May 6, 2025 • 23 mins
In this episode of Behind Kentucky Baseball Podcast, our host Darren Headrick and Darren Williams sits down with special guest Assistant Coach Chase Slone. They discuss Coach Slone's journey to Kentucky, talk about his approach to base running and break down how he prepares the team for the pitchers of the SEC.
Presented by: American Trust Wealth
Presented by: American Trust Wealth
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
How do you help prepare these guys to see that
kind of velocity and get those quick hands to be
ready to shoot it the other way or send it out.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yeah, luckily I don't get sore.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
So I'm about thirty feet away and I'm throwing that
thing seventy miles an hour, So the reaction time is
probably a little unrealistic. But we just had a lot
of velocity, whether that be with like the Marl balls
from sixty feet and having it a one hundred and
one hundred and two, and those things are lighter so
they got some extra ride to it. We're even just
having the machines closer. And like I said, I get
in there full mix. Logan saylo a full mix. Anybody
(00:32):
on staff can get in there and whether we're facing a.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Righty or a lefty and can help prepare these guys.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
I'll never forget the weekend, the week leading up to
that Paul Skiings game, We've put the.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Boys.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Them boys had a tough week, INDICID.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
What's up?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Everybody? Welcome back into Behind Kentucky Baseball. We're presented by
American Trust Wealth. I'm Darren Heddrick. Please to be joined
as always by my co host Darren Williams, and we
got a special guest this it's the assistant coach and
you want to be hitting coach or offensive coordinator for
the Wildcats. Chase Sloan is with US coach.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Welcome in appreciate you guys having me.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Let's talk a little bit about the journey before we
dive into this team and talk about the lineup. You
were at Wright State, had a tremendous offense in your
time there. What was the decision or what led you
to Kentucky when the opportunity arose.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
I've known coach Men's for a long time.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
We met back in the summer of twenty twelve, so
whenever the opportunity came and he reached out, it's like
a no brainer. You know, he's such a great guy
being in the SEC. We had played here when you
were playing, so you know been here, love the ballpark,
love this area.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
So something you couldn't pass down.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I know there was something you and I talked a
little bit about the Tennessee Series win down in Knoxville.
I know you had some tough memories in that ballpark
from your Right State days. So did it help a
little bit to get that series win. It may be
a little bit of a revenge there for you personally.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
When I was at Right State, we played They're in
twenty twenty, the COVID year they were fifteen to O.
I believe we took two out of three from when
we play them that next year. They had a little
bit of that, like, hey, we want revenge and they
got it.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
But it felt good this weekend to get back in there.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, and then to come back and beat a rival
in Louisville two seventeen runs in front of a great
crowd at Kentucky crowd.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
If we can continue to get crowds like that, it's
gonna be a run fun end of the season's juice too, by.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Way, how fun is it to guide an offense where
you guys can pull a Carson Hanson and just hit
an absolute bomb over the bullpen and then come back
and do like Dylan Coons did against Tennessee and lay
down a bunt to score a run and it was
a beautiful butnt almost a hit, Yep.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Beautiful bunt And Coons is a guy that's got a
lot of power. So I think that's what our offense
is built on as we can be diverse. We can
hit you from all angles. We can put a bunt down,
we can steal bases, we can hit a home run.
So that's when we're at our best. We can come
at you from a lot of different ways.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
I think that's one of the best things I saw
out of the Tennessee series is we had so many
stole in bags. And you know you play, you come
from Right State to Kentucky, how much more. I didn't
watch any Right State. I watch Right State offense. So
are you now more aggressive on the base paths than
you have been previously?
Speaker 1 (03:15):
No?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
And I think you just have more speed. No.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Honestly, probably one of the reasons I was hired was
because of the stolen based threat. There was a coach
named Matt tallerica Wright State. He was my hitting coach
at Right State. He's now the base running coordinator. He
was with the Yankees, now he's with the Cubs, and
he's the one that really started all the vaulting at
first base. So we were super aggressive on the bases
at Right State. Last year's team when I was there,
(03:38):
probably had a little bit more power, so it didn't
do as much of it. But yeah, I mean, I'll
just be honest, Tennessee was just given it to us.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
We're gonna take it. Amen.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Yeah, I mean that that wins ball games. I think
we had sixteen Like that's yeah, four or five extra
runs over those few games. That'll take two out of three.
Do it that every weekend. What's this season been like
for you? And we can throw Austin Kuzno and all
the other guys that help these hitters out there, new faces,
whether they're experienced hitters or freshmen learning how to hit
(04:07):
sec breaking pitches or fastballs or what this level at
the Southeastern Conference, what's that been like helping these guys.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
It's been good.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
You know, there's been some times where hitters can get frustrated. Definitely,
some of these guys that have had a ton of
success and they start the season with some success and
they're like, man, now every day it's ninety five to
one hundred with cutters and all these different pitches. So
you really have to just install these approaches into them
where it's like, hey, this is what they're the pitcher's
going to do. This is where your cold zones are,
this is where your hot zones are, This is your approach,
(04:37):
and then getting them to truly believe and buy into
what they're doing, because there can be a time and
it's understandable. Hitting is tough, and definitely when you're facing
e leaite pitching, so you can second guess sometimes that
approach and it's like, well, I want to sit fastball,
but what if he throws this, And it's like Nope,
we're going to fully buy in and fully commit.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
And I thought We've done a good.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Job here and there throughout the season, but I thought
our best job was actually at Tennessee. Our guys were
on time, ready to to hit, they were adjustable to
off speed pitches, and we were just ready to go.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
That leads me to my next question. Whether it was
Tennessee or Texas or even Texas, A and M, you
faced a ton of velocity. It seemed like every pitcher
could throw ninety four or or better without revealing too
many secrets. How do you help prepare these guys to
see that kind of velocity and get those quick hands
to be ready to shoot it the other way or
send it out.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, luckily I don't get sore.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
So I'm about thirty feet away and I'm throwing that
thing seventy miles an hour, so the reaction time is
probably a little unrealistic. But we just had a lot
of velocity, whether that be with like the Marve balls
from sixty feet and having it at one hundred and
one hundred and two and those things are lighter so
they got some extra ride to it, or even just
having the machines closer. And like I said, I get
in there full mix. Logan saylo a full mix. Anybody
(05:47):
on staff can get in there and whether we're facing
a ridey or a lefty and can help prepare these guys.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I'll never forget the weekend, the week leading up to
that Paul Skians game.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
