White Fence Living

Four Gloves, One Dugout, and a Controversial Call

• Justin Rush • Season 1 • Episode 12

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What happens when the final out is called on your high school baseball career? Four graduating seniors from New Albany's baseball team take us behind the scenes of their remarkable journey to the state semifinals. Jacob Richardson (second base), Brandon Pettinger (DH/first base), Trey Wentz (pitcher), and Tanner Hamilton-Ekinger (pitcher/shortstop) bring us into their world with candid reflections on a season that ended in controversy.

The conversation opens with the elephant in the room—that disputed catch in right field during their state semifinal match against Amherst Steele. "Quinn made like a great play and it was one of the best catches I've ever seen," recalls one player, still processing how that pivotal moment changed their championship aspirations. But rather than dwelling on what could have been, these young men quickly pivot to celebrate what was—a stellar 19-11 season marked by resilience, growth, and unforgettable memories.

Their insights extend far beyond game recaps. The players offer wisdom that only comes from living through the intense pressure of high-level high school sports: "Nobody cares about stats—we're just trying to win every game." They discuss how injuries created opportunities for younger players, their regional championship victory against Big Walnut (where they were considered underdogs), and the strange feeling of baseball ending after playing year-round since childhood. For some, like Tanner who's recovering from Tommy John surgery, the journey continues in college baseball. For others, their competitive playing days have concluded.

What stands out most is their perspective on youth development. Having progressed through New Albany's baseball program from little league to varsity success, they offer advice that parents and young players should hear: "Continue to try your best to have fun, no matter how competitive stuff gets" and "Don't worry about outside noise...worry about yourself and how you improve." Listen now for an authentic glimpse into the lessons learned both on and off the diamond, and how these experiences have prepared four remarkable young men for whatever comes next.

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Justin:

I don't know if these are going to reach you. You're going to hear everybody. But, if they'll reach, put them on or actually. Good, yeah, all right, sweet. I've never done it without headphones. I don't think it's going to bother me, we'll be fine. Can everybody hear? Yeah, test the mic. Yep, yo, yes, all right, cool, well again, just yeah. Yeah, test the mic. Yep, yo, yes, all right, uh, cool, well again. Just remember, keep the microphone close. Um, so we're we're recording, um. Appreciate you, appreciate you guys coming on, yeah thanks yeah, no problem.

Justin:

so let's, uh, let's, go around the room and um and just give me a quick intro. So give me name. You're all seniors, correct? Yep? Yeah, just give me your position and then we'll go from there.

Jacob:

I'm Jacob Richardson, I just graduated and I played second base.

Brayden:

Nice. I'm Brandon Pettinger. I was the DH played a little bit of first. I'm Trey Wentz and I pitch.

Tanner:

I'm Tanner Hamilton-Ekinger and I pitch and play shortstop. Not pitching right now, no not pitching this year.

Justin:

No, I appreciate it. So we got. Well, welcome to Brickhouse Blue. We're trying to do the sports simulator which we're going to get to after, so we'll record some video. What are you guys going to play first? Golf, yeah, definitely golf. You guys are already swinging the golf club in there. It's a cool spot. So welcome to Brick House Blue, welcome to White Fence Living Podcast. So we've got some seniors from the new Albany baseball team here. What a season. So what was your guys' record? What did you finish up?

Tanner:

I think we were like 20-7, I think is what it was 20-5 somewhere in that range right there. Yeah, that's what I thought.

Justin:

I saw something like that. Right tell him if he's wrong.

Brayden:

I thought it was like 19-11.

Tanner:

No, we didn't lose that many games.

Trey:

We didn't lose 10 games yeah, take it out somebody look it up.

Justin:

I know I need somebody who's like in the background looking stuff up like a like a jamie on um, but anyway, so so an amazing season, um you guys. Uh, had not the finish that you want, so let's just get the catch or the no catch out of the way right off the rip. So give me your take on that play Catch 100%.

Tanner:

He caught the ball and then he took about six to seven steps with it and he held his hand up, but then he like fell, but like it should have been called out, and the umpire didn't call anything. Those guys didn't know what the heck they were doing. And then he fell and the ball came out. And those guys didn't know what the heck they were doing, and then he fell and the ball came out, and then the they still didn't signal anything and then they just kept running and meanwhile the guy on third didn't touch third base and the guy at second like turned around to go back in the dugout and then they started running again.

Justin:

So I shouldn't have counted either way I, somebody showed me the video and I didn't even realize the third base, like not touching third, and I went, I went back and I was like holy smokes, not even close, like did not even close to touching third. Well I I bring that up because everybody's talking about it I don't think at all that, like that game defines you guys or defines your season. It's unfortunate. So Quinn was the right fielder, yeah.

Brayden:

That was my issue was that, like Quinn made like a great play and like it was one of the best catches I've ever seen, like even if, like he didn't catch it, like they just let him the kids keep running around the bases. Like they should have called it like a ground or double or something, because quinn didn't even know like what happened. Like he was running in like all happy, like he just made a great play, like saved the first inning and then like they just like all of a sudden, like the kids, like they were going to the dugout and then just turn around around the bases and that kind of as a home run, like they should have stopped them at some point Cause like they stopped our players.

Justin:

Yeah, no. Yeah, I agree, it's a man, it sucked, it's, it's unfortunate, that's it. It stinks Cause it was an amazing catch and I've tried to watch like every angle of this I can. It looks like a catch to me, so I'm actually going to try and share my screen. You guys will be able to hear it. I won't.

Brayden:

We're at 1911, by the way, 1911?.

Justin:

You're right. Let's see if I can share my screen. Can you guys hear anything yet?

Jacob:

Not yet.

Announcer:

Nothing, I can hear it the baseball report ranks him the number one junior first baseman in Ohio, and he steps in with a runner.

Justin:

I can see it, you guys can hear it, but not see it.

