Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast

Season 1 of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast wraps up with an insightful conversation with Fayetteville Pitching Coach Thomas Whitsett, whose 2019 Woodpeckers staff set a Carolina League record with 1,476 strikeouts. Matt chats with the Woodpeckers pitching coach about what young minor leaguers in the system are doing to improve without games this season (5:30) and what it's like as a coach to watch seven former Woodpecker arms make their MLB debuts this season (7:07), including the standout...

On the penultimate episode of the season, Matt is joined by Marty Costes, an Astros outfield prospect who was a key contributor in the Woodpeckers' 2019 playoff run. Among other topics, the Baltimore native chats with Matt about his passion for music production, how he became connected to the Fayetteville community last year (8:04), juggling three different sports before receiving a baseball offer from the University of Maryland (16:20), and the role his father played in keeping him engaged...

Almost a year to the date from his dramatic Game 5 home run that helped send the Woodpeckers to the Mills Cup Championship Series, slugging Astros prospect Chandler Taylor shares the behind-the-scenes perspective of Fayetteville's dramatic postseason run in 2019. The former Crimson Tide masher touches on his day-to-day routine without minor league games (4:10) and how his 50 days on the injured list after a hamate injury helped him reflect and refine his approach before a monstrous return in...

Peck the 'ole subscribe button before flying into the seventeenth installment of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast! After a quick MLB trade deadline round-up, Matt is joined by Astros prospect Austin Hansen, a right-hander rated by Baseball America as Houston's No. 27 prospect entering 2020. The former Sooner closer hops on for an interview to discuss how he's staying sharp with the help of other pro players in the Kansas City area, including a run in with a Major Leaguer (8:50), his...

Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast! This week, Matt is joined by Woodpeckers outfielder Ross Adolph for an intriguing conversation that takes you inside the mind of an exciting prospect in the Houston farm system. The native Ohioan discusses his offseason routine and how much he misses baseball (9:15), how he continues to work on the mental aspects of hitting and a gameday routine without a season (12:40), and how he has gotten together with...

Before a conversation with last year's Woodpeckers hitting coach Jason Kanzler, Matt gives his news and notes from around the majors, including the Astros' winning ways despite a growing injured list (1:15), Tatis and the Slam Diego Padres making waves (2:40), and Clayton Kershaw adding to the Dodgers' dominance (3:50). Next, the former two-time Rawlings gold glove award winner at the University of Buffalo Jason Kanzler joins the show to discuss what a typical day is like at the Astros...

On the "Talkin' Dingers" edition of the Woodpeckers Baseball podcast, Matt chats with last year's Fayetteville home run leader Jake Adams about some of the highlights of his career since going in the 6th round to the Astros out of the University of Iowa in 2017. The podcast continues to slowly evolve into a Big Ten pod as the former conference player of the year talks about facing live pitching with the help of his brother-in-law this offseason (8:20), his early fascination with the long...

On Episode 13 of the podcast, Matt first gives his news & notes from around the Majors, including a pair of former Woodpeckers making their debuts in the past week and some key injuries from around the league. Next, the Woodpeckers skipper Nate Shaver hops on the podcast to discuss the electrifying first two starts in the bigs by former Fayetteville ace Cristian Javier (12:32), the raw stuff that Enoli Paredes possesses out of the Astros bullpen (15:27), the debut of Humberto Castellanos...

On Episode 12 of the pod, Matt gives some quick hitters on the news & notes on the first week of the MLB season, including coronavirus concerns and four former Fayetteville arms making their big league debuts in the past week. Next, Matt continues his series previewing the Woodpeckers of the future as he welcomes outfielder Jordan Brewer, the 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year at Michigan and the Astros' No. 12 prospect entering 2020 per Baseball America. The former College World Series...

It's the MLB Opening Day episode of the podcast as Matt welcomes Jake Kaplan of The Athletic to preview the Astros season in advance of Friday night's opener! Jake discusses his predictions on how the final 30-man roster will shake out (9:47), how the back-end of Houston's rotation might fare this year (12:10), the impacts of key rookies Enoli Paredes (14:37) and Bryan Abreu (19:23), and makes a bold prediction on an Astros MVP candidate this season (19:23). Next, Astros Fundamentals...