We've put the and let it eat. Yehoy.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
Them boys had a tough week in the cage. I
mean attest to them. They make they make practice hard.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
On the hitters.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
I gotta ask, like I love talking to hitters. I
loved talking to hitters when I played like I'm full
on pitcher. I couldn't hit, I can't see, like no
shot I could ever do it for me pitching, I
would always pitch to my strengths more than I would
attack the weaknesses of a hitter. When you're teaching these
(06:28):
guys to hit whoever it is in the lineup, do
you want them to wait on that pitch, like if
it's O, you want them to wait on the pitch
that they it like you were just talking in their
hot zone. Or do you want okay, this picture is
soft lefty, Like he's gonna go away with a change
up all night long. Like be ready for that, sit
on it, and hit it.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
It depends on the situation.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
When we have runners in scoring position, runner at third
base less than two like, you don't need a perfect pitch.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
You gotta make it happen.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Yeah, you just need to get it, get the job done,
and get it done early because it's gonna be easier
to hit prior to two strikes, and you'll gather more information,
Like if you do swing at that change up, even
if you're sitting fastball, you're gonna gather info from a
swing versus the take. If you're leading off an inning
it's the first time seeing a guy, maybe you'll be
a little bit more selective then to your approach.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
But that's where just.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Kind of knowing the game and the flow of it
and what's needed in every situation. But when in doubt,
I want to be aggressive. That's just my nature, you know,
I want I think you know, if you're standing up
there with the bound.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Your shoulder, you're not gonna be able to hit.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
So I'd rather you swing at a pitch it's maybe
a little ball off, and you're up there ready to hit,
versus just being passive.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Coach Menngiona always talks about when you're facing these high
VL guys, you just basically have to sit on the
fastball and look for it because if you don't, they're
breaking pitches can eat you up. It sounds simple, but
as a hitter, how hard is that to do to
just say, Okay, he may get me with a slider,
but I've got to be ready to hit ninety seven.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Correct. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I think the big thing is is if a pitcher
throws an elite slider. If you throw an elite slider,
hitter probably gonna hit it anyways, no matter if he's
sitting on it or preparing for it. So that's where
it's like, hey, let's be ready for the fastball. If
he gives us one or the hard of the play boom,
we're gonna hit it right. And if he hangs a slider,
you'll probably naturally recognize it and flow into it, as
what we say. But if he makes a good slider
down in the way, like you ain't gonna hit it anyway,
(08:09):
so you don't get worried about that and you.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Swing at it. So what oo.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
That's a And you could probably expand on this as
the hitting coach. But it always makes me smile when
I hear scouts or somebody say, ah, yeah, he's a
really good fastball hitter, but he struggles.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
With the breaking ball.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
And but is that not the point anyway for a
picture is to make him struggle on the breaking ball.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
But anyway, no, no, you're I mean.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
If you don't have that really good breaking ball in
the sec, oh, you ain't getting the ball mm hm
when it matters. So these guys know every single picture,
the thirsty in unless we're up ten or down ten,
is gonna have a good breaking ball, be ready for it.
That's why they hit the breaking ball machine every single day.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
As we are recording this, you got about a month
left in the season, and that means we are at
a point where everybody's got a book on everybody, your hitters.
There's video out there of all these guys, So wa
are the adjustments slide within the game of trying to
help these guys knowing that they're going to be attacked.
Any little weakness they have, somebody's gonna find it at
this point.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Oh yeah, And then it goes both ways, right, Like,
we have all the information on the picture, so we're
gonna be able to know exactly what his fastball's doing,
what his breaking ball's doing. Is change up what percentage
he throws, what what counts he attacks hitters with righty's lefties.
We have the heat map, So it goes both ways.
I think it does fall back to the hitter has
to understand his strength.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Like you talked about.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
It's like if you're up there worrying about your weakness,
you're probably not gonna hit anyways. Pictures are good, but
just as you know, you're gonna miss spots at times,
and when they make a mistake, that's when you have
to hit it.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Typically in every bat you're gonna get.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
At least one pitch that is kind of a mistake
that you can do some damage with.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
And the key is not missing that pitch.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
You just threw a lot of information that guys have
at their disposal video and statistics. What do you like
to look at Maybe that pairs it down for you
that you really want to know about a particular team
going into a weekend.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Well, for me, looking I'm looking at everything from the pitching,
watching their pitchers, so knowing all the run game times,
that's super important for me.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I mean that was going into Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
I didn't want to waste any time and see, Like
I knew that, Hey, they're gonna be high leg lifts,
we're gonna be able to run. We're gonna do it
right from the jump and push the button. And then
when it comes to approach stuff, I just like to
look at it pre two strikes and two strikes and
seeing the difference there, seeing where the fast ball is,
and then just build an approach and plan off of that.
Runners in scoring position, you can look there and see
(10:24):
if he's pitching different than nobody on But.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I think the best version of this offense, you know,
we saw a really good glimpse of it these last
few games. You know, you're hitting a few bombs, we're
putting some bunts down, taking free bases, stealing a ton
of basis what's the best version of the twenty twenty
five Kentucky Wildcats offense in the hitting coaches and eyes.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
That basically what you just said right there.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
You know, capitalizing on other team's mistakes is important. So
if they're gonna walk us, we'll take our walks. We're
gonna be aggressive, we'll take our hit by pitches. Obviously,
when there's opportunities to steal bases, we'll do it. We'll
mix in and hitting runs from time to time. And then,
like you just said, when we get a mistake pitch
over the hard of the play. We have some guys
that can really do some damage. So when we can
do that and we can drive the ball of the yard,
(11:09):
and then we can be a really special offense.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Patty her baby, Oh man, he's been awesome to watch
this year.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
And yes, he's just such a leader, Like he's got
such a good presence about him. He knows when to
be funny, he knows when to be serious. He can
pick up a younger guy and carry him along with him.
He can get on somebody if he needs to, and
then he goes out there and he gets the job
done himself.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
So it's easy to be a leader. Whenever you can
go out there.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
And so I played with Patty when he first got here. Yeah,
and still to this day, Like it's the same as
when he first got here. His eye at the plate
is ridiculous. It's one of the best, Like, kudos to him,
it's one of the best I've ever seen. Like he
knows that strike zone very well. Is that something that
you know he's just born with, like he gets over time?
