Latest / College Baseball Now / INTERVIEW: Brayden Dowd | Ep. 005

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INTERVIEW: Brayden Dowd | Ep. 005 · College Baseball Now

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Speaker 1: Today's episode of College Baseball. Now we're going from Michigan
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to USC to the transfer portal, and finally to Florida
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State to talk to twenty twenty six draft center fielder
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Brandon Dowd. Let's get to it. Yeah, there ain't no problems.
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Speaker 2: Had no problems.
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Speaker 3: I don't want problem with me.
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Speaker 2: No, yeah, let.
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Speaker 3: Me talk to the chat. They know what was going
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for a minute.
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Speaker 1: Hit a pat B did to grab a couple wins
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with a the ID.
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Speaker 2: They don't even know the kid.
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Speaker 1: I had to do a p I G COO can never.
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Speaker 2: Beat a fridge and they want to problem with the boy.
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They don't want no static.
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Speaker 1: I don't need so coach sign running weak guy.
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Speaker 2: I want to test that tone was standing to control
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run the canty. Best to believe the signing docks counting
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now my whim. We have to love it when they
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count me yat.
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Speaker 3: Count unbelieve shutting shame why ben at dogs ben't believe
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I run the game?
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Speaker 1: You know I mean to leave off this mad believe
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that I'm.
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Speaker 2: The static steady.
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Speaker 1: Who glad to be here with you as always friends.
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It is your friend, your host, your boy. Drew Wheeler
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of Prospects Live. Glad to be with you on another
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episode of College Baseball Now, And as you heard from
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the guy at the start of the video, we have
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got our very first interview of the show today with
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Florida State centerfielder Braiden Dow. It's going to be an
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awesome time.
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Speaker 2: I know that right now.
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Speaker 1: There's nobody to my left, right up, down, nobody. It's
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just me right now, But that is no indication. We've
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got some friends with me as well as Braiden coming
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up very very shortly, So don't be alarmed. It's not
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gonna be just me. I did want to let you
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know we are looking forward to having more player interviews
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on College Baseball Now, heading up to the season, in
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the season, and of course preparing for the MLB Draft
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come later in summer twenty twenty six. But that's enough
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out of me. I'm gonna let us go ahead and
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get right to the fun. I'm gonna throw it to Drew,
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to Josh, to JB and of course to Braiden down Hey, folks,
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welcome back to the show. And just like we promised
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we weren't lying, We've got him, Braiden down right here
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on College baseball now with us. We're excited to have
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you here, Braiden. Want to ask you right off the rip,
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how are you doing today? Man?
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Speaker 2: I'm doing pretty good. How are you guys doing?
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Speaker 1: I'm good. I don't want to speak for Josh or JB,
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but I'm okay. Yeah, solid, that's awesome, glad. We're all
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doing good, Braiden. We've got some great steps to talk about.
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Want to get into it, but got a couple interesting
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questions off the rip for you, man, something a little
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unorthodox if you will. What is your favorite walk up
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song that you've ever used?
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Speaker 4: And all I know, Man, you gonna put me on
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the spot, bro, I come in with the right really quick.
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You know what's funny is, in the past couple of
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days we just sent out like kind of our walk
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up to the Google docs for a walk up songs year.
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In the past couple of days, I've been spending hours
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on end trying to find the right one. But honestly,
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I'd say, see, I'm gonna I like rat walk up songs,
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but I think sometimes they get like I like, I
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think that's just generic. So I like I like hearing
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a walk up song that's like Wow, I've never heard that,
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and that's really original. I would say last year I
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did Fantasy by Mariah Carey. I think that was kind
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of Oh, it's just a good song. It's just like
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a feel good like I like a little feel good song,
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like yeah, exactly, Yeah, that's so. I would say that's
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probably my personal favorite. I think that was I think
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it's original. It's not a rap song, but it's also
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just a good song. So I think that was probably
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the favorite that I've ever done.
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Speaker 1: It's got a little bit of bounce to it. My
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wife loves that song, so she's gonna be a huge
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fan of yours this year, which is already.
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Speaker 3: You know.
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Speaker 1: She tends to like good players, I'll tell you that.
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So I don't want to get these spoilers. I know
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we're a couple of months away from the season now,
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but can you give us any insight? Are we gonna
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be going Mariah Carey again? Are we doing something here?
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Speaker 4: I'm a tough guy to pick up walk up songs
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because I think I just look for the perfect one,
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and obviously I don't know if there's really a perfect
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walk up song, but I yeah, I think Fantasy by
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Mariah Carey will definitely be in the mix.
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Speaker 3: For sure.
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Speaker 4: It's gonna be tough to get me off of that,
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but but yeah, I definitely like I'll do a huge,
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like really deep dive on Spotify, go through a lot
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of just see what what kind of catches my ears,
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and yeah, go from there. But fantasy Mariah Carry is
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definitely the leader in the clubhouse right now, I'll say that.
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Speaker 1: Good to know. Good to know. All right. Another kind
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of off filter, when man, your top three most used emojis,
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what are those and why?
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Speaker 4: I mean all for it has to be like the
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crying laughing emoji obviously, I think I just I use
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that obviously. I think definitely, gosh, just a smiley face.
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I think, yeah, like texting is just so hard nowadays,
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hard nowadays. I think emoj just have to be used
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to just like, hey, I'm being sarcastic stuff like that.
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I'd say that, and then probably just a fire emoji.
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I think I used a fire emoji a lot, just
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you're like, dude.
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Speaker 2: That's that's fire, you know, Yeah, Like that's so. I'd
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say those three. I think those are my top three
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top three I use.
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Speaker 1: So like I mentioned just a minute ago, I'm a
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couple of years older than all you cats.
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Speaker 3: Uh.
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Speaker 1: I've heard from multiple sources, Josh JB. We all text
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quite a bit. I use the standard up and down
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laughing crying emoji. Okay, I've been told that's kind of status.
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At this point, people use the sideways tilted. Which one
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do you use, Braden, you.
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Speaker 2: Gotta go sideways tilted. I mean, it's it.
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Speaker 4: I don't know what happened or when it changed, Drew,
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but at some point it's just everyone switched. And then
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it was like, if you're using the old laughing emoji,
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you're just outdated. Like but Jackson and Jab you're saying
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I don't know what happened or when happened. I wish
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I could market and be like this is when it happened.
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But all of a sudden you just see a wave
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of the sideways crying.
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Speaker 5: Now that's just I think it's even turn to the
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point where like, if you're talking to at least someone
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in my age, I'll use like the literal crying one
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where it's like they're, oh, yeah, that's what I'll use.
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Sometimes I used the old one if I'm talking to,
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like I'm texing my grandparents or my dad or something.
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But like if I'm talking to someone my age, I
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use like the literal crying onesime.
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Speaker 2: All right, I tend to do that too as well.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm gonna be ahead of the curve right here.
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I'm getting inside scoop and all you all you guys
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at home. If you're feeling like you're kind of looking
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a little old at the text game, go to the
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straight cry e mooji, no more of either the laugh
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and cry man. Thanks bread Josh. Appreciate y'all keeping me
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straight there, uh break, And we talked about him just
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a little bit before we came on. Man, your dad,
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Tim Dowd, did a little bit of research on your
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family athletic group. You guys, the dads are not the
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ones to mess with at the family picnic. Dad played
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baseball at Central Michigan. Your sister Maddie, I believe, played
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volleyball at Michigan. Crazy stuff. Man, Your dad all Mac's
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second team nineteen ninety one. Is this something he kind
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of rubs.
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Speaker 4: In your face a little bit, like step it up
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or I can't even tell, like it's it's all up
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in my face every time he has.
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Speaker 2: The opportunity to, like anytime I.
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Speaker 4: Have a good game or have a couple of hits,
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He's like, you know where you got that from?
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Speaker 2: Right or whatever.
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Speaker 4: He likes to brag about that stuff. And yeah, man,
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he's he's obviously had a pretty success successful career Central Michigan.
