S2E14 - Louisiana Recap w/ Scotty Young
Outfielder Scotty Young joins the show to talk about his grand slam, hitting a homerun off Zach Leite and where he's playing this summer. Coach Finwood hops on to chat about the VCU and Louisiana games then a look ahead to ULM.
Transcript
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:Hello Monarch fans and welcome to the Hudson Homers podcast.
Speaker:I'm Gary CB here.
Speaker:As always, I feel like we spent almost the whole weekend together
Speaker:and we, we saw each other a lot.
Speaker:Yeah, I was, saw you what?
Speaker:Thursday and then, um, we, yesterday we both went down, saw John Holobetz
Speaker:pitch for the Mudcats and then, we'll, we'll talk about that a little later.
Speaker:'cause, uh, that, that was an awesome day yesterday.
Speaker:Yeah, it was our, our Sunday pallet cleanser.
Speaker:After a week, I think that the team would like to forget that
Speaker:I think fans are gonna wipe.
Speaker:Uh, fall into VCU and kind of a slug fest on Tuesday at War Memorial, 16 to 13,
Speaker:uh, two really close games with Louisiana on Thursday and Friday we split that.
Speaker:And then Sunday, we're just gonna watch that one from the memory bank
Speaker:and start looking forward to the other team from Louisiana, from Monroe.
Speaker:Yeah, it was, yeah.
Speaker:But, uh, we're changing things up a little bit for this episode.
Speaker:Uh, coach Finwood gonna join us later.
Speaker:Uh, but we are actually going to have Scotty Young, uh, I guess
Speaker:outfielder extraordinaire for the, yeah, for the Monarchs.
Speaker:Join us here.
Speaker:So we're gonna bring Scotty on.
Speaker:Guys, how's it going?
Speaker:Thanks for having me.
Speaker:Hey, Scotty.
Speaker:What's up man?
Speaker:I'm excited.
Speaker:Scotty's awesome.
Speaker:I just, before he even starts talking, you guys find out, like the first
Speaker:day I met him back in the fall, I was like, this dude's the best.
Speaker:Like this guy is such a genuine good kid, man.
Speaker:So I'm happy to here, man.
Speaker:Appreciate you being a monarchy.
Speaker:I'm excited.
Speaker:I've been, I've been waiting to get on, so I'm, I'm fired up.
Speaker:There we go.
Speaker:We
Speaker:love it, man.
Speaker:Well, hopefully we bring you some, some good luck with it.
Speaker:But we know that your schedule is packed this evening with the Golden Monarch
Speaker:Awards going on here in a little bit.
Speaker:So appreciate your time.
Speaker:But, uh, you had a, had a pretty good week this week hitting a grand slam
Speaker:against VCU, which made me a VCU hater.
Speaker:Very, very happy.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Nice.
Speaker:Uh, take, take us through that at Batman.
Speaker:That was a big one for us at the time.
Speaker:No, man.
Speaker:It, it was a ton of fun and um, obviously with, with runners in scoring
Speaker:position, less than two outs, uh, looking to get, get the ball in the air.
Speaker:And that starter wasn't bad for a midweek guy and he was like 92,
Speaker:95 with decent slider and, um.
Speaker:No, I, I, after, after my first at bat, he got me O2 and ended up walking me.
Speaker:So I, I feel like I'd seen eight pitches from him and had a good idea
Speaker:of what both pitches were gonna do.
Speaker:Um, he, he got me good in a one one count with a good slider down, down in the dirt.
Speaker:I was looking for be on time for the fastball.
Speaker:So I just swung through it and I had a good idea.
Speaker:One, two, he was gonna go back to it, so I was ready for it.
Speaker:And that's my sweet spot loading in.
Speaker:It probably wasn't even a strike.
Speaker:It was, it was pretty much at my feet.
Speaker:But I love golfing.
Speaker:It was pretty low.
Speaker:Yeah, I, it was funny 'cause I, I'm, you know, I'm looking through the
Speaker:camera and, you know, something I could tell, I was like, that's a hit.
Speaker:And then I'm kind of looking, I'm like, wait, that's out.
Speaker:Like, like it was, I was, you know, 'cause I mean, you, you know, you're
Speaker:not a guy I think of as somebody who's gonna hit whatever the fence.
Speaker:I mean, you're, you're people don't know you're six six, yes, you're a giant human.
Speaker:Uh, but the way you hit, it's more like, you know, you're like kind of
Speaker:more like a slash gap kind of guy.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And like you're next at bat you had a bunt single, so you kind of saw like
Speaker:the full range of what you can do athletically out there to that night.
Speaker:No, it was a good time and obviously a good feeling to get that first one.
Speaker:And, um, no, it was, it was good.
Speaker:And I was telling everyone in the dugout the pitch before I looked
Speaker:stupid on the slider, so I was just baiting him into throwing it again.
Speaker:That's funny trick.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You, you say you looked dumb on the pitch before you hit a
Speaker:grand slam next to bat single.
Speaker:Oh, it's a, a rare line these days, I feel like.
Speaker:There it is.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:Oh, well, awesome.
Speaker:Well, we'd love to hear a little bit about your journey to ODU.
Speaker:'cause I, I know you bounced around a couple places originally from California,
Speaker:but how did, how did you pathway yourself here to, to Norfolk, to ODU?
Speaker:No, obviously this is my, uh, fifth, fifth school in four years,
Speaker:which you don't hear too often.
Speaker:So I've been around town.
Speaker:Um, I started in, um, Cal State Northridge, which is right outside of
Speaker:Hollywood in the Big West over there.
Speaker:Um, just didn't work out.
Speaker:It was co backed up with Covid.
Speaker:There was like nine, nine or 10 outfielders.
Speaker:Um, so it was the best decision for me and my family at the time to move
Speaker:home and, and enroll in junior college.
Speaker:Um, so I, I, that spring, I played my freshman year at Santa Ana College.
Speaker:Um, good competitive junior college team.
Speaker:They, they actually won the California State title, uh, in 2023.
Speaker:Um, but I was looking for a spot to play summer ball and one of
Speaker:my buddies invited me out to play in the A CBL out in New Jersey.
Speaker:Um, so it worked out for me there.
Speaker:I was gonna go play summer ball after my freshman year in New
Speaker:Jersey and I loved it out there.
Speaker:It was just a great, great opportunity for me to get away from home and
Speaker:really only focus on baseball.
Speaker:Um, and I got to live with, got to live with my coach out
Speaker:there and we had a great time.
Speaker:He had like.
Speaker:Seven or eight animals at the house.
Speaker:And he just took me in, took me in as, as his own.
Speaker:And it was really one of the best summers of my life.
Speaker:Like just getting to go and, and play every day and, um, get along
Speaker:with a bunch of new teammates.
Speaker:And just the experience of knowing, really knowing who you are was pretty cool.
Speaker:Um, obviously like there was a couple times I got to hit a, everyone saw me
Speaker:as this big giant lefty and you just had a right routine ground ball to second
Speaker:and I was so fast I could beat it out.
Speaker:So it's cool to get a couple of those under your belt and, um, no, it was a
Speaker:great time and there was a couple of my teammates that, um, played for Rowan
Speaker:College of South Jersey, um, and they're like, Hey man, we we're really, really in
Speaker:the running for a national championship next year and, and we need a piece.
Speaker:So, um, I wanted to go, went to talk to Coach Val over there and,
Speaker:um, somehow convinced my parents to let me move across the country
Speaker:and the rest was history there.
Speaker:Man.
Speaker:We, we lost four games all year and.
Speaker:Pretty much blew through the, um, junior College National National Championship
Speaker:and, um, down in, in Johnson City, Tennessee, which was a great experience.
Speaker:And from there, um, I got recruited to go to Rutgers.
Speaker:Um, had a great time there.
Speaker:I learned a lot, developed a lot as a player.
Speaker:Um, obviously took, understood what it took to play at the D one level.
Speaker:Um, I got to compete in, in the last three conference series, um,
Speaker:at Rutgers, hitting at the DH spot.
Speaker:And I feel like I, I proved I could play at that level.
Speaker:I hit, hit over 300 and had like a over a two to one walk to strike out ratio.
Speaker:Um, and had a good time.
Speaker:And, and from there, this last summer I went up to compete in the
Speaker:Northeast Collegiate Baseball League.
Speaker:Um, great competitive league.
Speaker:Had a good time there, made the All-Star team and, um, Ryan Feynman
Speaker:actually came out for like a week, week straight and came to like six of my
Speaker:games and we, we connected really well.
Speaker:And that's where.
Speaker:We hit it off and he recruited me down here.
Speaker:And then he left you?
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Then he did leave me.
Speaker:No, it's funny, all of all of the division one schools that I've been,
Speaker:I've been to three division one schools, all of the recruiting coordinators
Speaker:have left before I've gotten there.
Speaker:Funny enough.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:That's
Speaker:uh, that's rough, man.
Speaker:No, it is crazy.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:No, I remember it was, it was, it was cool.
Speaker:The first thing I saw when we got you from Rutgers, I was
Speaker:like, oh man, we played Rutgers.
Speaker:Like did.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:And I went and looked And you didn't play in that series.
Speaker:Um, but I know, you know, you were there with our guy, Joey Dero.
Speaker:He was there.
Speaker:Um, he went to Rutgers for his last year.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:And he, I, so we were on the, the, the bad side of him having a great day.
Speaker:He had to come out, get the save against us, you know, come back
Speaker:to his all stomping grounds.
Speaker:And what was that like being on his team in that moment?
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:That was the, one of, that was probably the most special moment I've
Speaker:seen in person on a baseball field.
Speaker:Um, it was.
Speaker:Just that, that big homecoming feeling for him.
Speaker:Like he, he'd been through a lot, man.
Speaker:And um, I, I know that was like, you could see it in his eyes when he went out there.
Speaker:Like he was just so determined.
Speaker:And I love Joe and I'm sure you guys too, he is just such a great
Speaker:kid and worked so hard and, um, that, that was a big moment for him.
Speaker:And getting to celebrate that with him was, was definitely awesome.
Speaker:He cooked us too.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:He cooked us without half inning and it got to save.
Speaker:Well it was, it was great.
Speaker:'cause you know, again, I, I wish, obviously I wish we won 'cause it's
Speaker:all dominion, but I great for him.
Speaker:But it was, he almost like kind of did what he did a lot of the
Speaker:times at ODU where he almost kind of walked too many guys.
Speaker:Exactly.
Speaker:And kind of blew it.
Speaker:And so it was, it was pretty great to see him like, overcome it
Speaker:and, and get to have that moment.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I mean it was, you can't ask for a better, better thing for a better guy.
Speaker:No,
Speaker:that was, that was really something special.
Speaker:And he, he honestly was such a big part.
Speaker:Of my recruiting process here.
Speaker:Like, he kept telling me, like, I knew, I knew I was leaving Rutgers,
Speaker:like early May, and he kept telling me, Scotty, you're not going
Speaker:anywhere else but Old Dominion.
Speaker:I'm telling you, you're, you're going there and you're not going anywhere else.
Speaker:Um, so no, we, we had a good time over at Rutgers and we
Speaker:definitely have a special bond.
Speaker:We'll be friends for life and get to experience.
Speaker:That moment for him was awesome.
Speaker:Look at Joey d. Future recruiting coordinator for Old Dominion.
Speaker:Sounds like.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:Love
Speaker:it.
Speaker:Well, we had a, a pretty special moment on, on Friday.
Speaker:I think I'm getting my days right.
Speaker:I'm all thrown off this week.
Speaker:With a Thursday.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:What's Friday?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Uh, but Evan Holman gets the walk off hit to win it for us.
