Q & A with Tim Corbin

Q: Do you have to start the chemistry all over again?
A: You do; it’s a new team. We returned a lot of kids, but it’s always a new team with different dynamics. When you lose a bright light like Price or Weathers you need someone else to pick up that personality in the locker room.

Q: Can the way the season ended last year help motivate this team?
A: I’m sure it can. We don’t use that as motivation; I think we just take the good experiences from last year and build on them. There’s a lot of confidence that can be gained from winning an SEC championship and winning it outright. We choose to take that road. I don’t know that the kids think about that anymore. I’m sure they do, but they don’t want to. It’s not a good feeling.

Q: But they do know about the pressure; they’ve got to be more seasoned in terms of handling all that stuff.
A: I think you’re right. They’re seasoned in terms of handling it because they don’t. It’s not something that gets talked about. I think initially, when those things came out two years ago or last year, there was some talk, but I don’t feel like that’s even mentioned, and I don’t think it is. I think it’s just about … we’ve got a big tournament ahead of us, and I think they’re looking at the opponents and thinking, this is fun, this is a great challenge at the beginning of the season.

Q: You may have one of the best offenses in history; talk about the lineup balance from both sides of the plate.
A: Well, that’s to be determined. We’ve got a lot of kids who are back from last year, but how good we’re gonna be, that’ll be determined once we play. I like the balance of it; I think we’ve got some good speed at the top, and those middle guys, when you keep a recruit like Dominic de la Osa, and Jonny White too, that adds to your program. We do have some senior leadership out there that will be key offensively.

Q: Will the pitching be overlooked?
A: I don’t know; it won’t be overlooked by us. We’ll look at it the same way … we think it’s pretty good, but we’ll have to throw them out there in the fire right away, and they’ll have to gain some experience. I hate to say that, but that’s what’s gonna have to happen.

Q: What’s the offensive potential of this team?
A: If you look at their numbers, potentially it’s pretty good, but we’ve gotta stay healthy. You’ve got kids with 800 to 1000 at-bats under their belt, so you would think that experience, and being in tough ball games, playing in the Cape Cod League, playing for Team USA, that they would be seasoned. You hope that they’ll grow from that.

Q: What kinds of things will you be looking for this weekend?
A: A lot of wins, three wins really. I think just how we handle the situation: I don’t think we’ll be spooked; I don’t think we’ll hiccup. We’re playing very good competition, that doesn’t mean we’re gonna win, but I think the kids will be fine. They’re a pretty loose bunch.

Q: You went out west last year and did the same thing and beat some really good teams as well. Can you draw back on that at all?
A: We don’t really draw back on that. That gave us some confidence going into the season; you play the No. 1 team in the country, we do the same thing, also playing the two-time defending national champions, but I like that. I’d much rather have it that way than seeing them later on. That will help prepare us for the SEC.

Q: What can you expect from Pedro this year?
A: My feeling is much like it was with Price. I never talk about what he can do on the baseball field; I always talk about what he can do in the locker room. I felt like, if those guys immerse themselves in other things besides the game, they won’t get caught up on it. Price never saw a radar gun last year. He went in as the No. 1 player in the country and came out No. 1, and that is so unusual because kids often times get caught up in what they can do and individual goals. We don’t get set in individual goals, and I think for Pedro it’s been more along the lines of, “What kind of teammate can you be? What can you do to bring out the betterment of this kid,” and so on. We get lost in other things so that he doesn’t get lost in his own game.