bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 0:12

Welcome to Tracking the Cats. I'm Bob Saban, along with Steve White. Got a great guest coming up in just a minute here. But first, as usual, we are brought to you by Stanbury Insurance with offices in Silva, Waynesville, Highlands, and Clyde. They cover all your insurance needs, so reach out to them whether you're a business or residential, homeowners, auto, whatever. Stan Insurance, your local insurance affiliates. So today we have baseball coach Alan Beck with us. Steve, you want to introduce him?

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 0:50

Yes pleasure. Beginning our fourth season as our head baseball coach widely remembered around cat about baseball as one of our all time greats. He's on Whitey's Top 10 all time headers list, by the way. And that's a tough list to get on. Boy, I tell you that he is got a 3 41 career batting average here at Western. It was the 2003 Southern Conference Baseball Player of the year. at the time was ranked in the career, top 10 and eight, eight hitting categories. Now, I'm not sure how many of those are still left, but I'm sure you're still in that top 10 and several of those. And after a stint with the Baltimore Orioles minor league system returned to WCU for the first time back in 2005 as assistant to as the head coach, Todd Raleigh. Then after stops at Young Harris and Tennessee, returned to WCU in 2009 and spent the next seven season assisting head coach of Bobby Miranda. Then he rejoined WCU coach, who had recruited him and signed him in 1999 out of, county, Rodney Henon down in Statesboro, Georgia, as I call it, Nabo in thousand 16 as the associate head coach at Georgia Southern, and spent seven seasons in Statesboro. And so now he's back with us. And like I say is, it's just great to have him. Ex out in charge of our basketball, our baseball program. Coach your eight games into the season right now. Six and two. Record non-conference games against George Washington as South Carolina, upstate Bowling Green, and yesterday Akron. Preparing for a trip this weekend. To the Keith Le Claire Classic down at East Carolina blowout of Akron. Yesterday you used nine pictures and I think I counted up 24 players. So it was one of, I'm sure that was great for you to be able to see a lot of kids that say you wouldn't normally get to see as we get into the season, but maybe make some great evaluation. Talk about right now is just your assessment of the catamounts, pitching, hitting, fielding, surprising performances, maybe some areas of concern. I know I was very encouraged with what I've seen up to this point on Catamount baseball.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 3:09

That's good. I'm glad. I'm glad you're, you're at every ball game. See. You know us pretty good. No, I just glad that we've played well at home. Even the game that we lost at home, we played well. So the crowds have been outstanding. The support from the administration and the fans have been good. It makes it an atmosphere and something for our guys to wanna play in.

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 3:32

So we,

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 3:33

So.

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 3:34

we were supposed to have you on last Wednesday and we're really glad that we didn't given that, that we had just come off of that 17 nothing blowout at USC Upstate. What, what happened there, coach? This is just new guys testing them out.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 3:51

no, my mom told me the next time we go on the road to take the team with us. So that was some good advice from no, it just, you know, I, I think we were ready to play. It wasn't. I thought we were, our pre-game was pretty good and you know, but it's just, I don't know. Sometimes that happens. It's weird. You know, credit to USC upstate, I mean, they, they did it, but it wasn't like they were, it started with a bunch of screaming line drive home runs. It was, you know, a couple bleeders here and there. We couldn't make a play. A couple walks, missed another play. Next thing you know, it's outta hand. And the game was spinning on us a little bit. So you know, it's better to, to have that happen early and to learn from it. But outside of the one inning that they scored 13 in, which is tough to do and I think they only had four other runs the whole game. I, I, you know, and it's been defense and our pitching, they've they've not allowed a ton of, ton of free help. So it's, it's hard to score runs when. You have to earn every one of them. And then, you know, we were able to get back to the, the drawing board with that offensively. I mean, I was probably more disappointed with our offensive performance, than even our pitching and defense that day.'cause sometimes that stuff happens. But I felt like we kind of quit a little bit and gave, gave some at bats away toward the end of that game. And their guys did good. So it's not like that they didn't, but. With the fight wasn't there like I'd wanna see it, you know, moving forward. So I think that we, you know, evaluated that and moved on and the, the best thing that our team did was just,

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 5:27

Yeah. Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 5:27

it. I mean, I told'em like, we gotta have a great practice the next day. And

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 5:31

Good.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 5:32

alright. And then they were ready to go against Bowling Green. It wasn't, there was no, woe is me hangover where you're, well we, we stink it. You know, it just, sometimes that happens. You gotta, you

