This week the podcast takes on a bit more of an international flavor as Michael Bastian, who spent time as a coach with Team USA in the first Olympics era and was head coach of the Chinese National Team heading into the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, joins Jay and Ken to talk about how he got started in coaching and how he rose to coach at the international level. He shares his thoughts about what he learned from that experience and how it can be applied at the youth, high school, and college levels, what teams from China and Japan do so well, stories about legends such as Crystal Bustos, and what Team USA needs to do to recapture the Gold Medal in 2028 in LA.

In this week's episode, Jay and Ken talk pitching mechanics, starting with a deep dive into what exactly is internal rotation - and what it's not - as well as explaining the importance of a brush trigger/brush contact. They debunk the so-called "hybrid" model, then move on to the effect of good posture, proper use of the stride leg, and how the timing has to be just right. The episode also includes a discussion about why parents and coaches should be watching the D1 college softball playoffs (including the Women's College World Series) before setting their expectations for perfection for their own rec, travel, and high school players.

In this week's episode, Dr. Rob Gilbert, a professor of sports psychology at Montclair State University in New Jersey, joins Jay and Ken to talk about how he got started in the field (at a time when it basically didn't exist), why he started his daily Success Hotline call-in series, which is currently in its 47th year with nearly 13,000 messages, and why he takes saying he offers "food for thought" as an insult. He also shares some insights on why athletes get the "yips" (and what to do about it), what it takes for athletes to move from good to great, his formula for success (A+ST+GOYA=R+/-) and what it means, and some of his favorite stories about high achievers. If you're interest in hearing his 3-4 minute Success Hotline stories each day you can call 973-743-4690. If you'd like to share a story with him or contact Dr. Gilbert for other purposes you can email him at [email protected].

This week Jay and Ken are joined by Dee Abrahamson, the winningest fastpitch softball coach in Northern Illinois University history whose 1988 squad made it all the way to the Women's College World Series - the only NIU team to accomplish that feat. She shares how she became a collegiate fastpitch coach despite never having played the game herself, her coaching philosophy (which later carried over into her administrative career), her work on the NCAA rules committee (including helping write the first rulebook), her duties at the WCWS today, and rules changes that have impacted the modern game among other topics.

We know that the recruiting process can be challenging and confusing for parents and players alike, so Jay and Ken were excited to welcome Ryan Renne and Tiffany Deering to talk about what it takes to get recruited, what coaches look for, and how to go about the process. They also shared some information on their new APS Recruits platform which consolidates and simplifies many of the tasks involved with communicating with college coaches and tracking the results of those communications while helping high school age families build a solid list of appropriate targets. The platform is free to try through the end of the summer 2026 season and can be found at https://www.apsrecruits.com/. If you sign up, use code LAUNCH2026.

Award-winning journalist and content creator Steve Hendershot joins Jay and Ken to talk about his upcoming documentary-style podcast Uningrained, which looks at the way things are and asks if ingrained views might need to change. He talks about Season 1, which asks the question why baseball leagues for girls aren't more widespread. He shares what he learned about how fastpitch softball was encouraging to women in sports more generally while baseball actively discouraged girls from participating, the rise and fall of men's fastpitch softball, why baseball might now be a good alternative and more. He also covers general topics such as the validity (or not) of player rankings. More information on Uningrained can be found at https://www.uningrained.com/.

Legendary pitching coach Rich Balswick joins Jay and Ken to talk about his years as a top men's player and what made him transition from being a hard thrower to a great pitcher. He also takes a deep dive into how to throw a great rise ball (and what's lacking in the way many of today's top pitchers are being taught) as well as sharing his thoughts on the importance of the thumb in various pitches, rushing young pitchers into games instead of giving them time to develop, the use of the curve and rise at every level, and the importance of continuous learning for every coach regardless of age, experience, or accomplishment. For those looking for more wisdom from the Master, check out his Wick's Wednesday posts on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rich.balswick.2025.

This week Jay and Ken are joined by one of the all-time great fastpitch pitchers, the incredible Sarah Pauly. The former D1 and National Pro Fastpitch standout talks about how she came to play for Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, her long playing career in the NPF with the Connecticut Brakettes, Washington Glory, USSSA Pride, and Akron Racers, and what it was like playing in the Japan Pro League. She also shares her thoughts about pitchers being sent into games without adequate warm-up time, the trend of teaching pitchers to leap, why no one is ever a finished product, how she approaches pitching lessons, and the struggles she faced as a young pitcher trying to learn her craft. It's a great conversation with one of the best the game has ever known.

Red River High School and former University of North Dakota pitching coach Don Stopa joins Jay and Ken to talk about his career as a head and assistant coach at the D1, D2, NAIA and Juco levels. He shares what he looks for when recruiting players (beyond the numbers), typical mistakes players and parents make in the recruiting process, common mechanical flaws in pitching mechanics, why he prefers pitchers that can throw north-south, and his thoughts on the transfer portal. He also talks about his D J Stopa Consulting and Training business and how it helps players and parents prepare to play at the next level and find the right fit for them. To learn more about his services go to https://djstopa.com/ or email him at [email protected] or [email protected] .

USA Softball National Hall of Fame umpire Joe Massaro joins Jay and Ken to share how he got started as an umpire and how he worked his way up through the ranks to call women's national fastpitch, women's international play, and National Pro Fastpitch league games as well as college games for more than 40 years. He also shares his insights on the shrinking strike zone, the use of instant replay (he's not a fan), how the current climate is affecting recruitment of umpires to overcome the shortage, and what makes a good umpire. If you've ever wanted a peek behind the scenes of the men and women in blue, this is your chance!