Rangers Deep in the Heart – Episode 5: The Future Knizners

Andrew Knizner and fiancé Ally Rahn talk about how they met, their wedding plans, and the growing legend of The Kiz on the mound. Join us for this all-new podcast: Rangers Deep in the Heart presented by Justin, the official boot of the Texas Rangers.

About the show:
Get a peek inside the Rangers organization with host Hannah Wing as she talks with players, their families, and coaching staff to go deeper into their lives both at the ballpark and at home.

you guys ready yes let’s do it welcome into episode five of Rangers deep in the heart podcast where I take you inside the Rangers organization through the players their families and the staff behind it the show is presented by Justin the official boot of the Texas Rangers I’m Hanah Wing joining me today is Rangers Catcher And part-time relief pitcher Andrew kizner and his fiance Ali guys thanks for coming on the show thank you for having us we’re excited to be here yeah thanks for having us let’s get it going Ally I know that you work in sports media so it weird being on the other side of the interview this time around yeah this is kind of weird I I work for the ESPN national radio network in podcasts so I’m constantly selling podcast all day long talking about Pat McAfee and Adam schfer and Greenie so this exciting to kind of be on the like in the spotlight for it we have a season Pro you know exactly what to do so it’ll be a lot of fun well Andrew you signed a one-year deal with Texas this off season after five major league years with the Cardinals organization what about Texas was the right choice for you there was a lot of things that were appealing to to come here in playing Texas you know obviously playing for the defending World Champs was you know at the top of the list so you know I was I knew I was coming in on a really good team um you know there’s there’s a lot of things as far as coming here and Contin continuing to develop as a player um Bobby Wilson the catching coach has been absolutely amazing um so he’s totally changed my catching and and turned my career around um in in that aspect and obviously knew some other coaches Mike Maddox and Donnie deer so I had some some guys that I knew so I knew I was coming into a good spot where I can continue to grow as a player you mentioned and we talked about this at spring training as well coming in already knowing Maddox and eer what were your initial conversations with them when you signed with Texas great convos and really was just picking up where we left off you know I’ve always had good relations relationships with him especially Mad Dog and um you know being able to come in and at least know the coaches and kind of know the system um really helped ease that transition allly this is also a transition and an adjustment for you so when you found out that Andrew was coming to the Rangers what was your reaction yeah exciting anywhere that he feels like he belongs I’m good with um we were long distance for 5 years and then lived together for the first time last year in St Louis and so I was like Hey wherever you want to go as long as I’m with you I’m good with that so and Dallas is not the worst place to be we’ll say that that is a very good point yeah and Andrew you’ve spent your entire professional career with the St Louis organization so what is the biggest adjustment coming over to a new franchise guys you know I think the biggest thing is you know how am I going to fit into the clubhouse you know which I’ve never had a problem with but it’s always that fear of the unknown there was only one player that I’d ever play with you know on this roster which was ad doas Garcia who used to be a cardinal um which we have a great relationship he’s a funny guy you know he’s great um but you know you’re coming into a totally different Clubhouse totally different Dynamic like I said I did know some of the coaches which did help ease that transition but you know that was my biggest worry was like oh my God this I got to learn you know so many new guys got to learn the personalities especially the pitching staff um but you know this team is amazing you know the guys on this team are great they’re winners they have great attitude every single day and you know they really are the ones that made it easy for me and made me feel like I fit in when it comes to that team camaraderie I’m sure it felt like the first day of school at spring training what do you remember the very first time you walked into the Rangers Clubhouse you know it did it did feel like the first day at school like your first day of school I was like recording him I’m like bye yeah when his backpack literally with his iPads and his scary he had a back he has a backpack and everything anyways um no it was great I mean every single one of the guys you know it’s it’s hard to learn everybody in one day so I was just trying to like put my best foot forward with everybody introduce myself and really just start building those relationships like as fast as I could because spring training it is a long period of time but in the grand scheme of things it’s pretty quick so I’m like I need to know these guys as fast as I can learn them and kind of you know join that that Ranger culture as fast as I can so um you know it was great those guys are awesome especially too as a catcher how do you quickly adjust and learn an entirely new pitching staff in those few weeks in Spring well kind of the easy part is figuring out you know what kind of pitches they throw and learn the shapes and the movement of the pitches that’s the easy part the tough part is figuring out what’s going on inside their mind you know it’s that’s that’s really the big part of catching is obviously you know their stuff and you know how to use their stuff but you really have to understand you know in a big situation what does that guy want to throw where does he want to throw it you know what’s he going to feel comfortable because you know the catcher’s purpose is to serve the pitcher and at the end of the day you want to make sure you’re on the same page and and you guys have a you know really good game plan and and understand and have that you know that catcher pitcher relationship to best execute the pitch yeah when you first came into the Rangers organization who on the pitching staff do you feel like you clicked with the quickest you know that’s a good question everybody’s different especially pitchers they’re I don’t want to say it you know live on air but all pitchers are a little bit little bit different uh creatures out there on the mountain which you have to be because you’re the center of attention so each guy deals with it a different way but you know there you know really everybody