Junior LHP Konnor Pilkington
On the mindset of the team
"We can be as good as we think we can be. This is a team that pushes each other. I see these guys every day, the work ethic and the confidence that this team has. It's not like it was the last two years. We had big-name guys come through here the last two years, but it's the confidence and the make-up of this team that gets us to the next level. We're going to take it one game at a time, one pitch at a time. With all that being said, you can't look at the big picture, you can't look at Omaha. You have to look at it as we're starting off in Hattiesburg that Friday night and go from there. We're going to take it one game at a time. Everybody has that mindset right now."

Junior OF Jake Mangum
On why he returned to MSU for his junior season
"[We have gone] 0-4 in super regionals. There was no way I was going to leave after that. We went 0-2 at home and then 0-2 on the road. I'm not ending on that. [Konnor Pilkington] will agree with me, that wasn't fun. We want to go to Omaha. That's all we have been doing since August: getting ready for that."

On the "Warriors" mantra of this year's squad
"That goes back to Coach Neal. Brian Neal, our strength and conditioning coach, has pushed us. It's the most that he's pushed us in my three years here. He has gotten the new guys mentally tougher since August and he has pushed us every day. [We've had] Tons of 6 a.m. workouts when it was literally freezing. He had us running outside and up hills, sliding down and running back up. It was a grind, but it goes back to him. He has gotten everyone mentally stronger. Our first home game is March 6th, but until then we're going to be ready to go on the road."

On freshman infielder Josh Hatcher
"[I like his] Mentality. I think the hardest thing to do as a freshman is being able to handle failure. Hatcher has that mentality where if he has a bad opening night, I know he's going to be able to go out there the next day and flush it. He'll still have good at bats. That says a lot about him for him to be able to do that as a freshman. He's produced when we've played squad games out in the field. He has always had that mindset, since I've met him. I think the most important time for a freshman is your Christmas break of your freshman year. It slows down a bit. In the fall, you're running around like your head is cut off just trying not to get yelled at. Christmas break as a freshman does a lot for you. It's the most you mature as a player and as a person. He came back ready to go. He knew he had a job that he could possibly win, and he's done that so far."