Hit and Sit Show - Major World Series (2023) Wed, Oct 18, 2023 11:55 AM to 12:49 PM
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01:36 Welcome to the Hit and Sit show, the 34th episode of the Hit and Sit show.
01:41 I'm big boy J-Wro from Bring It Podcast.
01:43 And today we have a nice panel.
01:46 Most of us are here.
01:46 We're gonna have one more joining us here shortly as I'm joined by
01:51 Travis Clark, the pitcher for Mismando, the MVP of the Major World Series.
01:57 Travis, welcome to the show.
01:59 >> Thank you.
02:00 >> Also joined here by Mike Yoder, the sponsor and
02:04 manager of RUF-X, who won the AA.
02:08 And then won USA, eight nationals, not bad.
02:12 And then had a heck of a run in the World Series as well, finishing third.
02:16 Mike, congratulations on that run and welcome to the show.
02:19 >> Hey, thanks J-Wro.
02:21 >> And of course, as always, we have the man, the myth,
02:25 the legend behind everything, Dale Weiser, EW, what's up baby?
02:31 >> I appreciate you hosting the show and all the announcing that you did at the Major.
02:35 >> Hey, I appreciate you having me down.
02:38 It was a great time and let's jump right in here.
02:42 Travis, MVP, winning the World Series.
02:47 You guys had an unbelievable run.
02:49 How are you feeling?
02:51 I gotta ask you the first question I have was in the first game when
02:55 Sonny's was putting up that 23 run inning.
02:57 I don't know if I've seen a two pitcher change in an inning before.
03:03 What were you guys trying to do there to try to minimize the attack that Sonny's
03:07 was putting on you guys?
03:08 >> It was one of those situations where they just got on it.
03:12 We had a couple defensive errors and things just started rolling downhill.
03:18 And then when they brought rec in, having two pitchers in at the same time
03:23 enables you to switch as often as you need to or as often as you want.
03:27 And at that point, we were just doing whatever we could to get off the field
03:32 with the thought process that we just gotta get back in the dugout because we
03:35 knew we could score.
03:36 There was really, I never thought that we'd get ran off the field like that.
03:43 I honestly thought that we were gonna win that game somewhere in the 50s.
03:48 We just had that bad fourth inning and that was it.
03:52 >> That was, I gotta tell you, when I saw that going on, I think Josh and
03:57 I were even talking about it in the booth on the broadcast saying,
04:02 you're never really out of it with a team like Rosamondo.
04:05 You're never really out of it, but
04:08 that was quite a two games there to watch us.
04:12 How coming back, do you feel like Sonny's taking the hammer and being home?
04:21 Do you think that really played into now the roles were reversed and
04:23 you guys could go out and set the pace in game two?
04:25 >> I think with our offense that we could put up big numbers at any time,
04:31 whether we're home or away.
04:32 Like I said, they had that monstrous second inning and
04:36 it was one of those things where the thought process was never,
04:41 let's get ready for game two.
04:42 It was, all right, we just gotta keep hitting.
04:45 We just gotta keep hitting.
04:46 Eventually, these guys are gonna slow down and we'll catch up and
04:50 we'll win this game somewhere in the 50s or the 60s.
04:53 And like I said, to their credit, they kept hitting,
04:57 because then they had another big inning in the fourth.
05:01 And then we missed a couple balls in the fourth and
05:04 the game was over before you knew it.
05:05 >> Well, I think you've touched on something here that's interesting.
05:10 It's more on the mental side of the game.
05:14 We've all been in situations where you're kind of getting the bag on,
05:17 put on you a little bit.
05:18 How do you mentally stay in this opportunity?
05:21 Listen, you guys have been in situations like this, you have all the firepower.
05:24 But mentally, how do you continue to stay focused and
05:28 know you're gonna come out and win this or have an opportunity to win the game?
05:30 >> I think with our group, we've had enough guys that have been there long
05:35 enough that they never really start to press.
05:38 And like I said, it goes back to the first game.
05:45 I really thought we were gonna win the first game.
05:46 When we were down, it seemed like 100 to 1.
05:50 I really thought with our offense that no matter what,
05:53 we can get right back in it.
05:55 You just can't try to hit balls 1,000 feet and
05:57 think they're gonna count for extra, right?
05:59 You have to stay on your swing, stay within your game,
06:04 find a way to keep the lineup rolling along.
06:07 And eventually we'll track them down.
06:09 And to their credit, they had the huge second, they followed up with a huge fourth.
06:15 And that was that.
06:17 And then we came out and we were ready to go for the second one.
06:20 >> I think Kyle Pearson and
06:21 Bradley Jones had two balls combined that went 1,000 feet.
06:24 >> I would definitely, probably more than two.
06:27 Those two got absolutely steam in it.
06:30 >> They put on an absolute show for sure.
06:33 But and then we also have Mike Yoder.
06:35 Mike, you guys, Rufax, you had a little bit of a week.
06:39 You played a couple games.
06:40 What, 16?
06:42 Winning the AA- >> 16 games total, yeah.
06:44 >> AA double dip.
06:46 Everybody loves a little ice cream.
06:48 And Rosamondo took Sonny's and they said, no, you only get one scoop.
06:51 You don't get the extra one.
06:53 Mike, that was an unbelievable run for Rufax, AA, winning it.
06:58 And then moving on into the majors, making a great run there as well.
07:03 How were the guys at the end of that tournament?
07:06 Cuz looking at it from above and calling the games,
07:09 you guys never really looked tired until maybe the last two innings of your last
07:15 game, but how did you guys stay up on top of it playing that many games over such
07:19 a short span?
07:20 >> Obviously it helps that a lot of these guys are young.
07:24 We're talking low 20s and that makes a difference.
07:27 But I will say by game 16, I think at the end of that game,
07:31 you could tell guys' swings were, guys were wearing down.
07:36 But yeah, it definitely helps having young guys and
07:40 obviously the desire to win, these guys, they wanna win.
07:44 And that goes a long ways.
07:46 >> I think you hit that right there.
07:49 I feel like there's a couple swings maybe by like Arliss Miller towards the end of
07:53 that game where Josh and I were calling in.
