Episode 3: First Homestead recap.

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Hopscast, hosted by Jen Ellis, co hosted and produced by Sonny Fono. Each week we'll take you behind the scenes during the 2026 Hillsborough Hops baseball season. Anything can happen in minor league baseball and we'll bring it all to you. From exclusive interviews with players and coaches to roster updates, player call ups and even the craziest plays of the week. It's all right here on Hopscast. All right. Welcome back to another episode of popscast. I'm Jen Ellis and I'm here with Sunny Phono, my wonderful producer and co host. We just had our first home stand at the brand new ballpark. How was it? [00:00:43] Speaker B: Wow, it was amazing here in walk off city usa. The home stand was great. It went with the team, went four and two. We got to open a new ballpark. It was pretty exciting. Game one. You could really feel like I was saying last week, the tension in the building as we got up to first pitch and then you know, all the new bells and whistles, the sound system was banging thanks to me and everything, everything from a production point went pretty well. And then you know, the results on the field were also pretty good. If you get 4 and 2. I remember Seth was talking last week, you know they, they look at it as miniseries and stuff. So overall four and two homestand you. We started off the season. Oh and three. So to be finished, the home stand, four and two sitting at four and five. That. That's a lot better than what the result may have been. [00:01:44] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. For sure. And like you said, that first night was just, you know, you know, brand new ballpark. Everybody was so excited and the tension was so amazing and it was just a great night. And then I think the next night was our first walk off win and it was also the first home run at the new ballpark by a Hopps player. It was also the first. Well, it was the first win at the ballpark. So it was all, you know, all in one swing of the bat. You know, we had the walk off the home run, the you know, the first win and it was just, it was super exciting and I totally had fomo. You have to tell me what, what it was like. I wasn't there that night. [00:02:24] Speaker B: So we got to, we got to the bottom of the night and. Or no. Was that. Did that go extras? My brain's a little bit. [00:02:36] Speaker A: I think it did go. I think it did go extra. [00:02:38] Speaker B: I think we went at extras a couple innings so I would need to look it up which I feel bad for not Being prepared. But my brain is scrambled. I just worked six games in a row. It's funny how quickly this season down here in hia was six games against the same opponent. It just all blends into one long game. Anyway, it was the bottom of the inning. Our cleanup hitters stepped up, and I think it was a second pitch and. And he got all of it. It was from where we sit in the press box. We just watched it go right over the fence. And it wasn't like high drive. It was a line drive. Like just a straight shot, left field porch. Yeah. I wish that we had a stat cast for exit VO on that because he just got all of it. And it was, you know, boom. Just play the song. I was like, this game's over. Like, once. Once it touched the bat, it was, this game's over. This game's over. [00:03:39] Speaker A: Done. Yeah. [00:03:40] Speaker B: Yeah. Let's go. Like, let's call it a night. So. [00:03:43] Speaker A: Oh, that's awesome. [00:03:44] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So, so, so sorry, Solaire. We've been calling him Yas king. [00:03:53] Speaker A: Yes. [00:03:54] Speaker B: Yes, King. So when he comes up to bat, great walk off win from the cleanup hitters. It was everything that we needed it to be on that night. And it was the first home run in park history. And when I don't know if they secured the ball or not, I wanted to run out there and grab the kid that picked it up and be like, give me that ball. That's the first home run in the ballpark from either team too. So I'm really glad that a hopps player got the first home run. [00:04:25] Speaker A: Yes, for sure. Me too. And a new guy on our team this year that wasn't with us last year already showing off what he can do. It's pretty awesome. [00:04:34] Speaker B: Yeah, he. He had a great home stand overall, too. I. I don't have the stats in front of me. He had a great home stand. [00:04:40] Speaker A: So did mode. Yeah, modefi had an awesome. That one game he had. He went like 5 for 5. That one game was pretty awesome. [00:04:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And we were like, I think he was a triple shy of the cycle. [00:04:53] Speaker A: I think he was a home run shy of the cycle that night. Yeah, for sure. [00:04:56] Speaker