris
(about his performance): "I thought I did well starting out. It was a little rough in the third inning, and I battled after that."

Clemson Second Baseman Taylor Harbin
(about facing starting pitcher Robert Woodard): "We saw him last year and we saw him on TV this year. We had a good idea what he was throwing. He located well and kept us off balance. We just didn't make the adjustments we needed to make offensively."

Clemson Designated Hitter Herman Demmink
(about facing Robert Woodard): "I felt like every at bat I was all over the pitches. I didn't see a lot of movement, but I wasn't able to hit the ball so there must be a lot of late movement on his pitches."

(about the season coming down to one game): "We've faced adversity many times this season. Every time we've had our backs against the wall, we've bounced back."

North Carolina Head Coach Mike Fox
(opening statement): "That's about as well pitched game as you will ever see, by both kids. Robert (Woodard) didn't pitch in regionals and he has had this built up for a couple weeks. His performance was masterful."

(about potential matchups): Clemson and Cal State Fullerton are both great teams. Everyone knows Clemson is a good team and I thought Cal State Fullerton was one of the best teams we faced all year. Who we play is out of our control, but we know we will face a good team."

North Carolina Starting Pitcher Robert Woodard
(about his performance): I felt great today. We worked really hard on a gameplan. I told myself on the bigger stage, I really need to slow things down. I really wanted to lock in on every pitch. Fortunately, we came out on top."

(about the gameplan): I really wanted to pound the strike zone and work down. Clemson is a very aggressive team. If I wanted to miss, I wanted to miss below the knees. Coach (Scott) Forbes called a great game and never shook him off once."

North Carolina Catcher Benji Johnson
(about Robert Woodard): He was really hitting his spots. He had a lot of pitches working. He spotted the ball like he always does."

North Carolina Shortstop Josh Horton
(about his offensive production): With zero outs and a runner on second, I really wanted to pull something. We started the season scrapping for runs and relying on pitching. It puts us in the win column."