07:56 It just looked like a tired swing.
07:57 I mean, it was not a cool weekend in Florida for the World Series.
08:03 >> Right, and Arliss played every inning in right field of 16 games.
08:08 I mean, that's a lot of ball.
08:12 So I mean, hats off to our outfielders.
08:15 In fact, all of them, they played every inning out of all 16 games, so
08:19 incredible.
08:20 >> Are those guys gonna run like a half marathon?
08:22 Is that what they're training for, for the offseason?
08:24 >> Well, they don't even have to train.
08:27 I think they're good.
08:27 [LAUGH] >> Getting their steps in there, not bad.
08:33 No, but that was a great run there as well.
08:37 Let's take a look at that double A, double dip.
08:39 Going into that, what was kind of the thought process?
08:43 How have you matched up?
08:45 How did you feel going into the finals there against JBL?
08:48 >> JBL is a good team.
08:51 I mean, we've played them well this year, especially later on.
08:55 But really, at the start of the day, we knew it was seven games.
09:01 And we talked about taking it one game at a time, one play at a time.
09:04 You can't look at all seven.
09:06 And that was the approach that we took in the finals as well.
09:10 We fortunately got to hit first, which I was glad.
09:14 And I think we put up nine in the first inning, so
09:16 that kind of set the tone where they had to chase.
09:19 And yeah, we just took it a game, an inning at a time, play at a time.
09:24 And we felt we matched up well with them.
09:27 But I mean, honestly, double A was tough this year.
09:30 There's a lot of good teams in double A.
09:31 >> I mean, a lot of great teams, and
09:35 we saw it also carry over into the World Series as well.
09:37 I guess here's a question I wanna get both of your takes on this.
09:41 And Travis, we already kind of touched on this with going into the F game.
09:45 So many times we see the team coming out of the losers bracket,
09:50 win that first game, and really start to put the pressure on
09:53 that team in the king seat in game two in the F game.
09:58 How important is it on the other side, being the king seat,
10:02 how do you set yourself up for success?
10:04 So you do have a team that's got a little bit of momentum going their way.
10:09 How do you quell that early so you don't see a potential double dip?
10:13 >> It's one of those things I think you just have to get off to a good start,
10:16 whether it's offensive or defensive.
10:18 You go back to defense, on the defensive side of things,
10:25 as long as you're making your plays, you're gonna be all right.
10:27 You can't walk, guys, can't make errors.
10:29 On offense, you can't get caught up in trying to hit a million home runs.
10:33 You have to move the bat, just keep the lineup going.
10:37 It's just about chipping away, right?
10:41 It's really cliche to say one play at a time, but that's really what it is.
10:45 If you can go out and get a two or three, hold the team to a two or three spot,
10:50 now you can come in and you have a chance to put up ten in a hurry.
10:55 And now you're up ten, two, ten, three, and they're going, boy,
11:00 they're on their heels and you're looking to put them away.
11:03 Same way you saw what happened in the second game where we came out and
11:11 put up 15, and all of a sudden they were on their heels.
11:14 And sometimes you have certain guys trying to get five runs back on one swing,
11:19 and it just can't happen.
11:22 And they press and that's just kind of the way the game goes.
11:27 >> We don't have those three point shots yet in softball?
11:30 >> Right.
11:31 >> [LAUGH] And Mike, you were in that same spot and I think it is,
11:36 a lot of it is that mentality, but you've been in both sides.
11:39 Obviously, you just did the double dip.
11:40 When you're sitting in that king seat, is the approach different?
11:43 Do you just wanna kind of stay loose and not have that tightness of being like,
11:48 we don't wanna get into that if game?
11:51 >> Yeah, that's always- >> Go ahead.
11:53 >> Go, Mike.
11:55 >> Yeah, if you're in the king seat, I always feel that the team coming up and
12:01 has a chance to get the momentum.
12:04 But I always, like for us when we played JBL, obviously,
12:08 if I would have, we lost the coin toss.
12:11 I'm sure I would have taken bottom regardless.
12:14 But once we were hitting first, I told our guys, hey, here's our opportunity.
12:20 Let's jump on them, put the pressure on them.
12:23 And I think that's when you're in the king seat,
12:25 you wanna minimize that, like Travis said.
12:28 >> It's a controversial call if you win the flip to take away,
12:35 especially in that situation.
12:37 But I don't know, maybe it'll work out,
12:39 maybe something we see teams look at next year.
12:42 If you are putting up a lot of runs in that first game, you have the momentum.
12:45 Win the flip, take away, see what happens.
12:47 But in DW, we didn't forget about you.
12:51 >> Yeah. >> How are you over there?
12:52 I know you're gonna give us a great recap on the World Series here too.
12:57 >> Yeah, so I was gonna do a quick recap of all the worlds.
13:00 But first I wanted to ask Mike and Travis.
13:03 Mike, what was the initial feeling when you got that last out?
13:09 And tell us about your brother, Brandon Yoder, hitting a walk off
13:14 home run at the major to keep your streak on there.
13:18 I think it was on Wednesday against Classic Glass.
13:21 And Travis, the picture on my screen over here is you getting bathed in beer.
13:28 I was just wondering how that smelled afterwards.
13:31 I mean, it's a cool thing and it's a great picture.
13:35 But Mike, we'll start with you.
13:38 And what was your initial feeling and then about your brother hitting the game winner?
13:43 >> That was the initial feeling for the double A world.
13:46 Is that what the question was?
13:47 Yeah, that was, I mean, obviously that's an awesome feeling.
13:51 That was a heck of a run.
13:53 I think we had started that morning at, what was it, 10 o'clock or so, and
13:58 it was 2 o'clock in the morning.
13:59 So at that point in time, we had pretty much seen it all.
14:03 So that feeling of relief, it was awesome.
14:07 It was awesome.
14:08 It's like I told the guys too when we started the day.
14:11 It's like I said, some of my best memories have been the times where we've made
14:15 the runs and we've came back and we've double dipped somebody to win it.
14:19 And I said, we've got a great opportunity to make memories that are gonna last
14:23 a lifetime.
