Varsity Vibe: Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley are home to some of the most passionate student-athletes, dedicated families, and loyal fans, and Varsity Vibe wants to bring a consistent, high-quality platform to spotlight its talent and stories. We’re here to provide authentic, in-depth coverage that celebrates local athletes and strengthens community pride.
Varsity Vibe: Arkansas
Mounties Ready for Post Season Baseball | Varsity Vibe
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
The Rogers Mounties won their seventh consecutive 6A-West conference title, and finished the regular season 24-2. One their way to try and defend their State Championship from a season ago, Head Coach Matt Melson joins Alyssa Orange to look ahead to the post season.
And commercial real estate everyday counts. Whether you're developing, acquiring, or building a project for its construction, need accurate information and responsive services to keep things on craft. To choose blue. Blue supports commercial real estate projects nationwide with in-house survey, civil engineering, and land development services. Whatever your needs are, they help clients move from site evaluation to project execution with confidence. Visit blueinc.com. That's V-L-E-W-I-N-C.com to get started today.
SPEAKER_01Love where you live and play with Lindsay Manager. Affordable apartments and golf memberships. Nine and 18 whole courses. Buying or selling, trust Lindsay and Associates, serving the community for over 50 years. Lindsay, number one in apartments, golf and real estate. Lewis Automotive has been serving Northwest Arkansas for over 75 years and just getting started. Our knowledgeable sales team is here to find you the perfect vehicle to fit not only your lifestyle, but also your budget.
SPEAKER_02Our factory trained service technicians keep your vehicle running at optimal level.
SPEAKER_01And if you're looking for genuine parts and accessories, our team has exactly what you need. Relax in our comfortable lounge. And when your car's ready, we'll return it to you spotless.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for being a part of our story.
SPEAKER_02Come see us at Lewis Automotive Group, where you're more than a customer, you're family.
SPEAKER_03Welcome in at DivarsityVive. I'm your host, Alyssa Orange. And as always, thank you so much for joining us. And it's crazy to think about the fact that we're already through mid-May, which means the postseason is here for all of these spring sports. It feels like it was just February, where basketball was about to wrap up and we were really starting to talk about softball, baseball, and soccer. And speaking of baseball, Rogers, the Mounties, looking to try to defend their state championship from a year ago. Before the season started, I got to sit down with head coach Matt Melson and visit with him about his baseball journey, what it's been like coaching at a team and in a program that he got to play for after all of these years. And then, of course, what success looks like for Rogers baseball. Well, they've been able to encapsulate that this season. They just won their seventh consecutive conference title. They're ranked fifth in the state and they finished the season 24-2. And as I mentioned, they're also the defending state champions. Now ready to turn that page and head to the postseason. I hope you enjoy this conversation as we get ready for postseason baseball with head coach Matt Nelson. I feel like it was just yesterday. We were sitting in the stadium talking about the upcoming season, and here we are in May. And uh it's been a fun year for you guys. How do you think you'd sum it up as the head coach as you head into the postseason?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, it's been successful. We were able to win the um the 6A West conference again, which we're really proud of because it's such a strong, strong league. Um but that you know, you just kind of close that chapter and the the state tournament's a totally different animal. It's a one-off deal that's you know, you're gonna get everybody's best shot, and um, you know, you kind of got a week off before everybody plays, so it's a it's a pretty hard reset. And um, you know, um we've been there before. I'm hoping our experience can take over a little bit and um our arms can throw well and uh they've kept us in some games this year, but um you know anytime you get in a one-off, you know, do or die ideal, it's tough. So um, you know, we're excited for the challenge, but um at the same time we know anything can happen.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. I want to talk about the postseason here in a bit, but first, you know, what did you learn about your team early on as you guys started the season and I mean jumped into conference play uh and to learn kind of who you guys were as a baseball team?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um, you know, it it's so hard having nine teams in your league, and so uh you gotta have a buy, and so you have to, you know, because of that, you have to start in the last week in February. And I've done this long enough to know that it's usually spring break until you you can tell kind of who's who on your roster. Um but early on we were able to learn, you know, maybe some things about our pitching staff, who fit where, who was better in coming in out of the bullpen, who was a better start in the games, who was better in long relief. Um, we've been really good on the mound this year. Um, we haven't quite scored the runs that I thought we would. I'm hoping that maybe we've just been saving that for the end. Um our club that we've we've pitched well and we've, you know, for the most part to this point played some good defense. So um, yeah, that's as far as the things we learned early on. It was that we were probably gonna play in a lot of tight games and we were gonna have to rely on those arms, and we've had five or six that have been really good for us.
SPEAKER_03What do you think? Uh was there anything that that surprised you about this team this year?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um the defense surprised me. Um we've got I think seven guys playing positions that they weren't in last year, and um, you know, a lot of times you just don't know what's that's gonna happen whenever you throw throw all those guys together, and um you know, we thought we were gonna have to score more runs than we have had. Um we we haven't given up very much and we haven't scored very much. So our defense have really, you know, that I learned early on that um we don't have a lot of flashy guys, but we've got a lot of guys that just kind of make the routine plays. And so from a positive standpoint, that's that's one of the things we learned early on, and and they've really they've really paid off.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, and and when you talk about the run production, maybe not being there like you thought, it's nice to have a defense that keeps the other guys.
