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Dugouts, Dumbbells & Dingers - Kaden Smith, Duke | April 9, 2026

·29 min·1 clip

Kaden Smith nearly quit baseball multiple times during five college stops — his parents and grandparents are the reason he kept going.

Baseball takes the mic now. After the paid moving-scam spot, the show moves into April, Duke, and another Dugouts, Dumbbells, and Dingers hang. Caden Smith brings the good mood with him. The host starts with the thing everyone can see: Smith looks like he is having a blast on the field. So he asks what changed in Durham. Smith keeps it simple. He loves being with his guys, and he ties that feeling straight to Coach Moose and his offbeat energy. Freedom is the word that sticks. Smith compares it with past coaches who had him playing timid, which turns the chat into a pretty clear player-development moment without making it feel stiff. The host is all in. Since he has met Corey Mascara at Wake Forest, he backs up Smith's read and spins it into a brick-wall joke. From there, the baseball talk stays loose. The host pictures Smith bowling over a catcher or launching one off ECU, and the bit works because it still circles the same point: this guy is comfortable. A sponsor read slides through next, with Home Field Apparel, Duke colors, royal blue, white gear, and the show's usual casual pitch rhythm. Then the injury piece comes in. Mascara apparently said Smith was running like he had a tractor trailer on his back, and Smith does not fight the scouting report. He says he is not especially fast anyway, and the shin issue has made that worse. Nobody turns it into melodrama. The host mostly sounds happy Smith is back out there. The close points toward Omaha dreams, with Duke trying to break through to the College World Series.

As heard by us

A Duke baseball interview with enough personality and detail to feel close to the team.

This Duke baseball check-in with Caden Smith stays close to what matters: he likes being around his guys, feeds off Coach Moose's energy, and likes having room to play hard without feeling timid.

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Why you'd press play

Want a Duke baseball interview with personality, injury context, and a College World Series note?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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