This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: How do you know which bats are legit? (@09:13) Help for beginning coaches. Coach Tory just did a coaches clinic and several things came out that he wants to pass on. (@17:13) Coach Dan has several parents on his team that feels like their daughters are just not trying hard enough. (@42:12) A skill that is not being practice nearly enough. That is sliding. (@56:16) Support the show...
Aug 25, 2021•1 hr 5 min
We need to evaluate our level of play in a game and place the winning and losing in its proper perspective. The coaches discuss the possible outcomes of a game and help you understand what you need to look at beside the score board. Support the show
Aug 20, 2021•14 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Is there a shortage of pitchers? Every team posting tryouts is looking for pitchers. (@09:47) Big changes in the world of college athletics. (@17:20) Keeping your field nice and whose job is it. (@39:26) Value of live pitching versus coach pitching. (@54:39) Support the show
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 6 min
The cornerstone of the game is the ability to throw and catch. One of the mistakes we make is playing catch or having a coach play a position and use our range and size to give the player a false sense of accomplishment. To get more accurate throws, adults need to reduce their size and ability to more represent players the size and ability of those we are training. We discuss some methods to accomplish this and we know that it is effective. Support the show...
Aug 13, 2021•14 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment: Listener Question: My daughter is moving up to the 12" ball. Does she need a different glove? (@10:12) Paige's Power Play (@15:47) Now that kids are going back to school, this is a good time to make an assessment of your past year and where you need to make improvements. Then make a plan for development in the coming year. (@21:41) Keep the "fun" in fundamentals. Practice can be boring so you have to come up with a plan to work on the fundamentals and make it f...
Aug 11, 2021•59 min
The greatest challenge for hitters is pitch recognition. What better way for them to gain experience than spending time catching pitchers. They should be able to work up to being able to catch without knowing what pitch is coming. Listen to our thoughts on how to incorporate this into your practice routine. Support the show
Aug 06, 2021•15 min
This Weeks Lineup: Warmup Segment: Listener Question: My daughter is 13 and plays on a 14U team. Her team will be moving up to 16U next year. Should she find a new 14U team or move up with her current team? (@9:32) Paige's Power Play (@14:43) The impact of the NIL and Transfer Portal putting the "I" in team. (@18:30) Olympics (@36:22) To improve your team let them see and witness the next level of play. (@48:31) Support the show...
Aug 04, 2021•55 min
An unpracticed skill is getting up when a play forces us to the ground. On offensive if we dive for a ball and catch it, obviously we need to get up quickly to make a play. If we miss it, we are suppose to be in a secondary position. Get up and get there. If we are a base runner either diving back to a base or sliding into a base, we need to get up quickly in case there is a chance to advance. The worse thing we can do is immediately ask for time while on the ground. The umpire granting time mak...
Jul 30, 2021•16 min
This Weeks Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter hits a lot of singles and has a good batting average, but does not hit with any power. (@13:21) Paige's Power Play (@22:08) Proper Hitting Preparation. The coaches discuss the 4 deep preparation of hitters getting ready for an at-bat.(@25:45) Player's attitudes and influences. We need to be aware of what influences our player's attitudes. We either can help or harm. (@42:23) Coaches, work on your game. We expect players to work on ...
Jul 28, 2021•1 hr 4 min
We discuss the fact that many catchers are way too far back of the hitter. Move them up where they can perform better. The further back you are opens the door to making the pitcher, catcher and umpire have a harder time. When you are close, breaking balls are easier to catch. Low balls don't hit the ground. Umpires get a better read. And the pitcher has a tighter zone to throw into. Support the show
Jul 23, 2021•12 min
This Week's Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter just played her last travel ball tournament forever. I am really depressed about it. What can I do? (@11:24) Paige's Power Play (@:15:34) Part 2 of our interview with Justin McCleod. We cover the Transfer Portal, NIL, etc. (@20:41) Wrap up of the end of the summer season. Make sure we are preparing ourselves to finish well. (@38:32) Coaches - wrap up the summer season and then take a break and decompress. (@45:41) Support the show...
Jul 21, 2021•53 min
We need to train and educate our players so they understand that the strategy choices we are making and to execute them accordingly instead of wondering why. Why distracts from executing. Support the show
Jul 16, 2021•17 min
This Weeks Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: What to do about a rained out tournament? (@8:36) Paige's Power Play (@14:29) Discussion with Justin McCleod about the state of college softball (@18:35) National Organizations are taking over travel softball. (@45:01) Coaches you are going to be judged either way. (@54:15) Support the show
Jul 14, 2021•59 min
When games are being played back-to-back on the same field a lot of time is spent waiting on the team that just played to get out of the dugout and your team to get in. Why wait? Why not warmup? Support the show
Jul 09, 2021•9 min
This Weeks Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter is 8. Is it time to spend some real money on a bat? (@9:37) Paige's PowerPlay (@13:17) Big Changes in the College Game (@15:37) Umpire Shortage is Real (@39:21) Field time is valuable. Use your field time to do on the field stuff! (@44:32) Support the show
Jul 07, 2021•52 min
Sometimes we tell our players things that when looked at from all angles they don't make sense. For instance if we tell our pitchers to pitch down so that they get ground balls because we have a better chance of getting outs. Then we tell our hitters to hit it on the ground. If it is good for the pitcher how can it be good for hitters. There are many examples where we contradict ourselves and confuse the players. Support the show...