Smash the subscribe and share buttons before listening to the first double-digit episode installment of the Woodpeckers Baseball podcast! As he starts to exhaust his list of 2019 Woodpeckers, Matt Dean brings in a potential future Woodpecker to the show, talking with shortstop Grae Kessinger, the Astros No. 10 prospect heading into the year. The former Ole Miss standout provides insight into the excitement and nervousness surrounding his draft year in 2019 and elaborates on his positive...

Be sure to share, like, and subscribe before diving into Episode 9 of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast! Matt Dean is joined first by former Fayetteville outfielder Jake Meyers, one of 13 former Woodpeckers on the Astros current 60-man player pool, to talk about his experiences at the Astros' summer camp in preparations for the upcoming season. Among other topics, the former Nebraska Cornhusker standout also shares his memories of playing in front of crowds at Segra Stadium last year and how...

In Episode 8 of the Woodpeckers pod, Matt Dean chats with Astros slugging prospect Colton Shaver, one of 13 former Woodpeckers announced on the Astros initial 60-man player pool for the 2020 season this week. The former BYU standout discusses his approach to joining the big league camp, philosophy behind how he views the catching position, and how joining the fly ball revolution helped his offensive game explode with a 21-homer campaign in the minors last season. Next, Astros Sr. Director of...

In Episode 7 of the podcast, Matt Dean is first joined by a standout from the Woodpeckers' 2019 playoff run, infielder/outfielder extraordinaire David Hensley, who among other things discusses his upbringing in a baseball household, enjoying the summertime in San Diego, and how he draws inspiration from the sweet stroke of perennial MVP candidate Christian Yelich to devise his ideal swing. Finally, Astros Director of Player Evaluation Charles Cook makes an appearance on the pod to break down...

In Episode 6 of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast, Matt Dean chats with local product Matthew Barefoot, the 6th round pick of the Astros in 2019. Among other topics, the former Fighting Camel and Tarheel State native talks about his previous experiences at Segra Stadium, how a mutual partnership between Campbell and the Astros help him get noticed, and how his access to an indoor batting cage on his family's farm in Dunn, N.C. is helping him stay game ready in the absence of baseball....

In Episode 5 of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast, Matt Dean is joined by a right-hander on Fayetteville's record-setting staff from last season, who discusses his experience at the College World Series with Mississippi State in 2018 and how he approaches the use of data to help him become a better pitcher. Next, Astros radio play-by-play voice Robert Ford says "see ya later" after a compelling conversation in which he discusses how he grew to love the game growing up in New York, a memorable...

In Episode 4 of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast, Fayetteville broadcaster Matt Dean welcomes former Woodpecker shortstop Jeremy Peña to the show to discuss his preparations for the season on hold along with his experiences as a non-roster invitee to the Astros' big league camp. Next, writer of the "Ben's Biz Blog" for MiLB.com Ben Hill joins the show to talk about his visit to Segra Stadium in 2019, trends in the industry, and how he is entertaining the masses on Twitter in the absence of...

In Episode 3 of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast, Fayetteville broadcaster Matt Dean is joined by Astros pitching coach Brent Strom, who discusses how he stays in touch with his staff during the current shutdown, a few notable Astros prospects that passed through Fayetteville in 2019, and his unique perspective as the second ever baseball player to undergo Tommy John surgery. Finally, the former first-round pick and current D-Backs farmhand Seth Beer reminiscences about his time in...

On Episode 2 of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast, Matt Dean is joined by the Astros' No. 20 prospect Shawn Dubin about his offseason preparations heading into 2020 and talks with Justin Mitchell, the Deputy Garrison Commander at Ft. Bragg, about the base's emergency preparedness during COVID-19 and his memories of the unforgettable Ft. Bragg Game between the Braves and Marlins in 2016. 3:38- Interview with RHP Shawn Dubin 18:24- Interview with Justin Mitchell 32:22- update on the "Virtual...

On Episode 1 of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast, Matt Dean is joined by the Woodpeckers GM David Lane for an update on Segra Stadium operations to prepare for the beginning of the season, chats with Woodpeckers catcher Michael Papierski about his preseason preparations during the stay-at-home order, and has a conversation with Bianca Shoneman, the CEO & President of Cool Springs Downtown about the future of the downtown Fayetteville's development. 4:25- Interview with David Lane 12:31-...