14:24 And this team is always gonna be special to me because of that run.
14:30 And watching the emotions afterward was awesome.
14:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]
14:38 >> Travis about the beer bath there.
14:41 How did the celebration go down and how did that smell?
14:47 >> [LAUGH] That's the first time I've ever been really doused in beer.
14:53 I don't drink.
14:55 And before that picture was taken, I started with my head up like this.
14:59 And all of a sudden, someone shot my mouth and I was like, this is terrible.
15:04 So I had my head down, they soaked me and probably two minutes after that,
15:10 I did a jersey swap with, there's these guys from Colorado that come every year.
15:16 And they cheer us on.
15:18 And every year I trade the one guy my jersey.
15:21 So I didn't get stuck in that jersey for too long.
15:24 [LAUGH] >> Is that our guy making the beer wall?
15:27 >> Yeah, yeah.
15:28 >> Little Kyle.
15:29 >> That was his girlfriend that threw the ball, her ex-girlfriend,
15:33 that threw the ball off the top that exploded the beer wall.
15:36 >> See, I knew there was some malicious intent with that throw.
15:40 Like that wasn't just, hey, I can't see the game.
15:42 You could have moved.
15:44 Now that we know what really happened, Travis, I appreciate that.
15:47 >> Yep.
15:48 >> She wrote a lot of people's nights.
15:50 >> J Raw is gonna give a quick rundown.
15:52 Conferenceusaassa.com, nobody seems to ever go there.
15:57 I have tons of content.
15:58 If you look and share my screen, Bernie, up here at the top, you have news.
16:02 You have YouTube links, stats, men's and women's advanced stats,
16:08 player lists, free agents, men's roster moves.
16:12 You have the conference rules.
16:14 And then here on the main screen, you can see conference awards.
16:17 I finally got them published.
16:21 Pearson won the batting title and offensive MVP.
16:26 Bradley Jones was MVP.
16:29 I actually voted for Travis Clark, I'm not gonna lie.
16:32 And Heath Barnes from Sunnys won the defensive MVP.
16:40 If you scroll down, you see links to all the worlds which are still going on.
16:44 We still have the ED and Mixed coming up.
16:47 And then this is the article I wanted to go over was the USAA World's results.
16:52 At the top, every day I put up a new video,
16:55 condensed games from the major so far this week.
17:00 We're going in chronological order this year.
17:02 I don't know if I'll be able to stick to it cuz there's so many big games.
17:06 I might put up a big game every Monday and Tuesday, we'll see.
17:09 But I'm adding to this article every day.
17:12 So as I scroll down, hopefully you guys can see it.
17:15 You see Travis getting doused in beer.
17:19 You got links to the major.
17:21 The picture album is growing every day cuz I add pictures from
17:25 the condensed games to the picture album every day.
17:29 You can check it out.
17:30 You can see Rosamondo wins the major again, their 14th, I believe.
17:35 Travis Rosamondo was texting me during the championship saying it would be his 14th.
17:39 So I'm gonna go with that.
17:42 Sunnys finished second.
17:44 Kudos to them for forcing the if game, gave us all another game to watch.
17:49 Rufax with an incredible run to third place and MPT Reynolds in fourth.
17:54 Travis, tournament MVP, Kyle Pearson offensive.
17:59 John Troyer with the plays at third base was incredible defensive MVP.
18:04 Kyle Pearson hit 14 home runs.
18:06 You can see the rest of the all tournament team there.
18:09 So check out this article.
18:10 There's the Rosamondo team picture.
18:12 They had a family team picture afterwards.
18:16 There's like 75 people in it, which was awesome.
18:20 Sunny's second, Rufax third.
18:25 Shout out to Revolution.
18:27 I think that's Mike's company, right?
18:28 Is that your apparel company?
18:30 >> Yeah, it's myself and Wes Kaufman.
18:33 >> Yeah, Tony Albucoco, all hustle, fourth place MPT.
18:38 Women's major came down to the last at bat.
18:42 Maybe the greatest game in women's major history, went to extra innings.
18:47 Here's the team celebrating Stacy Moore's game winning hit.
18:52 Just pure joy, a real week of softball.
18:57 You can see the finals, Team 24 beating smash at Derby Girls.
19:01 Tylea Celestine, who may still join us during this show, was the MVP.
19:07 She had a work meeting at the last minute.
19:10 Team 24 picture, Derby Girls.
19:16 And kudos to teams that take second place photos,
19:20 because it is historic and we need to keep the history of it.
19:26 It's a tough thing to do.
19:27 Here's the men's AA, Rufax, getting the final layout of the IF game
19:32 at nearly 2 AM in the morning on Tuesday.
19:37 Bracket picture link, we're probably gonna have ten condensed games coming from
19:43 the AA, we have all of the games from the major coming.
19:48 Rufax beats JBL, sports reach third.
19:50 West Point, an impressive fourth place finish.
19:54 One of the better double A's of all time.
19:56 Justin Mucciarelli, tournament MVP.
19:59 He'll be joining us in two weeks to talk rumors.
20:03 Steven Edwards, offensive.
20:04 Brian McClanahan, defensive.
20:06 Mike Yoder, of course, manager of the tournament.
20:10 There's the Rufax team picture.
20:13 And then we scroll down to some of the other winners.
20:19 Chaos, Chaos, a phenomenal year.
20:21 They got bumped from A to AA.
20:24 They win undefeated in the women's AA.
20:27 There you see the tournament MVPs.
20:32 And then Chaos beat MyAutoJack in the finals.
20:38 There's their team picture.
20:39 Probably the best year for any AA team ever.
20:44 MyAutoJack, KFI 13.
20:47 Lady Clutch, fourth.
20:52 And then the men's A world, we have videos coming from this.
20:56 Straight play, holds on to beat Seminoles in the finals.
21:01 You can see all the information.
21:04 Check it out at conference USSS.
21:06 We had Women's A was won by DB Brand.
21:12 Condensed Games up on the YouTube channel.
21:14 USSS live YouTube channel.
21:17 Men's B, Van Wert Frickers out of Ohio.
21:22 They knocked out ProAction, a French-Quebec-Canadian team.
