Tracking the Cats
Wide ranging discussion of Western Carolina University athletics hosted by long time alumni and supporters, Bob Sabin & Steve White.
Tracking the Cats
Tracking the Cats 1/8/2026 - Basketball, Football, Baseball
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Steve and Bob discuss WCU men's & women's basketball, as well as football and the portal, and the upcoming Catamount baseball season.
Welcome to tracking the Cats. I'm Bob Saban, along with Steve White here every couple of weeks. Took a little Christmas break but we're back at you early in January and ready to go. We've got some good stuff coming up. We're brought to you as always by Stanbury Insurance offices all around the area as. is the home office, Waynesville, Highlands and Clyde. Give Stanbury a call if you ever have any insurance needs, which I'm sure you do. we got a couple of really cool things going on, Steve. One is that we are going to be starting podcast airing weekly. WWCU 95.3 FM in and can be heard across, I think it's three different counties Swain, Macon, and Jackson. And so it should expand and give you the availability listeners to tune in on Saturday mornings at nine o'clock. And here Steve and me do our little, hopefully meaningful chats from
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah. Do dog and pony show? Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718absolutely. This episode we don't have any special guests, but we have a lot to talk about. There's, three or four sports that we want to discuss and some things along the sports and athletics line at Western Carolina. But we're gonna start out with men's basketball because today being Thursday, January 8th we played Sanford last night in Birmingham actually Homewood, Alabama. And had a I thought was gonna be a route early in the game.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes. Led by 18 points in the first half, Bob, and I was really feeling good about. About the situation too. And they caught up with us mid three through the second half and unfortunately I think we scored only 11 points in the last eight minutes of that ball game and let them take control of the ball game. And I don't know if you noticed or not. Huge crowd there last night, I think I counted 28 people or something like that.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718The official count was 800 and
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718there's no way there was
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718200 people in
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah. That was season ticket holders the band, which maybe was there, the cheerleaders, everybody that you know, thought about coming to the game or listened to it on their radio, maybe something like that. They were counting a lot of people. Yes. I'll never complain again about western's basketball attendants after seeing that.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718I'll never complain about Western's ESPN coverage at home because
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718I think, some of the best, and I would say most neutral on an SPN broadcast sportscasters and hooker and whoever else he has next to him and,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yep,
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718he's on his own, right.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714exactly. Yeah. Hooker's, multifaceted. Yes, he is.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718The basketball team I saw that there was only one lead change in the game, and that was late in the game.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718unfortunately the rest of the game.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah, that, like I say that last eight minutes of the ball game, you could just see it fading away, just not able to take care of the basketball and missing, I don't know, maybe six or eight layups we missed in that ball game. But Samuel Dott. That's a new name. A lot of people don't know who Samuel's data is, but you can't miss him. He was about seven footer and coming out of out of Africa, and he had a career high 19 points last night. Missed only one. From the floor in the ball game six of seven from the floor. He made all seven of his free throws. When's the last time you saw Western Big Man? Anybody over say six five? That could hit free throws consistently. Going back maybe to Jack Robinson, somebody like that. But 14 rebounds. That was his career. High, only one turnover. He blocked four shots and he didn't start, Kaba started the ball game, got in foul trouble early, and yeah. Yeah, he had 4,000, the first half. And Dota just took over and established himself. I'm, that's exciting right there. Now when's the last time we had a big man with those kind of numbers? That's impressive. Yes. Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718I, yeah, hopefully we keep him. Maybe there'll be some Portal with the NCAA meeting next week. But one thing that I wanted to mention was his ability for offensive rebounds, it
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714the right.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718but not just him, but as a team. We are leading the Southern Conference in offensive rebounds. I think we're third or fourth in over in defensive rebounds, but still a much improved statistic,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718was gonna help us down the stretch if
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718figure out how to be more consistent with our shooting.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah I just gotta believe that our back court shooters, they're proven shooters. You're talking you're talking about Marcus Kale back there shooting the basketball summer Maria and I guess stansberry's then in and out, hot and cold. But our back court shooters last night really had an off night, only five of 15 on threes, only 16 of 47 from the floor. That's 34%. You've gotta shoot 40% or better to even really have a chance, even though we did have a chance. And we're only like two of seven on threes in the second half. And I, and like I say, I think we must have missed eight, maybe nine layups in that second half.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Almost 45% shooting in the first
