Outside The Chute

Episode 95 - Courtney Gano

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with University of Washington alum, former US National Team member and current AU athlete, Courtney Gano.
Court has had a fantastic career to date. She would have a stellar 4 years with the Washington Huskies where she would have a solid .306 career average with 23 homeruns and 91 RBI’s.  She then got her professional start over in Italy before joining the Chicago Bandits of the NPF in 2018.  Court would play with the US National Team as well in 2018 where she would help the red, white and blue capture  gold at the Japan Cup.  Since then, her and her husband Abdul welcomed their son Gregory to the world in 2020 and now she is back playing in Athlete’s Unlimited.
We’re gonna talk to Court about getting her start in the game, the influence her parents played in her development, her time with the Huskies, of course Greggy, and much, much more.
Getting the chance to talk to Courtney was an absolute pleasure and I’m so happy she took time out of her busy schedule to come on and chat cause this was a good one.

Episode 94 - Brandon Horn

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with 4 time ISC World Champion and former member of the Men’s Canadian National Team, Waterloo native, Brandon Horn.
Horny has had a remarkable career to date.  As just mentioned, he has won 4 ISC World Titles, been named to 3 ISC All World Teams, won the 2015 Pan Am Games and ISF World’s while representing Team Canada and a Canadian Senior Men’s title just to name a few.
We’re gonna talk to Horny about getting his start in the game at a young age in Waterloo, his great junior run with Scarborough, his time with Team Canada and much, much more.
Horny was a pleasure to chat with, and Hopey and I were treated to some big news from him that you’re not going to want to miss

Episode 93 - Randi Hennigan

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with Texas State Bobcats alum, Texas native, Randi Hennigan.
Randi had an amazing 4 years at Texas State.  She is the career leader in wins, strikeouts, appearance and innings pitched.  She is a two time All-American, two time Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year and a 4 time First Team All-Sun Belt Conference winner, and many other accolades as well.
We’re gonna talk to Randi about getting her start in the game in her home state of Texas, the amazing bond between her and her twin sister Sara, who also played at Texas Tech, her special relationship with the great Cat Osterman and much, much more.
Randi was an absolute treat to chat with and I’m sure you’re all gonna enjoy hearing her story.

Episode 92 - Mark Sorenson

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with ISC and WBSC Hall of Famer and current head coach of the New Zealand Black Sox, one of the best to ever play the game, Mark Sorenson.
I’m not even sure where to begin when talking about Mark’s accomplishments in the game.  He is a 4 time ISF World Champion with the Black Sox as a player, with the first coming at 16 years of age in 1984. 
Mark would play in 18 ISC World Tournaments, where he would go on to win 4 World titles and be named to 12 All World Teams along the way, as well as and MVP award.  As a coach, Mark would guide the Black Sox to a WBSC title in 2017 in Whitehorse and will be looking to get back on the podium this November at home in New Zealand.
We’re gonna talk to Mark about getting his start in the game in his hometown of Hutt Valley, his travels over to North America to play on the ISC circuit during its hay day, those world title wins with the Black Sox and much, much more.
Hopey and I were absolutely privileged to be able to chat with Mark.  To hear his story about playing our game was awesome and I’m sure everyone that hears this is going to thoroughly enjoy it.

Episode 91 - Ian Fehrman

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with 4 time ISC World Champion and former Canadian Men’s National Team member, Ian Fehrman.
Opie had an absolute excellent career in the game.  To go along with those 4 ISC rings, he has also won a ISF World Title and Pan Am gold in 2015, 2 Canadian Senior Men’s National Title’s, has been a 6 time ISC All World selection, as well as, a two time All Canadian.
We’re gonna talk to Opie about getting his start in the game, the epic run at the ISC’s with Jarvis, his time on the National Team and some hilarious stories from his time in the game.
Opie was such a treat to chat with and its very easy to see why he was so respected and loved by opponents and teammates.  This was a fun one for Hopey and I and I’m sure you’ll see why after listening.

Episode 90 - Samantha Findlay

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with University of Michigan alum and 2005 WCWS Most Outstanding Player, Samantha Findlay.
Sam had an amazing 4 years at University of Michigan.  As a Freshman in 2005, she would have a Cinderella season.  She was named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year to go along with Michigan’s first ever, National Title at the Women’s College World Series, as well as, being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.  In that final game against UCLA, Sam would hit a three run shot in the Top of the 10th inning to seal the deal for the Wolverines.  She would end her tenure with Michigan as the school’s all time career leader in Homeruns, Walks and RBI’s.  Sam then went on to win the 2008 NPF Championship with her hometown Chicago Bandits, before retiring from the game in 2012 to start a family.
We’re gonna talk to Sam about how she got her start in the game, the journey to get to the University of Michigan, that epic Freshman season, and much, much more.
Sam was an absolute pleasure to chat with, and I wish nothing but the best for her and her beautiful family moving forward.

Episode 89 - Sashel Palacios

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with Arizona State Sun Devils alum and 2021 Olympian with the Mexican National Team, Sashel Palacios.
Sash has had a stellar career to date.  She excelled in her 4 years at Arizona State, twice being named to the Pac-12 All Defensive Team, as well as, being named a 1st Team All-Pac 12 in 2017.  She helped lead Mexico to a birth in the Olympics in Tokyo this past summer, and is set to take part in her third season with Athlete’s Unlimited.
We’re gonna talked to Sashel about getting her start in the game, the big influence her family plays in her life, her time at ASU and how she almost quit the game after her Freshman season, of course, the Olympic Games and much, much more.
Sash was an absolute pleasure to chat with.  I’m so happy I reached out to her to do this and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.

Episode 88 - Don Tricker

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with former coach of the New Zealand Black Sox and current Director of Player Health and Performance for the San Diego Padres, Don Tricker.
Don has had a big impact on the game of softball.  He would play for the Black Sox from 1986 to 1991 and would go on to be named the head coach in 1998.  Don was instrumental in changing the culture of the New Zealand program and it payed off as the Black Sox would win the World Championship in 2000 and 2004 under his tutelage.  Today, Don finds himself in the Baseball world as he is working with the San Diego Padres as previously mentioned.
We’re gonna talk to him about not only getting his start in the game, but how his grandfather was one of the pioneers in bringing the game to New Zealand, some great stories from his time with the Black Sox and, of course, how he ended up in the biggest baseball league on the planet with San Diego.
Don was such a pleasure to chat with, it was so awesome hearing all his great stories from the game.  Trust me when I say this one is a can’t miss.