Announcer:

52 runs batted in that ladder number a school record, and he hits one deep to right, center field, right fielder, back, way back. Oh, he caught it the right fielder Quinn Blaney. How about?

Brayden:

that.

Announcer:

He ran all the way to his right and the glove was just long enough to grab that.

Justin:

Round and third.

Announcer:

I'm back by Wolf. My goodness, what a play by Quinn Blaney.

Justin:

Is that Quinn there? Yeah, that's Quinn. He's like what's going on?

Announcer:

They're saying he dropped it when he fell, oh my goodness. And they're calling it an inside-the-park home run, oh boy. So give wolf an inside the park home run. How about that?

Tanner:

that's gonna be some kind of was in center, that was van ruthier I did not see that happening, but a couple things I know, look at this umpire is just like. He's just kind of like no explanation yeah job by you can see in the video too, like none of them called it, put their hands up or anything.

Jacob:

You can see, after he called it, he stuck his hand all over the place.

Announcer:

I was so enamored by that catch I didn't even notice.

Justin:

Yeah, I don't know, I struggle with that rule. Let's pause this. Like if you catch a flat ball and let's say, say you drop the ball in the exchange, like it's still a catch, right, yeah, I mean, I don't know it didn't happen in the major leagues where, like somebody caught it, flipped it up with their glove into the crowd and it's like I mean that's a catch, yeah, so well, um, it is what it is.

Brayden:

Yeah, it's unfortunate because I was talking to one of the kids on our team too, Like that Wolfkin. He was a heck of a player, but I was like I don't think that you guys want to win this way. That's just like. I hope it doesn't come down to that call-up vote. Unfortunately it did, but that's just not the way that you want to win. State semi-final game is off that call yeah, innings right.

Justin:

Yeah, three to two. Dang Well it is. It's unfortunate. So I feel for you guys because that's tough, I mean because you make it to the finals. Who knows Right? So Amherst Steel, right is who you played.

Jacob:

Yeah.

Justin:

If you would have won, you would have played. The winner of who.

Brayden:

Anthony Wayne and Walt Steadwood. Yeah, we would have played. Anthony Wayne, nice. Yeah, we would have played.

Justin:

Anthony Wayne Nice. What do you think if you get in that matchup? Would?

Tanner:

have played a better game than Steele did, in that I think it would have been a win.

Brayden:

Yeah, I think they were similar to us. They had moved down from Division. I too and they had thrown their ace the day before, so we would have seen their number two.

Justin:

So it would have been basically who's two is better than the other? Yeah, yeah, h yeah yeah, hitting was still good. Well, yeah, it's unfortunate, but anyway, so let's move on. Yeah, really killed the mood talking about that, but I wanted to get that out of the way because I think everybody's talked about it, so let's start to the right. Richardson right. So what position do you play again?

Jacob:

Second.

Justin:

Second base, nice. Tell me about the season. Tell me your perspective on the season, just as a whole.

Jacob:

We definitely went on a couple stretches where we were winning a ton of games, and then we also had some points where we were losing a couple in a row.

Justin:

Yeah.

Jacob:

But I feel like our team always found a way to bounce back, no matter the situation. Yeah, if we had time where we were down at the end of the day, we started winning in the playoffs and that really mattered.

Trey:

Yeah.

Jacob:

I mean, we took it far, we didn't back down, we had a good fight every game and it turned out pretty well to me.

Justin:

Yeah, I mean the are the finals always in canton, or the state. Yeah, okay, sweet, so similar to football, like get to canton yeah what'd you guys think of canton?

Brayden:

that's pretty cool. I wish we got to play canal. We played at therma once in last year, so I mean it was pretty cool yeah, did you guys go to the football hall of fame? No, we did not. We're trying. Guys go to the Football Hall of Fame, no we did not. We were trying to go to the.

Justin:

LeBron Museum, but we didn't, yeah, All right, so give me kind of your take on the season or any like memorable moments.

Brayden:

I mean, yeah, I'll let Tanner talk about his injury Early on. Obviously that was pretty detrimental. And then, like we had some younger guys step up, which was good, and then just struggling to like kind of figure out the lineup like early in the year. But like once we got going like heading to playoffs, I feel like that's when we got hot, like I mean obviously we had like great memories, like that's what I was trying to like keep in mind.

Brayden:

So, like some of us are never gonna play baseball again together. So I was trying to like like no one cares about like stats or anything, we're just trying to win like every game we can't like because, yeah, nobody's really trying to get recruited like off high school. So I mean we were just having fun like a lot of the games and we played like quite good teams within the division and like we struggled versus them, but I mean that helped us prepare for a good playoff runs.

Justin:

Yeah, I mean, that's what it's all about. Right, like, get there and make a run.

Trey:

Yeah, yeah, trey uh, you know, I think we did really well. Um, it's closer. Oh, I think we did really well. Um, I think we did really well, especially with our schedule. You know, playing in still a division one schedule in the OCC, like Grove city, pick North uh, people like that we really, um I think that really helped us and made us like prepared for the competition We'll play in the, we would play in the playoffs and I think we just like learn how to persevere and um like just battle through hardships during the game and um like during uh tough, like losing streaks or and just ways to battle back during the season yeah, it's a it's a brutal schedule similar to football.

Justin:

I mean it's a tough schedule, like it's it's. I mean you Division II is no joke either, but yeah, when you're playing some big schools, it's like you just feel outmatched just purely by numbers they have in the building. All right, bionic arm.

Tanner:

Like they all said, I thought this was honestly the most fun season I've ever had and I couldn't even play. I just thought like making it like I've always wanted to make it there and even though we didn't make it to canal park, I still thought that was like the best season we've ever had. It was just so much more fun and like they were talking about too, like playing in the occ the whole year, I think was like huge for us because, and when you get down it's like wow, these teams are like nothing, honestly, going down to like see an occ, like grove city and all them. And then we saw Liberty, like we saw a bunch of like good, like competitors that could have like played in the state. And then we saw them and then, like Big One, it was our regional championship game.