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718boom,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718off,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_10071418 point lead. Yes. That, that, that was a tough loss. That was one of those coulda, shoulda, woulda, games and just like I say, disappointing finish, but very encouraging for, 30, 30 plus minutes of that ball game.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718We got Citadel in Charleston. Always tough.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714You're right.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718score. It's usually like at 95 to 89 game one way or the other. That's coming up on Saturday. And, citadel's really struggling this year, so hopefully we'll get some of the women are back if we can get a little more consistent.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714That's a huge, that's a must win situation for us Saturday down there to keep our head above waters because Wednesday a week from from last night we've got East Tennessee State coming in here and I really think Bob, they might be the best team in the league, came down between. East Tennessee and Mercer last week and East Tennessee beat them going away. And then of course we beat Furman. That was without without Bowser. But those probably right now are the three best teams. Looking at east Tennessee State, Mercer and Ferman. Now there might be some other people that are coming along and it's I'll tell you an interesting league right now. Like I say, east Tennessee and Wofford both at three and oh, now there's another team. Both are eight, 11 and five. Wofford is shooting the lights out of the basketball. They're not that physical, they're not the great inside. But this is a well coached team that. Everyone didn't expect after their coach lost his job and some players transferred. Really a lot of new faces in there. A lot of no names in that wofford lineup, but East Tennessee and Wafford right now, three and oh in the league, both of 'em 11 and five. Then you got UNC, Greensboro and Sanford and Furman, all at two and one and both. All with winning records though, and then. We got the Catamounts and VMI Mercer all at one and two, and really surprising Chattanooga at oh and three in the league. They they lost a lot of FF players to the NI. I know it, I know it's bad. And of course, Citadel bringing up the bottom there at oh and three. But again right now it's, the hardest, really get a look at it. But but East Tennessee and Wofford looking two of the big surprise teams and Mercer was playing extremely well until those last two losses. They've got the best overall second best overall record in the league right now. So it's gonna be a tough road, but I think this team is going to get better and better as we progress. And I think we're gonna see by Midseason the, what I am thinking we're gonna be, which was very competitive. Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718you and me being both of us, Florida natives
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718natives. The Mercer coach, my son and daughter-in-law actually know him and they, they've been very impressed with him and knew he would be struggling last year, but Some big improvements down there in Macon. They're
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714they really have.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718League this year. When is the Southern Conference never competitive? It's
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718The matter of at what level in the mid-majors are we competitive?
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah. Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Struggling against other teams or are we pretty solid. And I'd
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718us back to where we were days with College of Charleston and Davidson being part of the league.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah, Mr. Jennings up at East Tennessee and and back in the days of Marshall and when Chattanooga was actually a national recognized program over there. Yeah, hopefully that's gonna come, but again I, I just think this team is, like I say, a work in progress. That chemistry's not quite there, right? At the moment, and I call coach Kraft. I call him the mad scientist. As he is working with those chemicals, they're trying to get it all squared away. So we'll see the big week coming up. Like I say, a must win I think at the Citadel and a could set up something very interesting here next Wednesday night with East Tennessee.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718I'm looking forward to being there. I'm coming up from Atlanta and I'll be at the game next Wednesday to watch East Tennessee. Unfortunately, I'll have a Buccaneer friend sitting next to me, but if there's punches thrown in the stand, maybe some of the band
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714You are right.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718in and help me out.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714There you go. There you go. There you go. We'll have our students back on campus Monday, so we should have a good turnout Wednesday night. Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Yeah. So let's take a look at the ladies and they open up their schedule, their Southern conference schedule tonight, as a
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes. Against Mercer, A team that was originally picked, like they maybe just above us at the bottom of the league. Not highly respected. And right now Mercer is 10 and five. In the Southern Conference not in the Southern Conference, but overall this tonight are the first Southern Conference games for the women's programs. But again really you talk about injuries, just decimating a team right now as the cat lady cats are just really struggling losing Ellie Richardson for the year with knee surgery and a couple young ladies not able to play Grace pack out there really playing on one leg right now. But those sort of bone on bone and they are struggling, but again, you see some flashes there. And if it, again, if he could get a couple of people back from injuries, I think they could maybe. Turn into a competitive program this season.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Yeah. We had a couple of easy games there to close out the non-conference season and we scored 90 points in both games. They were teams that I think it was 91 to 16 or something, the