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And I think it's cool to have, obviously, someone so
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close to you, up to my dad made that's a
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successful understand the ins and outs and slumps and going
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good and stuff like that and baseball to have to
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be able to talk to and work through things.
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Speaker 2: And he's gonna be he's the first guy to rub
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it in my face with all that stuff.
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Speaker 4: I mean, he I try to go and search stuff
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up like that or I have no idea how you
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found that, because I'm.
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Speaker 2: Like, fack, but I thing.
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Speaker 4: But obviously it was a long time ago. But yeah,
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he it's it's it's it's definitely nice.
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Speaker 2: To have a guy that close to you to understand baseball.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely.
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Speaker 1: Man, it's it's got to be clutched to have somebody,
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you know, ultimate trust with you and your dad too,
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that you can reference back to. And he, man, I
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know he's gonna he's gonna be like, Hey, this true
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guy knows what he's talking about. Yeah, he's been there, man,
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he's been there, He's done it. Uh, it's something interesting
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I found from doing a little digging. You know, your
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dad's team at Central Michigan they went to the Starkfull
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Regional in nineteen ninety lost to an interesting team. Do
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you know which team that was?
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Speaker 2: I believe that was? Was it Florida State? I know
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they lost to Illinois.
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Speaker 1: That was Florida State, my friend. And ironically, one year
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prior to coach link Jarrett joining the team to play Aflow,
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that'll be one you'll have to tell coach Jarrett be like, man,
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it'd be with this really weird bearded fell out a
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couple of couple of cool guys and they told me
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you was on the team just before my dad played Jo.
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Also crazy stuff, man. We know again growing up in Michigan,
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you attend the Brother Rice High School. What's something from
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your time as a Warrior that you think maybe defined
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who you are on the field even now.
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Speaker 4: Yeah, I think that's that's a really good question. I
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think that's tough. I think going to Brother Rice. I
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when I went to Brother Rice, I knew I wanted
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to go there because of how good, and the baseball
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team was there, and I've had a lot of buddies
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in there to the high school, like DJ Made he
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went to.
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Speaker 2: Nick Kammer was the first round round of there a
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couple of years before.
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Speaker 4: So I remember being a young kid and going to
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Aron the Rice High School games and watching play.
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Speaker 2: And and all these guys I wanted to play baseball.
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Speaker 4: And the head coach has been in forever, Bob Riker
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has been there for four years, and yeah, I think.
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Speaker 2: I'm going there.
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Speaker 4: I knew that I was going to turn out to,
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you know, be probably the best pace I could be.
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And I think something that took away from my time
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there was I think when I was in high school
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in Michigan that it was really competitive. I mean we
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played Porch Lake, Saint Mary's, who was back to back
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with national champions in high school whatever, but uh, they
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it was just the competitiveness of of going into those
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games and enjoying to play those those big games.
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Speaker 2: I remember a lot of our school or our school
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loved to go to baseball games.
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Speaker 4: And we have pretty nice complex over there, so being
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able to play in front of, you know, all your
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your classmates that you went to school with and your
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hometown bodies.
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Speaker 2: And all that stuff. I think that was an aspect
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that really helped me.
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Speaker 4: And obviously I think also playing in the colder weather,
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I think that was a huge aspect that that helped
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me down the road and continues to help me. I
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think I have the advantage of of the mentality of
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you know, Wheney gets a little bit colder.
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Speaker 2: In the beginning of the season.
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Speaker 1: I think.
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Speaker 2: I just have that mentality and I'm better off because
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of my brother Rise.
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Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, does bring a little bit of an edge
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to you, like you said, being a cold weather guy,
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and I'm glad to hear you acknowledge that it's something
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that I know some guys that I've spoken to in
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the past have almost thought of it as just just
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another thing. They don't really think about it. But to
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hear you describe it as being, I guess, just another
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tool in your toolbox.
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Speaker 3: Man.
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Speaker 1: To say, you know, this is something I'm used to
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is something that's really refreshing to me personally.
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Speaker 2: Absolutely.
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Speaker 3: Yeah.
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Speaker 5: So I noticed that you were you're a business major
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at for State for at usc H. What something inspired
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you to major in business in your time in college.
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Speaker 4: Yeah, I would say honestly, I think my dad, honestly,
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I think he's he's a big part. He's financial analyst now,
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so I was able to kind of have a little
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bit of an understanding of the business, the business world
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and the stock marketing, all these things, and that that
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kind of intrigues me. And I think always for me,
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a big goal for me is just to be a
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well rounded person, whether that be a good baseball player,
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good person, also a good student. I think, you know,
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you can kind of take easier route with you know, oh,
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I'm an athlete, let me take easier major and stuff
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like that.
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Speaker 2: But I've always wanted to challenge myself and I think
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that that's that's a big thing.
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Speaker 4: And I know, you know, being being able to have
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them understanding of the business world and all these things,
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that's that's only going to benefit me. And I like
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the challenge of you knowing nothing and also taking a
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tough major like it's it's definitely tough. It's it's definitely
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requires more more time and more energy to to learn
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all this stuff, and it's definitely competitive in business school,
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but it's it's.
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Speaker 2: It's awesome for me to be able to balance those things, and.
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Speaker 3: I enjoy it. Yeah, I mean, like, like I said,
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I'm a business major too.
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Speaker 5: I know we're used to catching up a lot of
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flat for not being like the most difficult thing. It's
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like a running joke, you know, if you're not an
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engineering major or something, at least where I am, you're
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looked down upon. But it's it is tougher them people think.
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But you know, that's that's a whole separate conversation. You
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mentioned that it you know, helps you become more well
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rounded in terms of like in a baseball sense too,
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like is there anything that you learn in business classes
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that you could use on the field in that sense, I.
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Speaker 2: Would say a little bit. I think the competitive nature
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of the business world.
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Speaker 4: I think it's you know, I think playing baseball obviously,
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it's it's very competitive and you face really good competition.
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Speaker 2: If you're not you know, you know, at the top
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of your game, you're embarrassed. Sometimes.
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Speaker 4: I think when I went to the classroom, I didn't
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fully understand companies and and you know, the stock work
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and how competitive business world really is, you know what
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I mean. And if you're not continuing to work out
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you know, the goals that you want and your business
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and all these things. There's gonna be somebody else that's
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right behind you who's younger and maybe smarter than you
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and and wants to take your business and do all
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those things. So I think it's the competitive aspect of
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that and knowing that everyone's kind of fighting for the
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same thing and the same goals.
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Speaker 2: In the business world, everyone.
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Speaker 4: Wants to be successful, everyone wants to have to do
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best business. And I think that's that's something I learned
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to I got college, and I think that's an important
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aspect that I can use on the field.
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Speaker 2: But also that's really important is the business world.
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Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean I feel like, you know, people talk
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about classes or they think about classes just kind of
14:14
going through the motions. I mean, saying someone that can
14:16
actually like a tributa between the two, I think is
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like pretty important around the country. So it's not just
14:21
like the student athlete thing where they're getting paid and whatnot,
14:25
just go play baseball.
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Speaker 3: There is still the student aspect of it. Believe it
14:27
or not, it does, yeah, comforting to hear.
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Speaker 1: So, man, let's go back to talking about talking about
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you on the field a little bit. You know, Josh,
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that was a really cool parlay asked him about what
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he's used, you know, business wise on the field man
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freshman season, USC SOCAP maybe the polar opposite of Michigan,
14:48
but you know, very prestigious school obviously, and your freshman year,
14:53
one home run to your name, you picked a you
14:55
picked a really opportune time to hit it. Yeah, only
14:58
one of the year was on Mats one fourth Pack
15:01
twelve Semis against Cal. What do you remember about that
15:04
home run?
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Speaker 3: Man?
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Speaker 4: That was probably one of the coolest moments of my
15:09
life and probably I mean definitely my baseball career. I think.
15:13
Speaker 2: That season was definitely, uh, my freshman year was. It
15:16
was a tough season.