Tanner:

Even then I didn't think it was anything like we saw on the regular season still, but obviously when you make it down to the Final Four you see teams that are obviously a little better, are obviously a little better. But I thought it was huge and I thought it was a great season. We had fun and we had a bunch of injuries to start the year, which was huge, just different. Three seniors went down which was kind of that sucked for our team, but people stepped up huge and it was fun to see everybody step up in the year they had.

Justin:

Yeah, I mean, you guys had some big impacts from younger players. Right, kistner, he's's a junior, he's a junior, I thought so yeah who else what are? Who some other under clap under.

Tanner:

Yeah, he's a junior too yep, grant Thunberg came in towards the end to pitch the regional championship.

Brayden:

That was huge, yeah because he had played last year but it was kind of bad on some injuries. And then figuring out the outfielders like Ackerman, Logan, George.

Tanner:

There's a lot of different outfielders that went in and out throughout the year, that were younger, that they all played a big role when they played.

Brayden:

Yeah, I think that was huge.

Trey:

Nick Nardell when Jacob went down from the district.

Justin:

semifinals and finals so regional championship was Big Walnut right.

Jacob:

Yes.

Justin:

Let's talk about that game, because I know how we all feel about big walnut, because you guys weren't expected to win it right, like I mean, you guys were kind of underdogs there yeah, at least on paper.

Tanner:

So how'd the game go? I thought it was pretty much one-sided. I think we took control of that game early. Grant thunberg pitched an absolute gem in that game. I mean he pitched. The whole game was like 70 pitches. He was just dealing and something that was huge for us. We turned about like four or five double play balls. That was huge. Our defense was like on point in that game and then we had timely hitting where we put the ball in play. They didn't know what to do.

Justin:

We put pressure on them and we just took control of that game yeah, I think we kind of like came out, punched him in the face and they were just like what the heck happened, like we had the like, the balls on our court, the whole game like they yeah I was at a softball tournament with my daughter and she plays on a team out of galena and so there's a lot of sunbury people around and I remember talking to them about it like and they were like man I did like wow, you know they were all surprised.

Justin:

I'm like heck, yeah, that's how we do. Um, no, that's cool, uh, so what I'd like to talk about? Just kind of baseball throughout your guys' lives and just your perspective on youth baseball and kind of as you progressed and what's that look like. What advice do you have for young baseball players players like now that you're seniors. Looking back, you know, I don't know regrets, things that you wish you would have done more of, like whoever wants to go, just just give me kind of your like you know history of your baseball I mean.

Brayden:

So like we also like started off like playing like maybe from like the ages like eight or nine to like about 13. You like when everybody's like in middle school. And then you enter middle school and everybody kind like goes off to their own trial team for a couple years before, like you go into high school and that's like where things kind of get weird because you separate and you're kind of on your own. So like I think that's kind of weird and you like, but like once you come back into high school and you're playing again with the same guys, like don't take it like too seriously If you want to get recruited, then do all the right steps, but like, if you're not, then just have fun with your friends and don't try to like play on the very best thing, just go with your friends.

Brayden:

Because like I went on a trial team with my friends and like that was the most fun I've had playing baseball.

Justin:

Yeah, yeah, I think like, like live in the moment, like enjoy it. Like you're going to these tournaments, you're spending all this time Like it's not because you all want to play professional baseball, Like I feel like you got to get that perspective out of the way, cause so few people get that opportunity and it's like I think sometimes kids get burned out of the sport because they're pushed so hard or they're they're you know, they're training so much and it's like they lose sight of like just it's, it's so much fun, like just enjoy the moment, right, um, so let's talk about that. Let's talk about travel. Um, so I wasn't a baseball guy, played a little bit, but I was your like, I'm a track guy. So we're we're inherently enemies baseball and track.

Justin:

Now, uh, when I ran in college, like I got along with all the baseball guys, like, because we're in the same season, we're in the facilities together all the time, but I used to complain because they'd be hitting baseballs and we're running track like dodging baseballs in the indoor facility. But no, it was fun, and so I lost my train of thought. Where were we?

Announcer:

Travel baseball.

Justin:

Yeah, travel baseball. So middle school in particular, like everybody goes their separate ways, is there a world where the kids can just like play middle school baseball, like where everybody stays together? Or are you playing travel because, like the competition is better, the coaching is maybe better, like, what's your perspective on that?

Jacob:

Middle school baseball is a thing in Albany but it wasn't really like a popular thing. Most kids that don't play high school yet usually get straight into travel instead of playing through the middle school, just because of the competition and you get to start earlier and just travel with more competitive players.

Justin:

Longer season.

Jacob:

Longer season, that was.

Justin:

COVID, for us too it was middle school baseball. Yeah, that's brutal, so did so. Of the guys that are on the team now, like how many of them played middle school baseball? I think zero. We were a couple of us.

Brayden:

We were going to yeah that's pretty crazy and that's pretty consistent, like with most teams yeah, most kids will just play for their own travel like 14 years like that's what my brother's doing? They'll just play for a travel team, like do spring tournaments yeah.

Justin:

So how did everybody on the team go through the New Albany? Little like little league, yeah, I mean, unless you like moved from somewhere else, like yeah, all the people that have lived there lived here their whole lives.

Jacob:

Everyone went through the, the rec league at New Albany, which I think, like the rec league at New Albany, is something that is super rare, just because the quantity and quality of the players coming up and that's why New Albany has been such a good like baseball community throughout the past like decade, and I think like the development, the development they've had like coming up really like shapes them for like how we play in high school and how we perform yeah, it's so many kids it is.

