GET SOCIAL 
SHOP NOW AT:
WRANGLER.COM

Starting Lineups and Draw for Gambler Days Feature Return of Heavy Hitters

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – Oklahoma Freedom head coach Cord McCoy did not have to sugarcoat how things have gone so far for his team this season.

McCoy knows it has been tough watching at times for Oklahoma fans. The Freedom have stumbled out of the gate with a 3-7 record and are last in the PBR Team Series standings.

However, McCoy and Oklahoma General Manager Brandon Bates have known all along that the Oklahoma team that hit the dirt for the first quarter of the season was not the real team.

That is all about to change this weekend at Gambler Days in Austin, Texas.

Oklahoma is fielding the roster it intended to when Bates began to build his unit during the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, on May 23.

Two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood and eight-time World Finals qualifier Chase Outlaw are set to make their season debuts for the Freedom on Friday night, while Eli Vastbinder (knee/back injury) and Derek Kolbaba (birth of his daughter) are also returning to competition.

“It will be a huge lift,” McCoy said. “Right now, it feels like we had one of our first five draft picks playing for us, so to get four true starters back on the team, when a lot of times one good ride would have won a game, is going to change the whole outlook and results of the Oklahoma Freedom.

“It’s been good to show our depth and let some of these other guys get rides, but we’re ready for the A-team to be back.”

Oklahoma’s lineup on Friday could push for the Gambler Days event title and spoil Jose Vitor Leme and his Austin teammates’ homecoming. Lockwood, Outlaw, Kolbaba, and Vastbinder will team up with rising star Casey Roberts, who avoided serious injury last weekend in Nashville after X-rays came back negative for a broken collarbone.

Though could rust be a factor for Lockwood and Outlaw?

Lockwood has not competed at a PBR event in six months, while Outlaw injured his groin at the end of July during the Big Sky, Montana, event. Outlaw is 6-for-15 in six appearances at all levels of competition in 2022.

“Yeah, we can be concerned about those guys being a little rusty, but man, those guys are so talented,” McCoy said. “I feel like you can put them in at any time. They know how to ride bulls, and if their bodies are right, I know their minds are strong. I don’t have any doubt in them. I’d match them against any of them.”

Let’s take a look at the starting lineups for Friday night’s competition at the Moody Center (10 p.m. ET RidePass on Pluto TV).

Carolina Cowboys (5-5) vs. Kansas City Outlaws (4-6)

Mason Taylor (CC) vs. Chanler’s Dream
Kyler Oliver (KCO) vs. Nomad Max
Boudreaux Campbell (CC) vs. Batter Up
Rafael Henrique dos Santos (KCO) vs. Hell Right
Ramon de Lima (CC) vs. Cast No Stones
Bob Mitchell (KCO) vs. Kid Knapper
Leonardo Lima (CC) vs. Kingdom
Marcus Mast (KCO) vs. Spotted Demon
Daylon Swearingen (CC) vs. Lady Killer
Dalton Kasel (KCO) vs. Mule Train

CAROLINA RIDER TO WATCH: Leonardo Lima was elevated to the protected roster this week after he singlehandedly helped the Cowboys defeat the Ariat Texas Rattlers last week with his 88.25-point ride on Sundance. The ride also may have helped Lima keep his spot on the team as the Cowboys elected to trade fellow right-handed rider Junior Patrik Souza to the Rattlers in exchange for Ednelio Almeida.

 
KANSAS CITY RIDER TO WATCH: Kyler Oliver is set to debut for the Outlaws after he went from potential Top-5 draft pick to second-round selection because of a broken neck in April. Oliver has finally received clearance to return to competition following a series of appointments with various neck specialists. His return gives Kansas City quite the one-two punch with Oliver and 2019 Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel.

