The Gaucho9 Podcast

Ep106: The Hammerheads

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.

Ep:105 The Newcomers, Durf JFlo & Rex

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.

Ep104: Cory Lewis

Twins minor leaguer and former Gaucho standout RHP Cory Lewis joins the podcast this week carrying some impressive hardware after an outstanding 1st year of pro ball.  Lewis was named the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year after helping to lead the Cedar Rapids Kernels to a Midwest League Championship in 2023.  Our conversation revolves around his success this summer, the 5 pitch arsenal, and how he got his famous nickname 'The General' - special guest appearances by Assistant Coach Dylan Jones and Gianni Bloom.

Ep103: Marcos Castanon

Marcos Castanon just finished up his 2nd full year of pro ball playing in the San Diego Padres organization.  Marcos was one of the Gauchos best hitters in his time at UCSB and this year hammered 39 doubles between High A and AA which was 4th among all Minor League players in 2023.  Castanon helped the Lake Elsinore Storm win the 2022 California League Title and hit in the middle of the order for the AA San Antonio Missions' playoff run in '23.  A first time guest on the podcast, Castanon shares his enthusiasm for hitting and improving his skills on the infield.

Ep102: Michael McGreevy

Former 1st Round Pick Michael McGreevy hops on the podcast this week to talk about his summer pitching in AA Springfield and AAA Memphis.  McGreevy has been quickly climbing the ranks within the St. Louis Cardinals organization and has become one of their top prospects.  After setting multiple career bests this summer, McGreevy enters a critical off-season with hopes of making the big club out of Spring Training in 2024.

Ep101: Christopher Troye

This week we break down the phenomenon of digital influence with Red Sox minor leaguer Christopher Troye.  Troye spent the majority of the summer in AA with the Portland Sea Dogs and was selected to represent the Sox on the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League.  The right hander has turned up the heat across his social media pages (Instagram @christophertroye and X @christophtroye) and has caught the attention of some popular Boston sports podcasters (shoutout Jared Carrabis and the Name Redacted Podcast)

Ep100: 2023 Fall Preview; Assoc. HC Matt Fonteno, Matt Ager & Zander Darby

The Gaucho9 Pod is back celebrating our 100th episode!  And kicking off the fall slate with a big pod featuring the return of Associate Head Coach Matt Fonteno as well as a very candid interview (32:54) with 2 stars of the summer in Jr RHP Matt Ager and Jr 3b Zander Darby.  Coach Fonteno returns to the Gaucho coaching staff after spending the last 2 years at USC and Cal Poly, we talk recruiting strategy and catch up on some Bay Area sports chatter.  Matt Ager spent the summer with the USA Collegiate National Team in Cary, North Carolina while Zander Darby held down the hot corner for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League.

Ep99: Barry Zito & 2023 Season Recap

It's your Gaucho9 Podcast Summer Special featuring MLB All-Star, World Series Champ & Cy Young award winner, Barry Zito!  Barry recalls his time at UCSB playing with Coach Brontsema and breaks down some marquis moments in his MLB career and even gives a shoutout to fellow Gaucho Jim Rome.  Plus we finally conclude the players of the week draft season with UCSB Analytics, it was a close race to the finish!

Ep98: Bob Brontsema, Gauchos on Fire

The final week of the regular season is upon us as the Gauchos head to the Islands for a 3 game set with Hawaii.  The BigWest title is up in the air and UCSB continues to push for a postseason bid so we brought in former Gaucho HC Bob Brontsema to try and read the tea leaves for the upcoming week and share some memories about the 1983 Regional Team, the Hammerheads, and Gauchos on Fire.  Check out Mark Patton's article about the 1983 Gauchos on Noozhawk.  We finish up with the Week 14 Draft with Gaucho Analytics and Gianni Bloom.  Broc Mortensen ties the all-time career home run record on Saturday with a solo shot to right field.

Ep97 Mother’s Day, Dylan Jones, Animated Movies & Baseball

It was a busy week for the Gauchos who went 3-2 vs LMU, Long Beach St and Cal Baptist, Corey Nunez capped off the week with walk off single in the 10th inning on Monday night against the Lancers.  On this week's episode we ask a number of players about their favorite animated movies, we sit down with Pitching Coach Dylan Jones and the players say hi to their Mom's on Mother's Day.  We finish the pod with our player of the week draft with UCSB Analytics and Gianni Bloom.  Through 49 games UCSB is 33-16 (16-8 BigWest) 42 RPI.