everybody was great I I can’t really name one guy that was better than the next you know each guy is different which I knew going in which is the same as you know anywhere you go everybody’s a little bit different but you already talk to them when you as soon as you signed I did do that once I signed I started you know I got the the phone phone number list the travel secretary got all the phone numbers all the pictures and I started making calls before spring training just to check in introduce myself and and really just kind of start that process before we got to spring training so we could kind of hit the ground running once we started you know throwing bullpens and and throwing in the the game so try to be a little proactive I feel like that’s why you went in with a good rapport already with them you know yeah kind already knew like how they want you to set up what their favorite pitch to throw is what they’re what they’ve been working on in the off season so yeah he’s very proactive he’s a nerd kind of where does that proactive mentality come from is that something that you’ve always done throughout your career high school college and especially professionally well I think I learned a lot of it in the classroom you know his mom yeah my mom was always big on you know grades first you know getting straight A’s and and really performing in the classroom um which I think helped my athletic career because now you know I’m doing so much game prep it’s like the best way I described is like I’m studying for a different test every single day you know there’s new material every hitter is different they’re adjusting the hitters that we’re facing and the pitchers are constantly changing what do they feel good with what don’t they feel good with so it’s like I’m studying every single day for a test every single day um but you know from a young age that was kind of ingrained in me in my mind was like you have to prepare you have to be ready for everything you know in the classroom and then that just translated to you know being on the field but you know as I got into the big leagues with the Cardinals I was be playing behind one of the best catchers of all time so you know yach and Molina had the ultimate respect of any pitching staff because of who he was you know multiple world series you know almost the most Innings caught in baseball history like he’s seen it all done it all so for me being a rookie I was like how am I going to gain the respect of a staff when I’m playing behind one of the greatest catchers of all time so I knew I had to go above and beyond to be prepared and and be ready for anything a game situation can throw at me because never know you never know and you’re playing behind one of the best so I just kind of started with that and and it’s kind of built and you know I’ve refined it you know year in and year out and have a pretty good system and you still are playing behind one of the best Jonah Heim is coming off of a gold glove and an All-Star season Ali I want to get your perspective how have you seen Jonah and Andrew Bond spring training up until the first few months of the Season yeah I feel like Jonah was great um that was like my first question when he came in I was like how was Jonah what was it like to meet him and he was great all spring training I think like helping you get into the routine and like what the dynamic was in the clubhouse so he was very helpful in that sense and Kenzie’s a dream she’s such a sweetheart love their kids so um yeah I mean we love like working with them in Tandem and having them you know to support us and how we can support them and Kenzie just had their third baby little champ so cute but he’s been on the brement list for a few games this season and also the paternity list recently as well which gives you quite a few starting opportunities so in those settings what do you hope to prove you know I don’t think I I try to prove anything my my job is you know regardless of if I’m going to play once a week once a month or every single day like my job is to show up every day prepared and that’s kind of how I base kind of My Success is like can I go into a game ready to work with the pitching staff and and give our team the best chance to win um so you know it’s just it’s just the the constant mindset of how do I stay ready for any opportunity you know it might not be a start but maybe I have to come in and Extra Innings and catch Extra Innings or you know be ready if if somebody goes down so you know it’s just that con Battle of being prepared staying ready and and just you know going out there and trying to do my best to help the team win it seems like preparation and being proactive are two things that are very important to you so in a game setting let’s say you’re coming off of a start what do you do right after the game ends to prepare for the next opportunity a lot of it is is you come up with a plan you try to execute the plan hopefully it works and you call no hitter and then it’s great and then you’re like yes A+ but sometimes it doesn’t always work out like that so you know you really have to reflect too so go back rewatch The Game what worked what didn’t work and then you have to make the adjustment like I said it’s there’s always moving Parts in baseball and and there’s so much luck and random randomness in the game too that you have to understand like what’s real and what’s not like sometimes a guy uh will beat you on a pitch that he has no business getting a hit on but you have to understand like that’s the game like you’re playing professional hitters too and you know yep sometimes that’s just how the game goes but it’s it’s that constant Battle of prepared try to execute and then reflect and then make the adjustments Yep this season you have made strides defensively behind the plate especially when it comes to your pitch framing especially calling strikes at the bottom of the Zone how have you made such quick adjustments and such a short amount of time when I signed with the Rangers I got a couple texts from a couple different people Jose Travino one of the guys you know basically saying like Bobby Wilson the catching coach is is going to totally change your life and I’m like okay said that was you know a big reason why I decided to come play in Texas was because of Bobby and you know once we sign I think once I we came to Dallas I signed the paperwork did my physical my next trip was to Tampa across the across the State of Florida to Tampa to to visit with Bobby where we started kind of going over like what the plan was going to be once we got the spring training um so I had pretty much a month or so before spring training I was sending Bobby videos we’re talking back and forth to kind of start working on the