ANAHEIM, Calif. – Casey Roberts was faced with a dilemma as a kid growing up in Munford, Alabama.
Roberts first started riding bulls at 7 years old, but he also had quite the love for playing baseball.
Still, his father, Andy, told him that at some point he would have to likely choose one or the other, especially with injuries always being a part of bull riding.
Casey eventually decided he wanted to hit home runs of a different kind, ones to the tune of 90 points, and the three-time Alabama High School Rodeo Association champion is quickly becoming a somewhat unexpected force for the Oklahoma Freedom.
Roberts leads the Oklahoma Freedom (2-4) with a 3-for-6 start to the PBR Team Series, and he is sitting fourth in the PBR Team Series MVP standings.
The 20-year-old’s 87-point ride on Not Today capped the Freedom’s 174.75-86 victory over the Ariat Texas Rattlers Friday evening.
Roberts has been the best rookie rider thus far in the PBR Team Series, and coach Cord McCoy said that he and the Freedom brass quickly saw in Cheyenne, Wyoming, that Roberts may be ready to be an impact rider sooner than later once he rode Magicbru for 90.25 points.
“Well, you saw in Cheyenne, we put him in the game and he slays the dragon right there,” McCoy said. “He’s continued on. That wasn’t just a fluke deal, and it’s been nice, especially since we have Eli (Vastbinder) out and Jess (Lockwood) and Chase (Outlaw) aren’t ready.”
Roberts teamed up with Derek Kolbaba (87.75 points on Navajo Joe) to deliver the Freedom its second win of the season. Kolbaba has ridden three consecutive bulls in Teams competition.
“To have a couple of guys like Kolbaba who can start the game, and then one like Casey to seal the deal, I feel like we kind of iced him until the end and he pulls through. It’s great to have any guy like that on the team, but one that’s almost unexpected who we picked up on a free agency deal, it makes it that much sweeter when you can go find him.”
The Freedom signed Roberts as a free agent immediately following the May 23 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, with the goal that he could develop into a key component.
Roberts did not expect to be drafted, but he admits he stayed up pretty late following the draft hoping his phone would ring.
“The day after the actual draft, (Freedom assistant coach) Kody (Lostroh) gave me a call and said he wanted me to be on this team. I was good with it, and he sent me a little letter thing and I signed it. There were a few other teams that tried to get in contact with me: Austin (Gamblers), Arizona (Ridge Riders) and I was talking to Missouri Thunder before the draft, but I didn’t hear from them after.”
That timeline was sped up now that Eli Vastbinder (left MCL/lower back) and Chase Outlaw (groin) are banged up, but Roberts has answered the call.
Oklahoma will look to keep the momentum going when they square off against the Nashville Stampede (2-4, Anaheim 0-1) on Saturday night (9:45 p.m. ET RidePass on Pluto TV).
Roberts knows with the Freedom veterans on the sideline that this is an opportunity for him to prove he deserves to stay in the starting lineup once the heavy hitters are cleared to return.
“Oh, for sure,” Roberts said. “I need to stand out now so that maybe when they come back, I’ll still be starting.”
Roberts’ family would often take him as a kid to PBR bull ridings in Montgomery, Alabama. Roberts is no stranger to the western way of life either and bull riding has always been in his blood. Not only did his father ride bulls, but so too did his grandfather, Don, and his sister is a barrel racer.
Roberts attended Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where he received a welding degree before winning the 2022 collegiate national bull riding title at this summer’s College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming.
The championship is just another steppingstone, Roberts explained.
“You can’t just start and become a World Champion,” he said. “Just like anything, you have to start from the bottom and work your way up.”
McCoy admitted the Freedom had to keep an eye on Roberts’ development at the collegiate level, seeing as he was unable to ride for them during the two PBR Preseason Events. McCoy, though, quickly saw that the Freedom found a potential gem.
“College National Finals champion is a big thing,” McCoy said. “You see those guys coming up from the pee-wee rodeos, high school rodeos, college rodeos. The closest example we have to pros at any age level is college, so for Casey to go in there and win the college finals was a big punch for the Oklahoma Freedom. We can say we have the best up-and-coming guy on our team. We have a lot of youth on our team, but we got some champions already.”
Now Roberts’ primary goal is to help the Freedom win a PBR Team Series championship this coming November in Las Vegas inside T-Mobile Arena.
“You’re only as good as the amount of work you put in, so just keep working at it and I’ll win whatever I can win,” Roberts concluded.
Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media