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 5:43

Yeah. Well that, that,

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 5:45

Responded

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 5:46

second inning was the, the fateful one, right? That was when they scored 13. Yeah.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 5:51

Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 5:52

And it was, you know, it, like I said, it wasn't like, you know, it was double, double homer it, you know, it just kind of happened and so, but no, I just glad that we got past that and I, I'll take six and two starting out any day of the week, so.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 6:07

Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 6:07

Proud of our guys playing hard at home. The, the comebacks, the fight late even in the game that we lost against Bowling Green in that first game of the double header, and we had first and third winning runs at, at first base. We got our best player up, Trent Turner, you know, I'll take our chances anytime he's in the box against against anybody.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 6:27

Now coach you go back talking about USA upstate, they don't wanna talk about it anymore, but that's that. They were a conference champion last year, went the NCAA tournament, so they're very good. And also your early schedule this year George Washington Bowling Green. I was really impressed with Bowling Green. That's a good ball club. George Washington's good. These are better teams than I think that we have come. Up from up north down here that we've played early in the season, in past years. So that was very tough, very comparable. I think Southern Conference competition.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 6:59

Yeah, no. It was, I mean, George Washington, we had to walk off the two games. They had a lead in two of the three. Then Bowling Green came in last weekend and we were chirping at each other, and both sides were getting after each other. And. Just a really good good competition. I mean, it felt like a Southern Conference weekend and they're, you know, they, he's done a really nice job up there. They're head coach. So and they, they've had some success here recently. And you know, just good competition. That's, that's all you want. You wanna see, you know, and it's. It seems like every game until last night was a close one. You know, and, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when you're finding a way to win because your guys can get used to playing those tight games. And you know, as well as I do come tournament time, every game's tight, every pitch is the most important. So the more we can learn to play in that and, and keep our composure and stay even keeled

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 7:49

That's great. So looking at this weekend, you've got you're heading out to Greenville, North Carolina, and you're gonna be playing some what appears in the early season to be some pretty good competition. Got some good records. Surprisingly, east Carolina has the weakest record of the three teams you're gonna face this weekend.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 8:10

Yeah. And, but you know, they'll, they'll play us tough. I mean, they're a good team. Their, their schedule's been tough. But all three teams. You know, they're really good teams. I'd say all three are top 50, if not better than that programs. Troy's probably the most familiar just having been in the Sunbelt and playing against those guys. They do an outstanding job developing and recruiting, retaining talent. I don't know as much about Rutgers, but I know that they're off to a great start. And they took three of four at College of Charleston and then played West or Virginia Tech really tough last weekend. And then East Carolina, coach Godwin does an outstanding, him and Coach Colomba. They do an unbelievable job recruiting, developing culture is what, what I think about with, with East Carolina program. So they we'll, we'll have our hands full in every game, but I'm. Appreciative for us to be in the tournament and honored to go down there for Keith or Claire and everything that he did for Western Carolina baseball. One of the two numbers, retired player, coach, and anybody that played for him or played with him, I mean, it's unbelievable the way they talk about him. So,

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 9:15

Yeah. Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 9:16

excited for our team to experience that and to kind of see how far the Western baseball reach is.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 9:23

Coach it, my oldest son Dan, was an East Carolina grad and was involved in their baseball program, and he told me that they have a pitcher down there that could be the number one draft choice among pitchers this year. Now, I don't I don't know how true that is, but we'll have, but they do supposedly have a strong pitching staff. Now, you lost four of your top hitters from last season. The team that that. Actually we tied for the best batting average in the conference last year. Several bats have returned though. People like Trent Turner white Stanley Tre Spies, Elijah Smith, Jalen Jones Turner and Spies are all preseason, all conference. Talk about your sticks, talk about your offense right now.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 10:04

Yeah, no, I just it's a work in progress. I mean, our, our staff is doing a really good job working with them, trying to, trying to get everybody going, trying to find the right combination of players, the right the right lineup. I lo I really like Mason Holton back at the top. I think he gives us a presence up there and. A really good player, really good hitter. and I think we have a chance to be just as good as we were a year ago. I mean, this time last year, we weren't swinging it crazy either. You know, it wasn't like we were clicking on all cylinder set, eight games in seven, eight games in. So, you know, Elijah's been out. He is, he's one of our most toolsy athletic players with an oblique. He should be coming back soon. He's working hard to get back and it's getting closer. But he heard it in that first game. Just a little, little crazy injury. So when he gets back out there too, I think, we'll, you know, we'll be even, we'll be even deeper of a lineup. But you know, Noah Quarrels

