We've just got to come in and play hard. We're all pretty much seniors and most of us have been here with the program for four years. We know each other well and have really good chemistry.

We never doubted ourselves even when we were behind. That just made us buckle down and play harder.

In the first half, we knew both teams were going to play their hardest. They haven't been here for a long time. In the second half, we knew we had to settle down and execute. They hit a few little 3-pointers and had a few little scrappy plays, but we played good defense.

It feels pretty good that I'll be going to college. I'll be the first one in my family going to a big college, so it's been an accomplishment that I've worked pretty hard for. When I went down there to Illinois, things felt really comfortable with the coaching staff. It's a Big Ten school, and if you can't go to Ohio State, why not play there?

I think we're seeing a couple things that have us feeling pretty good.

We come out and we hit the ball. The guys are swinging it pretty good so far. Give us a little more time to get used to being outside, and I think the offense can keep us in games even if the pitching struggles a little bit.