B: Oh, was it a home run shy? Yeah, five for five. That was incredible. [00:05:02] Speaker A: That was a great night. [00:05:03] Speaker B: And another. Another really strong showing was Avery owusu. I see a dude had a really strong home stand. He had the first RBI in. In the park history or in hops history in this park. He. He had a great home stand. He was. He was really making contact fast on the Bases, some great defensive plays, and. And we didn't get the weird baseball that we so crave and want. [00:05:32] Speaker A: No, but we did see some awesome pitching, though. There was some really great pitching during the home stand as well. So, I mean, we did get to see a little bit of everything. Except for cuckoo weird baseball. [00:05:43] Speaker B: Yeah, no, no, Total cuckoo weird baseball. What was the stat? Was it yesterday's game? That was 17 strikeouts from. [00:05:52] Speaker A: Yeah. Yes. Yep. Yeah, I was just looking that up because it was like all the guys, all of our pictures combined, I think it went. Yeah, it was 17. Yep. 17Ks for sure. Nice. [00:06:04] Speaker B: Yeah, I was thinking about. I was thinking about the road trip going.03 and then coming back with a four and two home stands, I already said. And how that really turns things around. But one thing I was thinking about when I was driving around earlier today was that, you know, three games, zero and three, fine. But the team is just born at that point. You know, they. They've been working out mate together maybe a week. They've all been together for maybe four or five days by the time they got down to Eugene. So this week I think we got to really kind of see them gel and become a little bit more familiar with each other, understanding where each other is going to be, and just really working on all these fundamentals that this developmentally demands. There's high expectations about executing certain plays, and you'll see them working on things throughout the game, which I find really interesting. Sometimes I joke around, like, what is it, Pick off Thursday or something? You know, pick up play Thursday. Sometimes it might be. Or, you know, the. The other team's like, we're gonna work on stolen bases all day, so we're just gonna keep going every time someone gets on base. So it's really interesting and been fun and it was just. It was a great home stand. We had some fun on the field stuff yesterday. You missed it. There was a. The horse pool race where they pull their kids on the tricycles. [00:07:33] Speaker A: Oh, right. [00:07:33] Speaker B: And it was like two older kids pulling two younger kids, and they went rogue and past the finish line, and they were all the way out at the bullpens before. Before someone could chase them down and run them down. So that was fun because it was a little league parade yesterday, so we're kind of all over the place with this. But. But yeah, game one didn't go the way we wanted it to. And then I think the next night was the walk off, right? [00:07:58] Speaker A: Yep. Yes, it was. Yeah. So, yeah, that's awesome. For sure. [00:08:04] Speaker B: That was A great result. And it's just been, it's just been so fun to have everybody here and doing it, everybody getting to know each other. So. [00:08:17] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. I know. I, I, I'm excited to, you know, see more games with the new guys and also, you know, some of the same players that we had last year that are joining us again this year. I know that Zayn Russell was one of the pitchers too, that he was here last year, and he kind of made an appearance in the middle of the series. I think he got called back up or something like that to come join us again here at the Hops. And, and he did pretty well as well that first night that he was back. But yeah, uh, real quick, I was just looking at the Northwest League standings, the current standings. I mean, of course Eugene is first. We already know that they're really good. And Seth was talking to us about that last time. And then Everett, Tri City and then Hillsborough were 4 and 5, and then Spokane. And shockingly, the Vancouver Canadians are in last place two and seven in the Northwest League right now. But, but we'll see how it goes. Hillsboro's on their way to, to play the Tri City Dust Devils for this next series on the road. [00:09:26] Speaker B: So have you, have you been. [00:09:29] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah, we went up there a couple years ago and I actually wanted to shout out their on field MC Eric the Peanut guy. He's a really great guy. He's so much fun to watch. And we were wearing our hops hats and he just came over to us and he started chatting with us and you know, I, I told him that I worked for the Hops and. Oh yeah, cool. So we started following each other