Justin:

It's a ton um did your, did. Did your anybody's dad's coach?

Trey:

yeah, yeah, nice how was that?

Justin:

did you like it, not like it?

Trey:

I liked it.

Brayden:

It was um sometimes I liked it sometimes like looking back at it now that I'm done, I definitely like appreciate it and like wouldn't like cherish those moments yeah, I 100 appreciate it.

Jacob:

But, like um, you know they have more uh ability to get on you about things rather than other kids, so yeah, he'd come after me a lot. But I mean he had a reason.

Justin:

Yeah, I think sometimes I catch myself doing it too, like I can be so hard on my kids and like not as hard on some of the other kids and I'm like I gotta like my, my oldest wanted a pancake sticker in youth football so bad. And like I refuse to give it to him because he's my son, like I'm not like you're really gonna have to earn it, and it was like week eight or nine maybe. He finally like had a big block and I was like all right, I'll give you one. Um, so accolades, let's talk accolades. So I tried to look some of this stuff up. But so what did you guys get for? Like OCCs Trey? One thing I did see was OCC academic right, yes, nice. So let's start with first team, any first team guys.

Tanner:

We had two, Cam Simmons and Cannon Kistner Nice.

Justin:

So young guy, cool. And then second team I got a second team, him and Grady Bush.

Trey:

And Jake. Did Jake get a special mention, I think.

Tanner:

Jake might have been a special mention.

Justin:

So it's first team, second team, and then is it special mention, special and honorable, special and honorable Special and honorable Nice yeah, I was honorable for district.

Brayden:

Honorable Nice yeah, I was honorable for district. I'm not sure I like the different voting.

Tanner:

I don't know how that stuff works either.

Brayden:

To be honest Between district and OCC.

Justin:

Yeah, so there were some district honors then.

Brayden:

Yeah, who all was in that Cam Caden?

Tanner:

was first team Caden. Cam, yeah, grady was second team, I was second team for district. Oh, Grady was second team. I was second team for district or.

Brayden:

Grady might have been first team. That I think, graham.

Tanner:

Graham was something too.

Trey:

Yeah, graham was first team district.

Tanner:

We had a lot of awards this year. We had some All-State guys too. Who was All-State? Kaden, cam and Grady Nice. Grady was first and the other two were second team.

Justin:

First team All-State. That's pretty sweet. That's sweet, yeah. Well, when you make a run like that, you know what I mean. You get more spots. Yeah for sure. Oh yeah, 100%. That's awesome. Let's talk Tommy John. Oh yeah, how was it? I think I need it. My elbow is killing me.

Tanner:

Oh let me tell you, it is not fun, but um so you didn't play at all all season I didn't know it was um went down to our florida trip. It was the first scrimmage, not gonna lie, playing not a good team at all. I mean, it was like kind of like a bullpen day for me and I went out through the first inning, everything felt good, and then I struck the first kid out and then I struck the second kid out, but on that second strikeout, um, like my arm popped on that last pitch and like I knew it, knew it was over after that. I didn't want to like tell myself, like I kept telling myself I'm going to pitch later in the week, I just need to ice and then. But then came home, got an MRI and they're like, yeah, it's torn, like you're done.

Justin:

So it's kind of went from there. Yeah, how was the surgery?

Tanner:

I mean it's Kremchak and he's great. He's a great guy. He's the same arm doctor for the Cincinnati Reds too. He's a great guy. Surgery was like 44 minutes. It was really quick, and then I was in and out and then the next day I was already doing PT. So it's a pretty quick turnaround, but it's about a year of recovery. So I'll probably have to redshirt.

Justin:

I'm going to play baseball at Tiffin. Yeah, nice. I don't know how I remembered that. I don't even know where I saw it. Actually, it might have been. Your mom might have sent me a little bio, yeah. So how far are you at like what will be a year so will you be able to play spring ball or no?

Tanner:

I will not. No, I will be out until about May 13th of next year.

Justin:

Okay.

Tanner:

That's when I should be about 100, um, throwing like full pitching again and everything like that, but um, right now I'm about five and a half weeks through okay, nice, that's brutal man.

Justin:

Yeah, it's not fun. Uh, it's funny. Like you said, you knew, you just knew it. Um, when I was running track, I tore my hamstring. Like you ever see the video? Guys running it looks like they get shot and face plant. Yeah, that was me, my, uh, I think it was my, it was my junior year, yeah, and it's just like when you have an injury like that, you just know. Yeah, like there's been times where, like, I get hurt and I'm like man, is that like really bad?

Tanner:

and it's like, if you're unsure, it's probably not, but like stuff like that you just know, yeah, just weird, like when it happened to like my arm like a lock, like I couldn't straighten it all the way, and that's when I like the first sign I knew like something oh, that's not supposed to happen. Yeah, just yeah yeah, dang um.

Justin:

What about you guys trey? What's up next?

Trey:

um, I'm gonna be attending firman, a university in south carolina, nice. I'll probably play club baseball there, they don't have a baseball program. They had to get rid of it during covid, but um so I'll try.

Justin:

I'll still try to play baseball god kovic, just kicking your guys's butt um. So what's club baseball like then?

Trey:

just like travel, I mean just I mean, I think it's kind of like travel, but there, since they don't have a baseball program, I think they take it a little more seriously yeah, so they're just not getting any funding by the school.

Justin:

Is that how that works? So you get a pay to play um, for club?

Trey:

yeah, I believe so, because they just don't, they just don't fund it anymore yeah well, at least you get to keep playing.

Justin:

Yeah, yeah, I played club uh ultimate frisbee. It's awesome. That's. It was really cool. And then wiffle ball was like the coolest club sport ever yeah uh, all right, what's next?

Brayden:

yeah, I'll probably have to try that out next year. I'm going to Ohio State to study finance. I'll just do some intramurals.

