LHP Ryan Marohn: "I Feel Good"

NC State LHP Ryan Marohn met with the media to discuss his health, the regional matchup, and much more!

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the full press conference!

What has the last month and a half been like for you?

I've just been rehabbing, just started throwing again, and had my first bullpen yesterday, so really just doing everything I can to get back out there.

How do you feel health-wise going into this weekend?

I feel good. We don't know yet. It's definitely a possibility, but we're not sure yet. I feel good. The bullpen went well yesterday, so we'll see how it goes.

What does it mean to you guys to have this chance to send Elliott out? I don't necessarily want to say on top, but it's his last go to the NCAA tournament.

Yeah, I mean, he's been awesome ever since I met him, and all the players before me said the same thing. He's the reason I came here out of high school when I first met him. I knew that was a coach I wanted to play for, and so this is his last run, so we're going to give it everything we've got for him.

And you don't have to wait long to find your new coach who's already here. What's it like having the next coach already here in the building and being comfortable with him?

Yeah, Coach Hart, he's amazing. He does a bunch of what head coaches already do, with practice plans and everything, but Coach Hart has always been around for us for a long time, and he knows what it takes to be a good head coach. I think he's going to do a really good job over the next few years.

What have you done in the last month and a half that you haven't been able to be on the field to kind of just be yourself, or keep developing if you can't be out there?

Yeah, I've kept the same mentality every single day. It's tough not being able to go out there and compete with my teammates, but I'm doing everything I can, and I really hope I'm able to pitch again this weekend.

What does the rehab look like for you?

Yeah, just working with Scooter every day. There's scraping, cupping, dry needling, and then a bunch of stability work and all that, and then not just for my arm, but my entire body, a lot of lifting and conditioning. So it's been a lot of work, but I really hope I can get back out there again.

Is this the longest you've gone without pitching this season?

No, I had an injury my sophomore year of high school, and I missed a long time. I missed, I think, five or six months. So this is shorter than that, so hopefully it goes well.

How did that experience help you get through this one?

That was a long time ago, I think it was five years ago. But, I think what I learned from that to take into this time was just not getting down on yourself. Always believe in yourself, no matter what the situation is. Obviously, injuries are tough; they're part of sports, but you've got to do everything you can and keep a great mindset to help the team win.

How much has Elliott impacted not only your life as a baseball player, but also as a man coming into NC State?

Yeah, I mean, for me personally, I feel like I can speak for a bunch of people, but he develops us as baseball players and as people. I feel like when I came in, I was immature and didn't really know any basic life skills, and he's kind of grown us into men. And it also helped us get to be better baseball players.

Building off of that, do you have any specific examples of one way that he's helped you grow as a man and one way as a player?

I don't know if I can give a specific example, but just like every single day, we show up to the field, and he's always teaching us something, whatever it is, and he's always a great leader, and everyone looks up to him. So he's just awesome to be around, and I'm really happy I got to play for him.

When NC State got announced into the tournament, there were two ways to look at it. Obviously, the team gets another chance to play, and then that gives you another chance, should it work out, God willing, that you'll get to pitch. What was your reaction when NC State got announced, and how exciting was that?

Yeah, I mean, that was a great moment. We were in our new players' lounge, and we didn't know what was going to happen. We heard our name called, and it was really exciting. And I think that was just a great team moment that we can carry that momentum going into this regional.

Would it really have bugged you if you walked away without at least having that chance?

Yeah, I mean, obviously, I never want the season to end at all. So we're going to give it everything we've got this regional and hopefully more after that, and so we're just going to keep going.