15:18
Speaker 4: We would I think we were five hundred going to
15:20
the Pack twelve tournament. We knew, hey, like if we
15:23
want to make the postseason, we have to win this tournament.
15:25
Speaker 2: And we made it out of our pool.
15:27
Speaker 4: And then we're in the semis and we're down to
15:30
Cal three to one or two to one or whatever
15:33
it is, and I had two or three run home
15:35
run to give the lead.
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Speaker 2: And yeah, I mean I think that that entire weekend
15:40
that that tournament, we.
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Speaker 4: Collectively as a team were just so locked in and
15:46
just want to quin so bad because we can do
15:48
going this thing.
15:49
Speaker 2: We have to win it if we want to make
15:50
the postseason. And yeah, I mean, I think that was
15:53
just one of the coolest moments.
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Speaker 1: I think.
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Speaker 4: I think it's it's not about in that in that aspect,
15:59
I think it's more about the team and seeing your
16:01
butts in the dugout, get get excited for you and
16:03
and stuff like that, especially my first run of the season,
16:06
my only run of the.
16:07
Speaker 3: Season and.
16:09
Speaker 4: Kind of probably the last thing that a lot of
16:11
guys were expecting on a team, probably are coaches as well.
16:15
But yeah, I think it's it's it's cool to have
16:18
that moment to your name, to to help the school,
16:22
the baseball program, and ultimately just the team.
16:24
Speaker 2: You know, you want to win. That's why you play baseball.
16:27
Speaker 4: And I think we had such a competitive team and yeah,
16:31
I think I think I just wanted to win so bad.
16:33
It was just cool to have that moment because we
16:35
were obviously we went to the finals losing, but to
16:39
have that moment was was really awesome.
16:42
Speaker 1: Absolutely. Man, uh so mindset talk high pressure at bats
16:48
like that one, How does your approach change when it
16:52
the intensity is cranked up as opposed to something a
16:55
little more low pressure, that kind of moment, like you said,
16:57
down a couple of runs, really pivotal game with the team.
17:01
What does that? What does that do to your mindset
17:02
in the box.
17:03
Speaker 4: Honestly, I think that I love those moments because I
17:08
think it's it helps me get more competitive, It helps me,
17:12
I don't know what it is, just helps me block
17:14
in even more. I think, I think, no doubt there's
17:17
there's nerves to those moments just because.
17:19
Speaker 2: Of how bad you want to win.
17:21
Speaker 4: I think you know, everyone's nervous when when you know
17:24
they get that big opportunity to come up big. But
17:27
I think it for me, it comes out of I
17:29
want to win so bad that that's why you know,
17:33
I this means so much to me, And I think
17:35
that's why I have the badge that I do in
17:37
those moments, because I just I want to win so
17:41
bad that there's nothing.
17:42
Speaker 2: That's really gonna stop from.
17:43
Speaker 4: Having it successful at that And obviously there's gonna be
17:47
time that you feel in those moments. Of course, you
17:49
know you're you're never gonna come through every time in
17:51
those moments, but I think when you have that, man,
17:55
I just there's nothing that's going to stop me here
17:58
from helping this team win. I think that's what ultimately
18:01
helps me and my abilities in those moments and just
18:05
have the ultimate most confidence in me. And I think
18:08
it also stands for preparation and just knowing that I've
18:12
worked really hard and worked for these moments and get
18:15
those moments. It's kind of you fall back on preparation
18:18
and you realize, Okay, I put it on the work,
18:21
and I'm ready for these moments and just take advantage
18:23
of them.
18:24
Speaker 1: And I'd love to hear that staying prepared leaning on
18:26
what you know and what you've been to love that.
18:28
Speaker 3: Bro. Yeah, So I guess I'll jump into like a
18:35
next little segment of what we had last season. You
18:38
guys move into the Big ten. Obviously, that's that's kind
18:41
of a big change for you guys, and for you
18:43
probably not as much with the cold, but you know,
18:44
for a lot of other so cowboys as myself I was,
18:47
so I would have been affected by it. How for you,
18:51
do you think the travel schedule and kind of the
18:53
weather affected you guys as a team last season moving
18:57
to the Big ten for the Pac twelve.
18:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it was. I think it was definitely interesting.
19:01
Speaker 4: I think, you know, I definitely had to help some
19:04
guys like, dude, you gotta packed a little bit more
19:07
than that, Like it's gonna be you know what I mean,
19:10
Like you're gonna be a little bit more than that
19:11
to the game.
19:12
Speaker 2: It's gonna be thirty degrees. But but yeah, I think
19:15
it was.
19:16
Speaker 1: It was fun.
19:17
Speaker 2: I think making the move from the pack twelve to
19:20
the big ten, I think it was.
19:21
Speaker 4: You know, now you're traveling across time zones and six
19:24
hour flights across the country and all these things. But
19:26
I think it's a testament to coaching staff and you know,
19:33
they kind of relate to us as that end the day,
19:35
nobody cares, like nobody cares. Nobody's gonna at the end
19:38
of the year when they're picking who's who's going to where,
19:41
no one's gonna say.
19:42
Speaker 2: Oh, well, USC.
19:45
Speaker 4: Had to travel off this way and they were changing
19:48
time zone, so let's give them benefit of doubt, like
19:50
no one's ever gonna do that, so you can't feel
19:53
sorry for ourselves and stuff like that.
19:55
Speaker 2: And I think we took our team took that as
19:58
took the head on.
19:59
Speaker 1: And and and.
20:01
Speaker 2: Really made that kind of our identities.
20:02
Speaker 4: Is that nobody really cares at all that, you know
20:06
for a bunch of well, everybody else is as much
20:08
as so cal kids, and we've got to go play
20:10
at Michigan and at Penn State and at Indiana and
20:14
these cold, cold weather places. But at the end of
20:16
the day, nobody cares, like it's baseball field, doesn't change.
20:22
Speaker 2: Just go out and play our game and everything will
20:24
take care of themself. So everything else really does have
20:28
at all.
20:28
Speaker 4: So it's really a testament to the coaching staff and
20:32
how the team's adaptive around fact.
20:35
Speaker 2: That's it.
20:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, that that makes a ton of sense. And
20:39
also to add on top of that, you guys last year, obviously,
20:42
your first year, if I'm not mistaken, you got to
20:43
play at Dato But last year you guys lose Dato
20:46
Field of course, and then you're practicing at Loyal and Merrymount,
20:49
and then you're playing at the Great Park in Irvine, which, like,
20:51
if I'm not mistaken from living there before, that's almost
20:53
like probably two hours for you guys on a bus.
20:55
So that's got to be kind of difficult. What was
20:57
that kind of feeling last season having to deal with
20:59
it all the time? Playing games.
21:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was definitely interesting. I think it was. I
21:05
think there's good and bad that came with that. I
21:06
think obviously it was tough having to stay in.
21:08
Speaker 4: A hotel every weekend and bust down there and bust
21:11
into practice every day.
21:12
Speaker 2: But I think I look back and I think that probably.
21:17
Speaker 4: Was part of the reason why we had successful season,
21:19
because we were spending so much time with each other,
21:21
and you know, it's it's it's you and forty of
21:25
your best friends traveling to go play baseballs, and we
21:28
would love to just stand in our backyard and scooter
21:31
to practice and be able to practice on campus and
21:34
play on campus. But I think there was also another
21:36
aspect of we're spending so much time together on buses
21:41
and hotel room, like every weekend in hotel rooms and
21:44
stuff like that, that we just got super close.
21:46
Speaker 2: And super united as a team.
21:48
Speaker 4: And that was probably one of the closest teams that
21:50
I've ever played on, just collectively. And I think it
21:54
was like I said it, it was definitely tough put
21:57
out the same.
21:58
Speaker 2: Hotel and travel for all these things, but.
22:02
Speaker 4: It was there's also good things that came with it.
22:05
I think the friendships and how well we messed together
22:08
utimately probably played a role and then how well we had,
22:13
how well.