Jul 02, 2021•13 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Does it hurt my daughter's development by playing on a team with a great and dominant pitcher? (@7:25) Paige's Power Play (@14:25) Team Jumping (@19:55) Why are a lot of catchers good hitters (@33:49) Cutoffs and Relays and the nightmare that can occur if not done correctly. (@41:51) Support the show
Jun 30, 2021•52 min
Actively training players to actually get a ball into the hand to throw is not practiced enough. It is a skill that can be taught and make the difference in a game. Picking up a ball off the ground is too often mishandled by not getting a firm grip on the ball. Transferring the ball from the glove to the throwing hand needs to be efficient and in a method that minimizes losing control of the ball. Support the show
Jun 25, 2021•14 min
This weeks lineup: Tribute to Coach Bob Heck. Bob Heck was the first coach of fastpitch softball at any college in Georgia. He campaigned for high schools to change over to fastpitch. He established the sport at Georgia State University by backing the program with his own resources. Hall of Fame Coach Scott Whitlock joins Coaches Tory and Don who have known him for many years. RIP Bob Heck Warmup Segment: (@37:33) Listener Question: I have been made the all-star coach and would like some recomme...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Often during the course of a game, a fielding play will take the defensive player to an awkward position related to the space between a base or another player. How often have we seen a play where the fielder throws the ball to another fielder when it would be quicker and simpler for them to just make the play. Or they make a throw that is difficult for the other fielder to handle. It all boils down to instantly recognizing the space between them and where they want to make a play and making the ...
Jun 18, 2021•14 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question. Would the path Odicci Alexander took to play college ball work for me? (@11:57) Paige's Power Play (@15:12) Interview with Joey Myers of the Hitting Performance Lab. If you have interest in the scientific aspects of body movements, this is a must listen. (@19:03) Lessons learned from the college season. (@50:10) Coaches we need to think of every way we can to continue to be better coaches and give our players better experiences. (@59:17) Suppo...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 4 min
During a game the player is fielding, catching and hitting without a coach on the field telling them what to do or how to do it. So the players need to understand the skills needed and why certain things work and some don't. If they don't really understand the skills they tend to act robotically. Between the white lines they are their own coach, so train them accordingly. Support the show
Jun 11, 2021•12 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter seems like she has plateaued, is this normal? (@13:30) Paige's Power Play (@20:09) NCAA Tournament Thoughts (@24:10) Rethinking some defensive things (@37:44) Overcoaching of hitters in a game (@45:56) Support the show
Jun 09, 2021•57 min
Coaches Tory and Don are joined by Hall of Fame Coach Scott Whitlock to discuss the retirement of Coach Candrea from the University of Arizona and Lu Harris-Champer from the University of Georgia. They also cover the retirement of Kennesaw State University's 30 year baseball coach Mike Sansing, which all three of them have had close connections to for years. They also touch on the College World Series and should changes be made to the format and facilities. Support the show...
Jun 08, 2021•29 min
Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss the issues with trying to please 2 coaches at the same time. When school ball and travel team games and practices overlap, what is a player to do? Each coach has the best interests of their team as a number one priority so the player either has to make a choice or do all that each one requires. Support the show
Jun 04, 2021•21 min
Coach Tory gives his predictions for the College World Series. Support the show
Jun 03, 2021•4 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: College teams play far less games in a day that travel teams. Does tha make sense? (@12:21) Paige's Power Play (@18:56) Observations from watching the CWS regionals and the transfer portal. (@21:39) How to handle schedules when you have a mix of players with completely different high school schedules. (@43:15) How should I approach an umpire when I have a question about a call? (@52:14) Support the show...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Running incorrectly can hinder your players performance. It is difficult to track a moving ball if your eyes are bouncing around. Proper form makes it much easier to make the plays. Support the show
May 28, 2021•10 min
Coach Don and Tory discuss the Super Regionals that are being played starting on Friday the 28th Support the show
May 28, 2021•6 min
This week's lineup: Warmup Segment Listener question: What's a good time from home to first.? (@7:02) Paige's Power Play (@14:22) Part 2 of interview with Tristan Hildebrant of Anderson Bat Company (@17:36) The last game. Many players are playing their last game. Some thoughts. (@33:07) Better jump on the bases. (@40:24) Support the show
May 26, 2021•50 min
