Fastpitch Prep

Professional Softball Leagues, Transfer Portal Experiences with Alan Vanhook, and Key Coaching Strategies

Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 428 with segments including a Did You Know?, equipment tip, listener question, and an interview with Alan Vanhook, plus a coaching tip on practicing all game situations. They highlight the Professional Softball League (WPSL) as another strong women’s pro option alongside AUSL, noting six teams (including Atlanta Smoke) and urging support for pro opportunities to grow the sport and benefit future Olympic teams. The equipment tip spotlights Rempro Sports defensive face masks. A listener question asks what parents should understand; they stress honoring commitments and recognizing how hard softball is. In the interview, Alan Vanhook shares his daughter Jordyn's Arizona State journey, transfer portal experience, returning as a walk-on, the importance of being a great teammate, mental health, and earning opportunities that led to degrees and a GA role. The coaching tip emphasizes practicing every situation—especially in limited travel-ball practice time—rather than overfocusing on conditioning or talking instead of doing.

Professional Softball Leagues, Transfer Portal Experiences with Alan Vanhook, and Key Coaching Strategies - Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 428 with segments including a Did You Know?, equipment tip, listener question, and an interview with Alan Vanhook, plus a coaching tip on practicing all game situations. They highlight the Professional Soft...

Understanding NCAA's 5-for-5 Rule, College Planning with Shellee Howard, and Bridging Practice to Game Success

Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss the NCAA’s new Division I “5-for-5” age-based eligibility model (five years to play five seasons, with limited exemptions), including potential recruiting impacts that may favor transfers and junior colleges. City of the Week is Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A listener prompt compares Oklahoma softball missing the Women’s College World Series while Oklahoma baseball won it all, noting baseball’s unpredictability versus softball’s more predictable contenders. In the main interview, Shellee Howard of College Ready explains planning early (ideally middle school), the importance of GPA, fit (academic/social/athletic/financial), FAFSA timing and errors, scholarship strategies, private vs public cost realities, and negotiating aid; she shares resources, books, and contact info. The Coaching Tip addresses players who excel in practice but struggle in games, emphasizing mental training, confidence, and game-like pressure in practice.

Shellee's web site : https://collegereadyplan.com/

FastpitchPrep: https://fastpitchprep.com/

Patreon

https://www.buzzsprout.com/153812/episodes/19418930

Understanding NCAA's 5-for-5 Rule, College Planning with Shellee Howard, and Bridging Practice to Game Success - Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss the NCAA’s new Division I “5-for-5” age-based eligibility model (five years to play five seasons, with limited exemptions), including potential recruiting impacts that may favor transfers and junior colleges. City ...

AUSL Growth / Strike Zone Concerns / Defensive Development with Morgan Stuart

Coach Tory and Coach Don open Episode 426 by previewing the show, promoting Patreon, and naming Kansas City, Missouri as City of the Week. They discuss the AUSL’s strong ratings and attendance with the new home-site format, while raising concerns about converted baseball fields and teams missing star players still playing in Japan. A listener question reports an umpire saying the entire ball must be over the plate for a strike, prompting discussion of how that shrinks the effective zone, increases walks and home runs, and the possibility of electronic strike calling. In the featured interview, Morgan Stuart (former Washington player and 2009 national champion, author, and defensive instructor) describes her path from Southern California travel ball to college, why she chose athlete development over college coaching, and her view that recruitment still requires being “the best,” often via top travel teams. She explains softball’s unique speed and limited reaction time, argues most teams under-train defense, and emphasizes daily catching/throwing, quality reps, glove “pocket awareness,” pre-pitch timing and 18-second between-pitch routines, plus celebrating defensive process, not just errors. She shares resources including The Roadmap I Never Had, the Black Book of Drills, Instagram accounts, lessons in Anaheim, clinics, camps, and a $20/month Defense Club. The episode closes with a Father’s Day coaching tip thanking dads and parent-coaches and reminders to support sponsors and submit questions.

Check out Morgan - morgan-stuart.com/

https://www.buzzsprout.com/153812/episodes/19384515

AUSL Growth / Strike Zone Concerns / Defensive Development with Morgan Stuart - Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast Coach Tory and Coach Don open Episode 426 by previewing the show, promoting Patreon, and naming Kansas City, Missouri as City of the Week. They discuss the AUSL’s strong ratings and attendance with the new home-site format, while raising concerns ...

Interview with female athlete Confidence Coach Bre Smedley / Keep Practices Fresh

Coach Tory and Coach Don open by covering a good news/bad news “Did You Know”: the passing of renowned short-game coach Larry Ray, and the June 9 start of the AUSL season with many televised games, plus discussion of intentional walks to star hitter Megan Grant. The city of the week is Omaha, Nebraska. They answer a listener question about whether Texas Tech is leaning into a “heel” persona amid NIL/transfer-portal moves and a football gambling-eligibility controversy. The main interview features mental performance coach Breanne Smedley (The Elite Competitor), who shares her athlete journey, her team’s championship success, and a plug-and-play mental training model including weekly 15-minute lessons, a 5–7 minute “3,2,1 Brave” routine, and a “snapback” reset routine for pressure and failure-based sports. The coaching tip focuses on keeping practices fresh with competitive, skill-based fun and reading when practice becomes unproductive.

Interview with female athlete Confidence Coach Bre Smedley / Keep Practices Fresh - Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast Coach Tory and Coach Don open by covering a good news/bad news “Did You Know”: the passing of renowned short-game coach Larry Ray, and the June 9 start of the AUSL season with many televised games, plus discussion of intentional walks to star hitt...