21:27 So that was a lot of fun,
21:32 a lot of Condensed Games coming from that.
21:34 And then finally, the Women's B, LSR,
21:37 knocks off NCN in the IF game.
21:42 And we'll have a final Condensed Game coming out on that.
21:45 We had the first one there.
21:46 So check it out, conferenceusaassa.com.
21:49 Congratulations to all the world winners.
21:51 I'll hand it back over to J.R.
21:53 - That was a great rundown, DW.
21:57 That was a long week.
21:59 A lot of, I can't believe,
22:00 I feel like that was a month ago now
22:02 where the B world started.
22:04 Actually, here's a quick question for all three of you.
22:07 Mike, we'll start with you here.
22:08 But who caught your eye,
22:10 either in the AA or the World Series this week?
22:13 Who caught your eye with some,
22:14 maybe somebody that surprised you,
22:15 maybe a team that surprised you?
22:17 Who was somebody that really you took notice of
22:20 either team-wise or player-wise?
22:21 - Oh boy, there was a lot of good ball played.
22:27 Well, I don't know.
22:32 I mean, we played everybody.
22:35 We played everybody.
22:36 So we played a lot of good,
22:37 we played a lot of good teams.
22:39 I will say this.
22:41 So as we went through the run,
22:44 I mean, we played Chick-fil-A, SME, Sports Reach.
22:47 Like those were all tough teams,
22:51 but Austin Maves from Sports Reach, I think.
22:53 Do I have the name right?
22:55 - Yeah.
22:56 - Yeah, he played very well against us.
22:59 - Travis, how about you?
23:03 - Hey, J.R.
23:04 - Oh, yeah, sorry.
23:05 - J.R., someone on, I think it was Old Scout,
23:07 listed all of the seeds that Rufax beat
23:11 between the two tournaments.
23:12 It was almost the entire top eight team,
23:14 it seemed like.
23:16 - Not a bad little run.
23:17 Travis, how about for you?
23:22 Is there somebody or some team that caught you by,
23:26 maybe not surprise, but impressed you?
23:28 - There were a lot of guys.
23:29 You start with Mike's team, right?
23:34 They had his brother.
23:37 I mean, played great in center.
23:40 Hit a ton of big home runs,
23:42 hit some opposite field home runs.
23:44 I mean, just showed the complete game.
23:48 Then you have Arliss, who was, I mean,
23:52 it didn't look like he missed the ball
23:54 until that last game all weekend.
23:57 Same with Jeremy Fry and,
24:00 is it Marcus Miller, your left fielder,
24:02 the little guy?
24:03 - Marcus Miller's, yeah, the left fielder, yeah.
24:05 He played phenomenal.
24:07 - Who has more pop for a midget?
24:09 (laughing)
24:11 - Like, I'm being dead serious.
24:12 He absolutely hammers it for a little guy.
24:15 Hammers, hammers.
24:16 And then you said, Mates,
24:18 the shortstop for LSR, super athletic.
24:24 - Rainer.
24:26 - Rainer. - Michael Rainer.
24:28 - Yeah, like, super athlete.
24:31 There were just a lot of guys
24:37 that are really, really, really good players
24:40 that are young and
24:42 are very, very, very good.
24:46 - It's exciting to see young talent
24:49 and know that softball is gonna continue to grow
24:52 when you see these types of young players coming in.
24:55 DW, you were there for everything,
24:58 both the men's, the women's.
25:00 How about you give one from each side,
25:02 the men's side and the women's side,
25:04 really make you work here.
25:06 - Yeah, so you see teams like Chaos,
25:09 and Rufax, and Rosamundo win their world,
25:14 kind of expected, but actually get it done.
25:18 That was interesting.
25:20 And then upsets throughout the tournament are fun.
25:24 But the kudos to Stacey Moore, right?
25:27 She's won five women's majors.
25:29 She's a great pitcher, but not known for her offense.
25:34 She comes through with the bases loaded, full count,
25:37 a perfect single with the bases loaded
25:40 because the outfield was so far in,
25:43 if she hit a good single,
25:45 they could throw somebody out at the bases
25:47 and force an extra inning.
25:50 But she hits a perfect single, wins the game.
25:53 So hats off to Stacey Moore.
25:55 That was the clutch moment of the tournament, I think.
25:58 - That's something that's, you always love,
26:03 like that's what you grow up playing, right?
26:04 Whenever you're playing ball in the backyard or growing up,
26:07 you always wanna be in the, well,
26:08 I think most competitors wanna be in that situation.
26:11 You wanna be in the spot where the bat is in your hands,
26:14 where you can really make the difference in the game.
26:16 I mean, I guess looking back at backyard ball
26:19 and growing up, I guess, Travis,
26:21 kind of what was your sports background
26:23 and journey into major softball?
26:25 I mean, a lot of people know you from Rezzy
26:27 and swing your bats, which that black and gold one
26:30 from a couple of years ago, still my favorite bat ever.
26:33 (laughs)
26:34 But it's sitting in the truck.
26:35 It's maybe a little under 200 now.
26:39 But what was your background getting to this point?
26:42 - I played baseball and basketball in college,
26:45 and my dad and uncle had both played a lot of softball
26:50 from the time I was, I mean,
26:51 I grew up at the ball field with them.
26:53 And then as baseball started to slow down,
26:58 I started to get more and more and more into softball.
27:01 And I got on a team that won U-Trip SeaWorlds in 2007
27:06 with Todd Aikne.
27:08 And from there we turned into EWS.
27:10 And Eric got out of the game in 2011.
27:16 And Eric is an Eric Weller,
27:23 for those that haven't been around for forever.
27:28 He got out of the game in 2011.
27:30 And then in 2012, I was with Nordkapp,
27:32 and I've been with Brett since 2013.
27:35 - You've had a little bit of success in that time.
27:38 How many majors, do you know how many,
27:41 do you remember how many U-Trip championships you've won?
27:43 How many majors have you won?
27:45 - I've won five majors.
27:46 I've never played in AA, never won the A or the B,
27:52 and I did win the C, like I said, in 2007.
27:55 - Okay.
27:56 So just a couple of rings.