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 11:02

Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 11:02

up for us a bunch catching, I mean, he is had a unbelievable start. Stanley, is a stud, and I mean, he can really hit and he, he's off to a good start. He had a couple, I mean, he had to run. won the game for us against Bowling Green, had every RBI in that first game against him. You know, so those guys. And then you got guys like Lida and Jalen Jones, both sophomores that are, are second year players that are, know, getting going a little bit and giving us really good at bass. And then, know, you got the mainstays Trent Mason, who will play every day. And they're not swinging it yet, but they're going to, I mean, they're, they're, they're both starting to trend upwards a little bit. But you don't necessarily wanna be hammering the ball in February. I mean, it, it's a work in progress and you wanna be at your best a little bit later, you know? And then guys like Trey, we gotta get Trey going a little bit. He's he's not off to the best start, but he is given us competitive at bats. You know, Brody Walker, Cole Jones, those, those three guys kind of corner outfielders, to find out who wants that job and who's gonna win it down the stretch. I mean, there's still some stuff that's open, you know offensively too, but, you know, we're holding our ground better. We're getting hit by some pitches. I like that. That's helped out a lot. And know, we're doing enough to win win games. We're gonna have to be, we're have to swing in a lot better and have better at bass as a whole this weekend if we're gonna win down there

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 12:24

Yeah. And, and speaking of what could be improved upon o over last year you know, hitting was good. Our pitching was somewhat inconsistent, I would say last year, unfortunately. But I, I understand you have 25 guys on the pitching roster this year. How, how, or as.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 12:44

We will take another one if you know one.

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 12:47

Steve said the other day to me we have 25 throwers and some pitchers are involved in that. Tell us a little bit about your pitching staff.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 12:57

Yeah, I feel like it's improved. I think Coach White's done a good job working not just with our best guys, but with all the guys and, and getting those guys to understand the importance of not helping out the opposing team. You know, last year was a little inflated too. I mean, the, the weird Maryland game that was, you know, win was howling out and a great day to hit and colory. But no, it, you know. I know you mentioned the numbers, but inside a conference play last year we were very good at pitching and it kind of came on late and that's kind of when it, when you started seeing some promise. No, that's as deep a staff as I can ever remember here. There's a lot of different guys that do different things and you know, the innings are hard to come by, so those guys gotta make the most of it when they get in there. And, we'll figure out who wants to be out there the most. I mean, they'll figure it out for us. But been very impressed with you know, all three of our starters. I thought Davis Wright threw better last time. I think Carter Burnett and Evan Meyers have both given us great starts. You know, Carter's a beast out there. He is intimidating. He is gonna go et you, he is gonna compete. And then Evan, for a true freshman. When College baseball's probably as old as it ever is doing what he's done on Sundays. Him and Cam Murray working together, I think it's been really good. But, you know, Mason Snyder comes to mind. I mean, the six innings right out of the gate on opening weekend, picking up Dave and giving us that type of link to put us in a position to, to sweep a series or to win a series that next day was huge. John Lobb has been great out of the bullpen. Owen Austin has been outstanding. We haven't got him out there as much as we wanted to. I know he wants to throw every day. He, he is never sore. You know those guys, James Fordham, Brian Kimbrel, you know, I think there's others too within that. But, you know, just, and you know, there's some guys that, I mean, Tyler Oaks got the start yesterday and then he threw really well. and some of the other guys, Scott Templeton had a good game yesterday and. So, you know, trying to find the right combination, where to use'em, what they do well. That's what we're kind of working on right now and we'll, we'll be able to tell. This weekend will be a test next. And then the next two weekends we got four game sets with a midweek, you know, Georgia, then two against Radford, two against Charlotte app, against Morehead State who beat Kentucky earlier this year. So guys are gonna get their opportunities and they'll kind of help us figure it out where, you know, when it. It down the stretch. You only use about eight. You know you got 25, but when it matters most, you're gonna go to your, your best guys. But having more options early is gonna keep those guys fresher later. So I've been very impressed

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 15:32

I was watching the game yesterday. Some of it on ESPN and Hook said something about one of our pitchers early on had an 18 ERA, but it was like a 0.1 innings pitched, so it was really kind of, I was like, wow.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 15:48