on Instagram and he's one of those guys that like, goes to all of the ballparks, not just all the major league ballparks, but all the minor league ones too. And it's just been pretty cool to see his gigantic collection of hats. He gets a hat everywhere he goes. Probably two or three hats, I'm sure. But if you go on his Instagram, we'll put his Instagram, we'll shout him out on our, our Instagram page. But he, he has a really cool setup with all of his colle hats. And if you're like a, a collector, like I am, I like to try to get something from every ballpark I go to. His hat collection is second to none. It's pretty awesome. [00:10:29] Speaker B: Yeah, I, I generally will get something from every ballpark unless I'm at a major league park and it's a Division rival. [00:10:38] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:38] Speaker B: Of my favorite team. [00:10:40] Speaker A: Right. [00:10:41] Speaker B: Which, which I'm gonna just chill on because my parent, my parent affiliate is a division rival, my favorite team. So I won't say too much about that. But, yeah. What is he? What does he call. He's Eric the peanut guy. Did he start out with selling peanuts or something, or does he still sell peanuts? You gotta wear a lot of hats working at Miami Baseball. Sometimes get out there and sling some hot dogs, you know. [00:11:06] Speaker A: Yeah, well, he's got like the, he has a, an apron where he's got, you know, bags of peanuts and he chucks the peanuts out to the stands. But yeah, by the time he came around to and, and started chatting with us, he was already out of peanuts, so. But yeah, Eric the peanut guy. I think it's Eric with a K at the end. But yeah, he's, he's a good guy. He's fun to watch. He's a good on field mc. But yeah, they have a fun product up there. Their mascot is kind of creepy looking, but. [00:11:37] Speaker B: But it's a Dust Devil, right? [00:11:39] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the, just the, the weird little, you know, head that they have on the, on the mascot is kind of, it's kind of creepy, but it's a fun ballpark. It's really cute. But yeah, they, they're. They're gonna be up there and then they come back home and I think we've got the Eugene Emeralds coming to town. [00:12:01] Speaker B: Oh, boy. Well, the Dust Devils are five and four, so they're sitting ahead of us in the standings. [00:12:09] Speaker A: Yeah, [00:12:13] Speaker B: and it looks like their top prospects are Tyler Bremmer, right hand pitcher, Juan Flores, a catcher, and yeah, they have a few others. I'm not seeing any in the top 100 in minor leagues, but the Angels, you know, they're really trying to build through the draft, so we'll see what happens. You know, the Canadiens are, are in the cellar because all their players are already with the Blue J, right? [00:12:41] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. [00:12:44] Speaker B: Oh, you're doing, you're doing well in Vancouver. Cool. We're not even going to stamp a vc, Just go straight to Toronto. Direct flight. [00:12:51] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. We didn't even get to see Trey Savage come through Hillsboro last year. He advanced so fast through the system with the, with the Canadians. They were like, oh, oh, yeah, you're gonna, you're gonna be pitching in the World Series. [00:13:05] Speaker B: All right, so we've got the Dust Devils coming up. I, I gotta get up there and catch a game sometime. I. Yeah, I want to try to make it to all the parks in the division and whatever I can squeeze in between as well. [00:13:19] Speaker A: Yeah, [00:13:22] Speaker B: so, yeah, we'll just see how this road trip goes. How are you going to be watching the games? Are you going to be watching online or do you have, you have the MLB package? What's your plan? How do you take these games in? [00:13:32] Speaker A: Yeah, I usually see sometimes they're televised, not televised, but, you know, on streaming, on the streaming service. And if not, I try to listen to them at least. But yeah, if, if I'm not in a spot to be. Be able to watch or listen, I, I definitely follow along and check throughout the game to see what the score is and who's doing what. So we shall see. But yeah, it should be a fun, interesting season. We'll see how it goes. I'm excited. [00:14:06] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm excited too. We'll. We'll see how this all goes. Was there anything else that stood out to you? A few games that you got to work here? Is there anything cool happen to you or for you that you were enjoying? [00:14:20] Speaker A: Yeah, just, you know, just like I said before, the, you know, just the excitement of the new ballpark and, you know, I think that will probably kind of last for a while. You know, it's the something, you know, shiny