27:57 So you're looking to fill out
27:59 these four other fingers as well.
28:01 - Yeah, with U-Trip stuff, that'd be cool.
28:05 I mean, I've been lucky enough to win
28:08 pretty good amount of the ASA, AA's, and Supers, and A's.
28:12 And then obviously some GSL and NSA stuff
28:19 before those kind of went away.
28:20 - That's great.
28:23 How about you, Mike?
28:24 How about you?
28:24 I mean, I know the path with Rufax
28:26 and you and your teams, a little different,
28:30 kind of just continue to grow up through the ranks.
28:32 - Yeah, I don't have the resume that Travis does,
28:35 so that's a little tough to follow up.
28:38 As this was my first major, but I got started in softball.
28:43 I honestly didn't play a lot
28:45 till I was probably in my mid-20s.
28:48 And then I just got started playing more local stuff.
28:50 And we didn't even travel that much.
28:53 But then like in, I think it was '17, 2017,
28:57 we started playing travel ball.
29:00 I think it was D that year.
29:02 And we did that for a couple of years.
29:05 And then in 2020, we had a WM Roofing for the first year.
29:10 So I played that year with WM Roofing.
29:14 And in 2020 and then '21,
29:17 we went B Conference with WM Roofing.
29:21 Then took 22, kind of took 22 off.
29:24 Though I did take WM Roofing,
29:28 I put a team together for A and B Worlds
29:30 that we went down and competed there.
29:34 I forget what, I think we got,
29:36 we didn't do bad.
29:38 I mean, we did, I think we got seventh, I believe.
29:42 Fifth or seventh, I forget.
29:44 But then the, yeah, then the opportunity came here in '23
29:47 to join up with, I guess,
29:51 Rock Run or the Silverbacks from Indiana.
29:54 And so we combined a few players from WM,
29:57 combined those with the Indiana boys,
30:00 and then added Dottie, Dottie Mooch,
30:05 and Ryan McClanahan.
30:06 And so this was my first major.
30:09 Great experience.
30:11 Hopefully we can be back next year.
30:13 - Add a couple guys to add to the mix.
30:16 - Yeah.
30:17 - Rymac, Rymac, for whatever reason, McClanahan.
30:21 I can say it fine now,
30:22 but on the broadcast during the week,
30:24 I could, it sounded like I had marbles in my mouth with him.
30:27 So how did you guys, you know,
30:31 Mike, we'll start here with you.
30:32 How did you guys, I mean,
30:34 the AA was pretty quick turnaround into the majors.
30:37 Have you celebrated, how did you guys celebrate
30:40 that AA win and your success in the majors?
30:45 - Yeah, honestly, we didn't do anything crazy.
30:47 It was, what was two o'clock in the morning when we got done.
30:49 So yeah, we hung out some, but nothing crazy.
30:53 The major was something that not all of our guys
30:55 had played in it.
30:56 So it was, it was kind of a, I mean, we wanted to play it.
30:59 We wanted to do well in it.
31:01 So we didn't do anything crazy.
31:02 And then just took a Tuesday,
31:05 kind of took Tuesday off and tried to recover
31:09 and ready to go again on Wednesday.
31:11 And so.
31:13 - Quick little, make sure you're hydrated.
31:14 You replenish some of those electrolytes
31:17 and hypervalentine.
31:18 - Did some IVs.
31:19 - Yeah.
31:20 Make, get an ice bath somewhere.
31:23 Travis, how did you guys celebrate?
31:26 - We went over to walk-ons, had some food,
31:32 some drinks and stayed up till,
31:37 I don't know, probably around two.
31:40 Went back, packed my bag and left for the airport.
31:43 Got home just in time to throw a BP to my son.
31:45 (laughing)
31:48 - I think there's something special,
31:49 and DW touched on this with the family picture
31:51 for Rosamondo winning.
31:53 With how much time goes into this with softball,
31:57 the travel, the work and everything,
31:59 it's gotta be special to have that many family members
32:02 there to watch you win a championship.
32:05 Travis with Rosamondo.
32:11 Travis, that's for you.
32:13 - I thought you said DW.
32:15 With that many people, it made me kind of realize
32:19 that we're getting old.
32:20 (laughing)
32:22 Both these guys have kids and Briggs had,
32:26 Cory Briggs had his aunts and uncles and everybody there.
32:29 But yeah, it does, it makes it fun.
32:32 It's a good time when, you know,
32:35 the more people you have there,
32:37 particularly for us because a lot of people, I think,
32:39 would rather see us lose than win,
32:41 unless you're part of us.
32:43 So it is, it's a good time having everybody there.
32:49 I think we only had like maybe two or three guys
32:53 that didn't have their spouse there.
32:55 - Wow.
32:56 - So.
32:57 - Well, we were talking this beforehand too.
32:59 It's almost like you guys are the Patriots
33:00 back when they were making that run.
33:02 Like everybody's kind of sitting there like,
33:03 "Do we really want to see Rezzy win this?"
33:05 - Yeah, I mean, I guess,
33:11 I guess it is what it is.
33:12 Some people really enjoy it
33:14 and some people really enjoy rooting for you to lose.
33:17 But that's still part of what drives us, right?
33:22 Just so that way nobody else can be excited about it.
33:25 - There aren't haters, is it really worth it?
33:28 - Hey, for what it's worth,
33:31 I think, Travis, you were 60 and 10
33:35 at games that you were at this year.
33:38 Even though your team was 65 and 14
33:40 'cause you missed that duel.
33:42 But I also wanted to say,
33:43 Rosmano's the most watched.
33:47 If I do a condensed game,
33:49 they're averaging the most views, right?
33:51 MPT is second, Rufax is now third,
33:55 and then Sonny's Monsta, that group, is fourth.
34:00 But I also wanted to touch on,
34:02 Travis probably won everything there is to win
34:06 at the lower levels and other associations
34:08 'cause he hooked up with Todd Ankeny,
34:11 who was a master at manipulating rosters into CBA.
34:15 He was with Longhall winning, I think.
34:20 He was with Helmer.
34:22 Helmer won the Super how many times?
34:25 So how many total rings would you say?