Yeah. Coach, I know baseball's has changed, like all college sports and I'm just talking about wooden bats to metal bats and so forth, but significantly it changes over the last few seasons. What are the changes, some of the changes that maybe concern you? The good ones, the bad ones. The direction college baseball is headed right now.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 16:10

I think it's as strong a game as it's ever been. mean, the talent has only been improve too. I mean, there's talks of the MLB draft shortening even more, to push a lot of those high schoolers to college. you know, I mean it's, yeah, it's changed for the better. I mean, I'm not a huge fan of the transfer portal. You know, but it's, it is what it is. I mean, we've definitely gotten more than we've lost since it's been around. You know, but it is just, I guess the thing that's, that concerns me is some of these guys that bounce around everywhere, like where are they gonna call home when they're older? They gonna go visit every school on alumni weekend? Or is it just, you know,

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 16:52

Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 16:53

and, and then for, for anybody that played at Western, I mean, it's, this place is special to be a part of. And, that shows every time we have an alumni event, we have, you know, a hundred, a hundred people. We sold out golf last year. You know, they're supportive of the program. So stuff maybe worries me a little bit, but, know, as far as everything else I want replay. I mean, you know, umpires wanna get it right too. We're one of the only conferences that don't have that still for some reason, big South, all of the Mac, they all, you know, they're like, you don't have replay. I'm like, nah, you know, sorry. And I don't think that the umpires, you know, they just, they want to get it right as bad as we do, and they. So, I mean, hopefully we'll be able to get that next couple years or, you know, by next year. But no, it's, a strong game. I mean, it's, everybody throws hard, everybody hits hard. I mean, you cannot be, if you're not physical, you, you will not play. So, I mean, just as far as you know, where it's going, it's headed, I mean, it's it's gonna only get more competitive.

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 17:56

So you mentioned our alumni and, and the support that we get from, from baseball and, you know, even we have good fan support in Colory. But how do you see these former players helping the program? Do they come in and, help you either with recruiting or getting your guys going on the, on the team as it stands.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 18:19

I just think it helps to have'em around, you know, we'll have guys that come up and come to practice and, not just your normal player. I mean, you know, champions, big leaguers. Having those guys around, I mean, our guys see that, and I think it's a big deal. You know don't, they don't necessarily help us with recruiting, but, you know, some of'em that are in baseball will say, Hey, I saw this person, I saw this person. So it's definitely a community and a, know, all hands on deck when, when you hear of somebody. But I think they just help with the support. I mean, after a big win opening day, walk off win, I mean, my phone. Everybody

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 18:54

Okay.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 18:54

today. Nobody watches three weeks in. But you know, but it was just the support makes you feel like you're in the right spot.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 19:01

Coach, talk about our facility here. Children's Field Hendon Stadium opened about 50 years ago. I remember that. It was back in 1978 long before I think you were born. And Bob and I were young men without children many years. I always thought it was one of the top. Two or three facilities into SoCon. I think we have a unique SE setting here and I love what you and the other coaches have done to update the facility over the years. What do you see as the needs to be addressed to help recruiting for our players, even our fans in our present facility? Just what you have a dream or a vision a master plan in your mind. What we want to do at our facility.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 19:47

I mean we need some type of inside space. Like if it thunders, we gotta go to the Ramsey Center. After a game, we gotta go to the Ramsey Center, you know? And it just. Everybody else has one, you know, so we're working hard on that. We're, we're fundraising. There's a couple key people that have said that they wanna be involved, so there's some momentum there, but some type of indoor place for our players to, to hang out to after a game when the locker rooms music's blaring after a big win, and you come in and everybody's, you know, it's that. We, we miss that, that hangout comradery. Situation, but then too, you know, to have an indoor space to work. You know, Akron came down here and it was cold Monday and they said, well, we'll just hitting your indoor, I'm like, well,

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 20:36

Yeah, good luck with that.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 20:37

vinyl vinyl pieces. It'll knock the wind down a little bit, but that's as indoor as we get in Kise. So. You know, but you know, something like that. And we're, we're pushing. I mean, it's, I think there's some real momentum. We need some help, you know? I mean, so if you know anybody who wants to get involved, let's, let's do it. But no, the, the surface is beautiful. The backdrop is as, as good as it has been. The bullpen area, is amazing. That's made the world of difference for our pitchers to work and to train and to be proud of. We redid the cages. We got all new screens this year. Got a new net. So, you know, it's little things along the way. They have to pad the walls next year for the ncaa, so we're gonna try to do those right with branding and, and it's it's as nice as it's ever been. I know that

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 21:23

I agree.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 21:24

recruited here though, of the reasons my mom liked Western was because it had a cover over the stadium. It was one of the only schools in the state that had a cover. Coach Chen told me we were gonna have a clubhouse by the time I was a senior. So.