Justin:

Club sports stay active yeah, go find the wiffle ball. I guarantee they have it. So much fun. Football, handball. So you're done with baseball then, outside of doing just recreational.

Brayden:

Yeah, how's that feel um, I mean it's nice to have like a couple weeks off now, but like it's definitely gonna set in, like because, like we've been pretty much going like going since like march, like mid-march like I practice six days a week by now- I mean you, yeah, you probably knew baseball year-round since you were young yeah.

Brayden:

So yeah, it's a weird feeling, like just be done, cuz I normally like you don't done with school, but we never made this far, but then like you go right in the travel so like you don't even think of it, but then it's like you just done all this, yeah, so it kind of puts it in perspective, right, like all the time you put in and everybody always tells you like it goes fast, it goes fast, it goes fast, and you don't, you can't comprehend that, and then, boom, it's done.

Brayden:

Yeah, all those early morning workouts we had and stuff. The good thing is we didn't make it far, so I knew it was going to be over. I was kind of preparing myself, not in a bad way, but it was going to be over. The day we lost or the next day we were first-round exits. It was just done like that. We had some time.

Jacob:

We, it was just done like that.

Justin:

Like yeah, we had some time to like we knew like it was coming to a good end.

Jacob:

Yeah, yeah, somewhat of a good end. What's next? Um, I'm gonna be going to the university of tampa for finals.

Justin:

Smart, smart man no baseball, though.

Jacob:

No baseball at all. No, maybe, maybe, like in my future, maybe a softball league or a men's league, but church league, beer league, right and then. But I don't plan on playing in college. Yeah, maybe do some club stuff, though, like other sports.

Justin:

Yeah, that's cool uh, simulation dodgeball, that's what I would look for. Um, so what? Yeah, so, like now that it's all finished, um, I just want it like if you do you have some advice for? For? So I've got a lot of like dads that I'm friends with whose kids are in youth baseball and my my daughter's playing travel softball right now. My son's baseball career was short-lived, he was terrible. Uh, I don't know if my younger boy will do it or not, but just advice for like, let's, let's say that, like fifth grader that's in, you know travel and still playing little league, so he's playing rec. Like any advice for those guys?

Jacob:

I mean I'd say, continue to try your best to have fun, no matter how competitive stuff gets. And if you get to like a point where, like, playing time is not promised you, you gotta like you can't like stay thinking about the fact that, oh, I'm not playing, you just gotta keep grinding, especially if you want to take baseball. It's like all the way through high school. You can't just spend your time wishing and start like working to get that playing time. And who knows, you work hard enough, you'll be that main guy and then you, you help contribute to the team and then that's where your opportunities come from.

Justin:

And just stay grinding instead of wishing yeah, yeah, I mean that's kind of my takeaway talking to you guys and it's no surprise, I've been around athletics forever. It's like you're not, like you guys didn't even know your record, like, which is, I think, like that. That's probably like. That mentality is part part of the reason that you got as far as you did, like you guys, like you talked about being on the team and you talked about this is your like one of your most memorable seasons. You didn't even get to pitch and like, yeah, just being together, and so I hope that that's kind of a takeaway, cause I mean, it's really what it's about is like winning games any way you can. You know, just finding a way to win, or like finding a way to contribute to the team. Um, so that's, that's pretty cool. Any other advice?

Brayden:

Um, I would say, like I would definitely encourage playing other sports and then that helps a lot in different aspects, like I'm playing'm playing baseball, and if you're not going to like moving into high school, just go to everything. Our, our program and our coach is a great job of providing stuff like the fall, like to up until the season, like if you're not doing anything, like don't like miss lifting, like go to everything you can just and like then the coaches will just notice that simply that you're there and then, like that'll increase your chances, trying to whatever your goal is yeah, did you guys work with?

Justin:

uh, you didn't work with coach sides, but uh did you okay, nice, yeah, I mean what a resource like, for sure we do have all the resources with the weight room and the coaches and everything.

Tanner:

It's big, big help for sure it's crazy.

Justin:

It's crazy. I'm just experiencing it out um, and yeah, it's an incredible resource. Any other advice?

Trey:

I would say just work as hard as you can. You know there's a lot. You can see a lot of stuff like on social media and stuff like this 12 year old hit 90 and all this stuff. Like just just kind of like, don't worry about that kind of stuff, Worry about yourself and how you progress yourself and how you improve yourself and um, just don't worry about the outside noise and just worry about yourself yeah, just being the best uh baseball player, athlete or person you can be yeah, um, were you guys always like studs on the baseball field, like from I'm?

Justin:

I mean you can answer honestly, but like did it? Did? Like I want like a like did any of you guys like struggle, weren't the best, or you saw the best who like didn't pan out? Like give me some of those and you don't have to name names or just like some some stories or examples of that.

Jacob:

I was always little when I was younger, I mean, I was skin and bone.

Justin:

Yeah.

Jacob:

Like there's always those kids on my team or on the other team who were quite literally double my size, and so, yeah, I, I struggled with the weight and I, yeah but it panned out.

Justin:

I mean, it worked out right. Like you, you fought through that.

Brayden:

Yeah, I feel like I could definitely always hold my own and like I kind of progressed into the hitter and then like yeah, like I mean, like like Trey said, like there's gonna be kids that are huge, like when they're younger. I mean everybody will grow in their body, like when she gets it levels out eventually somewhat. Yeah.

Justin:

Yeah.

Trey:

Yeah, you know I didn't. I didn't throw the hardest. I still don't throw the hardest ever, even though sometimes it looks like I should. But you know I didn't, I didn't let that affect me and I just do what I can. More, more of a strike thrower, I pound the zone.

Brayden:

Yeah, good breaker Hammer.

Jacob:

Yeah, that's a good breaker. The hammer.

Trey:

Yeah, he was the best hitter in the.

