‘Might be the best third-rounder we’ve ever spent’: Ben Randall shining for Outlaws
· Yahoo Sports
Late-round draft picks can be wild cards. For every hidden gem, there’s plenty of picks who never even see the field. If you could draft a two-time All-Pro and a locked-in every-game starter, it’d be a no brainer.
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So Tim Soudan did, sort of, as he shipped off a third-round pick for Ben Randall this past offseason. And Randall has been a star for the Denver Outlaws since.
“That might be the best third rounder we’ve ever spent,” Soudan said.
Randall nearly ended up a California Redwood, but the Outlaws swooped in to snatch him from the Philadelphia Waterdogs. With the retirement of Jesse Bernhardt, Denver wanted an experienced, proven starter for a championship-caliber team.
Soudan and the Outlaws are particular about the types of player they bring in, but more importantly the types of people they add to the locker room. Randall checked that box, especially with the strong recommendation of his former Ohio State teammate and Denver captain Ryan Terefenko.
“[Terefenko] and I are pretty close. I mean, he came to my wedding,” Randall said. “I think he played some part in getting me over here.”
That connection was an obvious launching point for Randall with the Outlaws squad, but he quickly ingratiated himself with the squad.
At training camp, he and Mikie Schlosser — another past teammate from their time on the Waterdogs — were two of the older players on the roster. While learning the team on the field, they were also teachers. After practices, they would teach card games to the younger players on the team to help pass the time and get to know the group.
“It was some good team bonding, and I think I’ve gotten to know a lot of the guys really well and become close,” Randall said.
From that point on, it was a natural fit for Randall and the Outlaws.
“He’s been an amazing freaking teammate,” third-year long-stick midfielder Jake Piseno said. “I really feel like he’s been on our team this whole time.”
As Denver’s star-studded offense has battled injuries and absences, the defense has been the rock of the team. The Outlaws boast the best scoring defense in the league, allowing just 9.4 scores per game. They’ve conceded no more than 12 goals in a game and held two opponents to single digits.
Randall has been an integral part of that success. His elite on-ball ability has given Denver one of the best groups of defensive stoppers in front of arguably the best goalie in the world, Logan McNaney. Against the Maryland Whipsnakes, he held TJ Malone without a point for the first time in Malone’s career.
As the Outlaws bear down for the second half of the season — and seven games over six weeks — the key for Randall and the defense is growth.
“I was getting used to playing with the group, but I think we’ve progressed really well throughout this first half of the year,” Randall said.
The end goal for this Denver team is a championship. This group was agonizingly close to glory a season ago, and Soudan pushed his chips in the center for this season. Adding Randall was a big part of that.
While his Philadelphia teams struggled the last two seasons, he’s no stranger to winning at the highest level. He was a key cog on the 2022 team that hoisted a PLL Championship. He’s also the only player on the Outlaws’ 25-man roster who has won a professional championship.
With that Waterdogs team, there was a chemistry off the field that helped that group maximize its talent and win a title. For Randall, he sees a lot of similarities with this Denver group.
“A lot of us were really tight knit, and I do see that with this team too,” Randall said.
The Outlaws’ push to the playoffs starts on the shores of Lake Michigan as they face the Boston Cannons on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.