SPEAKER_00No, absolutely. It seems like we play more one or two run games than anybody. I it it makes it makes me question why we ended coaching a lot, stressful games.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. When you when you look at that though, how do you think that that's gonna play in the postseason uh to be able to have that defense that you can rely on?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean every game we've played over the last seems like five or six years in the in the playoffs comes down to a player two here or there, or run or two here or there. So anytime you can prevent runs, you're ahead of the game. Um I anticipate Friday being a a tight game, whoever we play. And if you know if we're able to be fortunate enough to win, Saturday it'd be the same deal. And if you go on, it's the same deal. It's just um playoff baseball, it's never easy and it's always tough to get those 21 outs you got to get.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. When you look at the postseason, what what's the message to your team every year when you hit this time of the year and and just getting your guys focused on turning that page?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um, you know, one thing that we're fortunate whenever you know we won some of these leagues here in in a row is that every game you play, you know, that second half of the season, well, even early on, but for the kid, I mean, I know early on how big those games are, but man, when you when you start being understanding, hey, if we just win these last four, we win the league, then this those last few weeks are like playoff games. And so um, you know, the message to those guys is just go out and play, have fun and and relax. Um I know that's probably wishful thinking, but um the truth of the matter is we played in a lot of big games, and you know, if we can just kind of go do that same thing on Friday, I think we'll be all right.
SPEAKER_03How much do you think the the senior leadership and the upperclassmen uh of being there before, like you said, winning a state championship last year, like the locker room almost I say self-polices itself, but kind of knows and understands exactly what's ahead of them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's huge whenever you have guys that have have been there. Um, you know, Jake Taylor, our number one arm, is starting the last two state championship games, and that kind of you can't put a prize tag on that kind of uh experience. And those guys have been leaders and um in the clubhouse and on the field, and they've just been great. You can't, like I said, you can't put a price tag on their leadership and that experience.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and and obviously to wear that that Mountese uniform means a lot with what you guys have been able to accomplish over the years uh and the and the steady expectation you guys continue to carry. And I'm sure those guys feel a little bit of that weight when this time of the year rolls around.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know, it's kind of a double-edged sword. You want to have, excuse me, um, you want to have success, but you feel like you're getting everybody's best shot a lot. And um, you know, it's it's it gets kind of heavy and um, you know, the culture that we we've seem to have here, the expectations and the bar set really high. And you know, it's better went that way than the other than the other way, but it really gets tough when you get into the these one-off deals because you know, one misstep and it could all be done, but they've these guys have handled it well, just like the last few teams we've had handled it really well, and I'm hopeful that that you know we're we play clean and throw strikes and get a few timely hits, and when we're there at the end.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you know, you you uh you guys play the winner of Cabot and Southside, um, but really regardless of the opponent to be able to kind of just make it back there. Uh, unless you're in a new spot in Majestic Park and Hot Springs. Have you had experience playing down there? Have you have you guys been down there to play?
SPEAKER_00No, um, never been down there. Um just hope to win two more games and get the opportunity. I've heard it's a I've heard they've got a beautiful facility down there. And uh man, what a what a fun time that would be if we were able to win a couple more games.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I got I just got done doing the GAC baseball tournament down there, and it's a really nice facility and and really cool, and it'll be a fun weekend. Um, but of course you gotta you gotta take care of business. Yeah. Uh you were to look back, right? If you were to look back, was there a favorite moment of the season that you have?
SPEAKER_00Um Yeah. Um we lost a Fed Bowl. We gave up five runs in of course this is not my favorite moment, but five runs in the seventh inning, just kind of a brutal loss. And uh that was before spring break. And probably um, you know, at practice the next day we're we're talking to our seniors were a couple of them spoke up and said we know what to do, let's just not lose again. And um they didn't, you know, in the in the whole conference in the league. And so probably just the um the confidence and the leadership that I saw after such a uh gut punch. Um that's probably my favorite moment because it just points to the character of some of our kids. And uh, you know, they they played the rest of the season with a heavy weight on their shoulders and we're we're able to to come through and and win the conference and put ourselves in a position to get a a one seed in the bye, which may or may not mean anything, but man, you'd rather be it that way than the other way.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, absolutely. Well, again, a lot more baseball left, hopefully leading all the way to Hot Springs, Coach. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, thanks so much. We appreciate you.
SPEAKER_03Thanks so much for joining us on this episode of Varsity Vibe. And as the postseason starts heating up for softball, baseball, and soccer, as I always do, I encourage you to follow us along on our social media platforms. That is X, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. That is where you're gonna find such great content as we follow these teams throughout the state tournaments, all leading up to those state final games in Hot Springs. And while you're at it, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and wherever you get your podcasts, as well as sign up for the newsletter at varsityvibearkansas.com. That comes to your inbox twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, full of the latest information, what's going on in high school sports around the state. Once again, thank you so much for joining us. I'm your host, Alyssa Orange, and I'll see you next time.
SPEAKER_02Club Car Wash is the best place to get your ride game day ready. From convenient locations to free tunnels and vacuums, it only takes a few minutes to have your car looking great, with locations throughout the state and membership starting at just $22 a month. Revive your ride at Club Car Wash.
SPEAKER_03QuickTurf is the go-to team for building championship-level sports facilities for public schools, private schools, and the entire school district. They also install beautiful backyard hunting greens for homeowners known for lifelike eco-friendly turf. QuickTurf handles everything from design and lighting to drainage and final landscaping. Their all-in-one approach delivers high-performance surfaces for athletes and low maintenance greens that last for years. With preventative maintenance programs that keep every field and green looking game day ready. Schedule a free consultation today at quickturf.com. That's qik turf.com.