new something that we all love to be, you know, a part of. So. But yeah, I'm definitely still excited about that and to see what else is to come. And then I think the next homestand I will be working a couple of games where I'm going to be running the music board for you. So you're going to be out, which will be fun to get back in that chair and, you know, run the sound effects in the game and, you know, play the music and all that good stuff. [00:14:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I got a bunch of new stuff too. So we'll, we'll get you, we'll get you up to, up to speed on that. And then tomorrow we've got here, here at the Hops ballpark, we've got Oregon versus Oregon State. I'm not sure. I'm not seeing the graphic of what it's called. I'm not sure about a lot today. This is kind of a post home stand burnout episode, which is fine. I think everybody's feeling it. If I tried to get with anybody working today and ask them how they're doing, they're just kind of like. But we have, we have Oregon versus Oregon State here tomorrow at 6:05, first pitch. That should be really fun for the ballpark. And just to see how everything goes down. One of the things about college baseball is that they are all aluminum that. [00:15:49] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, the ball. [00:15:50] Speaker B: The ball is going to be applying, jumping for sure. If you want to come out to house ballpark and get yourself a souvenir, that would probably be the move, is to come check it out. [00:16:00] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure. Well, let me do a quick little rundown of D backs in the. In the major leagues this past week and then we can wrap it up. But just wanted to touch again once more on Jose Fernandez. He was with the Hops, I think just last year or year before last. And he made his debut, you know, a couple weeks ago with the D backs. He is still killing it. He is producing at a high level. And not only are the D backs broadcasters impressed with him, I've been watching the visiting broadcasters and they are just like over the moon about this guy. They're like, this kid is so great, you know, and he's been playing first base, he's been playing third base. He's been, you know, just producing, like I said, at a great clip. So it's good to see him doing that. Adrian Del Castillo, who was a catcher for the Hops just two seasons ago, he's also in there at the DBAX level and as well as our good old friend Jorge Barrosa. And a lot of people are impressed with his speed in the outfield. He is running down balls left and right in center field. And we know him from. I don't know if you were here when he ran through the wall twice over at the other ballpark, the D backs. It was like the logo that said D backs and it was right next to the. Right next to the bullpen and the outfield. He ran. He literally like ran through the wall twice. The same spot. And then they had ended up like, put around, like in the shape of a body on the wall. [00:17:30] Speaker B: That's hilarious. No, I wasn't here for those games. That's. [00:17:32] Speaker A: But yeah, that's awesome. [00:17:34] Speaker B: I do remember watching him play, though, and. And how fast he was out there. [00:17:37] Speaker A: Yeah, man, he is great. So those three guys. And also one guy who isn't with the D backs anymore, but Blaze Alexander, another one of our favorites. He's with the Baltimore Orioles. He had like a top 10 play last week on MLB.com so, yeah, you never know who you're gonna see at Hillsborough Ballpark, at Hops Ballpark right here in Hillsborough. And you know, I mean, you could be watching, you know, the next Jorge Barrosa running balls. You could be watching the next Corbin Carroll who's gonna win a, you know, Rookie of the Year, a gold glove or silver Slugger. You never know. So come on out to the ballpark. [00:18:16] Speaker B: Yeah, come out to house. Ballpark. I'm wondering who's going to get just from the first week, who's going to get promoted first? And I don't want to jinx anybody, but I have a few ideas. So if listeners want to come check it out, then they can weigh in in the comments on the Instagram page. You can follow us at hopscast if you didn't find us from the Instagram page. And we're looking to grow this thing, so share it with your friends if you're a Hops fan. We're going to have some more guests and might have a couple drop in episodes in the next couple weeks where we're just grabbing content and little interviews pregame. We'll just, we'll keep it going. This is episode three. Thanks so much for making the time, Jen. Word. [00:18:58] Speaker A: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. [00:19:00] Speaker B: Yeah. And we'll, we'll catch you next week. [00:19:02] Speaker A: All right, Take it easy.