22:14
Speaker 3: Our season went. Yeah, is there any is there any
22:18
one story from the Great Park or any one moment
22:20
that it was like something strange happened at the Great
22:24
Park that's like, wow, this is because we're playing at
22:26
like a travel ball complex. It's not, you know, a
22:28
real college.
22:29
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would say you. I would say a lot
22:31
of the times.
22:31
Speaker 4: I think because I've never played there, obviously being from Michigan,
22:34
but a lot of my teammates are all from Starland, California,
22:37
so they had played there playing travel ball and growing
22:39
up and stuff like that.
22:40
Speaker 2: And we were all talking and I remember some some
22:43
games just like, dude, this feels like you're playing travel right.
22:46
Speaker 4: Now, Like I can't play in Oregon right now, like
22:49
a Friday, and like it just feels like it's because
22:51
we're at a travel ball and all this stuff.
22:52
Speaker 2: But I would say, I don't know. There was a
22:55
lot of funny moments, for sure.
22:56
Speaker 4: I think we would the tart poles sometimes for pretty
23:00
fun because we didn't it wasn't the field, so we
23:04
didn't know where to put the tar, and it was
23:07
it was we were out there for a long time.
23:08
We should have with with the tart pulls and all
23:11
that stuff. So I think that was probably. I would
23:15
say that was probably. I mean, there was a lot
23:17
of a lot of that was was funny just because
23:19
it was we didn't really know our way around.
23:21
Speaker 3: But I'd say the.
23:22
Speaker 4: Tarps were definitely hilarious for hours on trying to figure
23:27
out to put in all this stuff.
23:30
Speaker 2: It was it was funny.
23:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, Yeah, and no, that's sweet. Yeah, I'll toss it
23:35
back to Drew.
23:36
Speaker 1: Now.
23:36
Speaker 3: I'll stop pestering you these questions about the great park,
23:39
but I need.
23:40
Speaker 1: More great park war from you, guys. This is killing me,
23:43
but just a matter you guys. Ah, Man, we got
23:47
a couple of minutes here where we're gonna put this tart.
23:49
That's yeah. Man. We talked about your sophomore season a
23:52
little bit. Jab again really brought the hard hit stuff
23:55
there with the lack of a home park. But man,
23:57
with you, there was certainly a concert of effort, at
24:00
least from my perspective, to really get into your power
24:03
more in game. Your slugging percentage, you lifted that by
24:07
more than like twenty five percent last year, and you
24:10
also you increased your home runs from the one to
24:12
ten last year. It's very impressive. Man. I was curious
24:16
if you could talk us about the kind of work
24:18
that went into that change. Was a diet lifting, maybe
24:22
like a change to your mentals or your approach at
24:25
the plate, maybe a little bit of everything. I'm curious
24:26
what brought about that power shift.
24:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would say definitely a little bit of everything.
24:30
Speaker 1: I think.
24:31
Speaker 4: I think my freshman year was very like everything to
24:35
my pull side was very top spun and ground balls
24:38
and stuff like that instead of back spitting stuff to
24:41
right field.
24:42
Speaker 2: I think that was just a concertive effort.
24:44
Speaker 4: By coach Jewett and I our hitting coach at USC
24:47
to just be able to work on pitches inside and
24:50
getting the proper ballflight to the full side and getting
24:53
balls in the air. Because I think I think I've
24:57
always been the past couple years, I've definitely got stronger,
25:00
and I think, you know, last year, I knew I
25:04
had the ability to to leave the yard a little
25:06
bit and that, but I knew I had to efficiently
25:09
in my swing be able to get myself into the
25:11
proper position to be able to pull the ball in
25:13
their I think also taking the weight room more seriously.
25:18
That's always been a big part in part of my
25:21
development is I've always kind of been a smaller, restrainer
25:23
kid ever since I was I was younger. I was
25:25
always kind of the skin of your kid, and I
25:29
knew that, you know, if I if I was serious
25:31
about baseball and I wanted to take it, you know,
25:33
be the best baseball player I could be, I had
25:34
to get in the weight room, get stronger. I think
25:36
last year I I really continued to focus on, Okay,
25:41
I really have to take this seriously if I want
25:43
to continue to get bigger and faster and stronger, so
25:46
getting in the weight room, doing the proper workouts, and
25:48
then also eating.
25:49
Speaker 2: You know, that's the other aspect of the diet side,
25:52
the diet side of it.
25:53
Speaker 4: You know, you can lift all you want, but if
25:55
you don't eat, then it's not it's.
25:56
Speaker 2: Not gonna do anything for you. So I think it
25:59
was it was a little bit of everything.
26:01
Speaker 4: I think it was mechanical adjustments in the weight room
26:04
and just lifting a ton, and then also even the
26:07
right way. I think those three main things that really
26:10
helped my uptake and in our production last.
26:14
Speaker 2: Year and set.
26:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, man with regards to that power, you know, the
26:18
uptick there. Obviously, like you said, it was a lot
26:21
of work and a lot of a multifaceted kind of
26:23
attack to really emphasize that power and game. I'm curious
26:26
over the course of the year, you know, whenever your
26:29
your pictures that are facing you kind of might have
26:31
realized that you are trying to adjust to that pull side.
26:34
You know, you've gotten stronger, clearly, but now you're trying
26:37
to look to pull those balls. What was the difference
26:40
that you noticed, at least in terms of the way
26:41
that pictures would attack you.
26:43
Speaker 4: Yeah, I would I would say it's I think throughout
26:46
the year you start to Obviously the beginning of the
26:50
year is tough for pictures.
26:51
Speaker 1: Because obviously you haven't you don't have enough.
26:53
Speaker 2: Data on the hitters.
26:55
Speaker 4: But I think as a year went on, I think
26:57
pictures started to do a lot of time soft stuff away.
27:01
I think that that obviously, for naturally a guy who's
27:04
pulling fastballs and doing that stuff, that's going to be okay,
27:08
let's try to throw soft stuff away. And you know,
27:13
once they start to do that, you know, as a hitter,
27:15
it got to make an adjustment as well, so you
27:17
kind of recognize, Okay, I kind of see how a
27:19
lot of these pictures are starting to throw me.
27:21
Speaker 2: They're they're not really coming in as much.
27:22
Speaker 4: They're starting to go soft stuff away to try to
27:24
give me to roll over and stuff like that. So
27:27
being able to change my sites and kind of just
27:31
sometimes change my approach within different bats is like, Okay,
27:34
this guy had success against me last at that with
27:36
a lot of off speed stuff. I would imagine he's
27:39
probably going to continue to charge to the same because
27:41
that's how he got me out. So being able to
27:43
adjust and and be just a smart baseball player and
27:46
understand that if a picture has success getting out one
27:51
way to probably going to continue to do that until
27:53
you improve them otherwise. So being able to understand the
27:57
pitching aspect is really for a hit. Being able to understand, hey,
28:02
this guys are pitching me a different way, so it's
28:05
kind of make an adjustment that that was kind of
28:07
take for me in the middle of the season. And yeah,
28:10
I think they definitely started to change the way they
28:13
pitched me once they kind of saw the uptick.
28:15
Speaker 2: But yeah, I think it was just baseball is all
28:19
about adjustment, So I think it was on both ends.
28:22
Speaker 1: So yeah, I love hearing guys discuss that kind of
28:25
the invisible chess game, if you will. It's adjustment versus
28:28
adjustment versus adjustment versus adjustment, And I love hearing you
28:32
talk about that man. Let's shift away from the plate
28:34
just a second. You were one of the countries if
28:37
he if not the country's very best center field or
28:40
at least in my opinion in terms of DRS defensive
28:43
run saved last season, very impressive stuff. First of all,
28:48
what do you like to do or what do you
28:49
maybe do differently to kind of keep your eyes or
28:51
your reflexes on point in the outfield?
28:54
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it's I think I think playing defense
28:58
has always kind of been one of my favorite things
29:01
about baseball because it's very.