34:28 30?
34:34 - I couldn't tell you.
34:35 I know we've won a lot in ASA.
34:37 I know before, whether that's the Super, the AA, the A,
34:42 we won a lot in NSA before that went away.
34:46 We did some of that with Brett.
34:50 We did some of that for Brett with our DLB Bubba's group.
34:55 And then, like I said, same thing,
35:01 WSL down in Panama City.
35:03 We did a lot with our DLB Bubba's group as well.
35:07 And like you said, Todd was really good
35:11 at putting together rosters.
35:13 - Yes, he was the Tim Barnes
35:15 of the lower levels there for a while.
35:17 - Yep, well, and to Todd's credit,
35:21 he put together some really, really,
35:24 really good precision teams too at the AA levels.
35:31 Now DW, let's talk about your condensed games here
35:33 for a little minute.
35:34 I mean, we have, how many games did we play this weekend
35:38 at just the Men's World Series?
35:40 30?
35:41 - 36, I believe, 35, 36.
35:44 - And you're back there,
35:45 you're putting out all these condensed games for them.
35:47 What type of work goes in behind that?
35:49 How do you keep that straight and streamline that process?
35:53 - When I do them with my own camera,
35:55 I can crank out a condensed game about an hour and a half
35:58 and get it up.
35:59 These live stream ones are about three hours of work.
36:03 So there's a lot of women's teams and lower level teams
36:08 that are wondering why their videos aren't out.
36:11 It's gonna take time.
36:12 They're gonna be coming out every day until Christmas,
36:14 to be honest.
36:15 - Hey, that's not about a little Cueva
36:18 and the year, though.
36:19 A little Christmas present,
36:20 you get a condensed game every day from here on out.
36:22 You know, when you're hanging around the family
36:24 and Thanksgiving and the conversations get a little tired,
36:27 go watch a condensed game, not a bad setup.
36:30 - Yeah, and we're gonna,
36:31 so my goal the last couple of years
36:33 is to be able to have content from Worlds every day
36:36 until the Challenge Cup, to be honest,
36:39 which is why I'm wearing my shirt,
36:40 'cause that's the next big event coming up.
36:43 - It's coming up middle of January is the start, I believe.
36:47 - Yeah. - Yep.
36:48 - Yeah, which that'll be a great one.
36:50 Now, I guess, Mike, we'll start here with you
36:53 on plans for 24.
36:56 I mean, when are you gonna start working
36:58 and when's that gonna be finalized?
36:59 What are you looking at for next year with Rufex?
37:02 - Yeah, so plans for 24.
37:06 We're planning to go major.
37:08 And yeah, I think the work starts now already.
37:10 So we've got, I just talked to one of my guys yesterday
37:13 and he was in the gym, so.
37:15 But no, yeah, we're planning on going major.
37:18 Obviously working on it right now, so I don't think,
37:23 I think I'll leave the rumors to Mooch.
37:25 You said Mooch will be on in two weeks?
37:28 - Yeah. - Yeah, so we'll leave
37:29 that to him, but yeah, the goal is to go major.
37:31 We're bringing back the core.
37:33 Not everybody's coming back.
37:35 We've got a few guys that are not planning to come back.
37:39 So we're gonna replace those guys, but yeah,
37:44 the core's coming back, so you'll see a lot
37:49 of our same players back.
37:51 - That's exciting.
37:53 I think that's gonna be exciting to see
37:55 and exciting to have another team in major,
37:58 especially somebody like you where DW just said
38:02 that they are the third most watched team
38:04 on these condensed games.
38:05 People wanna see you guys and now you'll be
38:08 on the biggest stage every weekend as well.
38:10 What's that jump gonna be like?
38:14 - You know, I don't know.
38:18 I've never played major, or I've never been
38:21 with a major team before, so I'm a relatively,
38:23 I'm a rookie.
38:25 - Well, I guess that's a good pass over
38:29 to Travis there as we work on Mike's internet.
38:33 Travis, what is gonna be that jump
38:35 for a team like Ruff Facts going into major next year?
38:38 - With that group of guys, as hard as they play,
38:42 I think it'll be pretty seamless.
38:44 They've got plenty of power now,
38:48 and you saw it this year with Competitive Edge, right?
38:52 Those guys made a big jump after winning the AA,
38:54 and they were, Competitive Edge was very good,
38:57 very, very, very good.
38:58 And now that they're adding some of the Competitive Edge
39:02 guys who have a little experience at the major level,
39:05 you throw in Mooch and you just keep going.
39:09 They won't really have any issues, I don't think.
39:13 - And we got Mike back here.
39:16 Look, I like that we've got you frozen just above.
39:18 Yeah, we can get a nice still.
39:20 Good thing you've got a good face on it, right?
39:23 I got the face for radio.
39:24 This is a perfect one to have for TV.
39:27 - Gotcha.
39:27 I don't know what happened.
39:28 I was all at once, I was gone.
39:30 - Well, no, and that's, we just kind of threw it
39:34 to Travis there, just saying, the jump,
39:36 that's gonna be exciting.
39:38 I'm sure there's gonna be plenty of people
39:40 kind of backing and keeping an eye on you guys
39:42 and how you continue to grow.
39:44 I told you before we jumped on live here,
39:48 watching you guys play, it's easy to see
39:51 why people wanna watch RUFX.
39:52 The way you guys play, just the hustle,
39:54 the defense, both sides of the ball.
39:57 It's just a fun group of guys to watch playing.
40:00 And you're right, Marcus Miller, how tall is he?
40:02 Five foot four, five?
40:04 Like, and he can hit a ball?
40:04 - Oh, I don't know.
40:05 I'll be generous and say he's five six or five seven,
40:07 but no, he's not very big.
40:11 But I'll tell you what, pound for pound,
40:13 he's got the most power in the conference.
40:15 - Pound for pound, no doubt.
40:16 He absolutely hammers it.
40:19 - Yeah.
40:20 And he's an awesome, awesome teammate.
40:24 Yeah, he was a lot of fun to have this year.
40:27 - Now that is, that's gonna be exciting.
40:30 It was fun to watch.
