PUEBLO, Colo. – Ezekiel Mitchell may have moved on from the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, but that doesn’t mean the 25-year-old has forgotten the disappointment and anger he felt when his name was not called inside Texas Live! in Arlington, Texas, on May 23.

Mitchell was among the most noteworthy riders not selected in the inaugural draft. The Rockdale, Texas, fan favorite had qualified for four consecutive PBR World Finals and still had shown glimpses of his potential during two down seasons. Still, not a single team called his name.

Mitchell spent the ensuing 36 hours debating his future and ultimately signed with the Austin Gamblers as a free agent on May 25.

The Austin Gamblers saw the fruits of that signing throughout the regular season, but no ride was bigger from Mitchell than his 86.5-point ride on Born To Sin to help Austin clinch the No. 1 seed for the 2022 PBR Team Series Championship (Nov. 4-6 in Las Vegas).

“From the beginning, I told everyone they were going to regret not drafting me,” Mitchell said. “I was pretty happy G-Man (coach Michael Gaffney) went out on a limb and asked me to be a part of this team, and they have done nothing but take care of me all year, so this is the least I could do.

“I know this game meant more than anything, so we were just going in trying to get that win. I am so happy to be a part of the Gambler family.”

The Gamblers finished the regular season with a 16-10 record and 59.5 Bonus Round Points. Those bonus points were the difference in Austin beating out fellow 16-10 teams, No. 2 Texas Rattlers and No. 3 Oklahoma Freedom, for the No. 1 seed.

But Mitchell’s ride was the difference in the team’s 86.5-85.25 victory over the Arizona Ridge Riders (14-13-1) on the final day of the regular season last weekend in Glendale, Arizona.

“I am the hero for once this season,” Mitchell said with a laugh. “I had that bull Born to Sin in Little Rock before, and I knew he would fit me really good. I was excited to have him. There at the end, it got a little scary, and he kind of stopped kicking. I was like, ‘I already got hit in the face yesterday (by Surprise Package), and I’d rather not save myself and get the score.”

The top two teams in the regular season automatically advance to the second round of the postseason in Las Vegas. Austin will face the lowest seed to advance out of the first round on Nov. 5 at T-Mobile Arena.

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Mitchell believes that playing one less game could go a long way toward winning a championship.

“It is super important,” he said. “It’s not like there isn’t a team more than capable of just going in and sweeping everything, including Nashville. You see the weekend they put together in Glendale. It is anybody’s ballgame at the Finals, and to be able to have a day off and try to come in fresh is very important for our time.”

Mitchell finished the regular season 9-for-22 (40.91%), which tied him with Lucas Divino for the second-most rides on the Gamblers behind league MVP Jose Vitor Leme (19).

Being teammates with Leme and learning from a World Champion like coach Michael Gaffney has been a big help to his career development.

“Jose is helping me on just focusing,” Mitchell said. “He preaches it to me. Me and G-man are similar-built guys, and he tells me to stick my chest out and keep my chin down. He says, ‘When that happens, there is not a single bull in this league that can buck you off. You just have to believe that and make sure you are doing it.’”

Leme has seen growth in Mitchell this season, and he was happy for his teammate to step up with such a clutch ride in a big game.

“That was really big,” Leme said. “A team has to work together to win, and that is what we did. When somebody bucks off, the other teammates need to ride, and that is what he did.”

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Leme, Mitchell and Austin Richardson were in Las Vegas training at the UFC’s Performance Institute earlier this week as the team continues to prepare for the upcoming Team Series Championship.

“The team atmosphere, being with us learning from each other, that is helping not only Zeke, but all of the bull riders,” Leme said. “Of course, Zeke wants a lot, and he wants to prove himself. He has been taking advantage of this.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media