(11:50):
Like where do you learn how to know the strike zone?
Like Patrick Herrera knows the strike zone?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
That's a tough question.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
There's god given, truly, Like you know, he's probably you know,
from his dad's a coach, so he probably grew up,
you know, knowing the strike zone talking about it versus
just getting in there and just swinging and hitting anything.
But uh, you know, it was funny with Patty kind
of off topic. But yesterday he's in the cages and
you can kind of tell that, like he ain't fillling
right with his swing and he's kind of thinking. He's
(12:17):
asking me a bunch of questions. I give him a
couple of things and he's like, yeah, I'll be fine.
But I just feels off that he's out here and
he's just on fire. So it just goes to show
of a game. Yeah, like the pre game right Like,
it's not an indication. It's just you're preparing and then
you get out there and you're good. But yeah, Patty's
just a really honestly talented baseball player. Like when I
think of Patrick Curry, I just think ballplayer.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Literally, do you do you put there's another if you
put a lot of stock in pregame BP, or is
it like, hey, this is a warm up, Like yeah,
I want you to do great right here, but this
has no indication of how you're gonna play in the game.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
That's it right there, And I think everybody's different with it.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Some guys they need a little bit of front toss,
a couple of rounds of BP and they're good. There's
a guys where they're like, no, give me a HUNTERD
minor fastball of nasty breaking ball. Make it harder in
here so the game's easier. And that's where it's like
these guys have done a good job with Some guys
I feel like are still kind of learning their routines
and stuff like that, what they need to prepare to
hit those sec starters. But I don't put a ton
(13:16):
of stock into pregame. It's more just like you get
loose and get what you need. As long as your
belief and confidence levels there, you're good.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
It's really interesting because every team is different. I remember
last year's team that went to Omaha. They hardly ever
hit VP on the field. They were in the cages
and then they would come out here and do some
infield or outfield practice that was every day. This year's
team's kind of done a mix of both. You guys
have hit in the cages some days and then some
days you've hit on the field. Have you found where
this team kind of likes to be the routine that
(13:45):
they enjoyed the most to be ready to play.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Yeah, And it's funny that we ask them before every game.
That's where I, hey, you want VP on the field.
And now we've gotten to a point where it's like,
all right, there's like two more guys that are gonna
say BP on the field.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
So it's like you ask them every day and it's
like the.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Same answer, and that's what we did, and I think
we'll probably roll with that for a little while there.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Well, it's certainly worked against Tennessee and Louisville, too real quick, Guys,
just want to take a time out to remind folks
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We're visiting with Chase Sloan. He's the assistant coach, hitting coach,
(14:23):
offensive coordinator for this Kentucky baseball team, and let's talk
a little bit about some individuals we mentioned Patrick Herrera.
I want to ask about Tyler Bell, switch hitter freshman.
I've started calling him Steady Eddy Coach, because you would
think there might be a lot of pressure on a
young man that was in the draft and all this,
and everybody expects so much, and yet he's just so steady.
(14:45):
He just goes out there and does his thing, doesn't
try to do too much. And I love it when
he gets two strikes and all of a sudden, he
just sends one the other way.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Yep, you talk about pressure, I actually think he does.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
There's pressure on him, but I think he views it
as pressure as a privilege because there's an expectation because
he is a really talented player, but you knew it
from day one. Like his work ethic is just unmatched.
I mean for a freshman to get all like the
hardest worker, votes on the team and all those things,
like he just puts his head down and goes to work.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
I don't know if there's really a time.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
He's probably here right now down in the KG is hitting,
but he's gonna put his work in. I kind of
joke about it. We did still start times on lasers
in the fall. He didn't like where his still start
time was. And every single day at six am I
would show up, he would be out there on the
field running like he would just be working on his
steel jumps and still starts like he just wants to
be the best baseball player he can.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
And then also, however he can help the team, he's
going to do it.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Have you ever worked with a freshman that is as
mature as he is or has that veteran mentality that
he does more often than not.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
No, I've never seen a freshman like he is in
terms of that. Yeah, you almost forget he's a freshman
at times, truly you do.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
But I mean it goes to it just blows my mind.
That that kid can be that good at eighteen, be cause
I remember when I was like, at eighteen, there.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Ain't no way. Yeah, there ain't no way.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Man, So good, good for good for old Todder Bell.
I want to talk about his counterpart up the middle. Oh,
Luke Lawrence. He's uh, he's been one of my favorites
to watch this year because he's moved all over the lineup.
You know, he's bad and I feel like every spot
one through nine. I mean, he's fast. He seems to
me a lot of quality at bats all the time.
Just to speak about Luke, because I think he's one
(16:26):
of the guys that slides under the radar. But he
is a big part of this offense, right.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Oh yeah, He's similar to Patty in terms of just
like ballplayer, Like he's an ultra competitor, grew up playing hockey.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Like he's just got a little bit of an edge
to him.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
He saw that a little bit Tennessee there when a
little slide in at second base, I was like, all right,
Like he's got some.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Of that in him.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
But yeah, he's just a baseball player. He plays great defense,
he's a leader, communicates well. Him and t Bell up
the middle or special they get along super good, both
from Illinois. But yeah, he's just a really good baseball player.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Uh. In terms of the outfield, things have been a
little different in recent weeks. Carson Hanson's been out there
a turn of or two at center field. But also
Ryan Schwartz inserted into the lineup against Tennessee and he
sort of earned more playing time. What have you seen
from another rookie now getting his turn in Ryan Schwartz.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Yeah, we you know, Schwartzey didn't get to play in
the fall.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
He had a hurt risk.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
He was talented, so that kind of probably set him
back a little bit. And then when we looked at it,
we talked about scouting. When you look at Tennessee's Friday
guy was like, man, Righty's hit him better, Like, let's
see what he can do when in there, had a
good presence about himself, and throw him back in there
the next day and he's done.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
A really good job.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I think we're at a point now where our team
everybody knows like, hey, there's a chance I'm going to
play today. Yeah, and whether it's you know, defense off
the bench, and even if it's then you still could
have a really important at bat. We saw that with
Griff Cameron at Tennessee when he.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Gets that double.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
So it's a complete team effort. I mean every single
guy that's position player. I think we have fourteen right
now that are active. It's like they're probably all going
to play in almost every game.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
I know a lot of times every team goes through
this in a season. But how challenging has it been
From the standpoint of, Okay, you think Will Marcy's your centerfielder,
and then he gets hurt. Ethan Hindle is just beginning
to take off and he gets hurt, he's out for
the year. And my heart breaks for him because man,
he was He was really coming on at the plate,
especially getting on base, and you have to retool. You
(18:19):
have to retool the infield or the defense and the lineup.