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah,
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718against team from
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714South Carolina, Christian. Yeah. They only had seven points in the first half and nine in the second half. Something like this. Yeah. But that wasn't really, but right now, Mercer, UNCG look to be, at the top. Chattanooga's always gonna be competitive. Furman looks very competitive in the women's side. East Tennessee, struggling a little bit and then Wofford, Sanford and Western right now. Not playing up to that level, but hopefully that'll turn around. Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718And Coach sipp seems to be one of the best coaches. Certainly the best pedigree we've had in quite some time
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718these ladies. So I'm, wanna be optimistic, but we gotta get past that injury. Buck.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah, exactly. That's it. And that's also plagued the men's team to a certain degree this season. But we just, yeah, we can't control that one. That's a couple of things. We can't control that. And NIL.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718So let's take the next 45 minutes and talk about football.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Okay. Alright, that's that's a lot to talk about. The portal underway right now, it'll go on until the 16th. The two weeks started the day after New Year's, the second and goes all the way through the 16th. And that's been a little bit depressing up to this point. Looking at our roster, Bob, I don't know if I would. Talk to you about this or not, but the VMI depth chart for the last game of the season. I looked on there and there looked like 18 players that could say initially return for next season that could be considered starters or regular players. And at my last count, 14 of those 18 are in the portal. Right now. So it's going to be it's a new world right now and it's I hope we can compete in it. It's gonna be a rebuilding job every two years. The it's tough. The N-A-L-N-I-L numbers now are just staggering. I wanna run a little talking about that and then we can come back. Talk about Western's situation here, but talking about the NIL I've got this report. It's about a 12 page report from the NCAA that was compiled by CPA, going into all the numbers. And for example the teams that are in the playoffs right now, Texas a and m, that was at one time, no longer in it the Southeastern Conference their roster, the cost of their roster. This is not talking about scholarships, this is just the cost of the roster. N-A-L-N-I-L money and so forth. This year was almost $35 million. Ohio State was like at 33 Texas Tech 28. And you go on down there and those are just, you throw in, I did a little background, a little search on this. You go into their NIL budget. What they spend on their football operations, their scholarships and everything like this is I think it comes out to about $81 million. In other words, you could pay everybody at Western Carolina, the administration, the chancellor's staff, everybody in the administration building, every faculty member, everybody in the athletic department, and still could not reach the number that Texas a and m spends on football. So that just a little reality check there, what we're talking about. And another good one, a team that we used to maybe could compare with would be James Madison. James Madison. Of course, we know about their activity fee. It's yeah, there's ridiculous to save the lives. Western Carolinas has $500 plus a year. James Madison at. $2,500. Last year, their student athletic fee generated $55 million. They have like over 23,000 students at that number. And so you can just see where we are right there as far as comparing. And then, like I say, they're a group of five program, but we're not quite on that level. The Sunbelt with Appalachian State. Georgia Southern and those people, but $55 million in activity fee. Our entire budget is around 15, $16 million for our entire athletic program, and they're spending probably what, 75, $80 million a year at James Madison. Yeah. Okay.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718But James Madison is an outlier, but still, if you even look at like Charlotte or Georgia Southern, they're spending three times, five times what we
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Looking at the G five and the P four teams, saw a stat the other day. I think the P four QBs average $750,000.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718their linemen are averaging like $400,000. For technically non-skilled positions, right? It, the money going to those people is crazy and that, my editorial thing on this is. If you're at Western or you are at Sanford and Mercer and you enter into the portal and by chance you, you're one of those, 60% of the people that do get picked up. You get one paycheck, you know you're going in as the third string QB at Oklahoma State or Iowa State, and you're getting $150,000. You may never get another check and you're probably not gonna get a degree.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Where You for the future? And
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718wrong from the NCAA standpoint, and I'm on my soapbox today, but you and I both are on the same page with this.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah. Bob, you look back and I think talk about everybody blames the ncaa, I blamed the courts, the court system of all these lawsuits had the NCAA made it probably a big mistake about five years ago when they had a chance. There was talk about this and there was, seemed to be some overwhelming, not overwhelming, some support about. Paying some players, giving them a stipend, football, basketball, and I'm sure this would trickle down to other sports. Now we're not talking about a million dollars a year. We're talking about, a couple of thousand dollars a year just to cover up. And that we know that the football, that a lot of athletes cannot have part-time jobs that even though they are getting scholarships and so forth, and it's still a lot of expense for them. That was never actually happened. And I've had, that was a critical time. That was about five years ago that could have happened and maybe we could avoided this mess that we're in right now. Yeah. Yeah. And Bob, you talked about, you mentioned one team while ago, Charlotte. Now, I don't know if you saw the news yesterday