process of you know what his mentality is you know catching like his coaching philosophy um and then we got to spring training it’s just work just work work work work work and you know Bobby’s played for a long time so he gets it he knows exactly what we need as players um so he kind of cuts through all the you know the BS and gets straight to the point which is great um but I mean just buying into his program and buying into his philosophy of catching it’s it’s great and obvious obviously it kind of change changed around my whole career from behind the plate so um I owe it all to him allly how would you describe Bobby Wilson’s coaching philosophy oh my goodness well I know the amount of preparation and communication they have just day-to-day whether Andrew’s playing not playing starting not starting I feel like every single day just his stance how he’s setting up his secondary stance how he’s doing this how he’s working on throwing how he’s blocking balls and I mean you see it in the numbers like he’s he’s Pro proving that it’s working um so I’m grateful for Bobby and like their relationship because obviously it’s it has changed your whole career so far behind the plate so yeah what would you say is the most important impact that Bobby’s had on your game this season obviously we talked about framing but is there another aspect that you really feel like you’ve improved on this year because of him um there’s a lot of things like you know when we talk about preparation Bobby’s extremely prepared as well and I think what’s really nice to have on a team is is like a coach that I can almost go to that’s almost like a player you know in in in a sense and you know like I said Bobby played for a long time so the communication we have not only about like the fine aspects of catching like the mechanics right we we do that stuff every day but like just having like a sounding board is great you know whether it’s hey what are you what are you seeing out on the field like you you think you know this hitter is going to sit on this pitch or hey what do you think you think I need to set up a different way or move move up in the catching box slide closer to the hitter like I know I can go to Bobby for absolutely any question anything and and he always has a good response for me and he can help me out and give me some good direction it really stands out that you traveled across the State of Florida to go visit with him before the season started why is it important to you to have those relationships prior to spring training well like I said earlier it’s like spring training is a decent chunk of time it seems like spring training lasts forever but really in the grand scheme of things it is short so to be able to buy into all these different U philosophies and like getting through the growing pains almost so you want to you want to you want to speed the learning curve up as much as you can because once you get to the first game of the season it’s like we need to win now so if I can get everything out of the way before game one of the season and be as a finished product as I can be obviously going to continue to learn and grow throughout the season but you know being able to be ready for game one and a being able to help the team win game one is the most important thing so whatever I can do before that is uh is top of the list he has impacted your games in so many positive ways which I’m sure just leads to positive things off the field as well so Ally how have you seen a difference in Andrew at home and off the field since working with Bobby what’s my ass plus score what is it today was it over I mean we’re like constantly checking different numbers and looking at different things but I mean I just I see his excitement now like how he’s moved up up in the ranks of C overall catchers in all of the big leagues to be I don’t know ninth I think was the last time I looked at it or whatever you are to like go from whatever he was to ninth in all the big leagues just to change his whole like mood and attitude I mean he’s always been pretty good at like not getting too high or getting too low cuz baseball’s a long and hard season it’s a game designed to fail and obviously you know when you have a bad game it’s it’s not like fun all the time but being able to see how he’s improved and how he gets excited about it and just to want to continue to improve is what I like watching him do so I’m like fully bought in too now I’m like what was your score what was this what was that where are you now bottom of the Zone this on the black so it’s fun to look at so what is your favorite set to look at on a daily basis which one do you feel like you look there’s a lot I don’t like to look at um probably like your rank or like the SL plus scores that’s what it’s called right SL plus yeah so that’s always exciting to look at let’s talk about you on the mound oh boy we’ve had actually that stat zero ra right exactly that’s a good favorite stat you have MLB leader all time oh yeah you’ve recently had two relief pitching appearances and we don’t have to talk about the scoreboard that led to that situation but Andrew what are your conversations with the ranger staff ahead of time so they know that in those situations you’re the go-to guy well anytime there’s a lopsided score I I’ll just say that you know whether we’re up big or down big um you know I’m always getting ready to give somebody a blow blow whether that’s going in behind the plate giving Jonah a blow i’ I’ve played first base in the past you know so I always have my first base glove ready just in case I have pitched one time a few years ago so you know I I knew I was able to pitch didn’t you pitch too yachty wasn’t it I pitched to yachty and my first out I recorded was Robbie Grossman oh wow back when he was with the Braves so that’s a little fun fact so I’m you know any lops side of score I’m always ready you know what am I getting ready for you know now I guess I have to get a little bit ready you know get my arm just a little bit more loose to pitch um but the conversation was pretty simple Boi came up to me and asked me you know if I’d be okay throwing off the mound in the game and I was like hey if that’s what the team needs if I can save some Bullpen arms like heck yeah like I’ll go and try to do my best you know I have a little experience pitching you know obviously from a few years ago and just try to throw it down the middle as slow as I can and hopefully they pop up or strike out or get out but um it’s definitely a it’s it’s an interesting thing being out of the mountain I will say it gives me a little bit of perspective from the from the pitching side of things like it’s it’s tough throwing strikes that plate looks really small how was your