Speaker:A, a big win that, that, you know, we definitely needed to at least
Speaker:get one game outta that series.
Speaker:Uh, fun celebration on the field at Harbor Park.
Speaker:Uh, what was that like for, for the guys, you know, in the moment
Speaker:and, and shortly thereafter when you're heading back to campus?
Speaker:For sure.
Speaker:No E hole's, one of those guys.
Speaker:You, you just can't help but root for man and seeing him go on a tear
Speaker:and he works harder than anyone else.
Speaker:Um, and he, he's never one, like, he's just such a humble kid.
Speaker:Like he's never one to take the glory for himself.
Speaker:So when, when guys like that do it, you're just so fired up and everyone can't
Speaker:help but smile and, and be so excited and obviously a huge, huge win for us.
Speaker:Um, so him stepping up in that moment was not only big for us, but big for
Speaker:him too, and huge confidence booster, especially coming off the huge
Speaker:Georgia Southern game he had for us.
Speaker:And, um, you, you don't want, you can't root against guys like that man.
Speaker:It's just so special and so exciting for him.
Speaker:He was such a good guy.
Speaker:It was such a big moment that you had to spear tackle him
Speaker:in the outfield afterwards.
Speaker:Oh, yeah.
Speaker:Well, no, we were, we were running full speed tracing him out into the outfield,
Speaker:and Luke had given him a couple shoulder checks and he didn't go down, so I
Speaker:was like, all right, that's enough.
Speaker:I'm running right through his chest.
Speaker:I paid the price though.
Speaker:That Gatorade dump, I don't know how they got it out there so fast.
Speaker:It felt like, oh, yeah, since I hit the ground, the Gatorade, I was just soaked.
Speaker:But no, it was good.
Speaker:Yeah, they were
Speaker:coordinated.
Speaker:It was, I, I can't remember who it was.
Speaker:It was LaVar and somebody and they, they were out there, were ready to go.
Speaker:Oh, yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:I mean, you were 75 a hundred feet in the right field by, I think
Speaker:that thing made it out there.
Speaker:That was your cardio for the day.
Speaker:That's awesome.
Speaker:That's my favorite thing in baseball though, is the guy hits a walk
Speaker:off and you guys are just trying to like literally murder him.
Speaker:Yes, precisely.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:After you just been beaten up behind the plate for most of the game.
Speaker:Oh, I think he, I was thinking about, he was our guest last week we had him
Speaker:on and we were talking about like kind of all the little bruises and cuts,
Speaker:and he's got a little bit less wear and tear this year, but I'm pretty sure in
Speaker:that game, maybe two innings before he took a foul ball right off the thigh.
Speaker:And I was like, ah, yeah,
Speaker:I know.
Speaker:Oh
Speaker:no.
Speaker:He's a trooper and he is, we've gotten a lot, me and him have gotten a lot closer
Speaker:over these last three weeks and, um, he's just a really special human being.
Speaker:Um, great kid, great teammate, just great all around.
Speaker:Um, and he, he is really good player and it's, it's showing this year he is won,
Speaker:won some big games for us on his back.
Speaker:And coming up in those big moments is, is special, um, for
Speaker:him and, and for us as well.
Speaker:Now, what's it been like for you now?
Speaker:Like you talked about two years ago?
Speaker:You're there at Rowan.
Speaker:Um, and you know, you, I, I got the stats actually in front of me.
Speaker:I mean, you were a dog that year, right?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Like you, you had, uh, you hit what, 4 41?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Uh, with 1,096 OPS, uh, where we got 10 doubles, eight homers, 16 steals.
Speaker:Like, you, you were the dude, right?
Speaker:And then, you know, you go to Rutgers, like I said, didn't play here.
Speaker:You had 26 of the bats all year.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You've got more of bats already this season.
Speaker:You got 38 at bats, you know.
Speaker:So what's that like for you going from, you know, I'm sure in high
Speaker:school you played every day.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And then you have the year there, Santa Ana, you were playing kinda about
Speaker:half the time and then playing all the time at Rowan, and then last couple of
Speaker:years kinda having to adjust to, you know, finding your spots here or there.
Speaker:What, what's that been like for you?
Speaker:No, it's been, it's been difficult for sure.
Speaker:And, um, obviously I. I would say pinch hitting's one of the hardest
Speaker:things to do in sports, man.
Speaker:Like coming, coming off the bench and I was talking about it with someone,
Speaker:someone the, this weekend, it's like, dude, we, we we're in a spot to pinch
Speaker:hitting and we're like, dude, we have not swung a bat in five hours.
Speaker:Like you're just, you're really like sitting there.
Speaker:It's like, man, we took BP five hours ago.
Speaker:And um, well 'cause it's not like an
Speaker:ODU, which you, you haven't experience, you can just go over
Speaker:to the cage during the game at odu.
Speaker:Exactly.
Speaker:A hundred percent right?
Speaker:A hundred percent.
Speaker:No, it's, it's, it's been tough, man.
Speaker:Um, but I think a lot of it is more mental than it is physical.
Speaker:Um, 'cause I've proven to myself, I, I can do it, man.
Speaker:And um, just, just continuing to stay prepared throughout
Speaker:the game and, um, when, when my name's called on is to be ready.
Speaker:And I think that that's my role this year and I think I've
Speaker:done a really good job of that.
Speaker:Um, when, when my name's been called on, um, I've been prepared
Speaker:and I think I've come, come through for the team when they need me.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Well, and, and I hate to cut you off, Gary, but I got one more follow up
Speaker:question to, to go right with that.
Speaker:'cause I know I always cut you off, Gary.
Speaker:I'm sorry.
Speaker:I'm the worst.
Speaker:You're good.
Speaker:You're good.
Speaker:I'm a terrible teammate.
Speaker:I don't unlike Scotty, but kind of what I was gonna say is kind of to go with that.
Speaker:You are, you're a big like glue team guy.
Speaker:Like you're really, you, you could really tell, like you're, you're a big
Speaker:part of like keeping everybody light, keeping everybody happy for sure.
Speaker:Like, is that, is that something you think about and focus on
Speaker:or just kind of who you are?
Speaker:I would say that's more of who I am as a person and how my parents have raised me.
Speaker:Um, yeah, they've, they've always, um, pushed me to
Speaker:always keep a smile on my face.
Speaker:Um, always lift people up.
Speaker:And I think that's just who I am as a person.
Speaker:Um, just I see the best in people and I know I have it in me to
Speaker:bring out the best in people.
Speaker:Um, so I, I keep that as, as my role on the team is just to keep people
Speaker:in the best mood that they can be.
Speaker:Mom and dad talked to the pterodactyl sounds.
Speaker:Oh yeah, they did.
Speaker:Is that what those are?
Speaker:I was wondering that
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:We've found, we, we have our fun too.
Speaker:I, there's no, no shame in that.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Well you, you seem like you're very well traveled person going from
Speaker:basically coast to coast and, and different schools going up to, to
Speaker:Jersey and then down here to Norfolk.
Speaker:And obviously unique season with no true home games.
Speaker:And there was a stretch there where I felt like you all were on the road
Speaker:for like a month straight and Yep.
Speaker:You were like never, never coming back home, you know?
Speaker:What's that experience been like for you and then also just how
Speaker:you've been able to gel with the team being your first year here?
Speaker:No, it's a good time.
Speaker:Um, obviously the, the bus trips.
Speaker:The plane trips, some of 'em were long.
Speaker:Some of 'em, oh, we were just grinding 'em out for sure.
Speaker:But no, it's been, it's been an awesome experience.
Speaker:We got to play at some beautiful, awesome places and awesome environments.
Speaker:Um, I wouldn't trade it for anything, man.
Speaker:It, it was something really special and I think it, it strengthened us as a team.
Speaker:Um, but we've also seen sort of the backside of it.
Speaker:So, um, no, it was, it was a great.
Speaker:Great pre-conference, uh, experience for us and, and for me as well because I
Speaker:love traveling and, um, we made it fun.
Speaker:We have some bus games we're planning in and out, so we made it work.
Speaker:Gotta do something to, to knock off the hours on that long bus ride,
Speaker:for sure.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:Um,
Speaker:well, I know you're, you're listed as a senior on the website.
Speaker:Like are you out of eligibility after this year or what, what's, what's things
Speaker:look like for you beyond this season?
Speaker:No.
Speaker:Yeah, with the new, with the new junior college rule ruling thanks to
Speaker:Pave over at Vanderbilt, um, I was granted an extra year of eligibility.
Speaker:Um, due to, I think what the, what the ruling is now is any player in
Speaker:their last year of eligibility that has played a season of junior college
Speaker:will be granted the 2026 season.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Well, that's,
Speaker:that is good.
Speaker:Easy.
Speaker:A small window.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's like you and like Maverick and uh, Slater.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, yeah, there's a, there's a few of us that are effects and, um, but obviously
Speaker:there's, there's the bounce with the, the roster cuts gotta get down to 34 as well.
Speaker:Um, so it is, it does create some havoc, so, um, just gotta keep
Speaker:grinding out and, um, proven I can do it on the field and, yeah.
Speaker:See where, see where the wind blows.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:As I was talking to Hobe there yesterday with the, you know, playing pro and
Speaker:I said, Hey man, all you can ever control is what you do a hundred.
Speaker:It doesn't matter where you are.
Speaker:That's, that's the only thing you can, you can worry about.
Speaker:Exactly.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:We'll get to another thank you card I have to send to Diego over there at Vanderbilt.
Speaker:Now he's, he's been a, he's been a good one for a number of reasons,
Speaker:but, oh yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker:Um, it'll be interesting to see with the roster cuts too, because I don't
Speaker:think that is all fully settled out yet.
Speaker:I think there's still an ongoing court case and.
Speaker:A big, I think it's gonna end up landing where it's a phased in approach so that we
Speaker:don't end up with that, that crazy shock.
Speaker:But who knows?
Speaker:You could have a different court case in a different state rule, something different
Speaker:and dunno, but, uh, we'll, uh, we'll, we'll find it out, but, uh, good to hear.
Speaker:At least you, you know, good, you got, got that extra year ability.
Speaker:I know.
Speaker:Yeah, I'm,
Speaker:I'm excited for sure.
Speaker:Yeah, that's
Speaker:good,
Speaker:man.
Speaker:Awesome.
Speaker:All right, go ahead, sbe.
Speaker:Uh, I was probably gonna ask one question you always like to ask.
Speaker:So who are you living with this year?
Speaker:Oh,
Speaker:so I'm with Tahraun and Zach.
Speaker:We've had, we've had house we're, we're down a little bit down
Speaker:the road on 48th Street, right.
Speaker:On the water.
Speaker:Um, but no, we have, we're having a real good time.
Speaker:Zach and I definitely have gotten a lot closer and, um, we, Zach and I
Speaker:actually grew up, I should have sent you the video, cb I always get him
Speaker:with this one, but I grew up like 10 minutes down the road from Zach.
Speaker:Um.
Speaker:Senior year of high school, it was his junior year.
Speaker:We're playing, we're playing his high school team in a big
Speaker:conference game, and the poor coach decided to put Zach on the mound.
Speaker:Man, I, I hit a ball like 455 feet off of him, so I'll send you a video.
Speaker:It's a good one.
Speaker:The best part, you would never recognize it, Zach, either.
Speaker:He looks like he's 165 pounds.
Speaker:Like a stick up there.
Speaker:Yeah, it's awesome.
Speaker:And you just took him yard?
Speaker:Took
Speaker:yard.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So we, we smoked them the first game of the series and then second game of the
Speaker:series, we went to their place and it was a one, one game and his twin brother
Speaker:comes in the last inning to close it.