How challenging has that been this year?
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Super challenging, just because it's it's inconsistent, and we all
know consistency is one of the keys to having success.
But I think our guys have done an excellent job
with coming to the ballpark with the same mindset every
single day. Guys gave Hindle a shout out and said
he was probably the key to victory at Tennessee. Just
like he's in the dugout, he's you know, they're giving
him a boot before the game on Friday. He was
(18:46):
probably gonna start center field on he's out there getting
reps and work in out there. He made a great transition,
never really played outfield, from the infield to the outfield,
and he was just an ultimate leader, just keeping the dugout,
just yelling, guys, are you satisfied right here? Like no,
I'm not saying, let's keep going, let's keep going. And
he was just on the guys constantly. Everybody feeds off him.
So he's been such a good sport so definitely tough. Yeah,
(19:09):
but he's still playing a vital role. And all those
guys are Will Marcy and the guys that.
Speaker 4 (19:12):
Are hurt shout out ethan swing against us, I mean
bomb in the ninth Oh, got back in there, like
that was one of the best swings the season. Yeah,
And you know, you hate, you hate to see your
kid get hurt and season over been through that.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
And the worst part of it is he absorbed all
of those hit by pitches and then it was a
freak thing that puts him out for the year. I mean,
the kid is tough as nails and sort of playing
off that and what you talked about with what Ethan
did being a vocal leader at Tennessee. Nick McKay was
on our podcast recently and he said a lot of
people look at me as a veteran and think I
(19:46):
should be the vocal leader. But he said, there's guys
that have come back on this team that are young,
like an Ethan Handle, and he said, I'm sort of
looking at them to to help me out a little
bit as I as I learned the league and everything.
So from that standpoint, how rewarding is that as a
coach to see some young guys find their voice on
this team and become those leaders like a Handle and
coach min Jones even mentioned Tyler Bell starting to find
(20:08):
his voice too.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
So yep, I think when it comes to leadership, you
know a lot of times people play agent of that.
I don't think you have to. And the key is
is knowing your role. And that's where McKay it's like, Hey,
I'm an older guy, I'm new here. I'm gonna put
my head down, I'm gonna work. If he needs to
speak up, he will, and he's done a good job
with that. But yeah, whether it's t Bell, Patty Herrera
(20:29):
or Ethan Hindle, like, those guys are some of the
leaders and they do a really good job with them.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
I remember young Devin Burks, you know, red shirt freshman,
red shirt sophomore in twenty two and twenty three stepping
into a leadership role. So you're you're exactly right speak
a little bit about dev We can't, you know, not speak.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
About the captain. He's had some clutch hits. He had
some clutch hits.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
He looks healthier with the wrists, like, yeah, he looks
like he's in a really good spot right now. Just
what have you seen out of him? You know, can
he Can he do it again for the old Kentucky Wildcats?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Yeah, it does.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
It's been awesome, And honestly, we kind of hit it
off from the first day we met back in August
and we were putting some good work in. He had
a little bit of the injury with his right hand,
and he was doing so much bottom hand work, I
mean was crazy. We were out here hitting and he's
off the machine with his full length bat all the
way choked down. He hits the ball three hundred and
thirty feet believe. I'm like, all right, like we could
do something special right here. And had some struggles last year,
(21:22):
and but I really like where he's at right now,
Like he's moving really well. His swing's in a good spot,
mentality's in a great spot. Again, he's a great leader. Still,
it's unbelievable. So I'm just super privileged to get to
work with him. You know, watching him when we came
here at Right State in twenty three, I.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Mean, he went off that weekend.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
I didn't love that part about it at the time,
but he's showing some of that this year, so that's
super exciting.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
Yeah, he's the man.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
He had, no question.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
And then I think back to his walk off hit
against Old Miss and coach you can kind of walk
through that bad. I remember it because they got in
the first couple of pitches, they got two strikes on him,
and then he just choked up and launched that ball
through the left side for the walk.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
I mean, it was a really good at bat. Oh yeah,
he's done a really good job. Again. We've talked about
approach and he knows it.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Like teams are gonna spin him, like they're gonna throw
in breaking balls and like when he hits off me,
like that's all he'll say is just slider sliders.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
So he's built a.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Really good approach, and I think he did a good
job in that a bat there of gathering the information
from the prior pitches and then building his approach and
getting it done.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
As you, as we sit here and record this podcast today,
what excites you most about this lineup as you get
ready for the stretch run the last month of the
regular season.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Just like we talked about, I think we're at a
point right now where we know what guys can do.
I think they know what they can do, and I
think they understand that, hey, I can do a lot
of different things, whether it's put a bunt down, whether
it's base hit, bunt, hit and run, steel hit a
home run. Guys are understanding their role, whether it's there
as a starter, defensive replacement, whatever it might be.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Maybe you're still getting in there at.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Times, but I think we're at a point And we've
talked about injuries and guys coming in and out of
the lineup, but I think we're at a point where
it's like, all right, kind of see who's gonna be
in there every day, kind of know what my role
is going to be, and we're just gonna go take off.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
Let's take it off, Baby's jereaking coach. Deep enjoy it,
you know. I mean it's it's the best month of
the year right now, the last few weeks and Hoover
and postseason baseball. Man, just keep rolling. The cats are hot,
stay hot, baby.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
I don't know if you've ever found your way to
the SEC tournament in Hoover, but it's special.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Man. The environment down there is just different. Cats are
going to enjoy it down there.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
I'm all right, all right, that's gonna be it. That's
our time for this edition of Behind Kentucky Baseball again.
We're presented by American Trust. Well Darren, great to be
with you again. Thank you, coach, Thank you, guys. I
appreciate it. He's Chase Sloan, assistant coach for Kentucky Baseball.