40:32 I mean, Travis, what's, how are things?
40:34 I mean, you guys are the top dog.
40:37 Gonna be going out next year looking to remain the top dog.
40:40 - Yeah, it'll be one of those things
40:43 where it's a challenge to not get complacent, right?
40:46 I believe that we'll have pretty much everybody back.
40:49 Think Scott Hartling is gonna go somewhere else and play,
40:55 who by the way, is one of the best teammates
40:59 you could ever have.
41:00 That dude would, he'd do anything for you.
41:03 So hopefully he ends up,
41:05 I'm sure he'll end up with the top double A team.
41:08 Maybe one of the other major teams,
41:10 depending on how many teams end up going major.
41:13 But for us, it's gonna be,
41:14 you know, everybody always gets a little complacent
41:18 and doesn't play well at the start of the year.
41:20 And that's what we're gonna have to stay away from.
41:23 - I think that's, well, and that's, I mean,
41:28 you hit a little bit of, I don't wanna call it a hiccup,
41:30 but you know, towards the end,
41:32 we didn't see, you know,
41:34 Resmando winning there for a little bit.
41:36 You know, you started off so dominant,
41:37 sounded like maybe not playing as much kind of
41:40 was what was going on.
41:41 And then you come back in the World Series
41:43 and just have yourself a day.
41:45 - Yeah.
41:46 I mean, at the end of the day, it all worked out for us.
41:49 I don't, Indianapolis threw me off a little bit
41:54 that we struggled the way we did there.
41:56 I know in Evansville, I wasn't there,
42:02 so I don't know, I watched a lot of it,
42:05 but I was in the barracks in Cooperstown
42:07 and the internet wasn't the greatest,
42:08 so it was really hard to see
42:10 kind of what was going on.
42:12 And I also know KP wasn't there.
42:14 I know Baze, that was her.
42:16 So it was, that one, I mean,
42:21 we dealt with some injuries throughout the year,
42:22 but that one, we really struggled there.
42:26 I really don't have an answer for Indianapolis.
42:30 I was terrible, personally, I was terrible there.
42:34 And we had some other guys that weren't great, but.
42:39 - Hey, Travis, the rumor is
42:42 after Indianapolis Conference Championship,
42:44 when you did struggle, that you were in a boot.
42:47 So you had an injury of some sort, you were fighting.
42:52 - Yeah, I had some stuff going on with my foot,
42:55 but we only have so many weekends to play,
43:00 and when I show up to play, I wanna play no matter what.
43:03 Unfortunately, it didn't work out for me that weekend.
43:08 And I had to go back and get healthy
43:10 and get it all figured out.
43:12 And at the end of the day, it all worked out.
43:17 (laughs)
43:19 - It looked like it ended up going in your favor
43:24 at the end when we got healthy and everybody was healthy.
43:26 You always have to figure out a way to battle
43:30 through that adversity, whether it be injuries
43:32 or just a little lull in the team.
43:34 So I think that's something I always look at
43:38 and always love is how do you battle through that adversity?
43:41 And DW, what's going on with you for next year?
43:44 Is there anything new in store, anything we can expect?
43:47 Maybe a little something new.
43:50 - No, I'd say more of the same.
43:53 I just wanted to thank all the directors, umpires,
43:57 especially live stream announcers, stadium announcers,
44:02 camera men and women for just almost an unprecedented
44:07 broadcast on USSSA Live of the major this year.
44:12 We crowned eight upper level champions in 12 days.
44:18 So like I said, before I'm swamped with content,
44:21 I can't get it all out as fast as everybody wants.
44:24 I got a list of stuff I just wanted to say.
44:29 We're still working on the major world series stats
44:31 to get them correct before we enter them in USSSA.com.
44:35 They're a bit of the disaster,
44:37 the stack keepers that they hired.
44:39 And a lot of people think they used a different ball
44:44 this year, but it's actually the same stadium ZN
44:47 they've been using for years.
44:49 It just was made properly.
44:51 Like the covers weren't loose.
44:54 And I had some stats on the major,
44:57 1500 people I estimated in the stands
45:00 and up in the loges, 1500 watched on USSSA Live,
45:04 the championship game, 2500 on Facebook
45:07 and 29,000 have watched so far on YouTube.
45:11 So it's pretty good reach.
45:14 I get a lot of grief for my camera.
45:17 This is a 4K, 4K camera.
45:22 It's got 30 times optical zoom.
45:24 If someone has a better camera, send it to me.
45:27 I don't think they're gonna like,
45:29 I get made fun of a lot thinking my camera's not good.
45:33 It's top of the line.
45:34 Women's coverage.
45:37 You alluded to it, J-Roe.
45:39 I have put in a proposal to cover the women's game
45:43 the way I do the men's game.
45:45 For two years, the proposal has been turned down.
45:48 So I don't know what's in store for the women's coverage,
45:52 but we definitely need it.
45:54 And then two weeks from now, we'll have the Rumors show.
45:58 We'll have Joelle and Mooch back.
46:02 And then a question we get all the time
46:05 is when does the schedule come out?
46:07 It always comes out at the convention in November
46:10 because they have to have all the contracts signed
46:13 with the parks before they can release that schedule.
46:16 That's all I got.
46:18 - Well, you had your hands on another camera
46:22 this weekend too.
46:24 You didn't just have your hands on that camera.
46:26 - Yeah, I did the high home camera at midnight,
46:29 whatever it was, when we scheduled that extra game.
46:33 J-Roe was on the announcing with Mike Lacey
46:37 and we had one guy in the control room.
46:39 So we did the whole game.
46:41 We had four cameras, one moving with me on the camera
46:45 and the control room and the announcer.
46:47 - Well, that was fun.
46:51 It was good to see you down there.
46:52 And I was always wondering what kind of camera you had.
46:55 And you and I talked about the camera there a little bit.
46:57 And hey, it fits nice in the pocket.
46:59 You're moving around that field all the time
47:01 and I didn't know you had it on you.
47:03 - Yeah, when I was in Indiana,
47:05 remember the final four games took nine hours.
47:09 Travis was there at the 8 a.m. game.
47:13 I was videoing probably six or seven of those hours.