Speaker:I don't know if you guys knew Zach had a twin brother.
Speaker:Great kid.
Speaker:I, I met his brother.
Speaker:I didn't realize they were twins.
Speaker:That's, yeah.
Speaker:No, yeah, they're,
Speaker:it's, they're identical twins.
Speaker:It's awesome.
Speaker:Um, comes in to close the seventh inning.
Speaker:Their starter went like six one run and one run game dog fight.
Speaker:His twin brother throws seven innings of relief.
Speaker:Into the thir into the 13th inning.
Speaker:And it was, it was like the poor high school didn't have lights.
Speaker:So it was bottom.
Speaker:It was, yeah.
Speaker:Bottom of the 14th inning.
Speaker:And the umpire goes, all right, if you guys get out of this inning, it's a tie.
Speaker:There's no light left.
Speaker:Get down to two outs, two strikes and center fielder for Xavier are now
Speaker:Aiden Anderson hits a walk-off bomb.
Speaker:Oh,
Speaker:we were so obsessed.
Speaker:But, um, no, we came out, we came out the Friday and ended up
Speaker:winning the series against them.
Speaker:So I'll, I'll always have that over him, which is awesome.
Speaker:Well, that a 450 foot bomb.
Speaker:That's, that's hilarious.
Speaker:Oh, don't know.
Speaker:We
Speaker:pull up, I pull up that video weekly.
Speaker:No, that's awesome.
Speaker:That's great.
Speaker:Anytime you want.
Speaker:Anytime he wants to talk crap.
Speaker:I'm just like, oh, Zach, did you see his face?
Speaker:No, it's good.
Speaker:It's good
Speaker:stuff.
Speaker:Uh, just having
Speaker:Loop.
Speaker:I have a buddy that was a, he was a, like a, literally a bullpen catcher for
Speaker:the Monarchs back and like, you know, ear early two thousands and he only got
Speaker:like 10 at bats his whole college career.
Speaker:But one of 'em, he, they were playing Norfolk State and this guy Eric
Speaker:Crozier, who ended up playing the big leagues for the Blue Jays and a few
Speaker:teams, he, he was the first baseman he came into pitch and my buddy
Speaker:Kevin got a, got a single off of him.
Speaker:Nice.
Speaker:So that's always one.
Speaker:He saw him a few years later.
Speaker:He was playing against the Tides.
Speaker:It was like, Hey man, I got a single off you in in college.
Speaker:He's like, Hey man, you could never, never take it away from you.
Speaker:A hundred percent.
Speaker:No, that's, that's probably the biggest thing I'll take to the grave
Speaker:is my first high school, my first varsity hit was off Paul Skeens.
Speaker:Let's go.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Some some I'm gonna take down.
Speaker:That's probably the best thing I'll do on a baseball.
Speaker:Yeah, that's, I, yeah.
Speaker:I think you could pretty, you could frame that one.
Speaker:That's a, that's a pretty good one.
Speaker:He's, he's gonna be doing some big things in the league from here on.
Speaker:That's awesome.
Speaker:I saw him with Team USA when one of our guys, uh, Cardinal Crisis playing there.
Speaker:He was still with the Air Force and he just came out.
Speaker:I didn't even know who he was.
Speaker:Came outta the bullpen.
Speaker:Like, who the hell is this guy?
Speaker:Just gas.
Speaker:Disgusting.
Speaker:Yeah, he was, it was junior year against us.
Speaker:He was like, he would catch six innings and then he went
Speaker:up there and was like 94, 95.
Speaker:We're like, what the geez.
Speaker:Freak of nature.
Speaker:Ugh.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Well the, the other question we ask everyone that comes on is, uh,
Speaker:you've got the college elements, MOB, the show, you got college,
Speaker:football, game back, all that.
Speaker:So what would be your overall rating if they were to make a college baseball game?
Speaker:And then what attribute area would you have the highest rating
Speaker:in, like contact versus lefties?
Speaker:Righties.
Speaker:What, what would your ratings be?
Speaker:I, I would push my speed the furthest for sure.
Speaker:Um, I like to like to flex myself as, as a good runner.
Speaker:And, uh, that would, that would be my attribute and I
Speaker:would have that 99 steel card.
Speaker:Right now, the game's broken.
Speaker:I don't know if you guys have seen it.
Speaker:If someone has a 99 steal, they, and you even, you can throw a pitch
Speaker:out and they'll still be safe.
Speaker:It's disgusting.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:They need to go in and and fix that.
Speaker:But no, that's what I would give myself overall.
Speaker:I'd probably give myself around an 85 right now.
Speaker:Um Okay.
Speaker:Not too good.
Speaker:Not too bad.
Speaker:But I'd make sure Zach, Zach plays that game religiously, so
Speaker:I'd make sure I'd be on his team.
Speaker:Oh, he, he was, uh, hard and quick.
Speaker:99 overall, his, uh, self rating there.
Speaker:I'm gonna go yell at him after this.
Speaker:There's, there's, yeah, there's two schools we find.
Speaker:There's the guys like you who are like, we get a lot of like 82 to 85.
Speaker:You know, the guys who are like, I'm gonna be honest, I'm still high, you
Speaker:know, but you know, you could, you could, especially like a lefty pitcher.
Speaker:They good.
Speaker:82 in a game's great, right?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And then you get the guys like Zach, who are like, oh, 99.
Speaker:I'm awesome.
Speaker:He's terrible.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It was him and, uh, Kenny Levari last year was like a quick 99 with
Speaker:99 throwing strength ready to go.
Speaker:Oh, that's too good.
Speaker:Oh, that's awesome.
Speaker:Well, I, I know you're, you're heading over to the, the Golden Monarch Awards.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Uh, here, here shortly.
Speaker:I wasn't even aware of really what they were, CB's Got 'em.
Speaker:But sounds like we got some, uh, some guys from the team.
Speaker:They're gonna be potentially getting some awards tonight.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:We're, we're looking for Eddie to bring home that Mr. Monarch Award for us.
Speaker:Um, then obviously our, our leader in ODU through it, through, it's
Speaker:rare you get a guy that, um, has wrecked the school for all four years.
Speaker:So, um, something special for him.
Speaker:I hope he can take that home.
Speaker:And then, uh, we have Zach running up for Newcomer of the Year Award.
Speaker:Um, obviously.
Speaker:Had had a great year for us and um, is doing a lot of special things out there.
Speaker:And, um, Efrin with the best game face award, um, CB sponsored that big,
Speaker:that big picture from a big double.
Speaker:He hit screaming, screaming into our dugout, so hopefully
Speaker:he can bring that one home.
Speaker:Um, another pretty cool one would be EOLs performance over at Georgia Southern.
Speaker:Um, double in a grand slam in the same inning, which is pretty sweet and rare.
Speaker:So, um, no, it'll be, it'll be a fun night.
Speaker:Everyone's dressing up, so yes, um, it'll be good for all of us to get
Speaker:together and get some good food in us and enjoy the night for sure.
Speaker:That's one of the things I really
Speaker:like is that they have like, all the athletes get together and do different
Speaker:things and yeah, I remember like there was a, a soccer match like really in
Speaker:the year where like, I think y'all had some like the big athletic meeting,
Speaker:the early season and like then I'm standing there like every athlete in the
Speaker:entire school comes, comes walking by up in the stands and it a good, y'all
Speaker:are just there for like, the amount of time they make you be there, but still,
Speaker:like you say, yeah, have a good time.
Speaker:That's awesome.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah, I, I saw on Thursday at the game down at Harbor Park.
Speaker:I know women's lacrosse was there.
Speaker:I know swimming was there, there were a couple other teams there.
Speaker:Women's
Speaker:soccer was there.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So it's always nice.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's even better at the bud.
Speaker:I know you haven't got the experience that this year, but you normally can
Speaker:pick out pretty much someone from every team in the stands for just
Speaker:about every baseball game for sure.
Speaker:Cool.
Speaker:And, uh,
Speaker:also tb, I wanted to drop to you.
Speaker:I, I just signed my contract for, um, the Peninsula Pilot, so
Speaker:I'll be staying home this summer.
Speaker:Let's go.
Speaker:I know.
Speaker:Excited.
Speaker:I'm hype man.
Speaker:That's, that's awesome.
Speaker:That worked out.
Speaker:So you're, you're about to have a blast, dude, like this.
Speaker:I think most guys will tell you that's about the most
Speaker:fun you could possibly have.
Speaker:Like they, they really just set you up.
Speaker:Well, you get to just relax, like you said.
Speaker:Relax, just play ball for sure.
Speaker:Dude, that's, I'm, my mom's gonna be very happy, so you're
Speaker:gonna get a lot of cookies.
Speaker:Oh, I can't wait.
Speaker:Her cookies are the absolute best.
Speaker:You're not gonna be as
Speaker:skinny of the summer.
Speaker:Even a couple years ago when I played in, in Moorhead, getting,
Speaker:getting to experience that ballpark, they pack it out and, um.
Speaker:It's, it's always a good time there.
Speaker:So I'm, I'm really excited and get to play a lot of baseball,
Speaker:which I'm looking forward to.
Speaker:That's great, man.
Speaker:I'm, I'm excited about
Speaker:that.
Speaker:It'll, it'll be very much used to that backdrop there and the
Speaker:wind and all that fun stuff.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I'll tell you, I am not sad that the rest of our home games are at War
Speaker:Memorial instead of, uh, Harbor Party.
Speaker:That, that wind blowing in is brutal.
Speaker:I know.
Speaker:I got, I got bit by that wind on one of 'em.
Speaker:Eho had E Hole, got bit by it this weekend, and man, it's just Wicked.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Brutal Harbor.
Speaker:I mean, what that says, Harbor Park is beautiful.
Speaker:It's, it's a, it's a wonderful park.
Speaker:It's a great place to play.
Speaker:The vibe at War Memorial is more us, it's more Odu U Lunch pail,
Speaker:like where to go, you know?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Gritty.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I, I, again, love Harper Park.
Speaker:I would never say a bad word about it.
Speaker:Been to a million games there.
Speaker:A hundred percent Love war memorials.
Speaker:Just, it's our vibe, man.
Speaker:So I, I'm excited about it.
Speaker:We got six more there.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:For sure.
Speaker:Awesome, Scotty, well, we'll let you run and get all dressed up
Speaker:fancy for the awards tonight.
Speaker:Awesome.
Speaker:Uh, but I appreciate you coming on with us.
Speaker:It was great to chat with you man.
Speaker:And, uh, we'll be rooting you guys on, uh, while you're down in Monroe this weekend.
Speaker:Awesome.
Speaker:I had a great time guys.
Speaker:Thank you so much.
Speaker:Thanks Scott.
Speaker:Thanks Scott.
Speaker:Appreciate you man.
Speaker:Care.
Speaker:Good kid, man.
Speaker:Yeah, that was,
Speaker:that was awesome.
Speaker:We need to kick it off with players every time.
Speaker:Maybe that, that's the momentum swing.
Speaker:We need to change the vibe to get the players in.
Speaker:Set the move.
Speaker:Hey, it's whatever works, man.
Speaker:So, yeah.
Speaker:No, Scotty's awesome.
Speaker:That, that's, that's glad we got a chance to talk to him.
Speaker:That's, that's a guy, like from day one I was like, we get him on the podcast.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Only it took us episode 14, but hey, we've, we've got quite a few guys.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Uh, also happy to hear he is got another year of eligibility left.
Speaker:That's a, that's a good thing.
Speaker:I played for the
Speaker:pallets all summer.
Speaker:It'd be great.
Speaker:That's, that's really fun.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And I will be getting down to some pilots games this year.