He's Darren Williams. I'm Darren Headrick. Thanks for being with
us here on Behind Kentucky Baseball. This is the UK
(23:46):
Sports Network
How do you help prepare these guys to see that
kind of velocity and get those quick hands to be
ready to shoot it the other way or send it out.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yeah, luckily I don't get sore.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
So I'm about thirty feet away and I'm throwing that
thing seventy miles an hour, So the reaction time is
probably a little unrealistic. But we just had a lot
of velocity, whether that be with like the Marl balls
from sixty feet and having it a one hundred and
one hundred and two, and those things are lighter so
they got some extra ride to it. We're even just
having the machines closer. And like I said, I get
in there full mix. Logan saylo a full mix. Anybody
(00:32):
on staff can get in there and whether we're facing a.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Righty or a lefty and can help prepare these guys.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
I'll never forget the weekend, the week leading up to
that Paul Skiings game, We've put the.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Boys.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Them boys had a tough week, INDICID.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
What's up?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Everybody? Welcome back into Behind Kentucky Baseball. We're presented by
American Trust Wealth. I'm Darren Heddrick. Please to be joined
as always by my co host Darren Williams, and we
got a special guest this it's the assistant coach and
you want to be hitting coach or offensive coordinator for
the Wildcats. Chase Sloan is with US coach.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Welcome in appreciate you guys having me.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Let's talk a little bit about the journey before we
dive into this team and talk about the lineup. You
were at Wright State, had a tremendous offense in your
time there. What was the decision or what led you
to Kentucky when the opportunity arose.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
I've known coach Men's for a long time.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
We met back in the summer of twenty twelve, so
whenever the opportunity came and he reached out, it's like
a no brainer. You know, he's such a great guy
being in the SEC. We had played here when you
were playing, so you know been here, love the ballpark,
love this area.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
So something you couldn't pass down.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I know there was something you and I talked a
little bit about the Tennessee Series win down in Knoxville.
I know you had some tough memories in that ballpark
from your Right State days. So did it help a
little bit to get that series win. It may be
a little bit of a revenge there for you personally.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
When I was at Right State, we played They're in
twenty twenty, the COVID year they were fifteen to O.
I believe we took two out of three from when
we play them that next year. They had a little
bit of that, like, hey, we want revenge and they
got it.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
But it felt good this weekend to get back in there.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, and then to come back and beat a rival
in Louisville two seventeen runs in front of a great
crowd at Kentucky crowd.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
If we can continue to get crowds like that, it's
gonna be a run fun end of the season's juice too, by.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Way, how fun is it to guide an offense where
you guys can pull a Carson Hanson and just hit
an absolute bomb over the bullpen and then come back
and do like Dylan Coons did against Tennessee and lay
down a bunt to score a run and it was
a beautiful butnt almost a hit, Yep.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Beautiful bunt And Coons is a guy that's got a
lot of power. So I think that's what our offense
is built on as we can be diverse. We can
hit you from all angles. We can put a bunt down,
we can steal bases, we can hit a home run.
So that's when we're at our best. We can come
at you from a lot of different ways.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
I think that's one of the best things I saw
out of the Tennessee series is we had so many
stole in bags. And you know you play, you come
from Right State to Kentucky, how much more. I didn't
watch any Right State. I watch Right State offense. So
are you now more aggressive on the base paths than
you have been previously?
Speaker 1 (03:15):
No?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
And I think you just have more speed. No.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Honestly, probably one of the reasons I was hired was
because of the stolen based threat. There was a coach
named Matt tallerica Wright State. He was my hitting coach
at Right State. He's now the base running coordinator. He
was with the Yankees, now he's with the Cubs, and
he's the one that really started all the vaulting at
first base. So we were super aggressive on the bases
at Right State. Last year's team when I was there,
(03:38):
probably had a little bit more power, so it didn't
do as much of it. But yeah, I mean, I'll
just be honest, Tennessee was just given it to us.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
We're gonna take it. Amen.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Yeah, I mean that that wins ball games. I think
we had sixteen Like that's yeah, four or five extra
runs over those few games. That'll take two out of three.
Do it that every weekend. What's this season been like
for you? And we can throw Austin Kuzno and all
the other guys that help these hitters out there, new faces,
whether they're experienced hitters or freshmen learning how to hit
(04:07):
sec breaking pitches or fastballs or what this level at
the Southeastern Conference, what's that been like helping these guys.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
It's been good.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
You know, there's been some times where hitters can get frustrated. Definitely,
some of these guys that have had a ton of
success and they start the season with some success and
they're like, man, now every day it's ninety five to
one hundred with cutters and all these different pitches. So
you really have to just install these approaches into them
where it's like, hey, this is what they're the pitcher's
going to do. This is where your cold zones are,
this is where your hot zones are, This is your approach,
(04:37):
and then getting them to truly believe and buy into
what they're doing, because there can be a time and
it's understandable. Hitting is tough, and definitely when you're facing
e leaite pitching, so you can second guess sometimes that
approach and it's like, well, I want to sit fastball,
but what if he throws this, And it's like Nope,
we're going to fully buy in and fully commit.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
And I thought We've done a good.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Job here and there throughout the season, but I thought
our best job was actually at Tennessee. Our guys were
on time, ready to to hit, they were adjustable to
off speed pitches, and we were just ready to go.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
That leads me to my next question. Whether it was
Tennessee or Texas or even Texas, A and M, you
faced a ton of velocity. It seemed like every pitcher
could throw ninety four or or better without revealing too
many secrets. How do you help prepare these guys to
see that kind of velocity and get those quick hands
to be ready to shoot it the other way or
send it out.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, luckily I don't get sore.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
So I'm about thirty feet away and I'm throwing that
thing seventy miles an hour, so the reaction time is
probably a little unrealistic. But we just had a lot
of velocity, whether that be with like the Marve balls
from sixty feet and having it at one hundred and
one hundred and two and those things are lighter so
they got some extra ride to it, or even just
having the machines closer. And like I said, I get
in there full mix. Logan saylo a full mix. Anybody
(05:47):
on staff can get in there and whether we're facing
a ridey or a lefty and can help prepare these guys.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I'll never forget the weekend, the week leading up to
that Paul Skians game.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
We've put the and let it eat. Yehoy.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
Them boys had a tough week in the cage. I
mean attest to them. They make they make practice hard.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