Monica Abbott Interview with advice and opinions / Handling Conflicting Instruction

Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 424 of Everything Fastpitch, recap the Women’s College World Series (Texas repeats as Division I champion behind Teagan Cavan; record-setting attendance in Oklahoma City), and discuss the irony of all-time great pitchers (Monica Abbott, Cat Osterman, NiJaree Cannady) not winning national titles. They compare Texas Tech’s transfer/NIL-built roster to a “wrestling heel” that heightened fan attention, name Oklahoma City as City of the Week, promote Square Cuts training discs, and answer a listener question about softball spending (top budgets cited at $4–$6M excluding hard-to-track NIL) and SEC athletic donations led by Texas. In the lead-off segment, Monica Abbott reflects on her Tennessee records, WCWS competitiveness, pitcher development into the pros, strike-zone issues, two-way pitchers, and her MA14 Spin Trainer. The coaching tip addresses players receiving conflicting outside instruction and the need for a consistent personal plan.

Monica Abbott Interview with advice and opinions / Handling Conflicting Instruction - Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 424 of Everything Fastpitch, recap the Women’s College World Series (Texas repeats as Division I champion behind Teagan Cavan; record-setting attendance in Oklahoma City), and discuss the irony of all-time ...

Home Field Advantage / Interview with Chip Pugh / Practice Attendance and Playing Time / Coaching Gadgets

In episode 423 of Everything Fastpitch, Coach Tory and Coach Don preview segments and encourage Patreon support, then share a Did You Know about UCLA’s Megan Grant hitting 40+ home runs to crush a record held since 1995 despite playing about 20 fewer games, with Grant also having been part of UCLA’s national-championship women’s basketball team. City of the Week is Oklahoma City, reflecting a download spike during the Women’s College World Series, and they briefly plug Square Cuts training discs. A listener asks about the best D1 home-field advantage; they highlight Alabama’s Rhodes House, plus Nebraska’s record crowds and Arkansas’s intense atmosphere, noting big attendance as a major factor. In the interview, Chip Pugh (a former strength coach who shifted into leadership/character development and now serves as the Tennessee Titans’ director of team development) explains his book Made to Win, built around six practices, encouraging people to believe they were made to win by maximizing potential through serving others and, from his faith perspective, modeling Jesus; he recommends buying in bulk via the publisher site. They also debate practice attendance impacting playing time, emphasizing preseason expectations, communication, and consequences for repeated no-shows, and conclude that gadgets can help teach specific concepts but shouldn’t be overused.
Book links: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Made+to+Win+Chip+Pugh
https://oakspress.com

https://www.buzzsprout.com/153812/episodes/19280648

Home Field Advantage / Interview with Chip Pugh / Practice Attendance and Playing Time / Coaching Gadgets - Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast In episode 423 of Everything Fastpitch, Coach Tory and Coach Don preview segments and encourage Patreon support, then share a Did You Know about UCLA’s Megan Grant hitting 40+ home runs to crush a record held since 1995 despite playing about 20 fe...

Measuring Improvement / Interview with Marla Townsend / Collegiate Summer League / Getting out of a rut

Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 422 of Everything Fastpitch, including a “Did You Know” and City of the Week Las Vegas. They answer a listener question about measuring improvement beyond stats, emphasizing observation, confidence, quality at-bats, and long-term development over instant results. Tory interviews former UAB coach Marla Townsend about her Compete mental performance system (12 key ingredients, journal with QR-code audio coaching, parent playbook, and Performance Hub), available at marlatownsend.com with a discount code "VIP". In the cleanup segment, Robbie Brogdon discusses launching an Atlanta-area collegiate summer league at Heritage Park in McDonough with doubleheaders, streaming/stats, camps, and support for transfer-portal players. The coaching tip covers ways to get a team out of a rut by adding variety and redefining success metrics.

Marla Townsend Compete Program-marlatownsend.com
Collegiate Summer League (Robbie Brogdon - 229-376-8591, [email protected])
https://www.buzzsprout.com/153812/episodes/19234331

Measuring Improvement / Interview with Marla Townsend / Collegiate Summer League / Getting out of a rut - Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 422 of Everything Fastpitch, including a “Did You Know” and City of the Week Las Vegas. They answer a listener question about measuring improvement beyond stats, emphasizing observation, confidence, quality...

Decision Regrets / Interview with Megan Rembielak / Managing a player who coaches other players

Everything Fastpitch episode 421 with Coach Tory and Coach Don previews warm-up segments and features an interview with social media instructor Megan Rembielak. They recap early NCAA Division I regional results and notable games, including Oregon’s elimination by Mississippi State amid pitching injuries, seeded teams advancing (Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia), Florida State’s loss to Stetson and matchup with UCF, and Texas Tech’s comeback win over Ole Miss; they emphasize the value of smaller-conference teams in the tournament. City of the Week is Bloomington, Indiana. Listener Danielle asks about handling coaching decision regret; they advise accountability, grace, and focusing on process over outcomes. In the interview, Rembielak (megremsoftball.com) shares her playing/coaching path, content-creation motivations, views on criticism, key teaching points (timing in hitting, staying in motion on defense), the importance of live reps and softball IQ, and launching RemProSports (remprosports.com) equipment. Coaching tip addresses managing a 12U player who over-corrects teammates by setting guidelines and channeling leadership appropriately.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/153812/episodes/19202418

Decision Regrets / Interview with Megan Rembielak / Managing a player who coaches other players - Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast Everything Fastpitch episode 421 with Coach Tory and Coach Don previews warm-up segments and features an interview with social media instructor Megan Rembielak. They recap early NCAA Division I regional results and notable games, including Oregon’...