Justin:

Midwest, you got a break ball. Huh yeah, good ball. Midwest, how fast do you throw Like low 80s?

Trey:

Okay, I mean it's not bad. No, no, it's the worst.

Justin:

Yeah, I couldn't hit it. No chance. No, I mean, how fast do you guys see in pitching, like what's some of the fastest pitching you saw during the season?

Tanner:

We'll go anywhere from like low eights to high eights is pretty much what we'll see all year, Okay.

Jacob:

And then maybe we'll see a kid that throws nine. That's like maybe.

Tanner:

No, I think Liberty. Yeah, we saw it a couple times.

Brayden:

Yeah, St Ed's. That kid from Big St, folsom Sand.

Tanner:

That kid from Big St Fullstone pretty hard.

Jacob:

Sanford's was throwing 90 definitely.

Trey:

Definitely Cam throws 90.

Brayden:

Yeah, yeah, cam throws 90. Yeah, we had three guys throwing Really.

Jacob:

We had three guys possibly throwing 90. Cam came through he's hit 90 a couple times and then Grant and then a player that does not play anymore. He was Tommy John Dowell.

Brayden:

So we had four guys.

Justin:

That's wild. I mean, how's that help? As a designated hitter, you were DH right. Yeah, like I mean you got to see that in practice. Yeah, like you're seeing speed All the season.

Brayden:

yeah, we're doing a lot of that. That's definitely helpful. Like then, like I always struggle like inside. Like it's nice and sunny out compared to when you're inside and it's dark out. Can you hit?

Justin:

off all these guys Not inside. So where do you go inside?

Tanner:

We go to DBAT sometimes and then REP just opened up a couple years or whenever, so that's a newer place that we started to go and we have a baseball player's dad who owns it, so that was a good connection to have. So, we could go in there and get some work in there, and then we went to CrossFit over there. Like the weight training place. There was a little cage in there that we got to get some work in there too.

Justin:

New Albany CrossFit. Yeah, yeah, all right, I need a funny story from this season Like who's the clown on the team?

Jacob:

Probably Owen Owen. He tore his labrum in the winter from ice skating.

Justin:

Did he play hockey or he was just ice skating? We were playing tag. This guy pushed him over.

Jacob:

Oh, you were with him. Yeah, he blames it on me, but it wasn't me. He simply slipped, tore his shoulder.

Justin:

Does he play second base That'd?

Jacob:

be great, that'd be funny, but he was out the whole season. He was kind of a locker room guy, but he always found something to joke about, always.

Trey:

Yeah.

Jacob:

There's numerous times where Coach has to put us in our place because I'm just sitting there cackling in the corner because of my own butt.

Justin:

Is he a prankster?

Tanner:

He's just goofy.

Jacob:

He's goofball. You'll hear things from him that you won't hear from any person ever. That are the funniest things.

Brayden:

In the offseason our coach promised us that we would go to Ocean Club if we win. I think it started off like Texas Roadhouse, but we went districts. We're like what about regionals? He's like I'll tell you guys Ocean Club. So it was kind of a joke. That was like our group chat name, like what's Ocean?

Justin:

Club.

Brayden:

Like once they kind of like said that we could actually win regionals. Like it became real and then we won. It became real and then we won. We were doing an Ocean Club chant on the bus and he's actually booked it. So we're going next week, are you?

Justin:

guys ready. We're going Monday. Nice, you guys, look at the menu, figure out what you're going to eat.

Tanner:

Yet I think we got a short menu.

Brayden:

I think he's keeping it down low.

Tanner:

Might get some nuggets or something.

Justin:

They'll give you the kids' menu. I don't even know if they have a kids menu. That's funny. Um so most memorable play at second let's see memorable play.

Jacob:

Second let's see I don't, I don't really like not one. Not one play stands out.

Justin:

Yeah, I mean.

Jacob:

The only thing that's coming to my mind is in the regional final. It wasn't even an out, but our defense was playing really well and there was a ball off the middle that I dove for and quickly got up and threw a rock at the first. He was safe by just half a step, but still pointing out that our defense was nearly perfect that game.

Jacob:

I mean it wasn't an error. They called it a hit just because the guy was quick and beat it out, but I don't think we had one glove error. That entire game it was perfect. Baseball, that's sweet Cool.

Justin:

Most memorable hit at bat. Most memorable home run.

Brayden:

It was pretty cool to get hit in the last game. But in the regional championship, like I kind of put the nail in the coffin, I had two um two rbi hit in the last inning. Seven nights in the vein celebration, that was cool. Yeah, yeah, like that was like kind of the dagger when we knew like getting the team, because I'm not.

Justin:

I think we're up seven out at that point I wish I could get like young kids to understand, like how big rbis are. Yeah, like the insurance. Yeah, my daughter hit an rbi. She gets thrown out first and she's like all disappointed. I'm like what like you just brought a run in what are you doing?

Brayden:

like I was hitting like uh, nine hole all year and I got the dh and had some of the most RBIs because I was trying to put the ball in.

Justin:

Yeah, exactly, just put it in play, good things happen. Swing the bat Most memorable Wait, so you had a one-hitter, did you have?

Tanner:

a yeah In the district semifinal.

Justin:

Tell me about that. It was really fun. How many strikeouts? 15, is that what you said?

Trey:

nice. Yeah, um, you know, I had, um, I was definitely a little nervous. So that was my first appearance, uh, pitching the playoffs for new albany, so I was really, really nervous yeah, and um, I mean mifflin, they're like, they're okay. I mean it. It wasn't the greatest but still, as I was still nervous and just wanted to get a job done for my team, so we can move on. And you know, I just I felt locked in that day and it kind of kept pitching. That's awesome.

Justin:

That's really cool. What was the one hit?

Trey:

Uh, it was. Uh, it was a line drive to left field in like the fourth inning or something.

