North Carolina
Forbes: To see the joy on these guys' faces today, after where we were, it's really unbelievable
UNC head baseball coach Scott Forbes spoke to the media following a 7-3 win over VCU. Forbes spoke about the ejection and two game suspension over the weekend and what it means for this group to make the Super Regionals
no worries. Alright questions for coach RL and then Gregory what yesterday you're yeah, you know, as soon as it happened, you know, a big part of me was like dang it like because obviously I didn't want to be thrown out of the game. Um but the other part was, you know, with this team, nobody makes it about themselves and I was like, I don't really want to be the center of attention and I know how that's that's how sports works, but I just felt like it was a huge moment in the game what happened happened? Um you know, we have a saying in our family that you know sometimes it can be hard to forgive but you got to do it and you gotta do it quick because those same same guys can be out on the field and there's no reason to harness those hard feelings and sure enough I walk up today and same to that, you know, one and threw me out and then one that put the two fingers in the, in the heirs out there on the field and I sure didn't want that to hurt our players. Um but it was emotional. Uh I will say it's a lot harder to watch Um on TV when you're not in the dugout. I haven't been so nervous for 18 innings I don't think ever uh but also surrounded myself with a group of people. I can't tell you where I watch because that's a secret but we had a good time and we were high fiving and uh so we made the most of it Gregory. So yes, how do you see he has a sign of toughness for sure. And we talk about that, you know what is true toughness? What is true grit. Um you know, and all that and we start early, you know, in the weight room with coach Gats and uh you know, so many people that we talk about all the time that don't get the credit, that they deserve the credit. Uh and Greg gas is one of them. I've always thought he's one of the hardest working people here in our athletic department and he's always been with us. He's been with us a long time and and and our guys, they get stronger, get more physical, you know, for the most part they stay healthy and that's a big part of him and our training staff. So, you know, i it didn't surprise me, you know, to be honest with this group, I told myself, you know, we even talked about like, yeah, we'd love to host. We're gonna pull for, you know, for Arkansas to host. But with this team, you know that the road is gonna be the road and and nothing will surprise me with them adam when nine, thank you, allow yourself there when this season ends, you know, yeah, somewhere else or think about, yeah, I mean, honestly, I was mad at myself because, you know, I felt like I probably could have not, probably I could have I could have prevented myself from being thrown out, even though I don't think I should have been um I wouldn't have thrown if I was an unpacking, I can honestly tell you, I know how big the game is, unless it was really warranted. Um but I did, I did have to think like, okay, you know, this is going to be a learning experience and I sure hope I don't have to watch us lose at home. Um you know, but I had a really great feeling obviously after we found a way to beat Georgia, I was like, okay, that that's that's the big one. This team can, you know, as high as we've been offensively, I think we can score a lot of runs and get to monday. Um Yeah, but that was a bad feeling, you know, and I was just mad at myself because really you control, you have to control your own emotions and uh but I definitely didn't agree with what happened, but I had to live with it. So follow then about whatever, you know, removed. Yeah, I mean, but really yeah, really from the coaching standpoint, you know, I talk, I tell the guys all the time okay, you know, practice is it is their time, but it's my time and we're gonna practice hard and here's why we're gonna practice hard and here's what we're gonna do every day and why we do it and then, so I don't have to do anything as their head coach on game day except make a decision here or there. And if we done, if any coach has done their job in practice, you know, the team is gonna get better fundamentally, doesn't mean they're gonna be perfect, but they know what to do and like, Michael Jordan always said, you know, if you make practice harder, the games might be easier. So really, I just, I reverted back to that. And I also thought about like in the three guys, you know, that are my assistant coaches, you know, there are my assistant coaches for a reason. They're all three tar hills and, you know, they do a phenomenal job. So I didn't, I didn't, I didn't think that was gonna affect us at all, Michael well, first, and I don't know probably how much coffee have you drank so far. Um, you know, he's so, he reminds me so much of me at that age as a pitching coach and you know, being a pitching coach for Coach Fox so long, you know, I know what today is, like, I mean, you, you're calling a lot of pitches and there's a lot of pressure. So really I just walked in and said, hey man, we got, what do you think, who are we going to start? So we got tired of texting each other like 1:30 and said, we need to talk