29:02
Speaker 2: Reactionary and instinctual. I think being able to and it
29:06
kind of all stems back to my dad. He's helped
29:08
me since I.
29:09
Speaker 4: Was a young age, but him being able to end
29:11
us working on reading bad angles and pitch locations and
29:16
obviously understanding, okay, my pitchers throwing this pitch in this location,
29:22
I can kind of almost sheet or predict you.
29:25
Speaker 2: Know, this hit. Probably can't all street pitch on the
29:30
outer hath maybe football.
29:32
Speaker 4: So being able to understand pitch locations and and that
29:35
things and all those things, understanding if earlier.
29:38
Speaker 2: Laid or on time and stuff like that.
29:39
Speaker 4: I think it's that's what I that's what I enjoyed,
29:43
because I think on the defense.
29:44
Speaker 2: It's there's an aspect of picking your teammate up.
29:47
Speaker 4: You know, sometimes your pitch is not gonna be the
29:49
best pitch, or sometimes you will make a good pitch
29:51
and hero just put him and swinging on and being
29:53
able to track down the ball and making people play
29:55
that maybe you shouldn't be able to and having your
29:58
pictures back.
29:59
Speaker 2: I think that's that's that's cool for me.
30:01
Speaker 4: That's what I that's why I like to know baseball
30:03
and being able to make it play for for somebody
30:05
else and obviously ultimately for the team that that helps
30:09
the team win.
30:09
Speaker 2: And yeah, I think.
30:11
Speaker 4: Baseball defense and center field my my favorite part of
30:16
the game because, like I said, it's instinctual being able
30:19
to take a deeper dive on.
30:22
Speaker 2: Pitch locations and speeds and all that stuff. That that
30:25
kind of is what I think separates me from defenders
30:28
and center.
30:29
Speaker 1: For the college baseball absolutely. I love I love kind
30:33
of your approach to defense. It's very it's very service
30:36
oriented in a way. You you're looking to serve the pitcher,
30:39
serve the team, do what you can and use your
30:41
like you said, your eye and your instincts, and you're
30:44
very developed, uh skill in center field there. So I
30:49
will ask this, Uh, did you happen to have a
30:51
favorite catch last year and could you talk about it?
30:54
Speaker 2: Favorite catch? Honestly? I would say, honestly, I think probably
31:00
my I made a catch on opening.
31:02
Speaker 4: Day and like left center field gap like towards on
31:07
the track, I like laid out for and dope on
31:09
the track.
31:10
Speaker 2: That was I think that was fun.
31:11
Speaker 4: Obviously opening day, everyone's super excited to be out there
31:14
and play.
31:14
Speaker 2: And I remember I think that was a third out.
31:18
Speaker 4: I laid out, I dope, laid out on the track,
31:21
caught it, and then we came in the bob first
31:24
and scored ten runs. So that was that was pretty
31:27
That was that was like, that was Yeah, that was
31:29
pretty cooler. So I think that was I would say
31:32
that was that was probably my favorite. But yeah, yeah,
31:37
I'd say that was my favorites.
31:39
Speaker 1: That's awesome, man, I want a memory just kind of
31:42
spark that sparked that energy for the team.
31:45
Speaker 5: Yeah, we've uh, we've talked a lot about your sophomore
31:48
year and everything last year related. It was a pretty
31:51
big year for USC like as a program in terms
31:54
of where they've been recently. It was the first regional
31:58
in a decade. I think that you the c last year,
32:01
which is I mean obviously goes without saying a huge deal.
32:04
I mean to start, you guys beat TCU by a
32:07
whopping twelve runs and had to play and beat Saint Mary's,
32:10
who you know, beat Oregon State the number one seed
32:13
earlier in the regional. What was the experience of playing
32:17
an environment like a notoriously difficult environment like Corvellis like
32:22
like kind of whatted to tell you?
32:23
Speaker 2: Yeah?
32:23
Speaker 4: That was that was super fun. I think going into it.
32:28
Obviously have never played in a regional and going into it,
32:32
I remember my dad telling me a little bit obviously
32:34
before mentioned you guys talking about him playing in the regional.
32:37
Speaker 2: And stuff like that.
32:37
Speaker 4: I think he told me before going to the regional
32:40
that it's gonna be one of the coolest experiences that.
32:43
Speaker 2: I've ever all I had in.
32:46
Speaker 4: Obviously being able to play play off baseball in college.
32:49
That's a huge deal. And I knew that was gonna
32:50
be fun, have much expectations and not really sure what
32:55
to expect from it. But yeah, man, I think it
32:58
was just it was it was so much twenty was
33:00
so cool, and and that that first game played TCU
33:04
and you just feel the energy right away from the
33:06
first pitch. And I think that's what was so exciting
33:10
is and is so much fun on baseball is that
33:12
every every pitch just seems to mean that much more,
33:15
you know what I mean. It's just there's something about
33:17
it that every pitch it just feels like the game
33:19
is just relying on this pitch for whatever reason. It's
33:22
just every time there's a guy's a runnering scoring position,
33:27
it just gets way more intense. Every pitch means a lot.
33:31
So I think it's it was really cool to to
33:34
go there. Obviously, like you said, Coals for a really
33:37
tough regional and hostle and hostile environment and less for sure,
33:42
and being going to the to the regional finals playing
33:46
Oregon State twice.
33:47
Speaker 2: I think that was that was tough.
33:49
Speaker 4: I mean, obviously, playing anywhere in the regional there's is
33:52
going to be fans supporting stuff like that.
33:54
Speaker 2: But yeah, I think it was.
33:56
Speaker 3: It was.
33:57
Speaker 2: It was an awesome moment.
33:58
Speaker 4: And I think playing in a regional playing playoff baseball
34:02
of those things that once you get a taste of it,
34:04
you just want to do anything it takes to get
34:07
back there.
34:08
Speaker 2: So I think that's where I'm at right now. It's
34:10
just like, man, I've been there.
34:13
Speaker 4: It was so much fun to compete in that, in
34:15
that environment, and I'm just looking to get back there
34:18
any way, any way possible.
34:19
Speaker 5: So yeah, right, I mean, Flora State, it's looking like they,
34:23
you know, they could maybe even host one this year.
34:25
I mean that would be a completely different experience too.
34:29
I mean, you you kind of touched on this, but
34:32
you know, talking about how exciting and like fun and
34:35
intense the regional environment everything is. Was there more of
34:39
like are you actually have touched on this when talking
34:41
about like specific abs too. Was there more of like
34:44
a like a nerves feeling to it, or were you
34:46
more just like excited to play in the environment than anything.
34:49
Speaker 4: I would say a little bit of both. I think
34:51
I think I was definitely nervous, just because of the
34:54
fact that, you know, I want to win so bad,
34:58
we want to win this region. We want to go
34:59
to do all these things and and but I think
35:04
there's also aspect of excitement, like this is, like you mentioned, Josh,
35:08
this is the first regional that US has been in
35:11
in a decade like that.
35:12
Speaker 2: That that holds weight, that that means a lot.
35:14
Speaker 4: And I think that's super exciting to be a part
35:18
of that team that's that's been the US hasn't been
35:23
to originally ten years and in your team that that
35:25
brings them back. I think that was super exciting and
35:28
super fun to have your name on that team. And
35:33
but yeah, I think there's definitely aspects of both definitely
35:36
nerves because of how bad we want to win and
35:39
what we know we're capable of, but also the fact that, man,
35:42
this is exciting. I mean, there's a lot of people
35:44
that we'd be here. I think we've won the last
35:47
teams in in the tournament, and it's just exciting to
35:52
be here and you know we're capable of let's go.
35:54
Speaker 3: To show we can do right. Yeah, it is always
35:57
cool to hear about.
35:58
Speaker 5: Like you know, these days all sports are kind of
36:00
an into have an into the dualistic aspect to it.
36:04
But like you know, hearing people that care about the
36:05
team and know about like the history, and hey, how
36:07
big of a deal is As for our fans, it's
36:08
always it's always cool, So you know, it's it's cool
36:12
to hear about how guys take the weight of that
36:16
environment into account and like, yeah, like, I mean, it's
36:19
a bigger deal.
