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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 32 – Gabe Baker and the Bachelor’s Listen to Your Heart

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Former Rice football defensive back Gabe Baker joins the show as it diverts from sports to talk The Bachelor’s Listen to Your Heart and music.

It’s been an exciting few weeks for The Roost Podcast. The Extended Offseason interview series continues on with special guest Gabe Baker. We covered a lot of ground with the former Rice football safety, covering more culture than sports for an excellent change of pace.

If you want X’s and O’s and (somewhat) succinct college football analysis, give a listen to last week’s show. Dave Campbell Texas Football’s insider Shehan Jeyarajah joined the podcast to discuss the state of the sport and potential alternatives to a normal football season. Almost every FBS team in Texas got a mention, including several smaller schools.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to our chat with Gabe Baker on Episode 32.


Episode 32 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference. We also want to be better about plugging our guests. Follow Gabe Baker on Twitter and make sure to check out his new single, Butterflies.
  • Gabe Baker joins the show — Baker has been a busy man since his football days ended. Our talk with him centered on what he’s done since, including:
    • His journey from Rice to reality television
    • What it was like living at the mansion and being a part of The Bachelor’s Listen to Your Heart
    • How a delayed flight home from the Hawaii Bowl played a role in his musical career
    • The debut of his first single
    • His go-to karaoke songs (shout out to Sinatra and Disney)

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Swimming: Marta Cano-Minarro surges toward success

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The Rice swimming season was cut short. Still, the impression Marta Cano-Minarro made in a shortened campaign made waves at South Main.

Marta Cano-Minarro burst onto the Rice Swimming scene as a freshman in 2018. Her debut season was spectacular. She set the school record in the 200 IM. She won multiple CSCAA and C-USA Championships and was the anchor in three program-record-setting relay teams.

Her rapid ascent wasn’t unexpected. Prior to her arrival at Rice, Cano-Minarro competed in the FINA Junior World Swimming Championships where she finished Top 15 in the 200 Free. She also swam in the European Games, finishing sixth in the 200 Free.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Rice swimming coach Set Huston said athletes like her “make the coach look pretty good”. He gave all the credit to Cano-Minnaro. Hutson cited her relentless pursuit to better herself and a work ethic commensurate with her own expectations, which are lofty.

Huston said Cano-Minarro “has big goals”, some of which she was able to achieve this past season. She won the 200 IM and 200 Free at the Conference USA Championships where she was named Co-Swimmer of the Meet. Soon after the season would end and she would be dubbed Conference-USA’s Co-Swimmer of the Year.

Cano-Minarro led the Owls in points at the conference championship, placing in the top three in seven different events, including four relays. Along the way, she set several personal bests as she continues to improve.

If the first two years of her collegiate career offer any indication, the best of Cano-Minarro could still be to come. That’s something that she and Rice swimming eagerly look forward to. The sooner she can get back in the pool, the sooner the rest of the world will see.

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Rice Swimming: Next wave of swimmers ready to step up

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The next wave of Rice swimming contributors are ready to rise to the occasion. Coach New opportunities await several underclassmen with new roles opening next season.

Rice swimming will lose a strong core of senior leaders when they return to the pool next season. As valuable as those seniors were in action, part of their legacy will be the impact they made on those to follow. The Owls have a host of up-and-coming swimmers ready to fill their shoes, several of which made splashes of their own this season.

Many freshmen experience an adjustment period when they first arrive on campus. The rigors of the academic load alongside the athletic requirements make it challenging to expect many newcomers to bear too much of the load too quickly. But there are always a few who earn the right for a bigger role through their own efforts.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

One such rising underclassmen was Maddie Howe. The true freshman wasn’t feeling well during the Conference USA Championship. Even though she was under the weather, she snuck into the finals for the 100-Fly.

Howe swam from the eighth and final lane in the championship swim. Not only she Howe medal, she won the event from the outermost lane, a rarity in swimming and a testament to Howe’s grit and perseverance.

Howe is one of several swimmers who could see her role increase in the near future. Becca Evans put together a strong sophomore campaign. Freshmen like  Shannon Campbell and Sini Koivu had strong finishes as the C-USA Championship. C-USA Co-Swimmer of the Year Marta Cano-Minarro was stellar.

And that doesn’t account for a crop of junior swimmers who have already ascended into crucial roles.

Head coach Seth Huston is excited to get back in the pool and let his swimmers get to work. “We’ll just talk about opportunity,” he said. “What opportunities are presenting themselves in your new role with one more year under your belt?” With that challenge presented, it will be up to each individual to work and earn their chance to broaden their role.

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Rice Swimming says goodbye to faithful senior class

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The Rice Swimming senior class had their careers ended earlier than they would have hoped, but they still managed some special moments in the pool.

Every so often a phenomenal young athlete steps on campus and turns heads. The once-in-a-lifetime type talent that wows everyone from the very start. For most members of the Rice swimming team, things don’t start that way. It’s a process, one that when followed to completion, leaves a satisfying reward for the swimmer and the program.

The culmination of years of focus is what made this senior class so special. As head coach Seth Huston described it, “It was just about them growing up.”

That development process shined through in their work ethic both in and out of the pool. “In a lot of ways they trained and raced better than they had throughout their career,” Huston said. “Honestly, they were their best [version of themselves].”

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

It was that buy in and commitment to work that made them special. Sarah Nowaski, Harper Gillentine, Kate Nezelek and Claire Therien left their mark on Rice swimming in more ways than one.

In the water, these seniors were solid. The quarter was well decorated at the C-USA Championships alone. Nowaski placed third in the 400 IM. Gillentine was part of the 200 Free Relay team that finished second. Nezelek finished second in the 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free Relay and 400 Free. She also placed third in the 400 Medley Relay.

Therien’s story combines success with sweetness. The senior had never won an event entering in her career entering the final day of the Conference USA Championship. Then she got in the pool and swam the best race of her Rice career.

“She just got in there and kind of swam her race and came out on top in the end,” Huston said with pride. Therien’s moment encapsulated a career of hard work and served as the perfect summary of this senior class.

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Rice Football Recruiting: WR Christian McStravick commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class has added another playmaker. Boston College transfer wide receiver Christian McStravick has committed to the Owls.

The majority of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class was wrapped during the early signing period last December. The Owls added a few key pieces in February, rounding out an impressive group of incoming freshmen. But it was always the intent to add at least one more cherry on top in the form of an instant-impact transfer.

To that end, Rice has diligently combed through the Transfer Portal, seeking players who could come in and contribute immediately. Bolstering the depth on the offensive side of the ball was a priority in that search. Rice has found someone who fits the bill who will bring that necessary combination of experience and talent.

Former Boston College wide receiver Christian McStravick has committed to the Owls. His addition bolsters the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class. He’s the fourth transfer in the class, joining quarterback Mike Collins (TCU), kicker Collin Riccitelli (Stanford) and offensive lineman Jovaun Woolford (Colgate).

Originally from Houston, McStravick attended Strake Jesuit high school before committing to Boston College. McStravick was a finalist for the Houston Touchdown Club’s Offensive Player of the Year and a Top 100 recruit in the Greater Houston Area.

More: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Tracker

He did not see significant action with the Eagles, appearing in seven games without recording any receptions. He missed last season recovering from an ACL injury. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining when he arrives at South Main.

McStravick (6-foot-4, 200-pounds) brings size to the Rice offense which needed depth in that area after the departure of Aaron Cephus. Prior to McStravick’s addition, Bradley Rozner was the only receiver listed at six-foot or taller on the Owls’ roster. Now the Owls’ have two big-bodied targets, both of which have multiple seasons of college football under their belts.

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