in the morning. Um, but you know, I told him to get in there a little bit later but they were all in there and and working away and we just reminded each other like hey we need to enjoy this and be loose because let's don't forget where we were. Shelby then Pat, I'm going back to, I'm sorry R. B. I. S. Games I'm talking about Mikey. Yeah. I mean you know as a coach you get, you get to help kids you sometimes with things that may not maybe not be sport related and to see Mikey just mature. Um That's the thing I'm most proud about, you know he's got his degree. Uh But it's only fitting, you know I'm up here looking at these guys and I'm like wow like you know we have three Juco kids up here um that really weren't recruited very heavily that we had a, you know a gun on and we felt like they could help us and and I think if they're not up here and one of them the M. V. P. And and Mikey monday if there's ever a kid that deserve something like this, it's Mikey midday because he's first of all he's a phenomenal teammate and you know we we see what guys do when they're not in the lineup and that's hard because all these guys are so good. But Mikey midday on the front step. He's the first one out of the dugout and now he's getting rewarded for that take Pat on one or two more. If there are Pat then wayne. All right. Four days used three pictures remarkable. I mean up there because you know, this time of the season now, we did talk about this today, Coach gaines. And I said, you know, this is why you manage your pitching staff the right way the entire season. You don't overtax guys so they can do things like this in the postseason. Um You know, and and but still, I mean to be to have a golf one day's rest to give you some length and then for gauge, I mean, you know, there were there were gauges was besides Austin, Love was probably the one reason we made it to a regional last year and he's been really good the last month. So really I'm just happy for those guys. But that was you can't win without it. I mean, we talk about it, you can't win without starting pitching and you can't win without making plays. So, you know, looking at that game, man, we made some unbelievable plays. Danny Mac. I mean, some digs at first base Kobe Wilkerson made some tough plays. Those are extra outs. And that game can change. So that's the credit of the defense as well when touched on the but what stands out most about what at abc three times what kind of pressure you the most? Mhm. I tell you their physical. Um and their offense. I mean they're they're just don't they don't stop really one through nine. Um And they've got an elite guy in their lineup and when you have an elite guy that doesn't strike out much, it's got 20 whatever, 23 25 home runs, 80 R. B. I. S. You're hoping that he's not up there with runners on base very often. Um But it goes all the way back to coach Keys, who coached here a long time. Unfortunately, you know, coach passed away and then stiff, you know, was named the head coach. But they've always been tough and they've always been fundamentally sound anybody else. Gregory want to read very weekend series to prepare. You know, it's funny asset because I used to pay attention. I would notice coach would be on his computer sometime. Probably didn't even know this, he's sitting back there so I can't look at him much, I'll get emotional. Um But I was like what are you doing? He was like doing working on itineraries and you know, ahead of time and there's a reason he's doing that number one probably started doing it and something good happen because we're all a little bit of always say I'm not superstitious, I'm just a little suspicious. Um But I said to myself, okay because before we went to a c tournament I did every day to the championship game, sent it to our guys so they had on their phone did the whole, well I did the regional, I didn't have as good in the loser's bracket, but then still sent out an email every night and then I sat down this morning and I did tonight's email that I sent to the team that has tomorrow's plan on it. Um, just because I think that's good luck. Um, you know, so we'll get right back at it. You know, obviously we'll find out, I guess there's a chance we could play saturday or friday saturday. But you know, as crazy as this sounds, you know, well I'll tell the guys to sleep and we'll be over to see coach Gats and start that process of getting ready for this weekend tomorrow, last one Patrick, what once that final, what was life, I mean pure joy and you know, and happiness for for our players. Um because I, you know, I told him I've been Doma and some of them haven't and I want this group to, to get there, you know, and and hopefully be the first team to win the national championship. But we talked about being the moment and creating memories and you know, I can just see it on these guys eyes as soon as that lasts, ball was called and that's why you coach or at least it should, you know, that's why you should coach because when you have a team and we talked about in the locker room, this is the only time this team will be that team. You know, some guys may be back, but the new guys coming in and you never forget the team you're on. So, you know, I guess the word for me would just be really excited and joyful for our players coach. Thank you. Congratulations if.