Fastpitch Prep

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’...

Everything Fastpitch will have Meg Ram Softball on the podcast in TWO days!
www.fastpitchprep.com

COMPETE I've coached championship athletes. I've also coached the ones who had all the talent yet lacked confidence and mental toughness. I built the COMPETE Journal because I kept seeing the same thing over and over:

Tryout Fee / D1 Tournament Breakdown / How elite athletes handle mistakes / In-game video

Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 420 of Everything Fastpitch, beginning with “good news, bad news”: UCLA’s Megan Grant sets the single-season home run record with 38, but a Big Ten Network replay skipped the record-breaking at-bat in favor of injury and replay footage. They answer a listener question about a $50 travel-ball tryout fee, agreeing the biggest issue is not disclosing it upfront. They break down the newly announced NCAA Division I tournament bracket, noting SEC strength, mid-majors benefiting from SEC teams missing the .500 threshold, and storyline-heavy potential matchups (e.g., Oregon–Oklahoma, Texas–Texas A&M, Alabama–LSU). In cleanup, they encourage players to watch how elite athletes handle mistakes and teamwork, then argue the sport has a shrinking strike zone, citing 1,600 more home runs than last year. They close by questioning in-game iPad video coaching for 12U players, favoring postgame review, and thank sponsors and patrons.

Tryout Fee / D1 Tournament Breakdown / How elite athletes handle mistakes / In-game video coaching - Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast Coach Torrey and Coach Don preview episode 420 of Everything Fastpitch, beginning with “good news, bad news”: UCLA’s Megan Grant sets the single-season home run record with 38, but a Big Ten Network replay skipped the record-breaking at-bat in fav...