May 28, 1999
Notre Dame head coach Paul Mainieri
“This was a tremendous game for the first seven innings. hat a battle it was between Aaron Heilman and Peyton Lewis. Creighton played tremendous defense and really kept it a close game. Paul O’Toole’s home run really loosened up the game. It was a tremendous victory for us. It was a tough, hard-fought game despite the score.”
“What can you say about Aaron Heilman? He is the gutsiest player I have ever coached. He just got stronger as the game went on. He threw a lot early on but into a groove and didn’t throw many pitches in the last few innings.”
“Our philosophy was to play one game at a time, to do whatever it takes to win this first game. Aaron Heilman gave us the best chance to win.”
Sophomore Righthander Aaron Heilman
“I just wanted to treat this as any other game and do the best I could for as long as I could.”
“I pitch a little bit better with runners on base, even though that shouldn’t be the case. I tried to just keep the ball on the ground to let our defense take care of it.”
Junior Second Baseman Brant Ust
“It has been amazing what this team has done this year. We have so many freshmen and they’ve done so much. Paul O’Toole’s home run got everyone going. Hitting it so contagious. We scored so many runs with two outs.”
Creighton Quotes
Head Coach Jack Dahm
“It was a good game. I take my hat off to Aaron Heilman. He’s a great pitcher and he showed it tonight. I’m proud of our guys and I thought they player well tonight.”
“I’m excited to be playing (Michigan). Since I’ve been in the program, I haven’t gotten the chance to face them. To tell you the truth, though, I’m more concerned about getting our guys rested tonight than who we face tomorrow. I think it’s really tough on a team to play a game at 7:00 and then have to play at 11:00 the next morning.”
Third Baseman Ryan Gripp
“… Aaron Heilman was tough, but it just could have gotten a few more hits off him, it might have changed the game. We just have to get rested and ready for tomorrow.