On the hitters.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
I gotta ask, like I love talking to hitters. I
loved talking to hitters when I played like I'm full
on pitcher. I couldn't hit, I can't see, like no
shot I could ever do it for me pitching, I
would always pitch to my strengths more than I would
attack the weaknesses of a hitter. When you're teaching these
(06:28):
guys to hit whoever it is in the lineup, do
you want them to wait on that pitch, like if
it's O, you want them to wait on the pitch
that they it like you were just talking in their
hot zone. Or do you want okay, this picture is
soft lefty, Like he's gonna go away with a change
up all night long. Like be ready for that, sit
on it, and hit it.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
It depends on the situation.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
When we have runners in scoring position, runner at third
base less than two like, you don't need a perfect pitch.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
You gotta make it happen.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Yeah, you just need to get it, get the job done,
and get it done early because it's gonna be easier
to hit prior to two strikes, and you'll gather more information,
Like if you do swing at that change up, even
if you're sitting fastball, you're gonna gather info from a
swing versus the take. If you're leading off an inning
it's the first time seeing a guy, maybe you'll be
a little bit more selective then to your approach.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
But that's where just.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Kind of knowing the game and the flow of it
and what's needed in every situation. But when in doubt,
I want to be aggressive. That's just my nature, you know,
I want I think you know, if you're standing up
there with the bound.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Your shoulder, you're not gonna be able to hit.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
So I'd rather you swing at a pitch it's maybe
a little ball off, and you're up there ready to hit,
versus just being passive.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Coach Menngiona always talks about when you're facing these high
VL guys, you just basically have to sit on the
fastball and look for it because if you don't, they're
breaking pitches can eat you up. It sounds simple, but
as a hitter, how hard is that to do to
just say, Okay, he may get me with a slider,
but I've got to be ready to hit ninety seven.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Correct. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I think the big thing is is if a pitcher
throws an elite slider. If you throw an elite slider,
hitter probably gonna hit it anyways, no matter if he's
sitting on it or preparing for it. So that's where
it's like, hey, let's be ready for the fastball. If
he gives us one or the hard of the play boom,
we're gonna hit it right. And if he hangs a slider,
you'll probably naturally recognize it and flow into it, as
what we say. But if he makes a good slider
down in the way, like you ain't gonna hit it anyway,
(08:09):
so you don't get worried about that and you.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Swing at it. So what oo.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
That's a And you could probably expand on this as
the hitting coach. But it always makes me smile when
I hear scouts or somebody say, ah, yeah, he's a
really good fastball hitter, but he struggles.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
With the breaking ball.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
And but is that not the point anyway for a
picture is to make him struggle on the breaking ball.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
But anyway, no, no, you're I mean.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
If you don't have that really good breaking ball in
the sec, oh, you ain't getting the ball mm hm
when it matters. So these guys know every single picture,
the thirsty in unless we're up ten or down ten,
is gonna have a good breaking ball, be ready for it.
That's why they hit the breaking ball machine every single day.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
As we are recording this, you got about a month
left in the season, and that means we are at
a point where everybody's got a book on everybody, your hitters.
There's video out there of all these guys, So wa
are the adjustments slide within the game of trying to
help these guys knowing that they're going to be attacked.
Any little weakness they have, somebody's gonna find it at
this point.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Oh yeah, And then it goes both ways, right, Like,
we have all the information on the picture, so we're
gonna be able to know exactly what his fastball's doing,
what his breaking ball's doing. Is change up what percentage
he throws, what what counts he attacks hitters with righty's lefties.
We have the heat map, So it goes both ways.
I think it does fall back to the hitter has
to understand his strength.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Like you talked about.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
It's like if you're up there worrying about your weakness,
you're probably not gonna hit anyways. Pictures are good, but
just as you know, you're gonna miss spots at times,
and when they make a mistake, that's when you have
to hit it.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Typically in every bat you're gonna get.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
At least one pitch that is kind of a mistake
that you can do some damage with.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
And the key is not missing that pitch.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
You just threw a lot of information that guys have
at their disposal video and statistics. What do you like
to look at Maybe that pairs it down for you
that you really want to know about a particular team
going into a weekend.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Well, for me, looking I'm looking at everything from the pitching,
watching their pitchers, so knowing all the run game times,
that's super important for me.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I mean that was going into Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
I didn't want to waste any time and see, Like
I knew that, Hey, they're gonna be high leg lifts,
we're gonna be able to run. We're gonna do it
right from the jump and push the button. And then
when it comes to approach stuff, I just like to
look at it pre two strikes and two strikes and
seeing the difference there, seeing where the fast ball is,
and then just build an approach and plan off of that.
Runners in scoring position, you can look there and see
(10:24):
if he's pitching different than nobody on But.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I think the best version of this offense, you know,
we saw a really good glimpse of it these last
few games. You know, you're hitting a few bombs, we're
putting some bunts down, taking free bases, stealing a ton
of basis what's the best version of the twenty twenty
five Kentucky Wildcats offense in the hitting coaches and eyes.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
That basically what you just said right there.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
You know, capitalizing on other team's mistakes is important. So
if they're gonna walk us, we'll take our walks. We're
gonna be aggressive, we'll take our hit by pitches. Obviously,
when there's opportunities to steal bases, we'll do it. We'll
mix in and hitting runs from time to time. And then,
like you just said, when we get a mistake pitch
over the hard of the play. We have some guys
that can really do some damage. So when we can
do that and we can drive the ball of the yard,
(11:09):
and then we can be a really special offense.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Patty her baby, Oh man, he's been awesome to watch
this year.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
And yes, he's just such a leader, Like he's got
such a good presence about him. He knows when to
be funny, he knows when to be serious. He can
pick up a younger guy and carry him along with him.
He can get on somebody if he needs to, and
then he goes out there and he gets the job
done himself.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
So it's easy to be a leader. Whenever you can
go out there.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
And so I played with Patty when he first got here. Yeah,
and still to this day, Like it's the same as
when he first got here. His eye at the plate
is ridiculous. It's one of the best, Like, kudos to him,
it's one of the best I've ever seen. Like he
knows that strike zone very well. Is that something that
you know he's just born with, like he gets over time?
(11:50):
Like where do you learn how to know the strike zone?
