When he graduated from Chestatee High in 2006, Alex McRee owned the school record for strikeouts in a season (89) and a career (189), but he had an idea that he was on the verge of something bigger as he headed to play baseball for the University of Georgia.
In the college ranks, it doesn't get much bigger than Friday. That's when the Bulldogs will begin play in the NCAA tournament, taking on Lipscomb at 3 p.m. at Foley Field in Athens in the first game of Regional play. And McRee, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound relief pitcher, will be right in the middle of it.
After an up-and-down freshman campaign, McRee has put together a sparkling sophomore season, going 5-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 23 appearances. He also struck out 47 batters and walked just 22 in 44.1 innings, as he helped Georgia to the Southeastern Conference title and a No. 8 national seed in the NCAA tournament.
As the Bulldogs prepared for a run at the College World Series, McRee talked with Access North Georgia sports editor Morgan Lee about the Bulldogs season, the postseason ahead and what could happen if Georgia has to take on rivals Georgia Tech in Regional play.
QUESTION: You, personally, have had a great season so far, what's been the biggest difference for you between this year and last?
ANSWER: I'm older, more experienced. And I've gotten a lot more comfortable with my body and knowing what I can do. I stayed around last summer and lifted in the offseason program, so I got bigger and stronger. Last season I had too many walks [27 in 19 appearances]. This season, I've walked less guys and feel like I've got more control.
Q: What's the team's attitude like heading into Regional play?
A: Everybody's excited. We obviously had a great year [Georgia finished the regular season 35-21-1], and everybody thinks we can do more. We set out to win the SEC; we did that. We set out to get a national seed; we did that. Now we want to get to the College World Series. [To do that, Georgia must win the Athens Regional, which includes rival Georgia Tech, Louisville and Lipscomb. The Bulldogs would then be pitted in a Super Regional against the winner of the Raleigh, N.C., Regional. The winner of that best-of-three series would advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., June 14-25.]
Q: How do you make sure you don't overlook first-round opponent and Atlantic Sun Conference champions Lipscomb?
A: We're not going to overlook them. They've got a good record against SEC teams over the past two years [5-5]. I know they beat Tennessee, and they're a very capable squad. [Lipscomb is 32-28 this season.]
Q: What's the difference in your mindset between postseason play and regular-season play?
A: Well, I really don't know about NCAA tournament play, because I haven't been here before. I'm sure it will be intense. We knew coming into the season that we were a bunch better than we were last year, and we expected to be here, but it's still going to be new to us. There's been a bunch more reporters here. I think we had 10 media guys out there today [Thursday], so there's been a much bigger media presence already.
Q: Your coach, David Perno, has been here before. What does he tell you?
A: He tells us we're a good team and we're capable of winning it. We also know that we might not get another chance to play in this tournament. Especially getting to host a Regional -- this is pretty special. You may go your whole career and not do this again, so we want to make the most of this.
Q: Despite the team's great record during the season, Georgia lost the only two games it played in the SEC Tournament this past weekend. What do you put that down to, and does that worry you?
A: Injuries definitely hurt us a little [the Bulldogs played without starters Rich Poythress, sprained wrist, Matt Cerione, concussion, and Michael Demperio, out for season with an ACL tear, for most of the tournament]. I was worried that we lost our national seed with those losses. But we didn't, so no harm, no foul. We're not worried about what happened, and we're ready to bounce back this week.
Q: What's the biggest advantage to hosting a Regional?
A: I just got done playing golf -- I'm not very good -- and now I get to go home and hang out at my apartment. All the other teams are cooped up in hotels right now. So that's a big plus. Plus playing in front of the home fans is always a big boost.
Q: What's been the biggest difference for the Bulldogs between this season and last season, when you didn't make the postseason?
A: We had a couple of key additions this year, like Michael Demperio -- even though he's out now. Last year freshmen also threw close to half the innings. That's tough for a freshman, to come in here and start pitching right away. We also played in a lot of close games, a lot of big games last year that we barely lost. I think that helped prepare us. I can't pinpoint just one thing.
Q: What's been the key to this season?
A: Well, the pitching saved us early in the SEC season when we weren't hitting well. Then the hitting came on strong. Of course our defense has been good all season. Again I really can't pinpoint one thing.
Q: You played Georgia Tech three times this season, going 1-2. If it comes down to you playing Tech to move on, how does that help you?
A: As pitchers, playing them earlier helped us get ready for their line-up. But as hitters, you don't know, because they threw the same guy against us all three times, so it could be totally different. The same goes for them. They didn't face our weekend pitchers either.
-- NCAA baseball tournament, Athens Regional Schedule:
Friday, May 30
Game 1: Lipscomb vs. GEORGIA, 3 p.m. ET
Game 2: Georgia Tech vs. Louisville, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 31
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 3 p.m. ET
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, June 1
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 3, 2 p.m. ET
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m. ET
*Monday, June 2 (*If Necessary)
Game 7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6, 7 p.m. ET
Thursday
October 24th, 2024
4:23PM