36:20
Speaker 3: It's a bigger environment for a reason, trying to win
36:22
it all. Yeah, kind of. I guess to piggyback off
36:27
of Josh is one thing too. You guys got to
36:30
play in the Big Ten tournament and you guys got
36:32
to go to to Omaha to play in that, which
36:34
is pretty sick to be able to do playing in
36:36
that stadium. Looking at UNC I got to go two
36:39
years ago. How is that experience for you? Getting to
36:42
to go and play in that sagum Even though it's
36:43
not necessarily the way you guys wanted to, it's still cool. Yeah,
36:47
how do you enjoy that?
36:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, no doubt, I think that was That was awesome.
36:50
Speaker 4: I think growing up obviously, I've been a college baseball
36:54
fan since a young age. And obviously I've watched the
36:56
College World Series every year it's on, and and you
36:59
know of Omaha and Obviously we didn't go to the
37:04
Omaha and then say tournament, but playing there in the
37:06
Big Ten tournament was was awesome being able to play
37:09
at the stadium where you've watched so many players play
37:13
there since you were so young, and and be on
37:16
the same field as those guys, and.
37:19
Speaker 2: And just being able to be there with the team
37:23
with us.
37:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, just.
37:26
Speaker 4: It was definitely interesting West Coast team being out there
37:28
in the Big Ten for the first time. But yeah,
37:30
I think it's just a super special moment to be
37:32
able to play on the field that you know you've been.
37:37
Speaker 2: Wanting to for so long, and seeing so.
37:39
Speaker 4: Many great players to play there, and yeah, it was
37:42
just that aspect of I think we all kind of
37:45
just were in all being at Omaha.
37:48
Speaker 3: So so yeah, yeah, no, for sure. I mean that's
37:52
it's a sick place. It's it's awesome when you get
37:54
to go there. Kind of piggyback in off of that, obviously,
37:57
after the season you go in the portal, Well, was
38:00
that experience like for you entering the portal and then
38:03
kind of what was your process like after that? How
38:05
fast it all come together for you?
38:07
Speaker 5: Yeah?
38:07
Speaker 2: I actually entered the portal pretty late in the process.
38:10
Speaker 4: I think there was only about a week left in
38:12
the portal window before I decided to enter the portal
38:16
and I was out in the Cape Cod Cape Cod
38:19
League this summer when I when I was in the
38:21
portal and there's a lot of travel back and places,
38:26
take visits and and stuff like that.
38:29
Speaker 2: Ultimately, I chose Florida State because there's Frank Glad.
38:33
Speaker 4: I don't know if there's been another team in the
38:35
past couple of years that and as successful as as
38:38
Coach Jarrett and the staff here in the program has
38:41
been looked back the past couple of years, and the
38:44
development that Coach Jarrett and the coaching staff has done
38:46
here is second to the country. I mean, it's it's impressive.
38:51
Speaker 2: And you know.
38:55
Speaker 4: When I obviously I know about the teams and the
38:56
country and all that stuff, and I know how successful
38:59
first it's been. Not just I'm just like, what is
39:02
he doing over there that is getting these players to
39:04
play this well? And like he's got to have he's
39:06
got to be doing something over there, because it's like
39:08
the past two or three years, it's every guy's in
39:12
over three twenty and he's got back.
39:14
Speaker 2: To back acc players in the year it's like, I.
39:17
Speaker 4: Don't know what what's going on there, but I need
39:19
to figure it out. So being able to come down
39:22
here on a visit and talk to coach Jarrett and
39:25
coaching staff and kind of understand their full philosophy and
39:28
some things that I could kind of work on to
39:31
be the best player and things that he would help
39:33
me to be the best player. And I was like, dude, yeah,
39:35
like what the heck, I'm on the board, like you're
39:38
speaking my language right now. So obviously being able to
39:42
obviously play in an ACC too, I mean, you dream
39:46
of of playing at the highest level, and Florida State
39:49
has been at the highest level, the top of the
39:50
ACC the.
39:51
Speaker 2: Past couple of years since coach Sharrett's been here.
39:52
Speaker 4: And I'm I'm an investorn guy from Michigan, so obviously
39:57
I kind of knew a little bit about you know,
39:59
coach Jarrett when he was at Notre Dame.
40:00
Speaker 2: You kind of an understanding of the schools around you,
40:03
and I.
40:04
Speaker 4: Mean his time, I know, the Dame going to the
40:06
College World Series and the players he developed there, and
40:09
then he goes to Colors Stake and players.
40:11
Speaker 2: I mean, it's just it's impressive.
40:14
Speaker 4: And being here in the fall so far, it's been
40:18
I understand and I see now why guys played so
40:21
hard at it and play so well for coach Yer,
40:24
because he's not gonna let he's not gonna let him
40:27
player fail. Honestly, I believe that he's he's very he's
40:32
very He has one of the most positive mindsets I
40:35
think I've kind of ever been around, in the fact
40:37
that he relays so much confidence into the team and
40:42
the players that it's it's it's like Coochier has that
40:47
much confidence in me, in in my teammates that it's
40:49
it's like, how could I not have confidence myself that
40:52
type of thing.
40:52
Speaker 2: So I think it's it's really cool to have.
40:55
Speaker 4: A coach that's literally like, you're not gonna like I'm
40:59
We're literally not his team had a bad season like
41:02
he's he's so on top of it. He's he's so dedicated,
41:05
he's into every practice, and it's just really cool to
41:08
have a coach that's bad invested in you as a
41:11
player and also the team winning.
41:13
Speaker 3: So yeah, that's awesome.
41:16
Speaker 1: Man. You said so much just right there about kind
41:19
of what it was that sold you. I know that
41:21
you talked about kind of those conversations and those thoughts
41:23
about coach Jarrett specifically, and I know that you being
41:26
very defensive minded, you and he probably linked up on
41:29
that he somewhere, if I'm not mistaken, somewhere in there
41:32
you'll have to ask you about that. I suspect maybe
41:36
another part of this we're not really talking about is
41:38
you already know you look good and gold and red.
41:40
Maybe this is just maybe an adjustment, Maybe you alter
41:43
the colors a little bit, maybe you want to put
41:44
them Sunday golds on. I don't know, maybe a little
41:47
bit of that you talked about the team and how
41:49
just the the whole atmosphere is different. There. Let's shout
41:53
out one one teammate really quick, one of your new
41:55
teammates who's been the most welcoming guy thus far. Just
41:59
one guy you, and let's do too. Since you're being
42:03
such a good INTERNV, we'll give you to too. So
42:07
you're gonna get me in trouble, I hope. No, what's
42:12
up with this man?
42:13
Speaker 3: Yeah?
42:14
Speaker 2: Seriously, I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say Hunter Karnes has
42:19
been he's Yeah, he's he's he's a great teammate so far,
42:23
so far, Hunter ahead of yourself. And then uh, i'd
42:27
say Rody Delore as well, he's out there, but I
42:30
think he's yeah, he's he's been. Those two guys have
42:35
been awesome.
42:35
Speaker 4: But there's I could this about twenty guys you Drew
42:38
Drew limited to watching this.
42:41
Speaker 1: It's my fault. It's my fault.
42:43
Speaker 3: Uh. Yeah.
42:44
Speaker 1: It's good to hear though that the team has been
42:46
so accepting. You know, we we've talked a lot on
42:49
the last couple of episodes, even about the transfer portal,
42:51
and then Florida State has been really active and gotten
42:54
a lot of talent. It's it's gonna be a dangerous
42:57
group down there in Tallahassee. And I'm glad to hear
42:59
that they've been welcoming. Everyone has been welcoming our buddy
43:02
Braiden into the total no doubt.
43:06
Speaker 5: Yeah, I feel like, you know, moving on to a
43:09
path like a post for a state kind of mindset.