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 21:40

So we're a little over two weeks away from the start of the conference season, and you open up with one of the favorite Sanford. Tell us a little bit about your thoughts about the conference. What does it look like top to bottom and how you guys are facing it both home and on the road this year?

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 21:59

Yeah, we have the lucky schedule this year where we have four home weekends, so we'll get Sanford Mercer, UNCG, and ETSU at home. which that's good. You know, I don't, I don't know if there's any numbers on that, but I'd say the teams that have the have a better winning record. It's just easier to play at home. And, no, it's a great conference. Top to bottom too, everybody has their niche, the things that they do well. You know how you're gonna beat'em. There's not a bad team in the league. Any team can beat anybody. Last year at Season's End, it was the sixth best conference in the country. That includes the Power Fours. So you have the four power fours. I'm not sure who, American, some somebody. And then US, and that changed throughout the tournament run because we only got one team in. But I think the people regionally that play us respect the conference and, it's, it's a tough, I mean, it's a gauntlet conference and it's tough because you only have the 21 games, so, you know, you get to 13, 12, 13 wins, know, you got a chance to win the league. It's just not, there's not a lot of you, you can't get into where you can. Catch somebody late that's not in it. Everybody's, until the last weekend, there's one through six is always up for grabs, I feel like, because you don't play as many games. And that'll be good when Tennessee Tech joins next year to have the 24 games and just, you know, help out a little bit. But, it's, it's a, it's a great league, man. The coaches are outstanding all the respect in the world for all those guys and, and their staffs and everybody works at it, you know, back in the day. I know we always worked at it here and some other programs did, but, know, everybody's putting reach. I mean, you know, Mercer Clubhouse this year, ETSU, new Clubhouse, Sanford New Locker room and turf BMI Turf Scoreboard last year. I mean, everybody's doing something to, to enhance the league. So it's, it's

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 23:48

do you see Tennessee Tech coming in? I know, I've been hearing a lot about football and some about basketball. What about baseball?

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 23:56

It's top 100 program. Coach Bragga took'em to a super regional and I think they were a couple games away from Omaha before he went to Rice years ago. We used to play'em non-conference. So they're gonna be a great team. There's not many division one teams in the state of Tennessee either, know, there's 18 in North Carolina, so they can kind of get their pick a little bit better. You know, they, they do, they do a great job. So it'll be, it'll be a great addition to the league. It'll make the league stronger.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 24:23

Coach you don't have a game on my birthday this year. Last year I was able to be. Throw out the first pitch on my 82nd birthday and so forth. So I'm thinking about maybe auditioning for, the seventh inning stretch. Take me out to the ball game. What do you think about that?

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 24:40

I love it.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 24:40

Do you wanna you wanna approve that first before

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 24:44

It's approved talk to talk to Pope and Hook and

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 24:48

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 24:49

I'd love you. Lead us in the, take me out of the ball game. I think everybody I not just us.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 24:54

we, we'll have to, we'll have to work on that a little bit. They might, may maybe send me over to the music department, take some lessons or

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 25:00

But.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 25:01

like

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 25:01

Yeah.

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 25:02

a couple of years ago I was actually at a game and hook was doing was doing the pa for that game. He wasn't broadcasting and so I, I kinda waved to him when I got there and without any notice at all. Seventh inning stretch comes and he goes and take me out to the ball game will be led today by Bob Saban. Now nobody knew who I was. I was the only one singing. Very embarrassing.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 25:29

Yeah, you

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 25:30

that's,

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 25:30

have somebody join you. You need some, some sound, noise?