Speaker:I just, I love that ballpark.
Speaker:It reminds me a lot of the high school field that I played at where it's just
Speaker:that old school ballpark field now.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:War Memorial has that really cool kind of event space out there, off the mm-hmm.
Speaker:The left field side and the kind of rooftop aspect.
Speaker:And then, you know, they'll have the, uh, the draft beer
Speaker:cart, uh, open there as well.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Always be.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:They,
Speaker:they put on a good time pilots game.
Speaker:'cause you, you have, have you been down for pilots game?
Speaker:You've just been down for the U Games, right?
Speaker:I, I
Speaker:think I've, I think the only pilots game I went to was many, many
Speaker:years ago and I stumbled upon it.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's, I mean, it's one of those, like, I, there was one year, I mean this was back
Speaker:in like 2008 or something, I was talking to, I think it was Chris Boggs is one
Speaker:of our guys, and he was like, yeah, I'm gonna play over the pilots for the summer.
Speaker:I'm like, I don't know what that is.
Speaker:And he, he said, then all of a sudden I'm like, oh, this
Speaker:is what I do all summer now.
Speaker:Go to the pilots games.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It, uh, it, it looks awesome, so we're, we're pumped about it.
Speaker:Well, I, I see Coach Finwood has popped up backstage, so we're gonna take
Speaker:a quick break and we'll come back.
Speaker:We'll have Coach Finwood and a little update from the Carolina Mudcats as well.
Speaker:Alright.
Speaker:This episode of the Monarchist Podcast is brought to you by
Speaker:the pride of ODU Collective.
Speaker:Their mission is to elevate the experience of student athletes through
Speaker:name, image, and likeness, while also elevating the fan experience.
Speaker:If you or your business are interested in getting involved,
Speaker:you can reach out to us directly or go over to the pride of odu.com.
Speaker:That is the pride of odu.com.
Speaker:Thank you for listening, and go Monarchs.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:I'll leave you in suspense.
Speaker:No more welcome to the show coach, Chris Finwood.
Speaker:How's it going, if any?
Speaker:Hey,
Speaker:hey guys.
Speaker:Gary cb.
Speaker:How you guys doing?
Speaker:Good, man.
Speaker:Good to see you.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:Good to be seen.
Speaker:Yeah,
Speaker:we had, uh, we had Scotty Young on here a little while ago.
Speaker:He was great to know him a little bit more.
Speaker:He is fun, isn't he?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:That's a good kid, man.
Speaker:He is a good kid.
Speaker:Yeah, good kid.
Speaker:And he's done a good job when he is gotten his opportunities this year.
Speaker:That's for sure.
Speaker:Definitely not, and I think he's gonna play for the pilots this summer
Speaker:was talking about pilots and I know, uh, you know, he hit that Grand Slam
Speaker:and then Hank called over and said he he wanted them for the summer.
Speaker:So, hey, I always tell people it's a performance based industry.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So, no, I, I definitely love, you know, me, I, I like on the pilots games anyway,
Speaker:but it's a lot more fun when we go up and see some ODU guys, so I'm, I love it.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's exciting to hear.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And we'll have, uh, we'll have, you know, somebody else, I, I got a Hank
Speaker:and I usually sit down and figure that out towards the end of the season.
Speaker:Um, we'll have somebody else there, I'm sure.
Speaker:So that'll be good.
Speaker:Nice.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Do you, do you think he was more impressed by the Grand Slam or his next to back
Speaker:coming up and getting a bunt single?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah, the BUNT single was good.
Speaker:He is gotten a few of those.
Speaker:He, he runs good.
Speaker:Um, it's interesting, you know, he, he uses his speed offensively.
Speaker:Uh, much better than he does defensively, like running the bases.
Speaker:And he is not a great base Steeler, um, and doesn't get great
Speaker:jumps in the outfield, but man, he can really go home to first.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:That's six, six frame can move down that line.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So that's what I've seen.
Speaker:Don't
Speaker:expect it.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You don't expect to seeing him.
Speaker:Uh, when you look at him in there, he is kinda long and lanky, but he
Speaker:can, he can get rolling down there.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's not even as fast.
Speaker:He just takes three steps and he is there.
Speaker:That's what it's Yeah.
Speaker:I wish I knew that
Speaker:feeling.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And you know, we, we weren't able to get him in on, you know, we've
Speaker:definitely been playing him on Sundays because he's such good energy.
Speaker:Um.
Speaker:We couldn't this Sunday be just 'cause f wasn't cleared to catch,
Speaker:uh, Morales yet coming back from that concussion, uh, he could just dh.
Speaker:And so, you know, that opens up when, when he can catch it opens
Speaker:up a spot to DH somebody else and play Scottie in the outfield.
Speaker:And so we just, you know, weren't able to, to do that.
Speaker:And hey, I talked to him about it and he understood, but he, um, you know,
Speaker:we'll, we'll definitely, he is a guy, you know, and someday you need to
Speaker:play guys with the most energy and, and he is one of those guys for sure.
Speaker:Absolutely.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:We're talking, talking through the games this week.
Speaker:It was kind of a, a mix of many different types of games.
Speaker:I feel like I saw a different team each, each game that I watch
Speaker:or, or listened to on Tuesday.
Speaker:Uh, but kind of bouncing back to the VCU game, a little bit of a slug fest.
Speaker:A lot of, bit of a walk fest.
Speaker:Ugly,
Speaker:yeah, ugly bad baseball game.
Speaker:I, I told the guys, I, those are the nights where I, I just can't take it.
Speaker:Like I, I should have got thrown out in the fourth or fifth inning and outta safe.
Speaker:I did
Speaker:the, the guy, the guy wrote you up.
Speaker:He's like, I'm writing you up.
Speaker:You're like, good.
Speaker:Yeah, I drove my truck terrible.
Speaker:I can leave as soon as you throw me out.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:He was, he was awful.
Speaker:Uh, he was bad.
Speaker:He was bad.
Speaker:We were bad.
Speaker:They were bad.
Speaker:It was just a bad game.
Speaker:And, you know, walks and, and just, you know, they, we gave up two grand slams
Speaker:and it just, you know, the guys that, um, you know, a couple guys threw the ball.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Marco actually pitched okay.
Speaker:Stopped hunt, but too many walks, too many balls, you know, hung or thrown
Speaker:down the middle with two strikes.
Speaker:Just not good.
Speaker:And, um, I. You know, we're not a team typically that's
Speaker:built to come from behind much.
Speaker:But we did a couple times that day and then we just kind of ran outta bullets.
Speaker:But, um, Brody Connors came, you know, came in, hit a home run and
Speaker:he's been working hard and it's just time to give him a shot.
Speaker:And, you know, I was, I was really pleased overall with his play.
Speaker:I thought he played a really solid third base.
Speaker:He had a couple really hard plays that he didn't make, but he made all
Speaker:the routine plays and, um, hit the ball hard on the barrel, you know,
Speaker:didn't have a ton to show for it.
Speaker:Um, but you know, I, I'm so happy we're never playing at Harbor Park again.
Speaker:'cause man, we, it probably cost us 10 home runs in the
Speaker:six games we played there.
Speaker:Yeah, we,
Speaker:we were talking about that with Scotty.
Speaker:A little bit of just, it, it's a beautiful ballpark.
Speaker:It's a fun place to play, but that wind coming in from right center cutting across
Speaker:the field just kills anything in the air.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah it is.
Speaker:And um, you know, it's frustrating 'cause uh, the guys, you know, you
Speaker:hit a ball hard in college, baseball, uh, you like to get rewarded for it.
Speaker:And, um, you know, between TJ and Luke, I think in their six games they played
Speaker:there, man, they probably could have four, easily, four home runs anywhere else.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Um, and Brody's ball would've been way out, maybe both of his.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Uh, but that's the field we were playing on and that's how it goes.
Speaker:So, and like you said, Gary, you know, the, the games were different.
Speaker:I as, as, as you know, unhappy as it was about how Tuesday went.
Speaker:I thought we played, I. Really good baseball on, uh, on, on
Speaker:Friday and, and Saturday overall.
Speaker:You know, we just came up a little bit short outta the bullpen, um, on
Speaker:Friday, you know, and they beat us in, in the 10th and Bailey's been good for
Speaker:us this year and that just wasn't his night, you know, and that, that happens
Speaker:in the bullpen from time to time.
Speaker:You gotta have a short memory and you gotta be brave and tough and bounce
Speaker:back and, you know, we expect to have him out there with a lead late, you
Speaker:know, the next time we have a chance.
Speaker:And, um, that was
Speaker:one, uh, I wanted to ask you about the thought process.
Speaker:This, this is the Thursday game, actually.
Speaker:I think you're like me Thursday?
Speaker:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker:I'm
Speaker:off.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:You had, you know, Ben best game probably of his, of his career pitched six innings.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, and like I would, you know, I, again, I, I've said this before, I
Speaker:try to think along of what I would do and, you know, me having no experience
Speaker:of any games and you having thousands of thousands of games experience.
Speaker:So I, it's, uh, so, you know, I'm thinking along, I'm like, okay, Ben's looking like
Speaker:he can get through probably six innings.
Speaker:And then it was like, you know, most of the time we've been putting
Speaker:Hubble after him and I'm, yeah.
Speaker:I was thinking Hubble might just go three to finish the game and Yeah.
Speaker:And he threw too strong.
Speaker:And then he did put, well,
Speaker:you, you say that, but he hit two guys.
Speaker:Yeah, no, I know.
Speaker:The first inning.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:With a two lefties in the foot with a breaking ball.
Speaker:But he got out it, right.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:His second.
Speaker:His second inning.
Speaker:Second inning, he was very good.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And you know, it's just been, they had, they had pinch hit all the lefties.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Bailey has been really good against lefthanded hitters.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And he gets the lead off guy one, two and then he hangs the breaking ball and you
Speaker:know, it kind of went downhill from there.
Speaker:So it just didn't work out.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I mean, yeah, hub, hub could have thrown Snickers in there, maybe,
Speaker:you know, gotten through the night.
Speaker:Certainly.
Speaker:And, uh, when, you know, when stuff like that happens.
Speaker:Uh, you know, you always thinking back to what did they do last time?
Speaker:What did they do last time?
Speaker:And Hub threw two really good innings at Georgia Southern, and then the
Speaker:third just ran completely outta gas.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Um, and we had to get Bailey in that game early, earlier than we wanted to.
Speaker:Um, so yeah, I mean, it's just, uh, the way this year's going, you know?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Uh, and most of the decisions I make this year are wrong.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:And, and see that's the thing is I, I, I, you know, I'm looking
Speaker:at it and I, you know, yeah.
Speaker:I thought, well, Hubble will probably go back out, but then you can't fault, okay.
Speaker:Bailey's your best reliever.
Speaker:You got him in the game to close it out.
Speaker:Like there's no, just 'cause thing.
Speaker:And that's always been one of my major arguments when it comes to things is
Speaker:just because something didn't work doesn't mean it was a bad choice.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:Like one, one game.
Speaker:I always go back to the, the Blake Snell of the World Series of the Rays
Speaker:where he's throwing great, but they take him out because all year they're
Speaker:playing had been, we won't face the, the lineup third time through the order.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:But then the relievers have been amazing all year below the game they lose.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's like, well, this is a terrible decision.
Speaker:But if they didn't do that, then it'd be like, well, why are they going
Speaker:against what they've done all year?
Speaker:And then they That's right.
Speaker:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker:You know, you, something gets wrong just because it didn't
Speaker:work, because, so I, the Yeah.
Speaker:The only
Speaker:talk through, you're a hundred percent right.