47:15 So the camera can't be like a giant shoulder camera
47:20 or a harness.
47:21 I mean, it's gotta be portable.
47:23 - I'm glad you brought that camera out here
47:27 for the show as well.
47:29 Well, it's too bad that we couldn't have Talia
47:33 join us here today.
47:34 Maybe we'll get her on another show.
47:36 But Travis, anything before we wrap up here?
47:40 - No, just looking forward to a good off season.
47:45 I appreciate everything you do, DW.
47:47 J. Rowe, your announcing was awesome.
47:52 I thought that was cool.
47:55 Mike, good luck next year.
47:58 - Mike, you'll see him in the major division.
48:01 - Thank you, we're looking forward to it.
48:05 - With a show of fingers,
48:08 how many major teams do you guys think
48:11 will be there next year?
48:13 I'll start.
48:14 Four, okay.
48:20 So that'll be the start of the rumors.
48:23 We'll try to put those rosters together in two weeks.
48:28 I have jury duty next week, so we can't do it next.
48:31 Yeah, yeah, it's gonna hurt the content development.
48:35 Jury duty.
48:35 - Couldn't get out of jury duty, DW?
48:37 - I did, I got out of it.
48:38 I was supposed to be in it at the Hall of Fame Classic.
48:41 And I said, there's no way I can,
48:43 so they moved it seven months or whatever.
48:47 - Mike, do you have anything before we wrap up here?
48:50 Before we take off?
48:52 - Not a whole lot other than,
48:54 I just wanna shout out my guys this year.
48:56 We had a blast this year.
48:59 And it started with Mooch and McClanahan.
49:04 They made that transition easier.
49:06 We call Mooch Dottie, which is grandpa in Pennsylvania Dutch.
49:10 And so for those of you who don't know what that is,
49:14 in fact, I had one guy tell me, he was from the stands.
49:16 He heard us call Mooch Dottie,
49:19 and he's like, he Googled it to see what it meant.
49:23 But no, shout out to all my guys.
49:27 We had a blast this year and made a lot of memories.
49:31 So we're excited to take that next step forward next year.
49:34 And hopefully we'll see you, Travis, at that level.
49:38 And yeah, thanks DW for what you do for the game.
49:43 Appreciate that and all the content you provide.
49:45 And J-Ro, you did a great job in the booth.
49:48 I heard a lot of people talk about you, so hats off to you.
49:52 - I thought J-Ro and Josh Kirsten,
49:54 when they merged for the championship,
49:57 color, play by play in color,
50:00 like that was the ticket right there.
50:03 - That was a fun time.
50:05 And DW, we'll just keep looking out for your content.
50:10 Make sure conferenceuSSA.com.
50:13 - J-Ro, your first major world series,
50:15 what stood out real quick?
50:18 - Yeah, you know what?
50:19 I think I've said it a couple of times.
50:21 I said it last night on my podcast as well.
50:23 We watch the streams, we watch these condensed games.
50:26 Being there live in person and A, the sizes of everybody,
50:31 but how these balls are coming off the bat,
50:33 how the defensive plays you're seeing live,
50:36 just watching it live versus on the streams,
50:39 it's just a whole nother level.
50:40 I mean, right, it's a live sporting event.
50:43 So I say, if you ever get an opportunity to A,
50:46 go to the world series to either be a spectator
50:48 or even play in it.
50:50 If you're playing down at the Men's C at the same time,
50:52 head over to the stadium.
50:54 It's an unbelievable product.
50:55 But if you're near a conference event, go,
50:59 because the game is, it's such a different level
51:02 when you're live in there.
51:05 - That championship was a fireworks show.
51:08 I guess one more question, Travis,
51:11 the ball difference between years
51:13 and even when it got cool that night,
51:16 what made for that fireworks show?
51:18 Was it adrenaline, the weather, or what do you think?
51:22 - I think that, I think part of it was the weather.
51:26 Obviously they moved everything back a week,
51:28 which let it get a little bit cooler, maybe not a ton.
51:32 The ball, you could feel the covers were tighter
51:36 than definitely more tighter than,
51:38 or tighter than they were last year.
51:40 It was also, the wind wasn't blowing out
51:44 to that right field corner.
51:46 It kind of laid down or even blew a little bit
51:49 to the left field corner, which,
51:52 that makes a huge difference
51:54 when you see so many righties, right?
51:56 The other thing that I don't necessarily know,
52:03 but did they retest the bats
52:05 after every game this year or no?
52:07 - I believe they retested them after every game.
52:10 I know they did not between the two championship games.
52:13 I think they had the crowd there.
52:16 They didn't want to take 30 minutes,
52:18 and which I can understand.
52:20 - I get it, but it's just one of those things where,
52:24 who knows, right?
52:26 The pressure falls on some, I don't know.
52:28 - Yep, but congratulations, everybody.
52:33 Thanks, J. Roe, and I'll let you wrap it up, J. Roe.
52:35 It's your show.
52:36 - Oh. (laughs)
52:39 Yeah, no, but congratulations, Travis.
52:41 Great run, great watching you guys all week.
52:43 Mike, same thing for Rufax.
52:45 Unbelievable run out of you guys.
52:46 Congratulations on your AA title,
52:48 your third place finish at the majors.
52:50 Good luck next year playing majors as well.
52:52 And DW, congratulations to you.
52:54 The season, we'll call it overish for you
52:58 while you get all your content built up and ready to go.
53:02 And we'll see you back here in two weeks
53:04 for the "Rumor" episode.
53:06 - Yep, that's the off season.
53:08 I'll be sitting right at this computer
53:10 cranking out content,
53:11 except when I have to go to jury duty.
53:13 - Thanks for tuning in to this episode
53:17 of "The Hit and Sit Show."
53:18 We'll see you soon.
53:19 (upbeat music)
53:21 (upbeat music)
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53:51 (upbeat music)
53:54 (dramatic music)
54:15 (dramatic music)
54:18 (dramatic music)
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54:35 (dramatic music)
54:38 (dramatic music)
54:41 (upbeat music)
54:43 ♪ I'm down for the chase, so underneath ♪