experience when you’re on the mound and Jonah Heim is behind the dish I will say Jonah does a pretty good job trying to frame those strikes for me I remember throwing a yachty this is my one knock on yachty he wasn’t trying to frame any strikes for me he didn’t care he didn’t really care that much but Jonah is back there working for me which I do appreciate why he has a gold glove it’s why he has gold when I first pitched I was extremely nervous like I went to spit on the mound and I couldn’t I had like no I was like dry mouth dry mouth even though we you know the score was again thinking out a 106 exit vlo coming at you that’s the scariest for me it’s like oh gosh just please don’t have a line drive down theet hit I try to throw it where they won’t hit it right back at my face a million miles an hour um but after having a little bit of experience like I understand now like it’s not that hard to lob a ball down the right down the middle yeah um so my main thing is like really in a blowout game like that and you have a position player on the mountain nobody really wants to take that at bat and nobody really wants to be the guy pitching in that scenario so I just try to get the game over as quick as possible throw strikes right down the middle and let’s get the game moving how do you balance having fun with it but then when also the team’s down by you know 10 plus runs being aware of the situation yeah um it it is kind of it is kind of weird because you know when I when I get three outs in an inning I don’t give up a run like I want to crack a smile cuz I’m like you how are these guys not hitting me I’m throwing like 40 miles an hour um but you know I kind of suppress it because you know I am I am aware of the situation I keep joking I I need to talk to Boi and tell them you know I’m not pitching again until we’re up by like 15 runs you know let’s put the score around so I can actually you know really enjoy it and you know give a little fist pump coming off the mound um but you know it’s it’s just such a weird scenario it’s I had a little fun the other day with one of my best friends Harrison Bader with the Mets he ended up he got the second hit ever against me you know I was trying to get him out but you know they were laughing at each other we were laughing having a good time but you know it’s uh it’s definitely a a unique situation yeah I I was going to actually ask you about Harrison outfielder for the Mets they were just here last week I believe he’s also a groomsman in your wedding which is really fun too so when did the laugh start was it when he was in the on Deck Circle when he’s walking up kind of when did you guys make eye contact and start cracking up it it happened the inning before he had the at bat I think he was in the hole or maybe he was on in the hole or on Deck he was coming up to hit and I remember looking in The Dugout cuz I knew he was coming up and he’s looking at me and he’s just dying laughing he’s like way no way you’re pitching right now and um so I was you know cracking you know cracking a smile on the mountain um anticipating the matchup for when he came up but he had a good at bat you know he battled talk about at breakfast the next day with him yeah hit a double in the Gap I’m like well at least you didn’t hit a home run you know so it ended up working out good you know he got a hit but he didn’t score a run so there you go that Zero erra stand strong standing strong would have been mad if he’s the one that mess it up did you see the clip of Sherer like screaming at Alonzo when you walked in yeah that we talked about that at breakfast with Bader too and Bader gave Alonzo some crap too was like dude it’s a position player like why you trying to draw a walk like swing the bat yeah uh but I guess Alonzo didn’t want to mess up his swing you know at the 40 mph lob was a little too nasty for him let’s say you can have any player in baseball that you would never have to face on the mound who would it be oh or who would you least want to base and all of baseball right now I’ll probably have to say I mean Otani could be up there he hits the ball really really hard I faced aunia before I know he’s hurt but he was the first guy to get a hit against me him and Bader only two um I would have to say Otani I feel like that swing with my LOB like that could be scary like hitting it right back at me yeah you know lefties throw me off a little bit anyway like their bat pass so I’ll probably have to say Otani OT that’s a great answer I don’t think anyone want I love it we’ll drop it there for a little bit on the other side of break we’ll talk about how these two met play the newly wed game and talk about their upcoming wedding don’t go anywhere Justin is proud to serve as both the official boot of the Texas Rangers and the presenting partner of the Rangers deep in the heart podcast join the winning team and embrace the spirit of Texas by stepping into a new pair of Justin boots today crafted for fans who demands nothing but the best Justin Boots Are The Perfect Blend of style and comfort Walk Like a Champion and shop now at Justin boots.com Justin standard of the West since 1879 okay so you two have a modern day love story I believe it involves Instagram so Ally I will let you tell the story of how yall met I slid in his DMS have to followed me looking at his Instagram like oh he’s cute pretty blue eyes blue green eyes we actually argue about if his eyes are blue or green I think they’re blue he thinks they’re green but depends on the shirt he’s wearing that day but um yeah I slid in his DMS we talked for like 3 four months like just on social media and like text phone all that sort of thing and then we finally met in 2018 spring training and it’s been it’ll be seven years in February of 2025 so thank you Instagram I used to be kind of embarrassed by it but now I don’t care it’s such a normal thing in this day and age it’s how everyone meets it’s like Instagram I was 19 he was 22 like you know so all good Andrew what do you remember about the first time you two met in person I’m curious well it it was nice cuz we kind of broke the ice we did we had a couple FaceTime sessions before we we officially met so I put her through all the baseball quiz questions and yeah I asked him what his pop time was things like that yeah so we uh we had some good conversations before we met so um what do I remember most about her how beautiful she is a that’s cute no I mean you know it’s just you know Ally is Ally she’s just she’s awesome obviously just a ball of energy and personality uh which I kind of knew already um but really you know when we met the first time it was like we’ve known each other forever and you know it it was just like we hit the ground running you know