Speaker:And the, you know, the players.
Speaker:Make the decisions good or bad by how they do, you know?
Speaker:Um, 'cause you can cut 'em up any way you want, I think in most cases.
Speaker:Uh, so it, you know, they, um, they chopped that one over a third
Speaker:basement's head in the top of the 10th with two outs, and it just
Speaker:didn't kind of work out for us.
Speaker:Um, and, and Kellen's been a little bit off kilter too
Speaker:the last few weeks, you know?
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:He said the breaking ball hadn't been as sharp.
Speaker:And you know, pitchers go through that, you know, ups
Speaker:and downs like hitters do too.
Speaker:So hopefully those guys can work their way through this and come out of it.
Speaker:Um, and I told the guys they were down.
Speaker:I said, man, if you play like that, you have a chance to win.
Speaker:Sometimes you get beat.
Speaker:I, I can live with that because it was a good college baseball game.
Speaker:You play a good opponent.
Speaker:Um, you, you played, you played well.
Speaker:We just didn't get it done.
Speaker:You know, they beat us.
Speaker:That happens.
Speaker:I'm okay with it.
Speaker:It was clean.
Speaker:Ben pitched, like you said, Ben pitched really well.
Speaker:Um, and then Saturday was the exact same game except we won.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Uh, and, and we, you know, we got the, we got the big hit in the ninth and, you
Speaker:know, we had, we'd put Evan in the game.
Speaker:Um, you know, I thought Dylan again, six innings just cruising.
Speaker:And then he went out in the seventh and just lost it.
Speaker:And that's what I think sometimes that the up and down right back to your,
Speaker:to your point, like college pitchers, uh, they usually don't die slowly.
Speaker:They, they, they freaking jump off the cliff, you know?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, I mean, he gave up a single and then he threw like eight outta
Speaker:the next nine pitchers were balls.
Speaker:And all of a sudden the bases are loaded before you can look up.
Speaker:And, uh, you know, we got baes in the game and I thought he did a good job for us.
Speaker:Um, his hamstring's still barking at him.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, and, you know, and ended up, you know, getting through and, and then,
Speaker:uh, you know, Schumann comes in and, and we get to hunt in a big moment and
Speaker:he comes in and strikes, you know, the same kid that got the game wouldn't
Speaker:hit out in the top of the ninth.
Speaker:And, um, you know, we, we hit a two oh check swing.
Speaker:It's just baseball two Oh check, swing back to the mound that, uh, I'm getting
Speaker:ready to scream at Edwards 'cause he ain't running as hard as he should be.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:At all.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, the guy, the guy, you know, kind of shop, puts it over there,
Speaker:hand grenade and he sees it just enough to pick up the pace and.
Speaker:Um, you know, he gets on on that error and you know, we bun him up.
Speaker:Brody got a couple good sack buns down in that game.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Great bun.
Speaker:And um, you know, and then Tanner hit the crap outta that
Speaker:ball, like that is a home run.
Speaker:And, and their coach was like, mm-hmm man, I, when he hit
Speaker:that ball, I said, game over.
Speaker:And then I looked up flags again and that ball's a home run in
Speaker:every other park you play in.
Speaker:Um, and it gets caught.
Speaker:But then, um, Tanner's had a lot of that.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I mean, a lot of our guys have this year just how it's going, but um, and
Speaker:we had, we had brought Evan in, in the, you know, top of the inning to,
Speaker:to catch, um, why did you do that?
Speaker:'cause I was wondering about
Speaker:that.
Speaker:I was just curious.
Speaker:He's just a little bit better receiver blocker, you know, than Jack is.
Speaker:Um, and I actually meant to put, I actually should have
Speaker:put him in in the eighth 'cause they had the lefty in the game.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:And Evan's a way better hitter right-handed.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Um, than Jack hitting left on left.
Speaker:So, uh, anytime we get a chance to get him in there right-handed, we, we try to.
Speaker:Um, and so, yeah, and then he, he got a big hit for us, you know, second
Speaker:time in a week he come up with a, a really big hit for us, so we win.
Speaker:And then Sunday just was not our day, man.
Speaker:It was like every time they swung the bat, it was a hit.
Speaker:And we couldn't do nothing about it.
Speaker:I mean, they, they were very aggressive and Blake was just missing
Speaker:over the middle of play too much.
Speaker:And, you know, it was just that day.
Speaker:Um, it's just one of those games you have to,
Speaker:to flush.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You right.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You gotta just regroup, forget about it.
Speaker:Whatever.
Speaker:Um, you know, we're a an out away from, you know, winning the
Speaker:series and, um, you know, probably an out away from getting swept.
Speaker:And so that's, that's how baseball goes.
Speaker:It balances out and, you know, as I, as I look at it, um, you know, the positive
Speaker:outta the weekend, I think one of the positives I thought can, and George did
Speaker:a good job in the lead off spot for us.
Speaker:I thought he got on base, uh, he cut down with strikeouts, you know, he
Speaker:hadn't been a great RBI guy anyway.
Speaker:And so we're like, let's get him in, get him in there earlier and
Speaker:maybe he can get something going.
Speaker:So, not that we scored a ton of runs with him doing it, but.
Speaker:I kind of potentially like the thought of maybe Brody hitting second behind
Speaker:them because both those guys are, you know, swinging the bat pretty well.
Speaker:They can both drive the ball as well.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Um, so, you know, I I, TJ had tough luck, you know, weekend, he probably
Speaker:lined out four or five times I think.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:Did the outfield and he wasn't very good yesterday or Sunday.
Speaker:But, you know, so we're, we'll continue to play around with the lineup.
Speaker:I mean, it's just college baseball, you know, they had three completely
Speaker:different lineups, all three games.
Speaker:And I laugh because it's like they're going through it too, trying to figure
Speaker:out what, what kinda works offensively.
Speaker:And I was just happy that finally,
Speaker:uh, a little number one.
Speaker:I was gonna say finally seeing, uh, Luke have a good weekend.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And Luke, um, Luke's, Luke swung bat better.
Speaker:He swung bat a better.
Speaker:He is still, you know, lining out and he finally got a couple numbers
Speaker:in there to help out some of those.
Speaker:Um, so, you know that, that little number one for them, man, Mandino.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Uh, he, he led off on Saturday, the game three, and I don't think we got
Speaker:him out the whole dag on weekend.
Speaker:I mean, he was, he was a thorn in our side, boy, I tell you.
Speaker:And he didn't even play much the first two games.
Speaker:They pinch hit him, you know, uh, later.
Speaker:But I, I like him.
Speaker:I think he's a good player.
Speaker:So, I mean, o overall, pitching wise and everything else,
Speaker:they had a really good team.
Speaker:It's interesting, we have not,
Speaker:we haven't played a team with a losing record yet.
Speaker:Um, in league play.
Speaker:Um, at all.
Speaker:And there aren't many I know, but, um, everybody we've played
Speaker:is at least 500 or better.
Speaker:We got, you got three in a row coming up.
Speaker:We got three in a row coming up and I told the guys, I said,
Speaker:you gotta win those series.
Speaker:It's just that simple.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You know, you win those series and you get one from Coastal that's
Speaker:seven and you know, that's okay.
Speaker:Um, so that's, that's the goal.
Speaker:And uh, none, none of it's gonna be easy, but we can do it.
Speaker:You know, it's up to them, how bad do you want to want to do it?
Speaker:And, you know, 14, 15 wins gets you in the tournament and that's kind
Speaker:what we're, what we're looking for.
Speaker:So,
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:No, I think one thing that was kind of a continuing trend, like, you know,
Speaker:you won the Friday game against Georgia Southern, it was Thursday this week,
Speaker:but e even though you lost the game, you got into their starter who had been
Speaker:really just electric all year long.
Speaker:I think Chase Morgan is his name.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I mean, he never looked comfortable on the mound.
Speaker:I don't know if that was a specific approach, but I was encouraged
Speaker:to see the lineup get into that ace starter for them early.
Speaker:Yeah, he doesn't look the same.
Speaker:You know, he was out early in the year with, uh, some shoulder stuff
Speaker:and, uh, he's been really good since he's been back, but talking to their
Speaker:coach, you know, uh, before game two, he said, yeah, he just never
Speaker:looked comfortable out there, man.
Speaker:He doesn't spray the ball like that.
Speaker:Hardly, hardly ever.
Speaker:And he was just a little bit off and we took advantage of, you know,
Speaker:some of the walks and we were able to catch him some runs and, you
Speaker:know, get the lead in that game.
Speaker:So that was good.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Then oddly enough that, you know, Tate Hess coming outta the bullpen though,
Speaker:and like five and two thirds, I, I was just constantly watching that ERA go
Speaker:down like, you gotta be kidding me.
Speaker:This is wild.
Speaker:I don't think the were the stats right on.
Speaker:I I think they were putting conference stats up there.
Speaker:Maybe that's what Yeah, they were
Speaker:weird stats.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Because they, they were all, their relievers came in or their main guys,
Speaker:and there's no way that, uh, the one kid.
Speaker:We had only thrown five innings all year.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, but, 'cause we had their name in the scouting report, but I, I don't think the,
Speaker:I didn't look back the stats, but I had somebody else said that, man, they threw
Speaker:that kid they hadn't pitched all year.
Speaker:And I go, no, he's one of their three main bullpen guys pitched the lock.
Speaker:So I think they may have, uh, had just, I don't, I don't know what they had up
Speaker:there actually, that, that would explain
Speaker:why it was moving so rapidly with each outer run score.
Speaker:Yeah, yeah,
Speaker:yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:He was
Speaker:pretty
Speaker:good.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, I think I remember saying that to you.
Speaker:I was like, how is somebody's era a dropping that much this late in the year?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:But, you know, um.
Speaker:Just, uh, continuing with the, with the, with the year.
Speaker:I mean, the guys, I, I'll say this, we weren't good.
Speaker:We weren't good Tuesday.
Speaker:We weren't, well, we didn't pitch good Tuesday.
Speaker:We sw the bats fine.
Speaker:Um, you know, you get 13 runs, you should win.
Speaker:But, uh, Sunday was just, you know, it was just one of those, a handful of days
Speaker:you're gonna have in a college baseball season where it didn't go our way.
Speaker:So you gotta wash that, you know, scrub that one off in the shower.
Speaker:And, um, but the guys are showing up.
Speaker:They're working hard.
Speaker:They came out ready to work today and, you know, um, we're trying to
Speaker:pay particular attention this week on trying to get some extra rest.
Speaker:Um, because we're able to, we had the Easter off and today was a very light day.
Speaker:Um, tomorrow, Wednesday we'll practice and then go down and work out in Monroe.
Speaker:Um.
Speaker:And just get the batteries back charged up a little bit, hopefully, you know,
Speaker:and, and see where we can, what we can do.
Speaker:So,
Speaker:um, is this, um, did you, when you made the schedule, was it kind of
Speaker:intentional having a week here where you're not playing a midweek game?
Speaker:Yeah, I mean, we didn't play 56 because I was like, we tried
Speaker:to play 56 all in the road.
Speaker:Like, we'll all be dead.
Speaker:So, uh, and this was, I tried to take a couple of the weeks where we
Speaker:were maybe flying or had a longer trip and not played during, you know,
Speaker:the week and, you know, we just got the, the two midweek left coming up
Speaker:and they're just a rich and back.
Speaker:So, not hard trips, but, um, so yeah, hopefully as we get going and, you know,
Speaker:after this flight, you know, we got home.
Speaker:Uh, and then JMU is a pretty easy trip, uh, and then home, so, you
Speaker:know, hopefully we'll, we'll be able to get our batteries charged up
Speaker:with, and then school gets out too.
