Welcome into the hog pot. I'm Bo Mattingly and this episode is made possible by our friends at South by Northwest Hospitality.

My name is Damien Ruiz. I play baseball. I'm a left filter here and I transferred from Lamar University.

What makes you so special, Damien? Why are we talking to you today? I think it's my smile. It is a good one. It does light up. Through good, through bad, I mean, I'm always smiling. Were you smiling when you had your foot stuck out there in the fence and left field on Sunday in the old game? Honestly, it was just kind of like, what the heck is going on? So you're at Lamar, led the conference and hits, runs, doubles, on- base percentage. I would have liked you in the portal. My dad last year, he followed the Arkansas Razorbacks, and he loved them. Just randomly, like watching college baseball? Just randomly watching college baseball. He loved Arkansas. You have an injury. Tell me about that. As soon as I jumped, I felt a pop in my knee. Pretty strong case that it could be

an ACL too. Take it easy for a week and it all of a sudden it starts filling like a brand new leg.

What do you want to see happening in your world? I want a ball.

Hey, Hogg fans, it's Bo Mattingly. And before this episode, I'd like to ask a quick favor.

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and thank you. So what makes you so special, Damien? Why are we talking to you today? I think it's my smile. It is a good one. Yeah. It is a good one, I gotta say. I mean, it does light up. Has that been that way your whole life? Yeah, I mean, I'm always smiling. I mean, through good, through bad, I mean, I'm always smiling. What is it about the way you think or feel that makes that possible?

I think it's more so just like it's not all about me. You know, like if I'm having a bad day,

there's no reason to rub it off on somebody else. So I mean, spread joy to the world. Where does that come

from? Where did you get that? Jesus. Yeah? I'm Jesus. I mean, that's just kind of always been, I guess. I'm just always smiling. I'm always having a good time. Has faith been a big part of your life, like your whole life? Huge. I mean, especially my sophomore year of college. I mean, I tore my rotator cuff, and I mean, that was at the very beginning of my season. and so I mean I was going going through it pretty bad. And, I mean, I really turned towards Jesus and kind of, like, trusted his word, his light. And, I mean, it's been joyful from there. And having that foundation, like, how's that sort of changed your trajectory or your path or just impacted what you're, because you're on a climb. And we're going going to go over that but you're on a climb for where you started in college to where you are today yeah i mean it's it's just it's ultimately just like trusting his plan it's his plan not mine and i'm just kind of kind of walking walking through the steps were you smiling when you had your foot stuck out there in the fence and left field on Sunday in the old Miss game?

Honestly, it was just kind of like what the heck is going on.

Like I've never been like trapped in this position.

I don't know what's going on. My foot stuck.

Like it was it was definitely like a weird feeling definitely.

Were you screaming like help to the old miss bullpen or did they just help?

Well I mean I saw the ball go foul so i mean that was kind of like my whole word i was like this ball better go foul like this i was kind of thinking if it bounced off the like the yellow port and my foot's just kind of stuck but uh no yeah my foot got stuck and like all the guys in the bullpen were just kind of laughing i was like dude my foot stuck i can't get it out and they kind of they helped me pull the pull the fence out and mika came and helped me jam my fun out. I mean, it was, it dude, my foot stuck. I can't get it out. And they kind of, they helped me pull the, pull the fence out.

And Micah came and helped me jam my foot out. I mean, it was funny.

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