PUEBLO, Colo. – With just three regular-season PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Camping World Team Series events remaining before PBR Teams Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Texas Rattlers and Oklahoma Freedom, both 10-9, have announced a critical trade.

The Rattlers traded youngster Dawson Gleaves (Amarillo, Texas) to the Freedom in exchange for their captain and 2022 PBR Teams Draft first-round pick Eli Vastbinder (Statesville, North Carolina), a second-round pick in the 2024 New Rider Draft, along with future considerations.

“Eli Vastbinder is a veteran with a strong resume and the type of grit that embodies our team and system,” said Chad Blankenship, General Manager of the Texas Rattlers. “We look forward to welcoming him to our locker room and winning games together.”

“Eli [Vastbinder] was a part of the inauguration of PBR Teams as the No. 1 Draft pick for the Oklahoma Freedom,” said Cord McCoy, Head Coach of the Oklahoma Freedom. “He will forever hold an important part in getting the Oklahoma Freedom started. As team captain, he was so valuable in making the Oklahoma Freedom what they are today, and building what we stand for. He played a great part, but we’re turning the page. To watch Dawson Gleaves at the Teams Combine and what he’s done and how he performs for the Rattlers, we are excited to have the youth and the fire that Dawson brings to bull riding.”

Gleaves joins the Freedom’s protected roster, which also includes Caden Bunch (Tahlequah, Oklahoma), Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil), Alisson de Souza (Taubate, Brazil), Elizmar Jeremias (Anapu, Brazil), Casey Roberts (Munford, Alabama) and Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil), under the leadership of Head Coach McCoy and Assistant Coach and 2009 PBR World Champion Kody Lostroh.

The 22-year-old joined the Rattlers for the 2023 season after being selected in the first round of this year’s PBR Teams Reserve Roster Draft. Just days after being selected, Gleaves won the weekly Challenger Series event in Fort Worth on May 25, which he followed with back-to-back runner-up finishes on June 1 and June 29 inside Cowtown Coliseum.

Gleaves made his league debut at the 2023 Camping World Team Series launch event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in late July, delivering a mammoth 90-point ride atop JAG Metals Grand Theft to help the Rattlers defeat the reigning Champion Nashville Stampede. The game win was part of their 1-1 effort in the first games of the season, which led them to conclude the event third overall.

In the months since, Gleaves has been a consistent presence on the team’s roster, going 2-for-11 (18.19%) to help the Rattlers rise to No. 2 in the league with a 10-9 overall record, now a mere four games behind the No. 1 Austin Gamblers.

Vastbinder joins a talent-packed Rattlers protected roster, lead by Head Coach and PBR Co-Founder Cody Lambert, which includes: Brady Fielder (Clermont, Queensland, Australia), Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas), Brady Oleson (Blackfoot, Idaho), Braidy Randolph (Stephenville, Texas) and Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil).

A foundational member of the Freedom, now three-time PBR World Finals qualifier and 2021 PBR Rookie of the Year Vastbinder was selected by Oklahoma in the first round of the inaugural 2022 PBR Teams Draft.

During the league’s inaugural season, Vastbinder went 12-for-30 (40%) for the Freedom and was a starting member of the Oklahoma lineup that became the first squad to win their PBR Teams homestand in history in September 2022.

Oklahoma concluded the first regular season in the PBR Camping World Team Series with a 16-12 record. In the playoffs, despite a Round 1 loss to the Nashville Stampede, when Vastbinder put up an 87.5-point ride atop Big Heart, the Freedom rallied in the Last Chance game to keep their hopes of a championship alive. Vastbinder again converted for the team, logging 89.5 points on Homer.

The Freedom then advanced to the Semifinals by beating the Carolina Cowboys, which included an 88-point ride from Vastbinder aboard Prime Tested. The Freedom then stumbled in their next two games, beaten by the Arizona Ridge Riders in the Semifinals, and the Texas Rattlers in the third-place game. Vastbinder concluded the season with a qualified ride, converting in the Third-Place game when he topped Happy Gambler for 86.75 points.

In the 2023 individual season, Vastbinder won his career-first Unleash The Beast event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, qualified for his third consecutive World Finals, and concluded the campaign No. 30 in the world.

During the 2023 PBR Teams season, the North Carolina native has gone 2-for-13 (15.38%), helping the Oklahoma Freedom to a league No. 4 rank with a combined 10-9 record.

For more information about Oklahoma Freedom, visit https://pbr.com/teams/freedom/, Oklahoma Freedom on Facebook, @OK_Freedom_ on Instagram, or @OKfreedom_ on Twitter.

For more information about Ariat Texas Rattlers, visit https://pbr.com/teams/rattlers/, Texas Rattlers on Facebook, or @TexasRattlers_ on Instagram and Twitter.

The PBR Camping World Team Series next travels to Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, for PBR Cowboy Days, the three-day homestand for the Carolina Cowboys, Sept. 22-24. Action begins at 7:45 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 22, 6:45 p.m. EDT on Saturday, September 23, and 1:45 p.m. EDT on Sunday, September 24.

PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Camping World Team Series action from the 2023 season. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule to relive the highlight reel worthy moments from this season thus far.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media