Speaker:You know, and everybody always helps.
Speaker:Everybody plays better usually when school's out.
Speaker:So, um, uh, you know, and there there's things that a lot of people
Speaker:don't think about that, that come up towards the end of the season.
Speaker:You know, after, after exams and after school's out.
Speaker:One, are all your guys eligible because if they didn't pass six hours,
Speaker:they're not eligible to keep playing.
Speaker:And you hope that doesn't affect anybody.
Speaker:And it hasn't ever for us.
Speaker:Um, fortunately we got pretty good students and they, they do their work.
Speaker:Um, you know, you never know on a year like this where
Speaker:the guys have missed so much.
Speaker:Um, yeah.
Speaker:And then two, you know, are some guys that maybe aren't in the mix, not
Speaker:traveling, dressing, things like that.
Speaker:Maybe you gotta, you know, sit down and have conversations with them for.
Speaker:When school's out, if they're not going to stay, you know, how to help them
Speaker:kind of in their journey through this.
Speaker:So it's all, it's all part of it.
Speaker:There's always something going on and, um, uh, it's, it's, um, it's all a part of
Speaker:the, part of the, you know, the, the job.
Speaker:It's, some of it's, most of it's awesome and some of it's, you know, not as much
Speaker:fun, but it's all necessary and you just try to do the best you can for
Speaker:the, for the players and their futures.
Speaker:And, you know, I've had plenty of kids through the years that, uh,
Speaker:the best thing for them was not to stay where they were, you know, at
Speaker:our school and play somewhere else.
Speaker:And I've seen 'em years later.
Speaker:They went somewhere to a, maybe a lower level and they played every day
Speaker:and had a great career and graduated.
Speaker:And you see 'em and you talk to 'em and they're, they're happy as they could be.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Because they want to play.
Speaker:And it was the right thing for them at that time.
Speaker:And all of that's okay.
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:Um, and then that's, that's the way it is.
Speaker:And, you know, and, and this crazy, I see all the stuff that's on, um, you
Speaker:know, Instagram, Facebook, and social media, all that, uh, excuse me, with
Speaker:the, uh, you know, the football and basketball transfers, the, the number
Speaker:of athletes, uh, that are in the portal and, and all of those things.
Speaker:It's gonna be the same way with baseball.
Speaker:I mean, with having to pair the roster down to, to 34 guys, we still don't
Speaker:know what it's gonna be for the fall, but they're gonna allow, um, we're
Speaker:hoping it's 38, uh, and then you gotta cut it to 34 by December 1st, is
Speaker:what we're thinking is gonna happen.
Speaker:But that's every single division one school.
Speaker:Having to knock that number down.
Speaker:And there's gonna be a lot of good players, uh, that get told.
Speaker:They just don't have room and not just guys on your roster.
Speaker:There's gonna be incoming players that are signed that are gonna get told that.
Speaker:And, you know, it's gonna be a, it's gonna be a crazy, you know, summer man.
Speaker:Um, a very transitional summer, I think.
Speaker:And so we're, we're all still trying to wrap our, our heads around how to make
Speaker:it work for us the best, because I still prefer to, to try to get as many kids as
Speaker:we can outta high school and bring 'em in and develop 'em and get, you know,
Speaker:create an affinity for the school and the program someplace that feels like home.
Speaker:Now.
Speaker:You're gonna lose some guys when you do that because, you
Speaker:know, I was thinking back like.
Speaker:You know, Andy Ola probably gets bought out in this new system before
Speaker:he gets to be a junior or senior.
Speaker:Noah Dean probably gets bought out and we can't compete with those guys.
Speaker:You know, it's nice to say, oh, they love it here.
Speaker:Um, but when somebody's flashing a couple hundred thousand dollars, yeah, okay.
Speaker:Uh, you're gonna think about it.
Speaker:And that's just something we're gonna have to be prepared to, to deal with.
Speaker:It's unfortunate it doesn't feel right.
Speaker:Um, but it, it's where we're at right now, but I still think that's our best
Speaker:model, um, to create some consistency in the program and have some guys
Speaker:come up through that you can develop.
Speaker:And that's the fun of it for me anyways, is watching the kids get better.
Speaker:Um, you know, coaching.
Speaker:I think that's the bottom line is, is you're a good coach if your kids improve
Speaker:and, you know, it's, it bothers me when our guys don't, uh, it doesn't always
Speaker:mean you coach them any different.
Speaker:Sometimes they just.
Speaker:Don't want to get better, bad enough, but mm-hmm.
Speaker:A lot of times that's a, that's a collaborative thing both on
Speaker:the success and the failure side.
Speaker:I think everybody's gotta take, you know, uh, ownership of it.
Speaker:Well, speaking of a guy who got better while he was with you, uh, Gary and
Speaker:I had the chance to go down and see John Ho's throw yesterday, uh, for
Speaker:the Carolina Mudcats down in, uh, low a hall down there in Zebulon.
Speaker:Yeah, man.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And he, uh, that's a cool, that's a
Speaker:cool, cool ballpark.
Speaker:I've been there.
Speaker:It's a great little spot.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I mean, I've been there a ton of times.
Speaker:Uh, and he shoved, did he?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Like from the, for the first go it was like, okay, this
Speaker:is gonna be a day for John.
Speaker:He, I think he would've ended up with five and two thirds, uh, eight strikeouts.
Speaker:I think one hit one walk.
Speaker:Uh, he was dominant and, and he probably would've, he would've finished six.
Speaker:They just had a little bit of a, you know, a. Uh, a bad play there,
Speaker:which, uh, apparently the last time out he, uh, he had a few things,
Speaker:but yeah, so, so John was, he's, he is now had three games as a pro.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:He's got, uh, and one of the games was not great.
Speaker:His last one, he had two and two thirds.
Speaker:He gave up five runs.
Speaker:Uh, but overall, 13 and a third innings, 21 strikeouts, three walks.
Speaker:That's great.
Speaker:He's, he's, yeah.
Speaker:So, so, uh, it was, it was pretty awesome to get the chance to go out
Speaker:and see him and he was sitting tough.
Speaker:Good for
Speaker:him.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:But we all also like seeing those guys do well, you know, Sam
Speaker:Armstrong's doing really well.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, and I think, I think Sam, you, he just needs a break, but I think
Speaker:he's got a chance to, to make it.
Speaker:I mean, you know, he played in a couple of those big, big league
Speaker:spring training games at the end of spring training and did well.
Speaker:So, and just stay healthy and keep throwing.
Speaker:Might see him get a call up this year.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:When when you're in aa, you're all of a sudden, you know,
Speaker:you're, you're not too far.
Speaker:While we were sitting there, doc was there in the game with us and he was
Speaker:watching the, um, MLB app and Hunter Gregory came in the game double A for
Speaker:the Blue Jays and had a 1 2, 3 inning.
Speaker:It's like, Hey, same thing, you're a double A, you're, yep.
Speaker:You're a phone call away.
Speaker:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:Hunter as well.
Speaker:Yep.
Speaker:No doubt.
Speaker:Andy was the, uh, Midwest League player of the week this week had three straight,
Speaker:uh, games where he had a home run.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Had a great week.
Speaker:Well, that's a big year for Andy.
Speaker:He's gotta do well this year.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So I'm, I'm glad to see that.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:All those guys, man doing us proud and in the minor leagues and, you know, we
Speaker:wish 'em all the success in the world.
Speaker:Certainly.
Speaker:So I tell him, all, get in the big leagues, you can give us some money.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Honestly, right?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I saw Morgan McGuire was up there and, uh, he had a picture of himself on the
Speaker:field in Yankee Stadium talking with, uh, with Vinny and, and Quiara there.
Speaker:And I sent a mess.
Speaker:I was like, that's gotta, as, as a, as a Yankee fan, that's
Speaker:gotta be the coolest thing ever.
Speaker:He is like, it's unreal being on the field there.
Speaker:Wow, that's so cool.
Speaker:So we go to Monroe, Louisiana.
Speaker:Yeah, Monroe.
Speaker:It's some good, uh, you know, that's an interesting part of the world.
Speaker:Uh, you feel, I think in Monroe you feel a little more like you're in
Speaker:Mississippi than Louisiana to me anyway.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Uh, you know, north northern part of the state, uh, is, is a little bit
Speaker:different, but they got a nice ballpark.
Speaker:It's um mm-hmm.
Speaker:Turf field, you know, nice stadium.
Speaker:I think their facility's really nice.
Speaker:Uh, it's, it's a good, yeah.
Speaker:They're,
Speaker:uh, their center fielder, uh, Henry Garcia Jr. Has played for
Speaker:the pilots the last couple years.
Speaker:They were really good ball player, great kids.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I didn't know that.
Speaker:Alright.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Cool.
Speaker:Um, but so we'll, uh, we'll go down there and play well and see if we
Speaker:can't, you know, get another road series and, uh, get ourselves back in
Speaker:the, in, in the mix for that thing.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And do, are there locker room facilities for baseball?
Speaker:A little bit better than the football ones.
Speaker:'cause from what I understand with football, you can only have half your
Speaker:team in the locker room at one time down
Speaker:there.
Speaker:Oh really?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:They actually are one of the few teams, I don't know if they
Speaker:still have it, I can't recall.
Speaker:They actually had a visitor's locker room in that old stadium and
Speaker:they've renovated and revamped it a few different times of the year.
Speaker:So I, I can't remember.
Speaker:But it's right next to your, your visitor's dugout and you actually, the
Speaker:guys can go in there and, and shower and change right after the game.
Speaker:So that's kind of cool.
Speaker:I mean, nobody does that anymore 'cause it's such a waste of space.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You just don't use it enough to warrant having it, you know?
Speaker:Um, but yeah, I'm, I'm, I, I didn't know that about football.
Speaker:That football stadium looks rough.
Speaker:It's, yeah, I've, I've heard it's, it's a, it's a challenge.
Speaker:It's like a, it's how they build their home field advantage, I feel
Speaker:like is, you only have half the team in the locker room at one time.
Speaker:So, yeah, that was back when they had, they didn't have the, uh, quite, have the
Speaker:number of players they have now, right?
Speaker:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:That was, yeah, back in the day.
Speaker:But they, they've been kind of a, a stubborn team this year.
Speaker:Like they, they haven't been swept that often and they, they managed to
Speaker:take a game from Troy over the weekend.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I mean, they're, they're gonna come battling, I'm sure.
Speaker:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker:No, they'll be well coached.
Speaker:They'll play hard.
Speaker:There's never, um, you know, never any of that.
Speaker:You know, we should have swept them at home.
Speaker:Last year we, we had baseload nobody out and bottom the ninth and didn't
Speaker:score and lost that Saturday game.
Speaker:I'll never forget that.
Speaker:But, um, you, we've done well against them.
Speaker:You know, we swept them down there our first year, um, opened
Speaker:up Sunbelt play with that.
Speaker:So, uh, it's an interesting field because if I remember correctly,
Speaker:the prevailing wind blows out to left field more so than a cross, but
Speaker:it doesn't help anything to write.
Speaker:But the ball will carry the left for sure.
Speaker:Um, now just depends, you know, what it's doing, but that, that's usually
Speaker:late in the, later in the year.
Speaker:It's blowing out the left there.
Speaker:So maybe, maybe some of these righties can get, get some up in the air.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:You're rewarded for it.
Speaker:You're righties are probably happy to hear that news and the lefties are like,
Speaker:please just let me go the other way.
Speaker:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:I mean, and, and Zach and TJ both, you know, have opposite
Speaker:field home runs a couple.
Speaker:They both can hit it that way.