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718I
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714about, and Charlotte I call 'em the UNCC. They call themselves Charlotte. They've put a lot of money into their football program and they're wanting to take the next. Step before the, I've been saying all year that Cole Gonzalez was going to come back to Western because a they have a freshman quarterback that had a great year up there and he was probably not projected to play. B, he was going to end the portal looking for a guarantee to start at quarterback in his fifth season next year and all that stuff, and maybe even play baseball in the spring. UNC Charlotte announced that he had declared for UNC Charlotte yesterday. So my thoughts, my great brain scan there about Cole Gonzalez coming back and taking care of our quarterback situation, obviously is not going to happen. Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718One of the things, one way that I get some news, and I want to plug somebody here, is Jerry Love a Western alum. Has a comment board for Western
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718I, I keep up with some of that. A lot of it is opinion. A lot of it is speculation. A lot of it is
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718emotion, but it's fun to read. So if you guys who are watching here have not. Enrolled on the Jerry Love Catamount Sports Forum. You can do so by going to catamount.boards.net and en enroll. And there are some terms of service. You can't be blowing up individuals or teammates on the thing,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714right.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718you can there's lots of different topics from every sport and Southern Conference and other schools, take a look at that.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah, I've been I've been enrolled in that since I think maybe day of the first month that Jerry started it and so forth. And very interesting. I like to say a lot of frustration, a lot of elation, A lot of things happen on that side, lot of opinions, but it's good.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Absolutely.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714keeps you informed. It really does.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718There, there's
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718and there are a few internal folks at Western. Like yourself James Hogan, who comment occasionally with not rumors.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718It's good information.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah, I'm somewhere between internal and external and somewhere in that area. I'm not sure what,
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Yeah. I hear you.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah. you were talking about our team and we've got. many folks who have declared for the portal. Fortunately in positions of skill we, we still have some depth and I'm also seeing recruiting reports that we are, we're making offers as some pretty solid players, both in the portal and in still in high school. And one thing. That Coach Bell and his staff does is they recruit well, that's what we've seen over five years now. That's what's turned this program around. So I'm optimistic on seeing who and what they can pick up in the coming weeks and on commitment day, which is what's the date, Steve? I think it's, was it February the second? I, it's early February. Yeah. The national, it's the second the final signing day for everybody for the portal. And another little thing about credit to our administration, Western starts classes back again on Monday, and the administration is actually extending the period that maybe adding another three or four days that, that students can enroll, transfer, transfer into Western Carolina and not be penalized and so forth. And that will help the people that we are interested in the portal that do commit to us through the portal to get enrolled and get set here for the second semester, for the spring semester. And that's very helpful. And I really think there's gonna be a lot of those young, a lot more than people expect. That will be coming here, not necessarily gonna get NIO money, but just an opportunity to play after they see our depleted roster. And we have some awful good, some very good talented people, especially in the wide receiver area coming back and some running backs and that, that were helpful. And like I say, this is it's it's not domville, but it's something, it's. It's reality, it's gonna be this way, basically for many years to come. Unless there are some significant changes with the NCAA and the courts. Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718is not just us. There are over
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Oh yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718students or player athletes in the portal right now.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Yeah. That's a ton.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718If you average out all the division one, division two and division three schools, it comes out to what about 600 schools,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Right.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718in the NCAA. You're talking about eight p an average of eight people entering the portal from every school, and that's gonna be up and down, but.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah, and we've had over the, like last year we had what, three or four players come back that had been, had left for a year, then came back and coach Bell, he's got a philosophy about that. And you gotta go along with it about this situation there, as if you leave and I give you a scholar. To say to a high school or another transfer. Sorry about that. But we've had three or four pretty good ones come back over the last couple of years.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718We have.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Anything else on football?