and and haven’t looked back since so um you know that it was great first date and yeah like a group setting we had some friends like some of his teammates and there was another like girlfriend there and um we went to a place called utiki in Jupiter where we live now we’re actually getting married like right next door to utiki so it’s sent to Al same background and everything like and he proposed like right next to that so that’s all sentimental for us yeah Ally what do you remember about the first time actually meeting in person and taking things off social media yeah I mean I think like so he’s so smart like he’s so intelligent he just like knows things about everything like I feel like we just you do like we’d be talking about something random and he like knows something that probably comes from like his mom and his self discipline in school and like maybe growing up in Virginia I don’t know you know so much about history and stuff but first date like how interacted with other people is always really important to me like if you’re nice to the server like to me that’s like a red flag if someone’s like impatient or like mean to the server so I feel like how he was interacting with like the service people and then also like with his teammates and other people um like he just good in like a group setting and like I feel like we have the type of relationship we can go into a room full of people we can be together and talk or we can separate and like talk all night long like we don’t need to be by each other um and that’s like one of my favorite things about a relationship you also danced with my Miami Dolphins which is awesome so you had a taste of the NFL life but when you first two started dating what was your biggest reality check about the chaos of a baseball season well I always say that I made it to the big leagues before him so there’s that um I made it to the show first but um I mean I was so busy with cheer and I was also in college simultaneously and I was 18 so like living in Miami being 18 full-time student and cheering I mean we had like no time so I would see him once a month once every two months so we really like learned how to trust each other and communicate and I think that was all great things for our relationship now I mean we were long distance for 5 years um and then finally like I went to my job and asked them if I could be remote and thankfully like they’re flexible enough to where I can do that and kind of have my job anywhere but um that minor Le travel I remember I would like be so tired when he’d be done with games so I would set an alarm at like 2 a.m. when I knew he was going to be done with the game just so I could talk to him or like I’d be on a military tour in Cypress or the Netherlands and would like wake up early or stay up late just to talk to me so like the scheduling and like timing was probably the hardest part of it um and like the biggest reality check with the the minor leaks and like the the money part of it I mean both of us were like pretty broke I was making more as a cheer later than you were but we’d like literally have to call our parents and I’d be like Mom can you give me money for my flight to see Andrew or I mean it was yeah I remember once they drove me to New Orleans to see him from Miami I mean yeah it was wow it was hard but so I want to talk to you about your job with ESPN which is amazing so it’s really cool to see how your job and obviously the baseball world kind of come together so what is an overview of the job that you have with ESPN yeah so good karma Brands is a sports marketing company so they’re like who signs my paycheck and who I work for every day but we are essentially The Operators of ESPN’s like digital inventory so when you’re on the ESPN app or espn.com and you see an ad that’s how we can integrate our partners same thing with events all around the country and then where my expertise lies is the ESPN national radio network and podcast so last July Good Karma Brands um acquired all the sales and operations of the ESPN network so I get to work with Pat McAfee Adam schfer Mike Greenberg Evan Cohen and the Morning Show so um we I get to do podcasting in radio all day long I get to work in play byplay and I get to be in sports um we’re having a live podcast event over the All-Star break with um Buster only for baseball tonight so it’s exciting to kind of like have our jobs intermingle like it’s like helped the both of us a little bit I definitely use and abuse him anytime I can I’m like I need you to sign this I need you to do this I need you to make an appearance at this and he does it he jokes he’s like should be on the Good Karma Brands and ESPN payroll because of how many things I drag him to but that’s how he supports me and my job and he knows that I you know he does that because I support him in his job so what has been the most recent either event or something that you had scheduled where your Two Worlds really came together feel like every event like every event yeah like I feel like one of us always knows like someone um whether it’s in like the media or marketing world or like in the baseball world I mean for me like being at his events is a great networking opportunity um so like different companies that are National and want to be on ESPN I get to like throw my business card out there and I have like a good like in um he I feel like makes me more like legitimate in my like job I guess you could say because then people understand people know that I understand like the baseball life um I think it just depends where we’re at like during this season you bring a lot of part Partners to BR Partners games like all the time so they’re able to kind of you know we can use the tickets and you know practice partn a good time like that um and then like in the off season you know you have a lot of bowl game you know bowl game things or like the breakers golf tournament probably that’s like a lot of So like um one of my teammates or like co-workers we call them teammates they have a big um Foundation event um at the breakers in Palm Beach and they have like professional athletes there so they were able to like reach out to me and be like hey you work for ESPN but also we would love your fiance to play in the golf tournament so we get to go and it’s like kind of over Christmas time so it’s a lot of fun so I feel like our world’s really Collide there cuz like I’m there for work and fun and then like you’re there for fun but supporting me in my job always back and forth yeah a lot of juggling it sounds like oh yeah we’re I’m busy I’m busy I mean I’m all day people are like how do you do it I’m like you just I’ll sleep when I’m dead I’ll sleep when I’m dead how do you balance your full-time job with baseball