Speaker:So, um, we'll see when we get down there, what it, what it looks like.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And I've, I, I noticed that when both Zach and TJ were batting, they were
Speaker:almost being shifted at Harbor Park.
Speaker:Like they were a dead pull right-handed hitter.
Speaker:Like, I mean, that right fielder was in right center the whole time.
Speaker:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker:I mean, most of their balls in the air are driven that way.
Speaker:So, um, they, they've, they've, that's just kind of how they hit.
Speaker:Um, which I'm okay with actually, but, you know, I, I, I don't know how many it
Speaker:would be if we were playing at the bud.
Speaker:I, I guarantee we'd have 20 more home runs.
Speaker:I know that for a fact.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Like, um, but it's just the way it's been this year and, um, we
Speaker:gotta work our way through it.
Speaker:Like, like other things.
Speaker:And, um, update on the stadium.
Speaker:There's a bunch of big holes in the ground and hey, some pipe's,
Speaker:pipes popping up out of them.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:Uh, so that's progress.
Speaker:And I think they have the, uh, the groundbreaking ceremony, the, not,
Speaker:not, uh, two weeks from today.
Speaker:So I think it's May 2nd.
Speaker:And, um, you know, they, I think they were saying, well, you know, they
Speaker:wanted people to face the construction, but there's, there's nothing to see.
Speaker:It's just mouth of dirt.
Speaker:So I think they're gonna shift them around and move them toward,
Speaker:you know, facing the field.
Speaker:Um, so, uh, yeah, and you know, I'm, I'm just.
Speaker:Impatiently waiting for things to start going up, you know, it's been Yeah.
Speaker:Start looking like
Speaker:something, yeah.
Speaker:Four months now I know that all that underneath work has to be done.
Speaker:I get that.
Speaker:But the um, the kid in me wants to see the stuff, the stuff starting to look cool.
Speaker:Gimme the big truck and the dirt.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker:Put that big pile in there.
Speaker:Yeah, let's go.
Speaker:Yeah, there you go.
Speaker:That'll be alright, Finn.
Speaker:Thank you guys.
Speaker:I appreciate y'all.
Speaker:Yeah, we appreciate you, man.
Speaker:Look forward to, uh, talking again next Monday.
Speaker:Absolutely.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Travel series win.
Speaker:Alright, we'll see you.
Speaker:See you.
Speaker:Alright man.
Speaker:Appreciate
Speaker:you.
Speaker:Alright.
Speaker:What a, what a blessing do we get to, to have him on every week to talk to us.
Speaker:I mean, it, it is really great.
Speaker:I that 'cause I, you know, again, like I brought up there about Hubble and,
Speaker:and, and Matt, that, that's one of those ones I think is very easy to look at.
Speaker:And second guess it.
Speaker:And it's like, but at the same time, it's very easy to look at and say,
Speaker:well, why wouldn't you want your best reliever in there to close up the game?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And so just 'cause it didn't work, you know it.
Speaker:And, but then he mentions the next night putting, uh, putting Holman in
Speaker:to catch 'cause he plays a little bit better defense and hits better against
Speaker:the lefties, batting right-handed.
Speaker:And he gets the game winning hit off of that.
Speaker:And, you know, that's a move.
Speaker:No one's sitting there thinking, oh, what a, what a great move they made
Speaker:by putting him in because it was so small you didn't even notice it.
Speaker:He just happened to be batting right.
Speaker:No, he was put in the game specifically for a situation like that.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And he, he came up big.
Speaker:Um, I think Kyle Edwards played a really good baseball game on Thursday as well.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Like, he was kind of leading the charge offensively and he's, he stepped into
Speaker:that role as the captain, which has been nice to see, because I think he's hitting
Speaker:right around 300 or, or close to it.
Speaker:Yeah, he's right at it.
Speaker:Um, he's, he's stepped up in a big way.
Speaker:Evan stepped up obviously in a big way, the last two series
Speaker:to, to secure some wins for us.
Speaker:Um, we also had some like coaching moments that I didn't
Speaker:get a chance to share with him.
Speaker:Hopefully he hears this at some point.
Speaker:Uh, but we were in some situations where their best left-handed bat was
Speaker:coming to the plate with guys on base.
Speaker:And because of the way we pitched the previous bat, we were able to
Speaker:just put 'em on and limit the damage.
Speaker:So those intentional walks Yeah.
Speaker:That we were giving out, uh, really prevented that Louisiana from having a, a
Speaker:bigger comeback or an earlier comeback in some of those games that that paid off.
Speaker:But.
Speaker:I don't know, like you can always second guess those, those pitching decisions.
Speaker:I mean, what happens if Hubble goes back there and starts melting down and then
Speaker:now you have to rush Bailey to get ready?
Speaker:He comes in with runners on base where, where bullpen has not been great.
Speaker:Coming into games with runners on base, I don't care
Speaker:who you're as a pitcher, that's harder.
Speaker:It's just harder.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And what Bailey through two and a third over two games.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:On a, a kind of a shorter week rest, so.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:You know, I. I, I would probably make the decision to bring Bailey
Speaker:in just because like, you've got the lead in the bottom of the ninth.
Speaker:He's been your best reliever this year.
Speaker:Go win game one of this series and figure out the rest.
Speaker:So, but you know, it's Well until we're making the, let's talk about
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Know, that's why, like I said, like the point out, like, yeah, I'm
Speaker:trying to think along, but at the same time, I've never been there.
Speaker:I've never coached a game.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I've got a few, like middle school softball assistant
Speaker:coaching games under my belt.
Speaker:That's it.
Speaker:I don't, I've never, you know, there wasn't a lot of
Speaker:strategy going on in those.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, so yeah, it's, you, you have to, at the end of the day, it's like, Hey man,
Speaker:look, these guys have been, there's Finn's got like, what's, um, is he have 700
Speaker:over 700 wins as a, as a college coach?
Speaker:Like he's, yeah, he's done some things right.
Speaker:And he, so he is made some, he's made some choices that worked out, made
Speaker:some choices that haven't worked out.
Speaker:That's just baseball.
Speaker:Every, every coach has.
Speaker:We also left, uh, 15 guys on base.
Speaker:So that also did not help the situation.
Speaker:Exactly.
Speaker:That's the thing is
Speaker:there's, there's a million other spots in the game where something goes
Speaker:different, you know, in that situation.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, but let's talk about our players of the week.
Speaker:We, this is, this is, uh, this is like the, uh, guys we've been waiting to
Speaker:put on this board the entire season.
Speaker:Oh no.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:How, how we've been all year like, man, please let me get Luke
Speaker:Waters and bend more up here.
Speaker:Uh, yeah.
Speaker:So, um, good week for the hitters.
Speaker:So Luke was eight for 18, uh, had a triple two, RBI as a walk, a stolen
Speaker:base, had two, three hit games.
Speaker:Uh, so again, for a guy who's been scuffling, I mean, he's up,
Speaker:he's up to hitting two 40 for, you know, which is not impressive.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:But when you think about where he is, been all year hitting like 2 10, 2 20,
Speaker:to be moving up your average that much this late in the year is a big deal.
Speaker:In, in one week.
Speaker:Really?
Speaker:In one week.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Honestly.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Um, we had a lot of guys who had kinda like, not amazing, but solid
Speaker:weeks, like Maverick Stallings, he had a three eight games.
Speaker:He went five 14 double a homer, three rbis.
Speaker:A couple of walks, a couple hit by pitches.
Speaker:Um, Zach Lee can and George and Kyle.
Speaker:Eddie, all five for 17, uh, Efrin because I, I didn't realize he had a concussion.
Speaker:I remember hearing that before, but, so he was three for five.
Speaker:And the, with RBI with three rbis in the games he got, um,
Speaker:Brody Connors we mentioned.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:He three for 12 of a plate, you know, not amazing, but he, he was
Speaker:hitting the piss out of the ball.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:He was hitting like line drives.
Speaker:Everybody had a double hit.
Speaker:A home run there.
Speaker:The game at, at War Memorial, um, couple of Sac big sacrifice bunt that's set
Speaker:up, that game winning hit by Evan.
Speaker:Um, Bryce Jones.
Speaker:Bryce Jones hadn't gotten a bat in a while.
Speaker:I came into the game, uh, against BCU, got worked a walk, which I was telling him.
Speaker:I was like, Hey man, having not come to play for probably a month
Speaker:and getting a walk is awesome.
Speaker:Take some and then got in the game.
Speaker:Some discipline.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You wanna swing
Speaker:outta your shoes, the few opportunities you get.
Speaker:And he had, he had very good at bats.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And then he, and then he came in, uh, got a pinch hit single,
Speaker:uh, in the game on, uh, Thursday.
Speaker:So that, so yeah, a few guys.
Speaker:And then, you know, Evan Holman with the walk off, he was two for eight
Speaker:for the week with the walk off hit.
Speaker:Uh, Scotty Young, he only played in the one game.
Speaker:He was, we, I think he pinch ran later in the other game.
Speaker:Uh, but two for three with a Homer.
Speaker:Uh, I mean with a Grand Slam and a walk and a bunt.
Speaker:Single, I mean, so we had some, uh, again, no, nobody really had,
Speaker:I mean, Luke was the only one who really had like amazing eye popping,
Speaker:you know, eight for 18 numbers.
Speaker:But a lot of guys had really solid weeks despite the fact that we
Speaker:couldn't hit the broad side of a barn on, on Saturday's game.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:And when we did hit it hard, it was into that left center gap
Speaker:where everything was going to die.
Speaker:Like, I think Bro Connors, if he had played all four of the games this
Speaker:week at War Memorial or at the bud, he'd have at least two bombs on there.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:He was hitting the ball.
Speaker:He was squaring it up and just, just getting killed in the wind.
Speaker:Uh, but defensively, I. Noticeable impact with him at third because Louisiana,
Speaker:if, if you didn't watch the games, they were putting pressure on us.
Speaker:I, I think the kid number nine who was like, had to have been seven foot
Speaker:two with the syrups on, uh, every time he came up he was bunting with guys
Speaker:on and then putting things in motion.
Speaker:And Brody made some really easy looking plays that were not easy at
Speaker:all to prevent innings from blowing up on us on, on Thursday for sure.
Speaker:So glad to see that defensive upgrade there at third base with him.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Bernie's a dog man.
Speaker:He is a, like, he, he played at Mader D out in California, which is like
Speaker:a perennially I. National power.
Speaker:Um, you know, so he, he is, he came from big time baseball.
Speaker:Um, he's the guy who's been working his butt off all year.
Speaker:I'm sure he is.
Speaker:You know, you know, you're young and you've been playing all the time.
Speaker:I'm sure he is frustrated, but the work is, he's been putting in is very clear.
Speaker:Um, and, you know, again, uh, those lines are, and I think the same thing
Speaker:is kind of true for Tanner Shale.
Speaker:He's, he is killing the ball right at people.
Speaker:Uh, so I, I think for both of 'em, those, those hits are gonna drop.
Speaker:We, we, again, we only have three freshman hitters, but I think all
Speaker:three of 'em are pretty great ball players with those two in Efrin.
Speaker:Uh,
Speaker:I would agree with you and, uh, hopefully f is, uh, feeling
Speaker:better for Monroe this weekend.
Speaker:'cause as Coach Finny was alluding to with him available, he has more
Speaker:options, uh, to get Scotty in the lineup, which is, uh, a big bat to be adding.
Speaker:'cause he's come up.
Speaker:I mean, he's, if you, if you don't have any limits on number
Speaker:of bats, Scotty is, uh, leading us in batting average right now.
Speaker:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker:Uh, and so then on the pitching side, we got Ben Moore on here finally.