Justin:

Okay, man, one away. Yeah, no, that's still. That's awesome. I don't care who the team is Like, that's incredible. I mean that's awesome. Is that your most memorable? Do you have a most memorable pitch?

Trey:

Probably that, like whole game is probably that or one pitch. We were playing against Grove City. We kind of had a rivalry with Grove City. I think it was the top of the 7th or something, or top of the 6th or top of the 7th. I struck a kid out Jordan Dye I love the shout out, the shout out was great fell to the ground and through a high fastball he swung and fell to the ground, which I thought was pretty funny. I like the shout out.

Brayden:

That's awesome Hammer last year versus Walsh.

Trey:

Oh yeah, that was pretty fun.

Justin:

What happened there?

Trey:

At Thurman Munson I closed up the game against Walsh Jesuit in the regular season, which was pretty good yeah that's cool, which was pretty good cool, yeah, that's cool.

Justin:

so I gotta get like most memorable moment outside of playing, but then you can give me one from like last year for our season.

Tanner:

Um, I'd say definitely last year I had like my first like, because I like last year I didn't really like pitch all that much really. I like just really like I had like a big velo game this year and like wanted to start pitching. But last year, um, we were playing the number three team in the state on tangy orange and it was my first start and we won, we beat them and I went six innings and uh, let up like four hits, two runs, um, but that was definitely my most memorable moment. I was just like when I was like dang, I kind of like pitching yeah because I've always been known as like a hitter.

Tanner:

But like I was like dang, pitching is kind of fun, like I like, I like it. So did you start pitching late? Then I've pitched my whole life. But I've kind of been like a thrower, like I've thrown pretty hard my whole life.

Justin:

Yeah.

Tanner:

So I've kind of just come in and just like thrown the ball after somebody's done really good, or I'll just be like give me over fastballs just by you, kind of yeah, but now I'm trying to start to learn, so you think you'll pitch at Tiffin. Yes, for sure. Yeah, that's going to be my main thing, I bet. I think if I come back throwing harder after Tommy John, it's what's kind of supposed to happen. Hopefully I'll probably just pitch honestly so I can take care of my arm and everything.

Justin:

Some rookie of the year. You're sick of that reference.

Tanner:

You have to be.

Justin:

Does everybody say that to you I?

Tanner:

don't get, get a lot of like robo arm type stuff so a lot of that.

Justin:

Uh, yeah, I mean, I've heard that you're supposed to throw harder when you come back.

Tanner:

Yeah, so hopefully they take uh, they take the ligament like out of your wrist right here. That's supposed to be the strongest ligament in your body, so they stuck that thing drilled in in my arm, so hopefully it works that's wild.

Justin:

No, I'm sure, I'm sure you'll be all right. Um so any other, any other stories or anything you want to talk about baseball related?

Tanner:

I think. One more funny moment that I just wanted to add, just because I think this is too great not to add um, this was last year. We went over to westland and we had a guy who, uh, actually had scoliosis how to get his whole back, like he's got rods in his back and everything. Oh, wow, wow. His name is Brian Niederprum and he's a great guy. I love the guy. He was a captain this year too and he went into pitch in like kind of the end and our sophomore had a no-hitter going. He went in. I mean I think he let up six hits back to back to back. I mean they goes.

Jacob:

I'm going to take you out of the game.

Tanner:

You're throwing BP. He used some different language there, but it was quite the funniest thing I've ever heard. You're throwing BP it was good.

Justin:

It was good. That's funny. Let's talk about your coaches a little bit. So who are the coaches?

Tanner:

So we have Coach Sam, who was our head coach, and then we had Coach Snoop Coach Westbrook, sorry and he was our pitching guy. We had Coach McClain, coach Carter and then Coach Braun were all on the staff and I think they went through a lot and Coach Sam especially has gone through a lot the last three years he's been here. He's been pulled into like hard situations with like he's had 20 seniors he had 16 seniors Like he's definitely brought into something way bigger than where he came from in Utica Definitely a big change. I think he's done great. I think he's provided everything for us clothing, practices, just the experience in general and I think he gets a lot of crap. But I think he's a great guy, a great coach and I think he deserves everything that he got this year. Cool.

Justin:

Yeah, I would agree, and I don't know him right.

Tanner:

I just follow along the program and I mean obviously, like I mean playing some good baseball, oh for sure, yeah, he all, yeah, he always gets us like the hard competition, the trips he always wants to make, like the best like plan we can have heading into the big days, big games or whatever it is, and I think he does a great job of what he does.

Brayden:

yeah yeah, we had some good coach, coach braun, like it was cool because he was like our elementary, like, uh, gym school teacher, like so he knew a lot of us and like middle school football and then he also coaches like some of us on jv and then he moved up to varsity so like we all kind of knew him.

Justin:

So he was like really cool guy, like always there for like emotional support yeah it was cool because, like a lot of us, had known him pretty much our whole lives yeah, that's sweet, that's cool, that's what's like I say all the time, like it's so unique at new albany where, like it's still small, you know what I mean. It's not like other schools where you exactly, and like you see, like like my kids, have some, some teachers that used to coach that like older guys know who it was don't coach anymore and then guys come back and, um, obviously coach bush, who's coming back to football?

Tanner:

I heard such an eight bush no oh yeah really, yeah, I think so yeah, I've heard some rumors he's coming back. Yeah, he was always a great guy too. We all played for him pretty much back in the day, and he was a great guy. I mean, I loved Coach Bush. I think he did a lot for all of us in here. I think he was just a great guy.

Justin:

Yeah, I seen him umping a softball game the other day.

Brayden:

Oh yeah, they're done.

Justin:

coaching I know we need umps. I think they make decent money now oh yeah, they make good money. Yeah, no, albany classic, it's great money yeah, and then you just get screamed at by irrational parents.