season like what what’s the percentage of traveling versus being here I mean you are remote like you mentioned but how do you juggle that yep I mean I have great managers and great teammates that really support me I coordinate flights like before work hours or after work hours or on weekends I probably go to like two away trips a month um it just kind of depends on like how many meetings I have that week if I have like big presentations like I probably won’t go to an away trip if it’s closer if the flight times work out so it kind of just depends um thankfully we have a great support system around us and our parents so they help with our dogs and our house back in Jupiter and so that kind of allows me to be a great fiance and support you but also be a great teammate and like kick but at my job you also have another full-time job and that’s planning a wedding yeah that too so how have you you’re shaking your head you’re like oh boy honestly you done anything what have you done so far Andrew he just about or I like that or like yep that looks good or no yes or no he haven’t said no really to anything though that’s true I mean I’m the one who’s been more like that’s I mean weddings are out of control nowadays out of control and we’re getting married I feel like at a destination even though it’s home for us Jupiter is like a destination to other people so it’s like Palm Beach and yeah it’s wedding planning I have a great wedding planner um that helps me a lot but and she sends me notifications like every day of what I need to get done so it’s I’m I’m most excited just to like have everyone in one place and like everyone celebrate it’s going to be I feel like a baseball Extravaganza cuz there’s a lot of baseball players and families that will be there along with like tons of family and friends that we you know don’t get to see all the time cuz we’re always gone you know so we have no family or friends here other than the team so it’ll be nice to hang out with everyone we’re kind of making a whole week out of it so it’ll be fun and then I’m excited for the honeymoon where are you going for the honeymoon we just broke our flights we’re going to France and Switzerland W over Christmas and New Year’s so we’re getting married December 20th we’re leaving the 22nd for Paris and then we’ll be gone like through the very very beginning of January so it’ll actually be our first ever just us vacation together ever ever yep ever wow I’ve been putting it off and putting off and now now she’s accumulated all the little mini vacations we could have done she all in one baby put it all in a one so it’ll it’ll be fun we’ll have a good time yeah yeah so what made you choose France and Switzerland well we live by the beach so we’re like we don’t really want to go somewhere tropical we get like that tropical aspect being in Florida um I mean we we could like literally bike to the beach if we wanted to so we could have gone to the Bahamas or rub or something like that but I had the privilege of traveling a lot when I was with the dolphins to like visiting military so I’ve been to a ton of different places in Europe and it’s just a dream it’s like the architecture the history the food the people the culture so he um London was like the first I feel like European country right you went to last year when the Cardinals played over there um and he loved it like I feel like you love history and architecture and food too so we just figured Europe Christmas markets Paris who doesn’t want to go to Paris on Christmas Eve so yeah I’m jealous I might have to tag along in the suitcase that sounds like a I know it’s a honeymoon so maybe I won’t that sounds amazing I’m really excited for you guys um going off of that we’re going to play The Newlywed Game I guess newly fiance game however you want to call it so I guess come December you will be Newly Weds and I’m sure showers and things like that leading up so how it’s going to work is Andrew I’m going to ask you three questions about Ally and she’ll have to say if they are correct or incorrect and then Ally will do the same about Andrew so I can tell you nous be easy okay me look good I’m going to put I’m going to like go like this to Hannah underneath the table so she perfect okay what is Ali’s favorite guilty pleasure TV show oh my gosh that see these are going to be hard questions CU we watch a lot of TV together we do yeah um we’re always watching different shows like we’re one show to the next to the next to the next guilty pleasure TV show has got to be it’s it’s in there with um um some probably one of those like dating show I don’t know all the names of them like the dating shows trash TV dating show trash TV dating shows they’re just too good like they’re too good yeah she she loves those she’s watching those all the time I those aren’t my favorite I’ll he he doesn’t really I’ll tune in like a little bit like here and there but I would definitely say those yeah I force them to watch like the first episode of The Bachelorette in Bachelor every year always a good idea say I’m not going to watch and then I do so he watches like the first and the last episode with me yeah okay one for one what has been the best present you’ve ever given Ally oo best present probably on her finger right here six and a half years yeah definitely the best present I think that would if you consider that a present yeah I think if if if you if you don’t count that uh engagement ring as a present it would have to be probably uh probably the two puppies we have those are definitely the gifts that keep on giving yep and you just got a second puppy did tell us about that Piper um we have two py Doodles so they’re Portuguese water dog poodle mixes um Luna’s like 20 pounds Piper will be like 30 but I I it’s like people are like why would you get another puppy during baseball season while planning a wedding while and I’m like you know what no time like the present why not honestly I love having them as like companions when he’s gone because I do work so much and I don’t get to travel probably as much as other people do so when he’s gone for 10 days at a time and I my two little besy girls running around with me like they keep me company like they sleep with us so go on walks all the time so I I yeah definitely the best present and Dallas is really dog friendly too yeah and we live like by Katie trail and stuff so perfect location to walk them and walk to get coffee in the morning and then walk back they’re so cute I wish you guys brought them to the shoot that would have been awesome okay finally so I guess we’ll say two for two engagement ring is a great gift so that counts and then finally what sports or activities did Ally do when she was little she always has been a dancer