The Gaucho9 Podcast

UCSB Baseball is hosting an NCAA Regional at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium this weekend, that's it, that's the podcast.

A long overdue guest for this particular media format, Bill Mahoney spent 38 years working in the UCSB Athletic Department, many of them as the Director of Communications, and joins us today to simply talk sports.  Bill got his start working for the showtime Lakers and California Angels before moving to UCSB where he witnessed many of the glory years of Gaucho Hoops and Baseball (even Football).  We talk about the '24 Gauchos as well as memorable moments at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium and finish with sharing our All-Time Gaucho lineups.

The Pod is back after a 4 week hiatus, I start with a brief recap of what we missed, Gianni Bloom joins us to talk about his transition to coaching in pro ball with the Miami Marlins Org, and then we round up the recent homestand with Gaucho Analytics and Aaron Parker.

UCSB sits tied for 3rd in the BigWest (8-4) and in the top 20 of the RPI (18) and is 22-10 overall heading into this crucial road matchup with UC Davis.

The Gauchos record back to back sweeps to open their home slate (finally back at Caesar!) vs Connecticut and Long Beach St.  Tacking on the Villanova win, the Gauchos have won 7 games in a row to sit at 12-5 (3-0 BW).  This week we sit down with Bob Brontsema to discuss the previous 2 weeks and the importance of finishing the sweep.  We finish the pod with the Roundup, featuring Aaron Parker.

UCSB goes up to Eugene and takes 2 of 3 games from the Ducks, the loss Sunday snapped a 7-game winning streak vs Oregon after winning the first 2 games of the series.  The Gauchos followed up the big series with with a 10-1 win over Villanova in LA on Tuesday night to move to 6-5 on the season.  This week we spoke with Junior OF Jessada Brown about his breakout performance and draft our best players of the week with Gaucho Analytics and Aaron Parker.

Gauchos continue to be road warriors splitting their 4 games with Sacramento St and Pepperdine to go to 3-4 on the young season.  The offense is beginning to show its teeth and we welcomed Ryan Gallagher back to the mound over the weekend in his 1st appearance since the 2022 Stanford Regional.  We have pregame interviews with Brendan Durfee and Jackson Flora from Sacramento and then Aaron Parker guest stars in the Weekend Roundup with Dev and Isaiah.  UCSB heads to Eugene, OR this weekend for 3 games against the Ducks beginning Friday at 4p.

UCSB returns to California following a Week 1 dual with a quality opponent in Campbell having lost 2 of 3.  The Gauchos did make a big splash on Opening Day however, posting a 20-8 win and belting 3 home runs.  The weekend games were entertaining back and forth affairs that fell in favor of the home side.  This week we start out with game highlights, followed by our pregame interview from Saturday with Jr C Aaron Parker and we finish the pod with our Week 1 roundup with UCSB Analytics.

The 2024 College Baseball Season is finally upon us as the Gauchos travel to North Carolina to take on the Campbell Fighting Camels to kick off the year on Friday.  We begin with Head Coach Andrew Checketts breaking down the construction at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium as well as the '24 schedule and depth chart.  Next (45:45) we run it back with the Junior Trio of Zander Darby, LeTrey McCollum & Justin Trimble who first appeared on this podcast in 2022 as the Freshman Trio.  Then we finish the pod with preseason player of the year picks with the Analytics Crew & Gianni Bloom.  We are looking forward to another great season of podcasting and Gaucho Baseball.

To celebrate the upcoming 2024 UCSB Baseball Alumni Weekend we brought in 3 personalities to discuss the famous Hammerheads.  Coach Al Ferrer, All-American Bill Geivett, and Hammerhead Leader Casey Gorman join the pod to reminisce and tell the stories.  The Hammerheads were a student run group of super fans who began attending Gaucho Baseball games down the stretch of the 1983 Conference Championship season.  Led by Gaucho Men's Volleyball Captain, Casey Gorman, the group brought a unique and tangible energy to games which made opponents fear playing on the road in Santa Barbara.  During their heyday, the Hammerheads helped root on the talented loaded teams who won 172 games between '83 & '86 and 2 conference titles under Coach Ferrer.  The spirit of the Hammerheads was rekindled in 2012 by Gorman and have dedicated their efforts to fundraising scholarship funds for the Gauchos while having fun on the side.

On today's episode we introduce 3 new Gauchos; 4th year transfer C/1b Brendan Durfee, Fr. OF/1b Rex Deangelis, and Fr. RHP Jackson Flora.  The trio, who are coincidentally roommates, have been displaying their talent on the diamond this Fall and were excited to sit down and showcase their personalities for this episode. 

Durfee comes to UCSB after 3 years and 2 regional appearances for Cal Lutheran (DIII), is a strong left handed bat who should get some innings behind the plate and at 1b in 2024.  Rex Deangelis, from Canby, OR, has been a top performer in his class this Fall both offensively and defensively and may crack the starting lineup in his first season as a Gaucho.  Jackson Flora, Pleasanton, CA, joins an already talented pitching staff and will compete with the veterans for innings this year.