Outside The Chute

Episode 109 - Kindra Hackbarth

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with 2019 NFCA All-American and Arizona State Sun Devils alum, Kindra Hackbarth.
Kindra had a stellar 4 years with the Sun Devils.  She would be a 3 time All-Pac 12 selection, 2018 NFCA All-West First Team selection, as well as previously mentioned a 2019 All-American. 
We take a deep dive into Kindra’s career talking about getting her start in the game, the recruiting process that started at a young age, leading to her and her twin sister Maddie originally committing to Notre Dame and then landing in Fresno State.  We chat about the transfer out of Fresno State to Arizona State that would ultimately reunite them with Coach Trisha Ford.  Kindra talks about getting her love for the game back while with the Sun Devils, that epic 18-17 game against Utah that has been discussed on here before and the possibility of getting those cleats back on in the future.
Kindra was an absolute joy to chat with.  I’m definitely looking forward to see what’s in store for her down the road here.  I’m sure whatever it is, it will be special.

Episode 108 - Sydney Littlejohn Watkins

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with University of Alabama alum, 2016 All-American and the owner of one of the best curveballs in the game, Sydney Littlejohn Watkins.
Syd had a stellar 4 years with the Crimson Tide at the University of Alabama.  She was a 4 year letter winner, raking up 67 wins and a career 1.77 ERA which puts her ranked 6th of all time in program history for both those stats.  Like I mentioned earlier, she was a 2016 NFCA All-American, as well as, a NFCA All-Region First Team.  She was also the first player to throw a perfect game at Rhodes Stadium.  Syd then would take some time off before making her return in the Netherlands for the Euro Cup in 2021 and placing third.  She’d then move on to AUX this past spring and play so well it earned her a contract for Season 3 of AU in Chicago that finished up in August.  Syd currently works as a registered dietician at the University of Florida.
We’re gonna talk to Syd about getting her start in the game back in Texas, her time at Alabama, the journey back to the game she had after retirement and , of course, her time with Athletes Unlimited.
Syd was an absolute treat to chat with.  I can’t thank her enough for taking the time to come on and chat, especially the day before a massive hurricane was on its way.

Episode 107 - Mike White

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with University of Texas Longhorns Head Coach, the legendary, Mike White.
Mike’s list of accomplishments in the game are astounding.  Here’s an example of some –
8 Hall of Fame Inductions
2 time WBSC World Champion
5 time ISC World Champion
5 time ASA Champion
10 time ISC All World Selection
3 time Pan Am Games Silver Medalist
ISC Career Win Leader with 70
6 Women College World Series appearances
3 time Pac-12 Coach of the Year
Now there are a lot more but we kind of have to get to this podcast.
We’re gonna talk to Mike about getting his start in the game down in New Zealand, his storied ISC career, his time with the New Zealand Black Sox, of course, getting into the coaching side of things and much, much more.
This was an absolute pleasure for Hopey and I to chat with such a legend in our game.  I know for a fact everyone is going to enjoy this episode.

Episode 106 - Thomas Makea

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with 4 time WBSC World Champion, WBSC Hall of Famer and ISC Hall of Famer, Thomas Makea
Thomas no doubt goes down as one of the best to ever play the game.  Of course, as mentioned with the WBSC title’s and Hall of Fame induction, he is also a 5 time ISC Champion, 6 time ISC All World selection and the Most Valuable Player at the 2000 ISC’s.
We’re gonna talk to Thomas about getting his start in the game down in New Zealand, where the nickname Larry came from, his storied 20 year career with the New Zealand Black Sox, his time on the ISC circuit, and much, much more.
Thomas was an absolute pleasure to chat with.  We’re so grateful he was able to take time out of his busy schedule to sit down and chat with us.

Episode 105 - Tori Vidales

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with Texas A&M alum, Athletes Unlimited star and 2020 Olympian, Tori Vidales. 
Tori has had a fantastic career to date. 
She had a stellar 4 years with the Aggies where she would start in all 240 games, win 2 NFCA All American awards, be named to the 2015 SEC All Freshman Team, while going on to be the career leader in runs scored, total bases and RBI’s. 
Tori would also represent Mexico at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and played a pivotal role for them in their 4th place showing. 
She now is a main stay at Athletes Unlimited and has participated in all 3 seasons as well as AUX. 
We’re gonna talk to Tori about getting her start in the game, the big role her family played in her development, committing to Texas A&M at only 14 years of age, her time on the National Team, AU and much much more. 
Tori was an absolute pleasure to chat with and this was without a doubt one of my favourite chats I’ve had on here since starting. I’m sure everyone is gonna enjoy this one. 

Episode 104 - Jeff Fraser/Matt Van Eeuwen/Blair Setford

Outside The Chute sat down and first talked with the Head Coach of the Silver Medal winning, Nova Scotia Canada Games Team, Jeff Fraser.  We talked about the journey it took to get to that point and the outcome that was a silver medal for the province of Nova Scotia. 
We then chat with the Marketing Manager at Softball City in Surrey, BC, Matt Van Eeuwen.  Matt tells about what is in store for the softball world leading into the 2023 Canadian Senior Men's Championships and the 2024 ISC World Championships that will be played at Softball City.
Finally, we chatted with past guest of the show and the VP of Communications and Operations for the ISC's, Blair Setford.  Blair gives us a run down of what took place at the recent ISC's in Moline, Illinois, and then a brief chat at what's in store for the 2022 Canadian Senior Nats in St John's, Newfoundland, starting this week.

Episode 103 - Jade Hewitt

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with Millsaps College alum and current lead photographer with Athletes Unlimited, Jade Hewitt.
Jade has been someone I’ve wanted to chat with for a while now and I’m so happy she found time out of her busy schedule, especially in the middle of the AU season, to come on and chat with us.  This was such a great interview.
We talk to Jade about her 4 years playing at Millsaps College, her start in photography in the NPF with the Dallas Charge, her time with USA Softball and the 2021 Olympics and much, much more.
Jade was such a pleasure to chat, I had such a great time talking with her. She is definitely the GOAT of photography when it comes to our world of softball.  You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @jadehewittmedia and check out all her amazing work.

Episode 102 - Maddi Hackbarth

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with Arizona State Sun Devils alum and current Head Coach at Central Arizona College, Maddi Hackbarth.
Maddi had a stellar NCAA career, getting her start at Fresno State before transferring to Arizona State where she would go on to become an All American.  She most recently competed in Athlete’s Unlimited AUX in San Diego where she finished an impressive 21st in the point standings.
We’re gonna talk to Maddi about getting her start in the game, her recruiting process, the transfer to Arizona State, an epic game that her and twin sister, Kindra had, her time at Athlete’s Unlimited and much, much more.
Maddi was an absolute pleasure to chat with and I’m very excited to see what the future holds for her moving forward.