Speaker:Uh, had a good, good start last week.
Speaker:Uh, ju we, we, we think we were debating about him or, or Dylan.
Speaker:We went with Dylan, uh, 'cause he, there was a, won the game.
Speaker:Uh, Ben did not win this game, but it was not his fault.
Speaker:Uh, he, he pitched a career high six innings, uh, gave him three runs.
Speaker:But again, there was some, some just little things in there.
Speaker:Uh, struck out six, five hits on a walk.
Speaker:So again, great star for Ben.
Speaker:Uh, a again, he just, he looks healthy, you know?
Speaker:I think that's really what came down to He was having those migraine issues and
Speaker:he just, he looked sick, he looked weak.
Speaker:Um, and now he, he just looks like himself.
Speaker:He, he is out there, he is being himself and smiling and having a good time.
Speaker:And he, he just looks like he's, he's rocking and rolling.
Speaker:So it's, it's nice to see.
Speaker:It's what we've been hoping to see all year.
Speaker:Both Ben and Dylan were super efficient with their pitch counts Yes.
Speaker:On Thursday and Friday, which is something that they've struggled with.
Speaker:I know Dylan struggled with it a good bit.
Speaker:Last couple starts, you're seeing that come together, you're, you're
Speaker:kind of seeing this starting through rotation come into form.
Speaker:Weird are game for Blake, you know, you know he's gonna bounce back.
Speaker:But if we're able to push these, these guys like Ben and Dylan
Speaker:into the sixth, seventh inning, uh, that bodes very well for us.
Speaker:'cause I think still think we have a lot to figure out in the bullpen.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Dylan had, uh, six plus, 'cause he went into the seventh and we, we
Speaker:talked about it earlier, you know, like, like Finney said, I love that
Speaker:they don't, they don't die slowly.
Speaker:That that's pretty true.
Speaker:Um, so six plus three runs, but I think all three of those were,
Speaker:were allowed, or two of those were allowed after he left the game.
Speaker:Um, and then we had eight, still had eight strikeouts, uh, which
Speaker:we're gonna, um, we're gonna save that maybe for a little while.
Speaker:But Dylan is, uh, he is got 72 strikeouts.
Speaker:He's leading the conference.
Speaker:Um, and he's, uh, he, he's on pace to maybe do some, some impressive
Speaker:things in like the kind of all time records at ODU U and not, not gonna
Speaker:get anywhere close to like number one.
Speaker:I mean, that's been, or Justin Verlander was, you know, pretty unbeatable at that.
Speaker:I don't think if that ever happens, we're gonna be like, just sitting
Speaker:here weeping, tears of joy every week with how great that, that pitching is.
Speaker:Um, and then we talked about, you know, Ethan Hubble had a great out two innings,
Speaker:um, no runs, three strike outs, no hits.
Speaker:Uh, walked did hit a couple guys.
Speaker:And then Marco Levari who has struggled mildly lately, he came out,
Speaker:looked like himself on, on Tuesday.
Speaker:He was 1, 2, 3, 3 up, three down three strikeouts looked nasty
Speaker:and that was really fun to see.
Speaker:And hopefully that continues to just keep going.
Speaker:'cause Marco, Marco really can be a, a, a really great pitcher.
Speaker:And he's a, he's an arm we're gonna need come tournament time.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Uh, you know, if we're able to, you know, if we're in the single elimination we
Speaker:win, uh, we're gonna need some of those arms to step up in a really big way.
Speaker:So I was happy to, to see Marco.
Speaker:Then of course, mentally in my head I'm like, man, I wish we could
Speaker:have got into him in the seventh.
Speaker:But, you know, based on what we've seen, that might not have gone the same way.
Speaker:Uh, yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's tough.
Speaker:I, I always, I hate losing the VCUI.
Speaker:I understand.
Speaker:I was glad to see the bats keep us in that game.
Speaker:Uh, and aside from the final game this week, I, I think the offense may
Speaker:have cured some of the things that have been alien and we're finding the
Speaker:right mixes of guys in the lineup now.
Speaker:Yeah, the, the hitting definitely feels like, like I said, Sunday was just awful.
Speaker:There's nothing getting around it.
Speaker:I mean, we had, we still had some nice hits, so they just
Speaker:know nothing around them.
Speaker:It'd be like one hit and then be out of it.
Speaker:Uh, but yeah, for, for the most of the week, and, and, you know,
Speaker:the weekend before against Georgia Southern, it was like, okay, this
Speaker:is what the lineup should look like.
Speaker:This is what, you know, getting a lot.
Speaker:We just, we've got, our guys aren't, they're not striking out as much.
Speaker:They're putting the ball in play.
Speaker:There's just a lot better.
Speaker:It's, it's almost like you feel like the whole season of kind of
Speaker:coaching and talking and having conversations, being like, Hey,
Speaker:this is what we should be doing.
Speaker:Hey, this is what we should be doing.
Speaker:And now they're kind of doing it and it's like some, some guys just took a
Speaker:little while to, to sink in, I think.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And not, uh, not sad to no longer be playing at Harbor Park.
Speaker:I feel like we hit better at War Memorial.
Speaker:We, we hit better on the road in a lot of instances.
Speaker:Uh, so glad to see that.
Speaker:Get the, get the crowd a little closer together.
Speaker:A little more loud and worked up I think will be nice.
Speaker:I. Well, we've, we've gotta win these next three series coming up.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I don't think there's any question about it.
Speaker:We, we've gotta go win these.
Speaker:We cannot afford to lose a series to Monroe Marshall or JMU.
Speaker:Yeah, all three of 'em are six and 12 in the conference.
Speaker:Um, and so, you know, now at the same time, ULM rate 10th is 20 and 21.
Speaker:Marshall is 18 and 22 right there.
Speaker:They're got better records than we do.
Speaker:Uh, James Madison's right there with us at 13 and 27.
Speaker:They got a few more losses, but, uh, you know, so it's not like, you know, are we
Speaker:can really sit here with our eight and 10, be like, yeah, they're, they suck.
Speaker:It's like, no, you know, they're, you know, we're, we gotta
Speaker:prove we are better than them.
Speaker:Uh, and you know, it, it's.
Speaker:It's, it's been, we know it's been, we all know it's been a tough year.
Speaker:We're all, we're all experiencing the same thing.
Speaker:And I know the players and we, we talk to Finn every week.
Speaker:He knows it.
Speaker:But, uh, you hope you really got a good opportunity here with these three
Speaker:weeks that you can go out and get on a roll and get going at the right time.
Speaker:And, you know, I mean, you know, it wouldn't shock me if we went nine and
Speaker:oh, it also wouldn't shock me if we went like, you know, two and seven.
Speaker:You know, it's just unfortunately kinda how things are going.
Speaker:So it's, you know, hopefully they play that they can play
Speaker:and go out and make it happen.
Speaker:Yeah, I think not having a midweek will help too.
Speaker:I feel like we were, we were a little bit gassed on Thursday, just with a
Speaker:short week and quick turnaround from VCU.
Speaker:That was a very, very long baseball game.
Speaker:Uh, we were down in Carolina yesterday.
Speaker:It was, what, two hours and 37 minutes.
Speaker:I mean, we saw John afterwards, got cookies from the rv and
Speaker:I was on the road before.
Speaker:Like four o'clock and it was a one o'clock game.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So,
Speaker:um, more games like that I think would be beneficial.
Speaker:'cause that means we're mowing through some dudes.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:We kind of stopped.
Speaker:We haven't had any, uh, short games in a while.
Speaker:Been a lot of long games.
Speaker:Well, actually the game on Saturday was short, but it was terrible
Speaker:that we short for the bad reasons.
Speaker:It's very, very short game.
Speaker:And you, when you don't get any hits, uh, and, and, and just
Speaker:give up a lot of runs real fast.
Speaker:Uh, but yeah.
Speaker:So we, we gotta wrap this up though, Gary, because my mom has told
Speaker:me her advice about the podcast.
Speaker:That, uh, the, the, the program where you and I sit here and
Speaker:talk, we tend to talk too much.
Speaker:So that's
Speaker:true.
Speaker:We do.
Speaker:We, yeah, we do.
Speaker:That's, that's, that's one of her common complaints with like, with announcers,
Speaker:this announcer, he keeps talking too much.
Speaker:It's like, it's his job.
Speaker:So I don't know.
Speaker:I don't know what to do with that Mom.
Speaker:That's, sometimes you gotta take a note and, and say, I don't
Speaker:know what I can do about that.
Speaker:But we'll take the
Speaker:constructive feedback because I have more of her cookies that she hooked me up with.
Speaker:She got me Thursday and got me yesterday.
Speaker:Whatever you say, Lois, I got you.
Speaker:The funny thing is, I never eat any of these cookies.
Speaker:Like I, I just, I'm not, I am already fat enough.
Speaker:I don't need cookies, so it's so funny.
Speaker:She could tell all these cookies, I never have any cookies.
Speaker:Um, but yeah, it was awesome seeing, seeing John yesterday.
Speaker:He, uh, he did, he shoved and it was really cool and I got more pictures that
Speaker:we, we shared a few there, but I got more.
Speaker:I gotta edit.
Speaker:Um, but it was great.
Speaker:And his, his family's awesome and he's just a good guy and, and you know, he
Speaker:sent me a text later the night saying, Hey man, I really appreciate you coming.
Speaker:And 'cause he is just, he's just good people and they're just good people.
Speaker:So hopefully, hopefully, I mean, I want hopefully get a chance to see him
Speaker:with the Mudcats again, but hopefully he's not there too long, so it wouldn't
Speaker:hurt my feelings if he, he, he moved on before I got a chance to see him.
Speaker:He keeps going like he did on Sunday and he will not be there very long.
Speaker:But thank you Angie and Mike Hobe for Yeah, absolute inviting us
Speaker:down there, hosting us at the RV before the game, all that good
Speaker:stuff, getting us saw on the field.
Speaker:It was great.
Speaker:And uh, don't forget, uh, at the pride of odu.com there is
Speaker:a tracker where you can track
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:All of the ODU alum that are in varying levels of professional baseball,
Speaker:uh, it updates automatically 'cause.
Speaker:Mike was smart enough to link it to their MILB accounts.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Yeah, because like Matt Coutney already changed levels, so there you go.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It'll, it'll happen quickly.
Speaker:But, uh, keep an eye on that and if you don't want 'em playing nearby, I
Speaker:mean, know, just swing by the game.
Speaker:They appreciate seeing a ODU hat or shirt and stands saying hi to
Speaker:something like that, the show.
Speaker:No, they do.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Guys do still care.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I'm hoping to get up and see, uh, tr Buchanan and Jacob Gomez this weekend.
Speaker:They're, they're both with Augusta.
Speaker:They're gonna be playing Del Marva.
Speaker:Uh, so hoping to see them on, uh, Saturday, maybe Sunday.
Speaker:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker:So I know we got some people in that area, so head on over this weekend around.
Speaker:Absolutely.
Speaker:All right, well, I will take the feedback and I'll stop talking now.
Speaker:Thanks, mom.
Speaker:We'll, we'll finish it up because you don't wanna listen, because you
Speaker:don't wanna listen to me talk anymore.
Speaker:We got it, mom.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Thanks.
Speaker:I can't even get my wife to subscribe on Spotify to give us
Speaker:like one more subscriber Cal, so, but we'll, we'll get through it.
Speaker:There we go.
Speaker:There we go.
Speaker:But thank you all for listening, tuning in.
Speaker:Hopefully we get some wins this weekend in Monroe, but go Monarchs.
Speaker:Yes,
Speaker:go Monarchs.