Oklahoma Freedom (3-7) vs. Ariat Texas Rattlers (3-7)

Casey Roberts (OF) vs. Siroucho
Joao Ricardo Vieira (TR) vs. Dark Hunt
Chase Outlaw (OF) vs. Draco
Cody Jesus (TR) vs. Tijuana Two-Step
Derek Kolbaba (OF) vs. Cool Whip
Brady Oleson (TR) vs. Alakazam
Eli Vastbinder (OF) vs. Walking Tall
Daniel Keeping (TR) vs. Savage
Jess Lockwood (OF) vs. Mike’s Effect
Ednei Caminhas (TR) vs. Twisted Steel

REMATCHES

Brady Oleson vs. Alakazam (2022 PBR World Finals Round 1, 91.25 points; Round 7, 6.41 seconds)
Eli Vastbinder vs. Walking Tall (2022 PBR World Finals Round 4, 87.75 points)

OKLAHOMA RIDER TO WATCH: There will be plenty of curiosity for the return of Jess Lockwood on Friday night. It has been six months since Lockwood shut down his season because of a left shoulder injury. He has spent a combined 18 months on the sidelines in the last two years because of a multitude of injuries, beginning with a career-threatening torn left hamstring/pelvis injury in March 2020. Lockwood has said he is confident he can return to his two-time World Championship form. If so, the Freedom will have quite the asset on their hands.

 
TEXAS RIDER TO WATCH: The Rattlers made another roster move this week beyond trading for Junior Patrik Souza. The team also signed free agent Daniel Keeping to its roster. The 23-year-old is 10-for-40 in his PBR career, but Lambert watched Keeping closely last year during a series of camps that he held in Bowie, Texas, so he has an idea of what kind of potential Keeping may be able to bring to the table.

Missouri Thunder (7-3) vs. Arizona Ridge Riders (6-4)

Adriano Salgado (MT) vs. Perch Trap
Alisson de Souza (ARR) vs. Game O
Eduardo Aparecido (ARR) vs. Big Pokey
Andrew Alvidrez (MT) vs. Hunter
Sandro Batista (ARR) vs. Big Bank
Clayton Sellars (MT) vs. Day Late
Paulo Ferreira Lima (ARR) vs. Jeremiah
Colten Fritzlan (MT) vs. Concho
Luciano de Castro (ARR) vs. Try This

MISSOURI RIDER TO WATCH: Andrew Alvidrez is tied with Colten Fritzlan for the team lead in qualified rides with four, despite appearing in only seven of the team’s 10 games this season. Alvidrez’s grit and effort, both in and out of the arena, is something coach Ross Coleman wants every rider on his team to learn from. Alvidrez may become a staple in the Thunder lineup if he continues to ride at his current 57% clip.

ARIZONA RIDER TO WATCH: Luciano de Castro may be one of the more underrated riders in the MVP race. Castro is 6-for-10 and third in the league aggregate standings behind Jose Vitor Leme (9 rides) and Daylon Swearingen (7). Castro may have been overshadowed earlier this season because of the unexpected rise of teammate Alisson de Souza, who is 5-for-11, but Castro has been instrumental in Arizona sitting third in the PBR Team Series Standings (7-3).

 

Nashville Stampede (3-7) vs. Austin Gamblers (7-3)

Ryan Dirteater (NS) vs. Best in Show
Ezekiel Mitchell (AG) vs. Thor
Thiago Salgado (NS) vs. Dang, Dang
Lucas Divino (AG) vs. Mike’s Motive
Manoelito de Souza Junior (NS) vs. Mr. Nasty
Claudio Montanha Jr. (AG) vs. Tiger
Matt Triplett (NS) vs. Big R
Austin Richardson (AG) vs. Magic Carpet
Kaique Pacheco (NS) vs. Air Shift
Jose Vitor Leme (AG) vs. John 14:6

REMATCHES

Lucas Divino vs. Mike’s Motive (Stampede Days vs. Missouri Thunder, 86.25 points)

NASHVILLE RIDER TO WATCH: Hello, old friend. Matt Triplett is back with the Stampede after initially being released by the team during the preseason. Triplett had joined the Oklahoma Freedom, going 1-for-5 in five games, but was cut from the Freedom earlier this week and immediately reunited with Nashville. Oklahoma and Nashville next square off on Sept. 9 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

 
AUSTIN RIDER TO WATCH: Austin has won six games in a row and is starting to look like a formidable juggernaut thanks to Jose Vitor Leme and a rising Ezekiel Mitchell. One rider who has yet to join in the fun is six-time PBR World Finals qualifier Claudio Montanha Jr. Montanha is only 1-for-4 in four games so far for the Gamblers. The 33-year-old could become a strong asset for the Gamblers and work himself into the lineup soon if he starts riding closer to his premier series average of 34%.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media

© 2022 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.

Related Content