How's it going, Ole Miss softball fans?
Getting the first chance to sit down here to sit down
with new pitching coach Ryker Chason.
You've been around in Oxford for about a month or so now.
I know times are weird,
but how has the adjustment period been for you so far?
Yeah, it's been a little different but it's nice.
I really like Oxford,
so I'm glad that they're taking some precautions
and we're still able to go out and do things right now.
Just have to wear the mask, but we're making sure we do that.
But it's been nice. I've enjoyed it so far.
Your background's really interesting
in that you are a member of the 40-man pool
for the National Team for softball.
A lot of guys, it's baseball
that you grow up playing and everything.
How did you make that path?
What drew you towards playing softball?
Yeah, so I grew up playing baseball.
Actually, I grew up playing multiple sports.
But it wasn't until about my sophomore in high school
that I decided to switch over to softball.
But starting with my background in softball, my dad coached.
So when I was a young kid,
he was coaching our high school softball team.
He started coaching my sisters.
I have two older sisters that played.
And as soon as they started playing, started coaching them.
So I was always around it.
I tell people all the time
I was that like annoying little brother
at the back of the dugout just making arm circles,
getting on everybody's nerves.
But, yeah, just kind of taught myself how to pitch.
Then, next thing I know, my dad threw me on the field
and I was throwing batting practice.
I was like ten, and balls were getting smoked past my head.
Kind of "chuck and duck" is what I called it.
Yeah, so just learned to pitch that way.
Then there was a guy in my hometown
who he played Men's Fastpitch back in the late '80s,
early '90s with Ken Eriksen
and some of those guys called the Clearwater Bombers.
He just kind of got me throwing a little bit.
He was like, "Man, you're really good."
So I took some video, and somebody sent the video
to somebody who sent it to somebody.
Next thing I know, the National Team was calling
my phone like, "Hey, you want to come try out?"
I'm like, "Sure."
So that was when I just turned 15.
So I was on the Junior Men's National Team for four years
before I made the 40-man roster for the USA Men's National Team.
Well, you explained that real well
because it feels like the hitting side of things,
they're really similar on the aspects.
It is the throwing side that you taught yourself how to pitch.
Yeah, I did.
What was with that?
There was a brick wall in --
well, in our second house that we moved to there
was a brick wall right beside our pool,
and I just hammered it until all the bricks lost it.
And pretty much just taught myself.
I've pitched in baseball as well.
I was pretty athletic growing up,
so I had it pretty good.
Played football, played basketball, played baseball,
and then just started making arm circles.
Well, you can hear it - the wealth of knowledge.
Even though you're so young, fresh out of LSU.
What does it mean to you that Jamie has that respect,
that trust for you, to name you an SEC school's
pitching coach so young in your career?
Yeah, it's definitely an honor.
I think it speaks a lot to the people
that I've surrounded myself with and the reputation
I've created for myself.
Being on the Junior Men's National Team,
spending some time with the Women's National Team
just off of being on the Junior Men's National Team.
I traveled the country with them, traveled the world,
went to Japan and Canada with them.
Then I was at LSU for four years,
coached travel balls there, did lessons while I was there.
So just had my name in a lot of pots.
You know, people like Beth Torina
have great respect for me,
had a lot of great things to say about me,
was able to kind of back me.
I feel like that's what got me here.
Yeah, Beth Torina was the next name
I was going to bring up.
She's one of the best doing it in the SEC.
What were you able to gain from her knowledge
wise as you spent some time on the staff in Baton Rouge?
God, I just smile when I hear that.
I learned so much.
I walked in there thinking that I knew a lot,
thinking I was on the National Team
and I knew it all.
She just took me under her wing every day.
It was more than just growing me as a coach.
She grew me as a person.
But she taught me a lot.
Jamie actually asked me - when I got the job she said,
"Why do you think Beth trusted you so much?"
I said, "I don't know if I gave her a choice."
I said, "I think when I showed up,
I just hopped in the bullpen and I never got out.
Then it got to the point where she was looking
over her shoulder, kind of like, "Where's Ryker?"
I sat next to her every single game
from the first game my freshman year,
and we just grew a bond - a special bond.
Like I said, she grew me as a coach but also as a person.
And she really taught me a lot.
There has been some really fun matchups
between LSU and the Rebs over the past.
The rivalry started to bud there
towards the latter part of these past few years.
What do you remember from some of those games?
There's been some exciting ones.
Oh, god, the first one that comes to mind
is the 19-inning game
between Kaitlin Lee and Allie Walljasper.
That was just a - oomph - that was a night.
I will never forget, I'm like we're going along
until like the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th inning.
Beth's like -- I charted the pitches next to her,
and she was like, "What is she at?"
I'm like calculating up.
I have to like flip over onto the back of my sheet,
and I'm still counting. I'm like, "Beth, she's at like -
this is pitch number 250." [Laughter]
And that's like - and she still looks good.
And we just kept making sure she was okay.
Her and Kaitlin just battled it out,
and we were fortunate enough to come out on top of that one.
But that was amazing -
probably one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of.
That's one that I won't forget
either just watching it on the couch.
I couldn't imagine being there and seeing it in person.
Oh, it was insane.
And then when we won, it was even more insane.
It just happened to turn our way.
Some things went our way, and we pulled that one out.
You've been in town now for a little bit.
The team's slowly trickling in, returning back here to Oxford.
I'm also sure you've gotten to see
a little bit of tape on the returning players.
What are your just first impressions of this group
returning here in 2021?
Well, they're a group that only lost a couple of players
from their last super regional run.
I think they're a very talented group.
I'm getting to know them better, get along going to work out.
We're having individual Zoom meetings with them,
and I've had the individual Zoom meetings with the pitchers.
Just getting to know them better is really exciting.
But just from watching some film on them
from a skill-related side, they're a very talented group.
They know how to win.
They have won, which is exciting
because I think we're just going to be able to come in here
for people who already know what it's like to play
at a really high level and play in this league
and host a Regional and go to a Super Regional
and just continue to develop on top of that.
You're kind of hinting at it.
It feels like Coach Trachsel is building something special,
and that's just from an outside perspective.
I don't know anything.
What does it feel like to you?
Because that's what it feels like to me.
She is special, and that's why I'm here.
I will say that.
I was very, very fortunate to be a part of a special staff
at a special place where I came from.
I knew from the second interview with her
that she just did things the right way,
and she was going to create something special
by treating kids the way they deserve to be treated.
She is special, and it's starting to show up every day.
And it's just more and more, and every day the more
that I'm around her and Katie
I realize that I made the right choice.
I'm glad that I'm here,
and I'm glad I'm on this journey with them.
And we are gaming to build something very special.
Well, enjoyed getting to know you already through these first
couple of weeks or whatever it is.
We're excited to see what you guys are capable
of putting together on the field as we push toward 2021.
I know that sounds crazy,
but that's where we're at in this year.
Whoo! I know you're out grinding,
looking for future Rebels as well.
So we'll let you get back to work,
but we appreciate the time you spent here with us today.
Of course, I appreciate it, Seth.
Happy to be here, thank you.