March 17, 2008
Austin Hudson
On staying focused: I just wanted to come in and close it out for Mitch (Houck). When I got out there, I just thought about pitching, being relaxed and throwing strikes.
On entering the game: I settled in. I didn't want to walk the first guy, but my control got there and I was fine. I just wanted to get outs and get this no-hitter over with.
On controlling his emotions: I hold my emotions inside more than Weiss, but I was excited. I knew what was going on. I was just glad could have finished it for Houck and the rest of the team.
On pitching a no-hitter: I threw one no-hitter in high school, but I have never been apart of a combined no-hitter.
On carrying the momentum into league play: We just want to keep it rolling into Southern Miss cause conference starts so we just have to keep it going and keep pitching well and the hitters keep hitting and we'll be fine.
Mitch Houck
On pitching a no-hitter: It was definitely the most fun game I have ever been a part of in college. I remember I did it once in high school, my junior year and I forgot what that feeling was like. When Hudson got that last strikeout, that was awesome.
On not pitching the entire game: Who wouldn't want to go out there and keep throwing, but we talked about it and I knew it was about it for me. There was no chance of me going two more innings with that pitch count so it was a good decision.
On waiting for the final out: I was trying not to think about it at all cause I didn't want to kill myself having a heart attack so I was just sitting there, relaxing and when he got the last out, I got up and was real excited.
On his success on the mound: I was mixing the curveball and slider in there a lot tonight. It was one of those things that they never got around to seeing it out of my hand, so it was just devastating them tonight. I was glad I was able to go in there and throw strikes cause that made a huge difference in the game for me.
On advice from UCF pitching coach Craig Cozart: He (coach Cozart) just tells me you're too good to be walking people like that, so he said get up there, throw strikes and see what happens. It's been working for me.
On excitement after UCF recorded the final out: I don't know if I've ever jumped that high before. I got a couple of feet off the ground. I was beyond ecstatic. It was definitely the greatest thing that has ever happened in my college career.
UCF Head Coach Jay Bergman:
On the win: I think the 1200th win is tremendously overshadowed by the pitching performance of Mitch and Austin. That to me was nice and I appreciate that part of it. I enjoyed watching them pitch tonight. I think it was their night and they should have the spotlight.
On what 1200 means to him: It's very humbling. When you've been around and are as old as I am, it speaks to a lot of things. I think Coach Cozart probably understands it better than anybody else does because he's been here as a player and as a coach for 15-16 years, and 700-800 wins he was involved with as a player and coach. It speaks to longevity more than anything else and having good players and surrounding yourself with good people.
On Mitch and Austin's performance: I was rooting for the no-hitter for those guys. Of course, you have to be real quiet in the dugout, we're real superstitious, you can't say anything.
On the pitching staff: I was so proud of our pitching staff and our team to get as many wins as early as we've gotten is tremendous tribute to them. We can't start patting backs and jumping up and down because we're only a third of the way through the season, but this was a night to enjoy it.
On Houck's battle back: He's gone through a lot with the injury and then being extremely frustrated with that injury and having to make some adjustments in his style of pitching.