Tanner:

Yeah you don't want to hear, you just toss them out I mean they're like nine or ten years old, yelling at me like, come on, now just throw them out of there I was talking with someone last night.

Jacob:

they said that their 10 year old was doing some umping for the T-ball league and they're so little and their parents were still yelling.

Tanner:

It's just like come on.

Jacob:

They're barely hitting the ball off a tee and basically walking to first and the parents are getting upset at 10-year-old umps. It's insane and I'm trying to ump. I'm getting some umping jobs this week and I'm not afraid to talk back If there's going to be something to me. I'm going to Just toss them.

Justin:

Yeah, just toss them.

Jacob:

If that's what it comes to, then it's going to have to happen.

Justin:

Yeah, we were so rec team playing Big Walnut semifinals. There's only four teams in the league. There's two New albanese and two. This is 12u softball and so I got a girl on second and third. Uh, the girl on second runs um or tries to steal, doesn't realize that third had come back. So I get they're. They're both like really close. So the girl on third is just like just rounded towards home. Girl on second is like almost two second and I'm like screaming get back, get back, get back. She realizes it. The girl on third just runs home, ends up scoring. It was cheap.

Justin:

I didn't intend to do it like it wasn't on purpose, but they never crossed paths. They weren't both on the base at the same time. The parents in the dugout just go nuts. So the girl that went from second to third was like oh my god, what did I do? And like she just starts to walk back towards second. So what do they do? They tag her and like the ump is talking a kid, by the way, is talking to the coaches, and they're like well, she tagged her, she's out, and like was just going nuts.

Brayden:

And I'm like you could call them both out, I don't care like, I really don't like, like yeah it's not that deep at the end of the day I was up in a big one right after we played them in the region. I was like, yeah, I'm not giving them any that's awesome, that's good.

Justin:

Uh, give me some other. Some other parent coach umpire like especially the youth level. Any good ones?

Brayden:

I was doing gahanna the other day for an 11U championship and they were getting riled up. It was even like 11U, I think, just because it was a championship it was late at night because that's the thing you kind of have to realize eventually, one side's here and one side's here. Whether you call it a ball or a strike, one side is going to be in your ear no matter what, you just can't let either side what they're saying or doing affect the call.

Justin:

Just make the right call. Try to make the right call. It's hard, though it's not easy you really don't want to make them mad, yeah who cares. That's funny. So let's just, this is New Albany podcast. So, like, outside of baseball, tell me about New Albany. Like what do you guys do, what do you like to do? What do you do in the community?

Brayden:

Like what do you guys do for fun? Now that we're doing baseball, we're all getting into golf. I work at a golf course, so free golf Nice.

Justin:

Where are you?

Brayden:

at the Lynx.

Justin:

Heck, yeah, heck, yeah. You're all golfing, except Tanner, right?

Jacob:

Yep, that's one thing I wanted to do this summer, since it's our senior summer, I'm sure we're all working, we're all getting jobs. Then another thing that's big in new albany as of recently is pickleball oh yeah because of the courts that were put in so that and golf, pickleball golf and making money, that's really my.

Justin:

That's my summer right there, tell me about pickleball. So a lot of younger kids are playing right yeah, you guys get some intense games up there definitely yeah, and I mean it's.

Jacob:

It's, even though the courts are small. If you play 1v1, it's a workout.

Justin:

Oh, it's brutal yeah, it's, it's brutal. I'm too old for that. I would tear everything I have. Be it, be it for me. You guys are all playing, all you playing pickleball, except tanner.

Jacob:

Yeah, yeah I've been playing more recently. That's awesome because, in baseball. We got quite literally no time to do anything but rest school and baseball. So yeah it's kind of my time to get back in the things I want to do. You're just saying I don't want to do baseball but like other hobbies outside of it yeah, it's, it is, it's, it's.

Justin:

It's like I can think back to like when I graduated and like you're finished. I went and ran in college but like after football and like track and doing like there is kind of like a little bit of relief, it was like, uh, it's, you know, because it is, it's stressful, man, not to mention like you guys are your coursework at new albany's insane.

Brayden:

You're trying to graduate, you're trying to get honors, you're you know, you're trying to get into school, like it's a ton of pressure I think it's like my first summer that I was like able to like sit back and enjoy, because last year I had like senior seminar, work football in the mornings and have like baseball tournaments like thursday through sunday and like it feels like our summer. I kind of just started too because like we were probably like three weeks, yeah, it was a cool feeling.

Justin:

But like we had baseball right, like we weren't able to like go out and do like anything like because, like we were so focused on baseball yeah, I uh, I felt bad because I was talking to, to your mom trade and I was like it's nine o'clock okay, because I got like I got stuff to do and I'm like I'm waking these guys up like they're fresh off of baseball. Summer finally started, um, so I appreciate you guys getting up for it. Yeah, thanks, um. Yeah, man, I thanks again. Congrats on the season, like as a team and all of you guys individually. Man, I wish you the best. Um, I appreciate you coming on and providing some good advice, I think, for umps, parents, players. I'd like to keep this kind of a tradition, so it'd be cool to like some of the juniors that we talked about, like to bring them in here for next year would be sweet, awesome to have some of the football guys.

Justin:

Yeah, for sure, for sure. And who's the guy I need to talk to that does the podcast too.

Tanner:

The Ritters, the Ritters, you'll know them.

Justin:

The triplets, you'll know them. The triplets, you'll know them. Anything flies, right, anything flies. It's a podcast, all right, I got to check them out. And for you baseball fans, check them out. I've seen a little bit of their stuff.

Tanner:

They're good. They're really good for what they do. Yeah, it's pretty cool.

Justin:

Hey, appreciate it guys, Thank you.

Jacob:

It's off to.

Tanner:

That is fun. I like this what? Yeah, I want to see the. So they're triplets.

Brayden:

They're all going to Peterbilt.