LAS VEGAS – There’s something to be said about taking care of business the first time around.
No discredit to the No. 8 Missouri Thunder, who have managed to punch their ticket to Championship Sunday after winning both of this weekend’s Last Chance Games (thus eliminating the Carolina Cowboys, Oklahoma Freedom, Nashville Stampede and No. 2 Kansas City Outlaws, who had Friday night off, courtesy of their first-round bye).
In a league full of organizations that can literally win on any given night, the Last Chance Game isn’t typically a scenario that teams seek out, but rather something they can be prepared for.
“We had the Last Chance Game bulls figured out and ready to go if we needed. Those pens were loaded with great bulls,” Head Coach Cody Lambert said.
“I told Trace (Redd) and Cody (Jesus) if something weird happens and we don’t win, we’re going to need you to be ready. Then 18-year-old Trace Redd said, ‘We’re not even going have to worry about it,’ because he has that kind of confidence in the rest of the team too.”
Competing alongside a long list of talented riders as part of one of the deepest team rosters in the league, the Texas Rattlers’ rookie knows how talented his teammates are.
Receiving just six opportunities all season during his rookie campaign, albeit going 3-for-6 in those outs, including an epic 91-point conversion during his second-ever PBR Camping World Team Series attempt, he’s locked in as one of the best selections from the 2023 PBR Teams Draft in Fort Worth.
But with established cowboys in Joao Ricardo Vieira, Braidy Randolph, Brady Olseson, Brady Fielder, Cody Jesus and beyond, it’s been hard for Lambert to get his first-year rider in the lineup.
“I tell them every night that the hardest part of this job is picking which guys don’t get to ride each night. We draw a pen of bulls and we look at them and we write down, ‘Well, we’ve got four guys that we feel confident can ride this one and we’ve got five guys we feel confident that can ride this one and somebody gets left out. It’s a good problem to have,” Lambert said.
“They’re real bull riders and they really want to ride. I’m proud of all of them for the win. I’m proud of Braidy and Chase and Cody for being ready to step up because if we needed to win it in the Last Chance Game, we had guys who were ready to do that. Ready for re-ride opportunities.”
Tasked with competing against the No. 4 Oklahoma Freedom during the second-round showdown, the No. 3 Rattlers knew they had to take care of business.
For a shot at securing a Top 4 placement for the second year in a row. For their families, sponsors and teammates who supported them all season.
For veteran Eli Vastbinder, whom the Rattlers acquired from Oklahoma just one month ago.
“When he (Lambert) told me I was being traded, he pretty much said, “Yeah, you’re going to come to my house and stay with me and my wife. You and your family are going to come live at my house, stay there, and we’re going to get you back on track and get you winning,’” Vastbinder detailed.
“When it comes to bull riding, I kind of just sit back and listen to everything he’s got to say. About the guys, bulls, techniques, styles. He’s super smart about it all. It’s the only job he’s ever had, so he’s definitely a guy you want in your corner.”
Entering his second postseason with a mere 3-for-16 record, Vastbinder served as a bystander on Friday night as his teammates defeated the Missouri Thunder.
When Saturday night’s Round 2 rolled around and his squad drew the red, white and blue contingent, there wasn’t a chance in hell the Statesville, North Carolina, native would be watching this one from the sidelines.
Eventually defeating the Freedom 170.75-87, Texas successfully advanced to the tournament’s semifinals. But it wasn’t just another win for Vastbinder and the Rattlers.
“It feels good. Any time you get a win, it feels good,” he shared.
“But, to beat a team that kind of, so to say, gave up on you, it definitely feels good to go in there to send them home.”
Never one to shy away from the city’s bright lights, Vastbinder has developed quite the reputation for racking up rank rides.
Starting the weekend off by going 2-for-2 en route to capturing the Challenger Series Championship title Thursday night (including a nasty 90-point go atop Trump Train to seal the deal in the short round), he improved to a perfect 3-for-3 on the weekend Saturday via his game-winning, 86.25-point conversion aboard Lone Star.
“There definitely is something, for as long as I can remember, every time I’ve come here it’s been good for me. Yeah, I wish all of the events were here,” he joked.
But as a now-noted proponent for the 5-on-5 format, Vastbinder has enjoyed sharing the spotlight, and victories, with his team.
“It takes you back to rodeoing all of those years and having your van full of guys. It didn’t really matter as long as someone in the van was winning, so it kind of takes me back to that. I’m for the teams concept and I’d like to see it stick around.”
Set to battle the No. 5 Arizona Ridge Riders Sunday afternoon during the semifinal showdown, Lambert is tasking his men to stay locked in for two more games.
“There’s a lot on the line, there’s a lot of stuff, but we’ve got to remember it’s still bull riding,” Lambert concluded.
“It’s a big moment, but we can’t make it bigger than it really is. It’s the same job that they have day in and day out.”