Like Patrick Herrera knows the strike zone?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
That's a tough question.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
There's god given, truly, Like you know, he's probably you know,
from his dad's a coach, so he probably grew up,
you know, knowing the strike zone talking about it versus
just getting in there and just swinging and hitting anything.
But uh, you know, it was funny with Patty kind
of off topic. But yesterday he's in the cages and
you can kind of tell that, like he ain't fillling
right with his swing and he's kind of thinking. He's
(12:17):
asking me a bunch of questions. I give him a
couple of things and he's like, yeah, I'll be fine.
But I just feels off that he's out here and
he's just on fire. So it just goes to show
of a game. Yeah, like the pre game right Like,
it's not an indication. It's just you're preparing and then
you get out there and you're good. But yeah, Patty's
just a really honestly talented baseball player. Like when I
think of Patrick Curry, I just think ballplayer.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Literally, do you do you put there's another if you
put a lot of stock in pregame BP, or is
it like, hey, this is a warm up, Like yeah,
I want you to do great right here, but this
has no indication of how you're gonna play in the game.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
That's it right there, And I think everybody's different with it.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Some guys they need a little bit of front toss,
a couple of rounds of BP and they're good. There's
a guys where they're like, no, give me a HUNTERD
minor fastball of nasty breaking ball. Make it harder in
here so the game's easier. And that's where it's like
these guys have done a good job with Some guys
I feel like are still kind of learning their routines
and stuff like that, what they need to prepare to
hit those sec starters. But I don't put a ton
(13:16):
of stock into pregame. It's more just like you get
loose and get what you need. As long as your
belief and confidence levels there, you're good.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
It's really interesting because every team is different. I remember
last year's team that went to Omaha. They hardly ever
hit VP on the field. They were in the cages
and then they would come out here and do some
infield or outfield practice that was every day. This year's
team's kind of done a mix of both. You guys
have hit in the cages some days and then some
days you've hit on the field. Have you found where
this team kind of likes to be the routine that
(13:45):
they enjoyed the most to be ready to play.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Yeah, And it's funny that we ask them before every game.
That's where I, hey, you want VP on the field.
And now we've gotten to a point where it's like,
all right, there's like two more guys that are gonna
say BP on the field.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
So it's like you ask them every day and it's
like the.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Same answer, and that's what we did, and I think
we'll probably roll with that for a little while there.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Well, it's certainly worked against Tennessee and Louisville, too real quick, Guys,
just want to take a time out to remind folks
about our presenting sponsor, American Trust Wealth, a Kentucky proud
wealth services firm offering financial planning and investment management for
over forty years. Find out more at American Trustwealth dot com.
We're visiting with Chase Sloan. He's the assistant coach, hitting coach,
(14:23):
offensive coordinator for this Kentucky baseball team, and let's talk
a little bit about some individuals we mentioned Patrick Herrera.
I want to ask about Tyler Bell, switch hitter freshman.
I've started calling him Steady Eddy Coach, because you would
think there might be a lot of pressure on a
young man that was in the draft and all this,
and everybody expects so much, and yet he's just so steady.
(14:45):
He just goes out there and does his thing, doesn't
try to do too much. And I love it when
he gets two strikes and all of a sudden, he
just sends one the other way.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Yep, you talk about pressure, I actually think he does.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
There's pressure on him, but I think he views it
as pressure as a privilege because there's an expectation because
he is a really talented player, but you knew it
from day one. Like his work ethic is just unmatched.
I mean for a freshman to get all like the
hardest worker, votes on the team and all those things,
like he just puts his head down and goes to work.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
I don't know if there's really a time.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
He's probably here right now down in the KG is hitting,
but he's gonna put his work in. I kind of
joke about it. We did still start times on lasers
in the fall. He didn't like where his still start
time was. And every single day at six am I
would show up, he would be out there on the
field running like he would just be working on his
steel jumps and still starts like he just wants to
be the best baseball player he can.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
And then also, however he can help the team, he's
going to do it.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Have you ever worked with a freshman that is as
mature as he is or has that veteran mentality that
he does more often than not.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
No, I've never seen a freshman like he is in
terms of that. Yeah, you almost forget he's a freshman
at times, truly you do.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
But I mean it goes to it just blows my mind.
That that kid can be that good at eighteen, be cause
I remember when I was like, at eighteen, there.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Ain't no way. Yeah, there ain't no way.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Man, So good, good for good for old Todder Bell.
I want to talk about his counterpart up the middle. Oh,
Luke Lawrence. He's uh, he's been one of my favorites
to watch this year because he's moved all over the lineup.
You know, he's bad and I feel like every spot
one through nine. I mean, he's fast. He seems to
me a lot of quality at bats all the time.
Just to speak about Luke, because I think he's one
(16:26):
of the guys that slides under the radar. But he
is a big part of this offense, right.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Oh yeah, He's similar to Patty in terms of just
like ballplayer, Like he's an ultra competitor, grew up playing hockey.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Like he's just got a little bit of an edge
to him.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
He saw that a little bit Tennessee there when a
little slide in at second base, I was like, all right,
Like he's got some.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Of that in him.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
But yeah, he's just a baseball player. He plays great defense,
he's a leader, communicates well. Him and t Bell up
the middle or special they get along super good, both
from Illinois. But yeah, he's just a really good baseball player.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Uh. In terms of the outfield, things have been a
little different in recent weeks. Carson Hanson's been out there
a turn of or two at center field. But also
Ryan Schwartz inserted into the lineup against Tennessee and he
sort of earned more playing time. What have you seen
from another rookie now getting his turn in Ryan Schwartz.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Yeah, we you know, Schwartzey didn't get to play in
the fall.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
He had a hurt risk.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
He was talented, so that kind of probably set him
back a little bit. And then when we looked at it,
we talked about scouting. When you look at Tennessee's Friday
guy was like, man, Righty's hit him better, Like, let's
see what he can do when in there, had a
good presence about himself, and throw him back in there
the next day and he's done.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
A really good job.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I think we're at a point now where our team
everybody knows like, hey, there's a chance I'm going to
play today. Yeah, and whether it's you know, defense off
the bench, and even if it's then you still could
have a really important at bat. We saw that with
Griff Cameron at Tennessee when he.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Gets that double.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
So it's a complete team effort. I mean every single
guy that's position player. I think we have fourteen right
now that are active. It's like they're probably all going
to play in almost every game.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
I know a lot of times every team goes through
this in a season. But how challenging has it been
From the standpoint of, Okay, you think Will Marcy's your centerfielder,
and then he gets hurt. Ethan Hindle is just beginning
to take off and he gets hurt, he's out for
the year. And my heart breaks for him because man,
he was He was really coming on at the plate,
especially getting on base, and you have to retool. You
(18:19):
have to retool the infield or the defense and the lineup.
