PUEBLO, Colo. – Eli Vastbinder had just received his Oklahoma Freedom jersey during the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, and was standing to the left of the stage inside Texas Live! when Derek Kolbaba came up to him with a congratulatory fist pound.
By the time Kolbaba said congrats to Vastbinder, PBR Commissioner Sean Gleason had announced his name as the next selection for the Oklahoma Freedom, who had held the last pick of the first round and first pick of the second round during the May 24 PBR Team Series Draft.
Just like that, Kolbaba and Vastbinder erupted with, “Hell yeah!” as it became clear the two buddies were going to be teammates in Oklahoma.
“Perfect. I couldn’t think of a better teammate,” Vastbinder said. “I like the camaraderie of all of this. I like having people behind you, and so I will try to do my best.”
Kolbaba added, “That’s what this is all about. This team is going to be one to be reckoned with. We are the first two picks, and we are already excited.”
Freedom General Manager Brandon Bates did not stop there last month in Arlington, Texas. He went on to select Chase Outlaw, Briggs Madsen and Caden Bunch to round out his first five selections at the inaugural draft. The Freedom then signed Shawn Bennett Jr., Deklan Garland, Trevor Kastner, Kyle McDaniel and Casey Roberts in free agency before selecting two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood with the first pick of the 2022 PBR Team Series Supplemental Draft. Earlier this week, Oklahoma filled its last roster spot by signing Dawson Branton.
Bates and members of the Freedom are in Oklahoma City Wednesday to celebrate the launch of the Freedom in the local community. The Freedom will host their inaugural PBR Team Series event – Freedom Fest – on Sept. 16-18 at the Paycom Center.
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The Freedom begin their PBR Team Series preseason schedule this Friday night at the PBR Dakota Community Bank & Trust PBR Team Series Preseason Event against the Austin Gamblers in a five-on-five bull riding competition. The winner will be the team with the highest aggregate score. Oklahoma then takes on Kansas City on Saturday night at the Bismarck Events Center.
Fans can watch all of the preseason live on RidePass on Pluto TV. The action in Bismarck begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday.
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Vastbinder will be leading the group of five riders Oklahoma has elected to send to Bismarck. Joining the 2021 PBR Rookie of the Year will be Garland, Bunch, Madsen and McDaniel.
The 31-year-old was the No. 8 selection overall at the PBR Team Series Draft in Arlington last month, following a second consecutive No. 9 finish in the PBR world standings. After primarily competing in the PRCA, Vastbinder shifted to the PBR full-time in 2021 and has become an 8-second machine.
Vastbinder set a career-high with a 43.86% riding average on the Unleash The Beast, going 25-for-57. The Statesville, North Carolina, native went 4-for-8 at the 2022 PBR World Finals and is 38-for-81 (46.91%) on the UTB since finishing runner-up at the 2021 Iron Cowboy competition in Fort Worth, Texas.
“I was able to watch what Eli did,” Bates said on draft night. “He is such a great right-hander, a super talented guy, a guy of great character. There was absolutely no way that I could let him fall, knowing that I needed two legitimate right-handed guys on my team.”
Most recently, Vastbinder is 3-for-6 at two PBR Challenger Series events this summer.
Oklahoma head coach Cord McCoy sees the value of having a tough, older cowboy like Vastbinder on their squad. McCoy referenced Vastbinder’s ability to overcome broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder at the 2021 PBR World Finals, where Vastbinder posted four 90-point rides during his 4-for-6 performance.
“He is a leader,” McCoy said. “I’ve seen him hurt and pull through and grind things out for two years. You never can count him out.”
Vastbinder is embracing being a veteran leader on the team alongside Lockwood, Kolbaba and Outlaw.
“I do like that feeling of being a veteran leader,” Vastbinder said. “Being a first-round draft pick feeds your confidence and shows the team trusts in you.”
Vastbinder, though, does not view himself as a perfectly polished rider by any means. He is looking forward to working on his own game under the guidance of McCoy and assistant coach Kody Lostroh.
“I looked up to Cord and Kody for a long time, and I really liked Kody’s style of riding, and I kind of tried to mimic him as a kid, and I look forward to getting help from them,” Vastbinder said. “I never really had much help growing up. I got where I am now through trial and error. It will be good to have somebody that can point out what I am doing wrong and give me some tips.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media