Jay and Ken are back with a brand new episode guaranteed 100% fresh! They offer their thoughts on teams looking for "A Level Bracket Pitchers" post-tryouts, parents and coaches placing trying to win every game over player development, unrealistic expectations for pitchers, the reality that other players won't be perfect either, the importance of using video during training and more.

With the 2026-2027 softball season getting under way we thought it would be good to address the mental side of the game with this re-release of Jay and Ken's conversation with the amazing Dr. Rob Gilbert, professor of sports psychology at Montclair State University. Dr. Gilbert shares his thoughts on the importance of consistency to achieve excellence, how a thought repeated enough becomes a belief, Muhammed Ali's approach to training (and how he hated it but trained harder than anyone in spite of it), and his formula for success, among other nuggets and stories.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College head coach and personal friend of the podcast Gina Furrey Buhse joins Jay and Ken to talk about her early days as a star pitcher in high school, the devastating shoulder injury that ended her college softball career (and how it happened), how her degree in psychology helps her as a coach, and her lifelong love love of learning. Coach Buhse also discusses what she looks for in recruits, some of the advantages of playing in the NAIA over other college divisions, her views on pitching mechanics, and SMWC's team support alpaca Andre. Anyone interested in setting up a pitching lesson with her can reach her through her Furrey Fastpitch website, http://www.furreyfastpitch.com/.

Jay and Ken offer a timely episode that offers tips for players and parents to help ease the transition onto a new team, and for coaches to begin the tough work of getting teams with some or all new players to gel. They share some strategies and activities they have used to make it happen. The guys also talk about some sides of being a pitching coach, or any type of instructor for that matter, that people often don't see. It's about a lot more than the lesson itself!

In this week's episode, Jay and Ken speak with Fuel and Fire owner Shayla Cravens Taylor about her journey as a star pitcher at Silver Creek High School in Indiana, her time as a D1 pitcher at Kennesaw State University, and the events that led to her launching her career as both a pitching coach and a registered dietician. Coach Taylor talks about how meeting Lisa Fernandez when she was a youth player inspired her, the differences between what she was taught and what she teaches (and why she changed), and what her business entails. She also shares some tips about diet and nutrition, including what to eat at tournaments (and when to eat it), her thoughts on supplements, how much protein softball players really need, and how to stay hydrated on hot and humid days. She also busts a few food-related myths. If you are interested in pitching lessons or a nutrition consultation, you can contact Coach Taylor at https://www.fuelandfirellc.com/ or via her Facebook Fuel and Fire LLC Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/fuelandfirefastpitch.

Jay and Ken were delighted to speak with Joni Frei, founder and lead architect of Canada Futures, a program designed to identify and nurture high-level softball talent in Canada while raising the quality of play across the board, about her work with that organization, why this Canadian chose to play at Georgia State College and University (the reasons will surprise and amuse you), how she came to be an assistant coach at Kennesaw State University, and her experiences coaching internationally in Austria and Uganda, among other locations. She also shares why she is so dedicated to mentoring younger coaches, some ways the game has changed, a Disney-quality story about bringing a Ugandan team to play in a major tournament in Canada and more! A huge shoutout to Sarah Pauly for connecting us with Joni. For more information about Canada Futures, go to https://www.canada-futures.com/.

Jay and Ken take a deep into what to do, and what not to do, during tryouts for players, parents and coaches. Among the topics discussed are the importance of projecting confidence by talking to the coaches/evaluators and looking them in the eye, what not to wear (you'd be surprised), what parents should do during tryouts, questions to ask, whether the team emphasizes player development versus just managing the skills they already have, and whether a "National" team designation or a branded franchise is worth it.

Hall of Famer and longtime Central Michigan University head coach Margo Jonker joins Jay and Ken to talk about how she got started in fastpitch softball, some of the great coaches and mentors she had early in her career, what it was like taking over CMU's team in only its second year and building it into a national powerhouse, how she built her own knowledge base talking to coaches and going to clinics, and how she still enjoys going to watch games live. She also shares her thoughts on how the game has changed, aspects where it has improved, things parents and player can do to help or hurt their chances of being recruited, and why many coaches still prefer multi-sport athletes when building a team.

University of Washington pitching coach and USA Men's National Team pitcher Brad Kilpatrick talks to Jay and Ken about growing up as an athlete in Australia, how his performance in on the Australian Men's Juniors team and a chance encounter by his father led to him playing for Team USA, his experience as an undergraduate assistant for Tim Walton at Florida, and how it led to his current coaching position. He also shares his thoughts about the benefits of more practice and fewer games, how many pitches a pitcher needs (and 340% grading system he uses), the importance of developing every pitcher on the staff, what he believes a good strike percentage is for a collegiate pitcher (and how that impacts younger pitchers, and more!

Renowned catching coach Bobby Humphrey, a volunteer assistant at Bridgewater College and conductor of catching clinics across the U.S., joins Jay and Ken to talk about all things catching. He describes his early years as a high school and collegiate baseball catcher, how an injury led him into coaching, how he transitioned from baseball to girls fastpitch softball (and why he would never go back), and how it's changed over the years. He also shares what he believes are the foundational skills every catcher must have, some of the tools and approaches he uses to develop catchers, what he learned about evaluating players as an associate scout for the NY Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, and talks about his two books (one on catching and one on hitting). For those interested in learning about his catching clinics, go to https://sites.google.com/view/bobbyhumphreycatching/home?authuser=1.