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 25:34

yeah. It's probably good that they didn't know you. Yeah, that's.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 25:37

Yeah, that's right. That's right. No, those guys have done a really good job. I mean, I think all of our home games the crowds, the atmosphere, the music the pa, what Hook does online, I mean, the film people, I mean, the guys that capture Marlon and his crew do an unbelievable job. The ESPN Plus crew, you know, I mean, it's just. It feels like it's in a much better spot than maybe when I first got here with all that, from a department standpoint, so, and that makes our guys feel good. You, we wanna go back and our guys, they look at all that stuff and it's important to'em. So shout out to all those guys.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 26:14

Yeah, and I'll tell you the last couple of weekends, the crowds have just been tremendous. Not only the size, but the enthusiasm and the atmosphere around there. George Washington series and the Bowling Green now yesterday was a little bit chilly down at the field and the crowd was down so forth, but I think we're gonna see a lot of that. They see in the big crowds and a lot of enthusiasm about the program.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 26:36

Yeah. No, I, I love it. And I tell our guys all the time, like, you know, it needs to be, you know, when, when we were good and the years that we've won championships, you know, you gotta come through KWE to get it, and gotta play, you know, it's. You gotta take care of your, your house. I mean, fortress, fortress, colorway, you know, I mean, you gotta take care of your own place. And been very, very proud of our team just playing all 27 out and staying with it.

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 27:02

Well I think that about wraps it up for questions. Do you have anything else, Steve?

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 27:07

I just like I say, it's like I say, I love my baseball. That's how I got here baseball. And it opened up a lot of doors for me in my career. I have, it's special to me. Our Western Carolina Baseball Program back in the days when we wore those wool uniforms home and away and had those wooden bats that sometime we had to tape up.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 27:29

Yeah.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 27:29

baseballs and some of those baseballs had a lot of marks on them when

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 27:34

Okay.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 27:34

across the plate, and I think that helped pitching back in those days with those scuff marks on it. Things have changed a little bit.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 27:42

no, that's the, the thing that's changed the most when we talk about the baseball. I mean, it's hard as a rock.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 27:47

Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 27:47

they jump off your bat

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 27:49

Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 27:49

it's, and we, you know, they're expensive. I mean, they, they think a lot of them, but you know, it's, we got brand new baseballs. I mean, I know that they had mandatory baseballs even when I played. you know, but I, I can't imagine they were as fresh and hot out of the wrapper as they are now.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 28:05

Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 28:05

That's a good thing though. People wanna see hard hit baseballs and pitchers throwing hard and all of that. So it's now you're a catcher, right?

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 28:13

Yeah. Vaguely vague. And that I was talking about yesterday about pitchers taking, I said I think I received more bunt the ball signals from the third base coach than most any player on our team. Because the coach knew that they threw a curve ball, I would have a hard time getting it out of the infield. Yeah, that, that. was I had the bunt sign on a lot. Not that I was, had any speed, but it had something to do with my ability to hit the ball.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 28:39

Yeah. Team at

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 28:40

Yes.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 28:41

you

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 28:41

Yeah, baby. They, I'll tell you, you talk about the Bats Coach. Just one little thing here. Back in the late late eighties back when Keith LeClaire and Mike Carson and people Clint Ferry, all those guys skip Nels out in center field. We had one time, we had three guys on our team to hit over 20 home runs in the season. Now, that was before they adjusted the bat. That was the original Illumina bats, which, you know, they. That the composite stuff changed it later on, but that the area beyond our fence, say. there were a lot of Cooney was out there retrieving a lot of baseballs back in those days. But I it's, it was dangerous. Those alone, the bats were dangerous. That ball, talking about the baseball coming off of the bat. Wow. It was those infielders, they took their life into their own hands sometimes, but I'm glad that changed as far as college baseball's concerned. Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 29:34

Yeah, no, that's right. We bat test before every game. Now they make you do it even inside of a series to just make sure there are no illegal bats.'cause you can tamper with them. We would never do that, but

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 29:46

No.

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 29:46

Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 29:46

would, you

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 29:47

Yeah.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 29:48

it's it's, it's good. It's good for the safety.

steve-white_1_02-25-2026_100818 29:51

Yeah, we we were accused one season I remember over at the tournament in Nashville, maybe it made in 87 or 88, that the Citadel coach accused us of corking our bats and actually had the umpire to take the end, to check it and all that stuff. Coach chow port at the Citadel. And that was hilarious because we'd had, I think, seven home runs that day, and he didn't like that.

squadcaster-15je_1_02-25-2026_100816 30:14

I, I'd probably be checking their bats too.

bob-sabin_1_02-25-2026_100820 30:18

Well, coach, it's been great having you back. We hope to be able to get you back towards the end of the season with some good really fun stuff. Maybe a championship rings for the guys and we'd love to get a bid. So, good luck with the rest of the season. Thanks for being here. And on behalf of Stanbury Insurance, our sponsor this is tracking the Cats, and we will see y'all again in two weeks. I.