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Just maybe a little update on the sky box there. We will maybe next we get Kyle Pifer here very soon. He can get us, I saw some updated pictures and of course I pass by it every day and stop and stare at it and look and so forth. And looking forward to being able to ride the elevator next fall instead of climbing those steps at the old press box. And that's.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718see progress on that sports forum that we talked about a few minutes ago.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes, and there is a website there that the sky box the construction site. But I really think that they're ahead of schedule right now, and I don't see any problem at all right now, the way things are going unless we, have two weeks of blizzard or something like this during the winter in February, March.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718the exterior walls are going up
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah, that's right. And it, it looks good. I, August the 29th, we'll be opening our home schedule here against Easter, Kentucky, and they were somewhat worried they were maybe gonna use a flexible schedule where if it wasn't ready, we would go to Easter, Kentucky this year and they would come the following year. But it looks like now I'm talking to some of the people, construction people around there, not necessarily the leaders. But they think this thing will be ready in August and we'll be ready to go. Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Cool.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714And it's gonna be quite impressive. And quite, people really don't understand what all this this facility's gonna include. It's a lot more than a press box. And Chancellor's Ewing, a lot of office space. The entire, basically the football operation will be moving in there. You'll have computer labs meeting rooms very quite an improvement for over what we've had in the past.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Heck yeah.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718one other thing for football, and that is I noticed that the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame has, put in the nomination of David Patton. They've
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718his nomination for a former Western Carolina excellent football player. Went pro and he as a South Carolina native, although he didn't play in a South Carolina school was nominated and they accepted his nomination.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah. Yeah. I played at what lower Richland High School, down near Columbia and as high school. But again gosh, you look what David Patton did Super Bowls with the. Patriots and so forth. It he well deserved and just a tragic end of his life with that accident and so forth. And coach, of course, coach Bob Waters is in there also. He's in the North Carolina and the South Carolina Hall of Fames because he grew up actually Presbyterian College is where he got a lot, his initial fame before he went with the 49 ERs. But yeah, we've got several, actually, Western Carolina people in that South Carolina Hall of Fame, which is good.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Yep. Baseball is right around the corner and.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718We had coach on Coach Beck on a couple of months ago need to get him back on either before the season starts or right after. But we've got a lot of good home series to start the season out like we usually do those northern teams coming down to play and get some exposure. Get some experience. Where's my schedule?
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah, that's and Bob also the thing about it, another thing about baseball, he talk about you talk about football's problems with the NIL and basketball, blah, blah, blah, baseball. You can now grant thir. 54 scholarships in Division one baseball, 30 with that people at Georgia and Georgia Tech and Alabama and North Carolina and so forth, Tennessee. And I think we're hanging around 13. So Coach Beck is, you talk about a master at manipulating a roster and so forth. And he, and we lost four guys, in the draft last year too, that we. Could have been coming back.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Yeah.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714so that, that tells you something about what he's having to go through also. But very impressed with what we've seen and heard about the baseball program here early on and think it improved pitching staff and again, a very impressive schedule for Coach Beck. Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718That, that's been our weakness the last couple of years is pitching.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718been able to get through the Because our hitting has been strong. We've been a
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718NCAA, top 20 team
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yep.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718but just could not close things out with pitching. But we've got early season coming to colorway. We have George Washington University. We got Bowling Green, then we've got the weekend in Greenville. The tournament over there.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Michigan State's usually in that one. Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718This year it's Troy Rutgers in East Carolina for
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Oh, okay.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718There may be other teams involved in that, but
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah,
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718see. Morehead State comes in before, and that's the last series before we start the Southern Conference.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah. But
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718in the season,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718late in the season, we have a series against Wake Forest, which is cool.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah. Yeah, that's they're of course a national power and so forth. But yeah, it's it's exciting. Baseball, of course that's probably one of my people. I never would say this to anyone, but, probably my first love is baseball still. That's tough.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718It's hard not to love baseball if you are of our generation,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah, exactly.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718guys. We grew up and we knew all the names of all the pitchers and all the stars
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718the major league. We followed some minor league teams that were close to us, and certainly I. I would say that baseball was my second love at in Colory behind football
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah,
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718to school there.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Bob, unfortunately for me I became a Cleveland Indians. Now the Cleveland Guardians fan, they won the, world Series beating the old Boston Braves, which are now the Atlanta Braves in 1948 with Bob Feller and so forth. And the next year, I saw my first when I was in the first grade, saw my first Cleveland Indians ball game in municipal stadium against the New York Yankees. And I've been a fan of diehard fan since then. And unfortunately they've never repeated that championship. World Series Championship. They've been there, just haven't been able to repeat. And I am,
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718the game seven of the Indians versus Marlins game,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yeah,
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718down there in Miami.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Let's don't talk about that. Please. Let's, okay. I'll never forget that.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Yeah. I was actually in Orlando and my brother called me and said, Hey, I got tickets to the game tonight. Can you get down here?