43:11
I feel like it's safe to assume that you you know,
43:13
I would like to play professional baseball and the miners
43:16
and the majors one day. How much do you allow
43:19
yourself to think about the LB draft and like a
43:22
post college mindset right now, even with this like big
43:25
season coming upon.
43:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would say not too much.
43:28
Speaker 4: I think, you know, obviously I have dreams and aspirations
43:31
of playing for professional baseball and playing and MLB, and honestly,
43:35
I believe that I'm going to be able to do
43:36
that and I will do that. But I think it's
43:40
right now. I think it's just I'm not really concerned
43:43
about it.
43:43
Speaker 2: I know that, you know, I'm more focused about the team.
43:47
Speaker 4: I'm very you know, I'm more team oriented than I
43:50
am about myself and worrying about when drafting, like before
43:54
mentioned multiple times, and I just.
43:55
Speaker 2: Want to win.
43:56
Speaker 4: And that's that's why I'm here, That's why I'm not State.
44:00
I want to put the College Gold Series and and
44:03
when the entire thing and I think it would be
44:06
a very selfish thing. Need to be able to focus on,
44:10
you know, my future and will be draft and stuff
44:13
like that when we have this good of a team
44:15
like you mentioned.
44:16
Speaker 2: How how how good we look on paper.
44:21
Speaker 4: And man, I think it's it's gonna be an exciting year.
44:24
And yeah, so I don't think I like that that
44:27
whole thing creep in my mind at all.
44:28
Speaker 2: I know, if I just go out and play my.
44:30
Speaker 4: Game, everything's going to take care of itself, so I'm
44:32
not I'm not worried about any of.
44:34
Speaker 2: That, and ultimately, just man, just focus on the season.
44:38
Speaker 5: And yeah, right, I mean that's that's fair considering that
44:44
you know most of college. If depending on how well
44:48
you do and how well the team does in some aspect,
44:50
that'll you know, boot you up draft boards and whatnot.
44:53
But hey, for what it's worth that prospects life. We
44:56
think you've got a future in that front is do
44:57
you have that you will? That's all I appreciate.
45:00
Speaker 2: I appreciate your vote to support, guys. I appreciate it.
45:02
Speaker 1: Absolutely got the vote to support from us for sure.
45:06
You know, maybe maybe what this means Brandon is maybe
45:10
June July, when you come into uh come into some
45:13
free time, maybe we'll have you back on the show
45:15
and we can maybe we can talk about it. But
45:17
as for now, it's glad to hear that you're kind
45:19
of all team mindset. It's groad to be refreshing all
45:22
of the twenty two teammates. You could have listened just
45:24
a minute ago. They're all like, man, this breaking guy,
45:26
he's he's about us. That's great. A selfish guy I'm
45:29
selfish guy that break Uh, it's been great getting to
45:32
know more about you. Man, I have a couple of
45:34
quick hitters. Maybe some this or that we can talk
45:36
about if that's cool. Uh, breakfast or dinner.
45:42
Speaker 4: I know everyone says breakfast is the most important the
45:45
other day, and I partially agree.
45:47
Speaker 2: But I'm not a big like.
45:48
Speaker 4: When I wake up, I'm not a huge like breakfast.
45:50
I'm not super hungry, which is tough. But I would
45:55
say I think I would say dinner because you have
45:58
more options. You can go so different breakfast. You're kind
46:00
of limited to add cereal waffles and pancakes.
46:07
Speaker 2: I can't have you know what I mean. You can
46:09
do breakfast for dinner, you can't do dinner for breakfast.
46:11
So I'd go I would go dinner.
46:14
Speaker 1: Breakfast for dinner. Yeah, if somebody came to me and said, man,
46:17
that did dinner for breakfast, think I might think a
46:20
little different that person going forward. That's a good point.
46:23
Speaker 3: Uh.
46:23
Speaker 1: Your pregame playlist hype or chill, I would say I would.
46:29
Speaker 2: Say a little bit of mixture of both.
46:31
Speaker 4: I think I'd definitely like to get myself going a
46:33
little bit with some hype music, but at a certain aspect.
46:35
If I if I'm getting a little bit too pumped up,
46:39
I'll call I'll calm down a little bit.
46:41
Speaker 2: Or if it's if it's a.
46:41
Speaker 4: Little bit too loud in the locker room to to hype,
46:44
then I'll just throw on my headphones on some more
46:48
chill music. But but yeah, definitely depends my es, depends
46:52
where I'm I'm feeling that type thing.
46:54
Speaker 1: But but yeah, give me an example of something you
46:56
would call chill. If you had to chill out a
46:58
little bit, what would you put on? Oh, I would say, like, oh, chill.
47:05
Speaker 4: Sometimes I'll just play like relaxing music, Like just like
47:09
if I really need to just like calm down, I'll
47:11
just play.
47:11
Speaker 2: Some relax music. But I would say more chill. Just
47:15
I don't know. I'm a big Drake guy.
47:17
Speaker 4: I think drake is just like something slower by Drake.
47:21
I think it's just something like an R and B
47:24
song something like that.
47:25
Speaker 2: Like that's that's right up my alleen.
47:27
Speaker 1: Word, all right? Would you? And I see, I feel
47:30
like I wrote this question a minute ago. Now I
47:31
feel like I know the answer for sure. Would you
47:33
rather make a diving catch to save a run or
47:37
hit a double in the gap, score a run.
47:39
Speaker 4: Oh, diving catch. I think yeah, it's gotta be diving catch, right,
47:43
like yeah everyone, Yeah, yeah, definitely diving catch. Everyone can
47:47
hit a double and score a run that you know
47:49
what I mean? It takes takes a lot more diavin plays,
47:52
so I would say it's pretty special.
47:57
Speaker 2: I would say the daving plays is definitely.
47:59
Speaker 3: Yeah.
47:59
Speaker 2: I think that's more fun, getting dirty and doing all
48:01
that stuff.
48:02
Speaker 1: So nice day game or night game?
48:06
Speaker 2: Oh, night game. I think night games are.
48:09
Speaker 4: It's just something about the app something in the atmosphere
48:11
makes night games more lively.
48:13
Speaker 2: For whatever reason, it just.
48:14
Speaker 4: Seems to get more more intense and yeah, something with
48:18
something about you know, the lights is just yeah.
48:21
Speaker 1: Josh JB. Do you guys have any input on that?
48:23
Do you prefer day or night games?
48:26
Speaker 3: I mean, I think night game.
48:27
Speaker 5: The reason why the atmosphere is always so much better
48:29
is because no matter what sport you're.
48:31
Speaker 3: Playing, everyone's looking forward to that thing at night.
48:35
Speaker 5: Yeah, at the night it's like the end cappier day,
48:37
and like that's what everything seems to be surrounded around.
48:40
Speaker 3: Day game.
48:40
Speaker 5: It's just like you feel like you're gonna leave if
48:43
you're just a fan per se, like you feel like
48:44
you're gonna leave and you know, just have other things
48:46
to go about your business.
48:47
Speaker 3: And do I think there's just.
48:48
Speaker 5: Something about there's a reason they call it prime time.
48:50
It's like it's the main thing that everything's focused around.
48:53
Everyone's amped up in Tallahassee. They've probably been drinking for
48:56
a long time, so I think I think part of
48:58
that plays into it.
49:00
Speaker 4: Yeah, but I've never really heard that point of view, Josh,
49:03
But that makes actually a lot of sense.
49:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, wouldn't we. I'd say night game
49:08
into and especially when we played with UNC last year.
49:11
When I traveled down there was like the last year's
49:12
year to win the ACC regular season title was on
49:15
the line basically, and then the FSU fans were into it.
49:19
Then you can tell they were drunk. The K chants
49:21
were coming out, you know, didn't matter what the score was.
49:24
They're screaming at our guys the whole game. It's kind
49:26
of they're into it for sure. So I get the
49:28
mold of Section B. You learn that. Yeah.
