Baseball Q&A: Michael Mahony

Michael Mahony is a fifth-year pitcher for the Pepperdine baseball team. His season was cut short last season after hip surgery but he's back and is looking to play a role in what he believes to be a very talented team. We discuss how this team compares to his past years and his expectations for the season:

Q: Coming out of Arizona with three wins, and you just beat Cal Poly, how do you feel coming off this start?

A: I'm very excited about how the team dynamic has been going so far this year. It's always tough to be on the road, especially a place like Cal Poly where you have to bus for over three hours, then compete, and I feel we did a great job of that. The team culture is a big, big part of it. We got every single person on every single pitch buying into the game and being locked in to support one another. It's that mindset and approach that led us to now being 4-0. I'm really happy where we're at and really happy to keep the ball rolling.

Q: You mentioned team culture, and you've been here for a while starting your fifth year. How does the team culture compare to some of the other years you've had?

A: This is definitely the best team culture we've had. All the guys love each other and show up everyday to the field excited to be there. Whether it's practice or a game, the guys are just getting better. Everyone is pulling for each other, every single pitch the whole dugout is locked in. The other team can definitely feel the energy that we have and the support that we have for one another. In college baseball, that's way undervalued because the momentum changes so quickly in the game and a lot of time the team with the momentum ends up prevailing at the end and winning. It's definitely showed the past four games, that something simple and not performance-related at all like a team culture can really help a team improve their performance and stay consistent.

Q: You've been here for five years now, and many players see you as a leader. How do you feel you embody that role for everyone?

A: As a fifth-year leader for the team, the main thing I want is every person to feel close to me. Whether they're a freshman five years younger than me or a senior one year younger than me, I want them to feel just as close to me and just as important. It doesn't matter if you're a fifth year like me or just a freshman stepping on the field for the first time, once it's game time we're all one unit. We're all Pepperdine baseball. The age doesn't make a difference on how you can make a difference. That's pretty much my approach, just be there for the guys and get along with everyone and help the guys with anything they need.

Q: Is there any particular opponent you're looking forward to or any particular place you're looking forward to visiting this season?

A: One of things we're trying to do is just take it one game at a time and one opponent at a time. I am looking forward to the Michigan series, given the run they've had and the run they had last year. They have a lot of talent and I think it will be a good test for where our ballclub is at going into conference play. At this given moment, the game I'm most excited for is our game this Friday against Akron, and just have all focus on preparing for that game and showing up on Friday ready to compete and win.

Q: You mentioned the Michigan game briefly, and Michigan being one of the juggernauts of college baseball. Do you think the team we have now can really compete with them?

A: Most definitely, I think we can compete with any team in the nation. If we show up and stay consistent like we've been, this group of guys we have is going to compete with Michigan. We're going to give them a run for their money and I'm really looking forward to it. With any team we play this year, as long as we show up and play our game, it doesn't really matter who's in the other dugout. We're going to do our best to be successful and, in most instances, it's going to go our way.

Players Mentioned

Michael Mahony

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