How challenging has that been this year?
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Super challenging, just because it's it's inconsistent, and we all
know consistency is one of the keys to having success.
But I think our guys have done an excellent job
with coming to the ballpark with the same mindset every
single day. Guys gave Hindle a shout out and said
he was probably the key to victory at Tennessee. Just
like he's in the dugout, he's you know, they're giving
him a boot before the game on Friday. He was
(18:46):
probably gonna start center field on he's out there getting
reps and work in out there. He made a great transition,
never really played outfield, from the infield to the outfield,
and he was just an ultimate leader, just keeping the dugout,
just yelling, guys, are you satisfied right here? Like no,
I'm not saying, let's keep going, let's keep going. And
he was just on the guys constantly. Everybody feeds off him.
So he's been such a good sport so definitely tough. Yeah,
(19:09):
but he's still playing a vital role. And all those
guys are Will Marcy and the guys that.
Speaker 4 (19:12):
Are hurt shout out ethan swing against us, I mean
bomb in the ninth Oh, got back in there, like
that was one of the best swings the season. Yeah,
And you know, you hate, you hate to see your
kid get hurt and season over been through that.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
And the worst part of it is he absorbed all
of those hit by pitches and then it was a
freak thing that puts him out for the year. I mean,
the kid is tough as nails and sort of playing
off that and what you talked about with what Ethan
did being a vocal leader at Tennessee. Nick McKay was
on our podcast recently and he said a lot of
people look at me as a veteran and think I
(19:46):
should be the vocal leader. But he said, there's guys
that have come back on this team that are young,
like an Ethan Handle, and he said, I'm sort of
looking at them to to help me out a little
bit as I as I learned the league and everything.
So from that standpoint, how rewarding is that as a
coach to see some young guys find their voice on
this team and become those leaders like a Handle and
coach min Jones even mentioned Tyler Bell starting to find
(20:08):
his voice too.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
So yep, I think when it comes to leadership, you
know a lot of times people play agent of that.
I don't think you have to. And the key is
is knowing your role. And that's where McKay it's like, Hey,
I'm an older guy, I'm new here. I'm gonna put
my head down, I'm gonna work. If he needs to
speak up, he will, and he's done a good job
with that. But yeah, whether it's t Bell, Patty Herrera
(20:29):
or Ethan Hindle, like, those guys are some of the
leaders and they do a really good job with them.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
I remember young Devin Burks, you know, red shirt freshman,
red shirt sophomore in twenty two and twenty three stepping
into a leadership role. So you're you're exactly right speak
a little bit about dev We can't, you know, not speak.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
About the captain. He's had some clutch hits. He had
some clutch hits.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
He looks healthier with the wrists, like, yeah, he looks
like he's in a really good spot right now. Just
what have you seen out of him? You know, can
he Can he do it again for the old Kentucky Wildcats?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Yeah, it does.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
It's been awesome, And honestly, we kind of hit it
off from the first day we met back in August
and we were putting some good work in. He had
a little bit of the injury with his right hand,
and he was doing so much bottom hand work, I
mean was crazy. We were out here hitting and he's
off the machine with his full length bat all the
way choked down. He hits the ball three hundred and
thirty feet believe. I'm like, all right, like we could
do something special right here. And had some struggles last year,
(21:22):
and but I really like where he's at right now,
Like he's moving really well. His swing's in a good spot,
mentality's in a great spot. Again, he's a great leader. Still,
it's unbelievable. So I'm just super privileged to get to
work with him. You know, watching him when we came
here at Right State in twenty three, I.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Mean, he went off that weekend.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
I didn't love that part about it at the time,
but he's showing some of that this year, so that's
super exciting.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
Yeah, he's the man.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
He had, no question.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
And then I think back to his walk off hit
against Old Miss and coach you can kind of walk
through that bad. I remember it because they got in
the first couple of pitches, they got two strikes on him,
and then he just choked up and launched that ball
through the left side for the walk.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
I mean, it was a really good at bat. Oh yeah,
he's done a really good job. Again. We've talked about
approach and he knows it.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Like teams are gonna spin him, like they're gonna throw
in breaking balls and like when he hits off me,
like that's all he'll say is just slider sliders.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
So he's built a.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Really good approach, and I think he did a good
job in that a bat there of gathering the information
from the prior pitches and then building his approach and
getting it done.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
As you, as we sit here and record this podcast today,
what excites you most about this lineup as you get
ready for the stretch run the last month of the
regular season.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Just like we talked about, I think we're at a
point right now where we know what guys can do.
I think they know what they can do, and I
think they understand that, hey, I can do a lot
of different things, whether it's put a bunt down, whether
it's base hit, bunt, hit and run, steel hit a
home run. Guys are understanding their role, whether it's there
as a starter, defensive replacement, whatever it might be.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Maybe you're still getting in there at.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Times, but I think we're at a point And we've
talked about injuries and guys coming in and out of
the lineup, but I think we're at a point where
it's like, all right, kind of see who's gonna be
in there every day, kind of know what my role
is going to be, and we're just gonna go take off.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
Let's take it off, Baby's jereaking coach. Deep enjoy it,
you know. I mean it's it's the best month of
the year right now, the last few weeks and Hoover
and postseason baseball. Man, just keep rolling. The cats are hot,
stay hot, baby.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
I don't know if you've ever found your way to
the SEC tournament in Hoover, but it's special.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Man. The environment down there is just different. Cats are
going to enjoy it down there.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
I'm all right, all right, that's gonna be it. That's
our time for this edition of Behind Kentucky Baseball again.
We're presented by American Trust. Well Darren, great to be
with you again. Thank you, coach, Thank you, guys. I
appreciate it. He's Chase Sloan, assistant coach for Kentucky Baseball.
He's Darren Williams. I'm Darren Headrick. Thanks for being with
us here on Behind Kentucky Baseball. This is the UK
(23:46):
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