um cheerleading yep and I think I think you have a couple uh you did a little track and feel I think I remember some embarrassing stories about that we won’t share that on on online but yeah um I hated track I I was pretty good at it but I’ll never forget my I did not want to compete like I did not want to compete in this 1600 Meter whatever it was I remember my mom was like you’re going to compete you committed to it she I was like com Bermuda shorts from abomi in a poloo and she like drove me to this high school track I was like get on that track right now and I remember starting to run it that I cut across the grass jumped over the fence and got back in the car I ended up competing okay I did I followed through but yeah I’ve been I did Classical Ballet for 12 years so I started dancing when I was three and then and I cheered in high school and then NFL cheerleading was like the Pinnacle of that of what I could have done so yeah good job that’s great I think too for dance running is also just the worst form of punish like I was a Dancer too so I even know like in this day and age I hate going for a run there’s no way I don’t like running my body hurts afterwards I just I hate it do it I just don’t like it I’ll never like half marathons nah and I’m a catcher so you know I hate running should Fair okay so three for three yeah good job three for three I like three for threes three for three days are good days we love a three for three day okay Ally are you ready I’m ready what is Andrew’s biggest fear ooh biggest fear probably like sharks and they’re in Florida now there I to say these sharks like I know that sounds silly but and it’s not that he like hates sharks or doesn’t like it’s just we’ll go on the boat we’ll go fishing but like we will not get in the water like no shot we’re getting in the water like he won’t even put his toe in like there’s no we don’t dip in the water like we went on a boat in Miami in the off day he’s like meah like he was on the boat but just not in the water is that like a it’s definitely a realistic fear for for the that I like to do which is fishing um I mean like a fear of failure obviously yeah fear of getting out that always fear of getting out when you’re the plate um but yeah so unfortunately baseball that happens a lot yeah um sharks definitely scare me a little bit you know and then when I’m fishing in fresh water in Florida alligators alligators are a little scary too so any of those predatory water creatures I am out on totally so valid so valid okay one for one one for one what is Andrew’s dream fishing trip I would have to say Costa Rica we’ve talked about Costa Rica a lot we’ve heard like there’s great fishing there toy with the idea for him doing that for like his bachelor party but like expecting people to go to Costa Rica is kind of crazy so I’ll probably have to say Costa Rica yeah that’s a lot of fishing shows I watch there’s guys going to Costa Rica catching massive fish and you know yeah and um definitely that would be a cool trip okay two for two two for two all right final one what is the number one thing Andrew has to have at the wedding number one thing you’d have to have at the wedding that’s a tough question or the thing that he cares the most about me that I show up no um you don’t even know what the answer to that I might not even know the answer I would say like well the three things we’ve talked about is like good music good food and like good people like we just want people to have a good time so for us like we had you know had a list of all the different components that go to a wedding it’s like what are we going to prioritize what are we going to splurge on what are we going to save on and we said like the music and DJ is really important cuz that sets the whole whole tone for the wedding and then like having great food so and like some fun signature Cocktails so yeah let’s say that’s right do you know what my signature cocktail would be or what’s like my go-to drink amoretto sour yeah there we go nice okay what’s your signature cocktail old fashioned yeah smoked old fashion if they have it but definitely an old fashion old fashion really anything with bourbon yeah for sure perfect do you have your first dance song figured out yet especially being a dancer I feel like the expectations are pretty high oh I told him yesterday I’m like you realize we’re starting dance lesson soon like he’s like I’m a professional athlete I’ll be fine I’m like no no no we’re not just going to sway back and forth and go like this the whole entire time like I want a choreographed dance like nothing too crazy I love there’s a couple songs that I love um I love biblical by Kellum Scott I also love Thousand Years by Christina Perry that’s kind of the one I’m like leaning towards right now but we also like I love Elvis and like old school songs too we like lived in Memphis for a second so I feel like that could kind of be unique so go back to the AAA days not that I ever need to go back to Memphis ever again in my life but I’ll just say yes to whatever song she picks yeah and learn the dance exactly there you go choreography do you remember what I told you about spring or at spring training about wedding planning the piece of advice that I gave you what just say yes yes exactly just stand there shake your head yes ex that’s what I said who are we talking to last night though just like at the event the Boi oh yeah Boi was like we were talking about something and he goes just go like this kid just go like this and Kim was like exactly it’s true it’ll you’ll show up and it will be the best surprise party of your whole life I will tell you that so and we’re not doing a first look so it’ll be even bigger surprise and practi is crying ahead of time like the Waterworks A little dab in the eye for the picture and if you don’t cry I’m turning around I’m going to walk back and I’ll try again until you cry put some tahen on eye just you know go like this he’s very like jovial and exuberant and like Smiley so I feel like he’s just going to be like beaming which I’d be fine with but you better be beaming but I don’t know I think you might cry he I think he cried in our proposal he said he was throat choked whatever that means he’s like I just felt choked up I’m like no no no there was some tears but we’ll see it’ll be a game time decision oh my gosh a lot of spray charts and wedding seating charts in your futures I canum so on the other side of break we have start set give the the boot Andrew and Ally will answer your submissions and I’ll ask my signature question don’t go anywhere some people find comfort in sitting still but not you you are born to explore to seek out adventure and to live life to its fullest discover the frontier collection