What to Watch For: No. 8 Sandro Batista brings three-straight Top 7 efforts into Jacksonville
One of three Kansas City Outlaws ranked in the Top 12, can the Brazilian stay hot down south?
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – The defending regular season champions from the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series, the Kansas City Outlaws, may be 0-2 during this year’s inaugural Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, after dropping a second-straight game to the Missouri Thunder last weekend …
… but the team still has several reasons to celebrate as they watch their guys continue to give their all during the 2025 Unleash The Beast campaign:
Koltin Hevalow just turned in his second-straight Top 5 finish inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, adding a runner-up finish in Indianapolis, Indiana, to his fifth-place effort the weekend prior in Salt Lake City, Utah, to suddenly spring into the No. 12 spot.
Hell, No. 10 Julio Cesar Marques continues to rack up Top 20 performances, which have very much complemented his win in Albany, New York, and second-place finish the weekend prior in St. Louis, Missouri, as he maintains a favorable standing – very much in striking distance to crack the Top 5 on any given weekend.
But the hottest member of the black and orange-colored contingent comes in the form of one Sandro Batista, who’s all the way up to the No. 8 spot after securing another Top 10 finish last weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.
With three of the team’s stars parked within the Top 12 entering this weekend’s Michelob ULTRA PBR Jacksonville, they join the outright defending Champs in the Austin Gamblers as the only other team with cowboys in said mix.
So, it’s easy to see why these two teams will both be amongst the favorites during the fourth season of camaraderie-driven action and could very well produce a world champion come May.
But it’s Batista who’s been the most consistent so far this season for Kansas City.
Officially 15-for-31 on the season, he most recently turned in a 2-for-3 performance to collect 32 UTB points courtesy of a seventh-place result.
Originally teaming up with Koltin Hevalow during Friday night’s 6 vs. 6 landscape, Batista began his weekend via an 83.75-pointer dancing with Bayou Bad Boy to breathe some early life into his Outlaws unit.
But it was the 8 seconds of beauty he produced aboard Lights Out which shined through as the brightest spot of the Brazilian’s showcase. Earning an 88.5-point mark, Batista came just half a point (.5) from tying Dalton Kasel for the second round honors.
He ultimately wasn’t able to complete the flawless sweep, forced into a touch during his short round matchup with Mike’s Motive.
Still walking away from the Midwestern meet-up with some additional momentum, he’s now recorded three-consecutive Top 7 efforts, parlaying an identical No. 7 finish in Salt Lake City with a fifth-place result in Sacramento, California, a few weekends back.
And while his favorable finish in Sac-Town was important to kickstarting his second-half run, it’s hard to look past the very bull he bested in said showcase’s short round.
Ending the legendary Cool Whip’s all-time buckoff streak record at a square 48, Batista was leaving us some bread crumbs as he let it be known he’d be contending for the coveted gold buckle.
Over the course of his past six premier series appearances, he’s now managed four Top 7 finishes when you include his runner-up effort in New York City (which typically brings the best out of the best anytime the pack is competing inside the legendary Madison Square Garden).
Taking some time to warm up during the first half of the 2025 campaign, his shiniest accolades involved a trio of Top 15 efforts (including No. 11 finishes in both Ontario, California, and Wichita, Kansas, later flanked by a fourteenth-place effort in Manchester, New Hampshire). Meaning his recent stretch has been responsible for his favorable rank entering Week 14’s slate.
Knowing J.W. Hart, Guilherme Marchi and friends are down south at the PBR Teams Combine in Brazil means they could very much be adding some sincere talent to an already stacked lineup.
But for now, they’ll root on Batista and company as they look to rebound in the momentum column next month during their final METC series against the Missouri Thunder.
And until then, they’ll watch him continue to knock down bulls at a very successful rate.
Set to dance with Big Mac during the first out of Saturday night’s final pre-METC section, will the Brazilian keep his hot streak going down south?
Fans can check all of this weekend’s action LIVE and FREE beginning Saturday night!
This weekend’s Michelob ULTRA PBR Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida, is set to begin Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7:45 p.m. ET as the best bull riders in the world prepare to put on a show down south within VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Competition will conclude Sunday, Feb. 23 at 2:45 p.m. ET with Round 2, followed by the short go, as riders look to improve their respective ranks during the dramatic Week 14 showdown.