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718was, I hopped a Southwest flight and was there by five o'clock.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, very frustrating. Being a cattle mount football fan you think back the championships, how many times you've been there just for the taking and just couldn't pull it off. I'm a very frustrated fan in a lot of areas. Yes,
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718we don't have to be frustrated about the cat mats this year. Maybe
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714that's right. There you go.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718win the Southern Conference,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yep.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718is what it takes to get a bid these days,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah. Yeah. And then talking about that winning that going back to last weekend, I think you wanted to talk about this a little bit of what happened over in Nashville, the Walter Peyton Award.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718yeah.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714yes. Yeah. With Tiger Dickens and everything. And I think had we made the playoffs, he would've been the Walter Peyton Award winner, and he ended up. Finishing second. The young man that won the award, his team was in the playoffs, and I think that was probably the difference. Yes.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Yeah, statistically Dickens, even having missed three games was
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718candidate.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718but you're right. We didn't get there.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714I.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718Curse luck whatever it is. We we weren't there,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah, that's right. And yeah, going.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718will live one more season to see it happen.
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yes, I've, I'm saying that for a long time, Bob. I've been around here since 1961, so I can tell you some stories. I can tell you some close calls should have, would've, could have blah, blah, blah over the years, but we want to get into that. But going back to Nashville, I think maybe the FCS has found them a home like a permanent home. Now, everybody I talked to said that Nashville just went all out. Hosting the FCS championship game between Montana State and Illinois State. And I don't know if you saw the game, but that was a classic football game and about 25,000 plus, 25, 30,000 there at the where the Titans play in Nashville. And again very impressive.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718wasn't it Vanderbilt's Stadium? I
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Excuse me. You're right. Yeah. I'm sorry. Vanderbilt Stadium. Not not where the Titans play. Yeah, that was a, that very, that that's an impressive facility too, what they've done with that. But again montana, Illinois State just barely made the playoff. They had to have some things happen, like we happened, not enough of 'em to get into the playoffs and they just one upset after another, upset all the way to the championship game and had a block kick cost them possibility of winning the national championship. But you gotta give Montana straight state grade risk. What a program they have up there. Yeah. Yeah. And of course they, that's another world up there with the Montanas and the Dakotas being state in the only state institutions there and receiving all that athletic money and a different world from us. Yes, exactly.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718School in the state. It's, there's not a comparison. It gives 'em a great advantage,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714Yeah.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718okay. As long as they're FCS members, let's go. Let's go get, let's go after 'em,
squadcaster-fa6e_1_01-08-2026_100714let's do it. Let's do it.
bob-sabin_1_01-08-2026_100718All right, man. I think that about wraps up our show for this week. I appreciate your time. As always. Hope y'all enjoyed it. We will be back in two weeks. We will know who our guest is within the next week or so, and we will have a guest next time. But we're. Brought to you by Stanbury Insurance, four offices around the region. And we are here every week. Plus we, starting next Saturday, we will be on WW CU fm, nine o'clock on Saturday mornings in the EE Valley. that's it for this edition of tracking the Cats.