by Justin today featuring out of the- boox comfort in 12 stylish designs the frontier collection is built for those who go the extra mile and get the most out of life from the saddle to the streets and everything in between the frontier collection by Justin is right there with you for just $199 you can find your friend here today at Justin boots.com and speaking of Justin Boots Andrew and Aly we now have start sit give the boot are you ready we’re ready let’s do it okay so start will be your favorite sit will be kind of middle of the pack and then give the boot to your least favorite so Ally will start with you we’ll do honeymoon destinations I already know your said doing Europe so I might know your answer on this one but we’ll do start set give the boot to Mexico Europe and the Bahamas okay Europe definitely my favorite start you said um sit on the Bahamas and then give the boot to Mexico just cuz I’ve been there like four times already so and the last time I went there I actually went to Mexico City and I got altitude sickness so not planning to go back that is fair okay there we go Andrew for you we’ll do fishing trips or types of fishing trips so we’ll do inshore offshore and freshwater I’ll start um offshore uh that that that would probably be my favorite that’s where you catch the biggest fish yep sit on um inshore fishing just cuz that’s kind of my day-to-day you know that’s like an everyday thing for me in the offseason then I love freshwater fishing but I’d have to give that the boot that’s the smallest fish so I’ll probably go by the size of the fish there offshore inore freshwat there you go and the Sharks potentially could be an issue as well so love that okay now it’s time for my signature question so let’s say you each missed the flight to Seattle so the team’s playing the Mariners you somehow miss the flight and you have to road trip 2,000 miles Ally will start with you which Rangers wife girlfriend or fiance would you take on the road trip that’s a good one I actually Road tripped with Kaylin Carter this year with our dogs and that was amazing so she’d definitely be up there um MADD Seager is such a good time and same with Claire and Amanda Grossman so I would have to say like I all four of us we would all five of us pack into a car and go with the dogs why not I love it just get a giant SUV just all the girls in all the dogs love it and MADD always has the best snacks so she really sends it over the edge for me what kind of snacks do she bringing well she’s like has all the healthy snacks like she always is prepared in her purse with snacks so if anyone’s ever like getting hangry or like their blood sugars droing she’s like I got a chump I got this I got that and then um she put me on to I like don’t drink soda at all like I’m not a fan of carbonation but she put me onto the cherry limeade poppies so good and so she always always has a poppy for me so good those are the best okay great so a car full of the girls love it okay Andrew what about you 2,000 miles a lot of hours in a car with either a player or a coach who are you going with I’m going have to go with my man Bobby Wilson I feel like he’s the most spontaneous out of the group so we would definitely have some great conversations and probably make a lot of pit stops along the way to uh explore the United States it’ be a fun time Define explore the United States well if we have that long we’re going to pass a lot of different uh landmarks landmarks and probably some different things where we can get out and stop and do catching work stretch our legs make some Tik toks make some Tik toks you know put some uh Instagram reals on Bobby’s Instagram see if we can get him couple million views uh it’ just be a great overall trip we’d have a good time I love it okay Bobby Wilson and a car full of girls so it’s time for some fan questions so we’ll talk about your time at NC State your freshman year you were part of the Louisville Slugger freshman All-American team what was your key to success That season you know going from high school to college is a pretty big jump and one thing I’ve always kind of prided myself on is being coachable and I think uh something that really helped me was getting to NCC I went early I went in the uh the summer semester to kind of start my transition um but really starting especially in the fall when we did fall practice like buying into the hitting philosophy coachart is amazing down there with with the with the offense and really just letting those guys mold my swing and and and just trying to learn as much as I can you know on something that’s a totally different level than High School um and really just going out there and competing hard and putting in the extra work and obviously having good grades in the classroom takes pressure off of you know having to worry about you know school stuff so um focus hard in the classroom and you know lay it on the line between the white lines so um I’m sure your industrial engineering classes really help to be successful that year yeah once I got through those it was like baseball was like the fun part of my day after sting through all my engineering classes so I was maybe going into it with just a really good attitude but you know it it was great the coaches were awesome at NC State still talk to them every day um they’re they’re amazing had a great run this year lost in the College World Series but you know to get there to be one of the top eight teams you know and they’ve been a they’ve been pretty much a top 10 program for the last you know 15 years now so they’re doing a great job coach aent coach Hart they’re they’re Top Notch going off of NC State so Trey Turner was two years above you do you have like a fun story about him that stands out to you um I don’t know I don’t know if I have any G-rated stories no I’m just kidding Trey Trey was great Trey was really good um he was good to me he was kind of showered me with a little tough love um which you know I think did help me mature as a player um obviously a guy that’s you know he was really really good in college is you know whatever he was 13th overall pick or or whatever so um you know to have a guy that went through it and did it at the highest level in college to kind of Mentor me on the left side of the infield back when I was a third baseman um you know that was great to be able to learn from him but um obviously he’s had a great career and continuing to do amazing things so really excited for him another guy that lives down in Jupiter Florida so I’m able to see him in the offseason as well so just overall great guy that’s going to do it for episode five of Rangers deep in the heart signing off from Globe Life Field I’m Hannah Wing we’ll see you back in a few weeks [Music]