49:32
Speaker 5: I went to what you can see FSU series in
49:34
like twenty seventeen, I think it was, and we sat
49:36
right in front of them the entire weekend and they're
49:39
just like they sing Oh Canada every fifth inning, and
49:42
it's just like a bunch of weird stuff, but it's
49:45
their own thing down there.
49:46
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, hopefully Brandon, you don't get the engage's
49:50
mom has got it going on? Was the song last
49:52
year they'd sing about Gage Errilson. So you know, hopefully that's.
49:55
Speaker 1: Not you that gets caught up in that.
49:56
Speaker 3: You know, I don't know what song they're going to
49:58
give you, but they go on for everybody they got.
50:00
Speaker 4: Yeah, hopefully I get a better They haven't given me
50:03
anything yet, but hopefully, yeah, a good song or something
50:06
like that. But I remember we were playing our we
50:08
played our like Fall World series game and obviously it's
50:11
just an inner squad against each other and obviously the
50:14
fans are out to coom and some of the animals
50:18
were there, of course, and I let off the game.
50:21
I was in two strike count and they started saying
50:23
K time and I.
50:23
Speaker 3: Was just like me, like.
50:27
Speaker 4: It was I understand it because that's also our player,
50:30
but like you're doing K time like it was Definitely
50:33
I didn't like being on that. I didn't like being
50:35
on the receiver at all. So, I'm glad I'm not
50:38
an opposing team.
50:39
Speaker 1: So they're just getting their practice into it's the fall
50:42
for them to Yeah, absolutely, animals. You heard it. He's
50:47
up on the K time, Biden. He's doing his best
50:50
man there, all right, Branden PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, do you
50:54
have a preference? Xbox has to be Xbox favorite game
50:58
all time.
51:00
Speaker 4: For I mean, it's gotta be Fortnite, right, Like, I
51:03
just think the prime of Fortnite has is just unmatched.
51:06
Speaker 2: I think yeah, I would say, like, obviously I love
51:08
Madden in two K.
51:10
Speaker 4: I was like really big into those games, but the
51:13
longevity of Fortnite has just been I think I have
51:16
too many memories of playing Fortnite and trying to sneak
51:19
late night, playing Fortnite with my friends in high school
51:21
and getting called.
51:22
Speaker 2: So I think it's just there's too much more around Fortnite.
51:25
Speaker 1: For Yeah, pretty awesome. Let's shot shove another personnel and
51:31
only one this time. I'm only gonna let you have one. Briton.
51:33
You already tried that trick with me. Best picture you
51:36
faced last season and why last season? Last season?
51:43
Speaker 2: H m hmm. I think last oh, I would say, uh,
51:55
pretty good picture. Regional game one, pretty good picture.
51:59
Speaker 3: Ye.
52:00
Speaker 1: Talented for sure. We like him a lot as well. Here,
52:03
all right, one final question for you, Braid. We don't
52:05
want to take up all of your day. Here. Let's
52:08
assume that there's a lot of people watching this interview
52:10
man Florida State fans, big League scouts, maybe some team
52:13
brass from MLB, maybe maybe some opposing ACC coaches. We
52:17
know one guy associated with an ACC team is watching
52:19
this and taking really diligent notes. Right now, Let's say
52:22
that you could describe yourself as a player and as
52:25
a person in one sentence to them, to everybody watching,
52:29
what would you.
52:29
Speaker 4: Say, as a player controlled chaos, that's why I play
52:37
controlled chaos.
52:40
Speaker 1: May what about as a person, as a person, who
52:42
are you? In one sentence?
52:47
Speaker 4: As a person, I'm very I say lively. I think
52:52
I'm a very energetic person. I love to joke around.
52:55
I'm a jokester. But yeah, I'd say I carry a
52:59
lot of energy with me up to be the jokes
53:03
during the club outside. Say that's that's me as a person.
53:06
Speaker 1: The jokes, the energy, the controlled chaos. It certainly plays
53:10
well with your friends here at college baseball. Now, we've
53:14
we've loved having you, Braiden. It's been a great interview.
53:16
We've we've had a good time with you. Do want
53:18
to ask if you have any social media's or things
53:20
that you'd like to plug. We'd love to hear.
53:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just uh, just Braiden Dowt, just my name.
53:26
No no periods, no hashtags, no underscores, just breaking down.
53:29
Speaker 1: Straight up on Instagram, on Twitter every time.
53:34
Speaker 2: On Twitter. Yeah, Instagram and Twitter.
53:36
Speaker 1: Very good man. Again, we want to thank you for
53:39
your time so much, dude. It's been such a great interview,
53:41
great getting to know you, and I know that we
53:42
are looking forward to covering you and in Florida State
53:45
as a whole this year at Prospects Life. Thank you
53:49
again so much for your time. Buddy.
53:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you guys so much for having me. Had
53:51
a blast, it was awesome.
53:54
Speaker 1: All Right, we're gonna go back to the regular studio
53:56
Braiden has been with us. We're gonna wrap up the episode.
53:59
We'll see be with in just a second. Awesome stuff.
54:03
Glad to have had Brayden on the show. He was
54:05
such a phenomenal guest and really went deep with all
54:08
of us about his career, about what he's working on
54:12
and about his hopes for a Florida State season in
54:15
twenty twenty six, certainly a memorable one if it all
54:18
goes Braden's way. Did want to talk to you really
54:20
quickly about what's going on at Prospects Live if you
54:23
have missed it. Tons of stuff at least in the
54:26
draft and College Baseball World recently had an interview with
54:30
mister Alain Gomez Gadino that is on the site. You
54:32
could check that out. Jake's conference reviews for twenty twenty
54:36
six are going splendidly as of this recording date. The
54:39
Patriot League is our most recent one. Great stuff. Highly
54:42
recommend you guys check that one out for sure. We've
54:45
got the Dynasty team just going absolutely. Ham and Cheese
54:47
right now have released Dynasty outlooks and lineups for twenty
54:51
twenty eight all the way across, as well as a
54:53
huge update to the top six hundred Fantasy Prospects. Incredible
54:57
stuff the draft. Excuse me, the pro S team that
55:01
they are going insane as well. Giant's Top twenty has
55:04
released recently Dynasty Baseball Pickup Guys are going that excuse me.
55:09
Their podcast episodes are so steady and consistent you love
55:12
to see it. Sam mcorder with a really in depth
55:14
and interesting article about a new angle on UCLs. We're
55:17
talking about picture arm injuries. That's got some really deep
55:20
stuff in there that I'm sure you'll love. All kinds
55:22
of stuff from the nl West. In terms of prospects,
55:25
the twenty twenty six box Draft two point zero that
55:27
the staff worked on is still available if you haven't
55:29
had a chance to read that at prospects Live dot com,
55:31
and if it isn't already out, it will be very soon.
55:34
Top one hundred n Cuba Prospects for the twenty twenty
55:37
six draft. The team has worked so hard on it.
55:39
It has been a labor of love on all of us.
55:41
But it's one that we think you're really going to enjoy.
55:44
Of course, as well. Before the end of the year,
55:46
lock in your low low rate if you're curious and
55:48
you want to see what Prospects Live has at its
55:50
lowest rate five dollars a month, it's only going up
55:53
to seven. We still think that we're one of the
55:55
best values in baseball across the internet. But if you're
55:57
interested in some of the written concept from some of
55:59
the very very right minds on the Prospects Live Amateur team.
56:02
I recommend you check out that value over at the
56:06
site while you can lock it in at the lowest
56:07
rate possible until the end of twenty twenty five. Do
56:11
want to recommend if, of course, you have interest in
56:13
following me between our episodes, you can do so on
56:16
the Twitter Machine, on Instagram, on Blue Sky at Drew
56:19
is okay, and we want to say again one more time,
56:22
thank you to Braden Dowd for spending his time with
56:24
us on this episode. We hope that you enjoyed it.
56:27
Please drop us some comments below let us know what
56:28
you thought, what players you'd like to see us interview next,
56:31
and until next time for the whole crew at College Baseball. Now,
56:35
I'll see you later.