Inside the Circle with Coach Pat

The youth softball mental game is the set of skills that helps a player control anxiety, stay focused, and carry practice confidence into real games. If your player crushes the ball in the cage and then freezes in the batter's box, the swing is probably not the problem. You keep paying for hitting lessons, new bats, and a different pitching coach, but nobody is teaching your player how to handle pressure. When the pressure never lets up, the fun disappears, and that is when kids walk away from softball.

In this episode of Inside the Circle with Coach Pat, Coach Pat, a travel softball coach with 20 years of experience developing players and guiding dozens toward college opportunities, sits down with Dr. Holly Roehl, sport psychology consultant and founder of Roehl Sports Psychology Consulting. Dr. Holly Roehl played college basketball at North Dakota State, reached the NCAA Division II Final Four as a freshman, and now runs a four-week mental training program for athletes from age 8 to the pros. You'll learn why every hitter feels anxiety in the box, her rule that where your thoughts go, your energy flows, why breathing is the first tool to teach, how year-round play leads to burnout, and why only about 2% of high school athletes earn athletic scholarships. Your player trains the body every week. Now it's time to train the mind.

You’ll learn:

• Why the youth softball mental game, not mechanics, is the real issue when your player hits well in practice but freezes in games, and why a new bat rarely fixes it.
• How Dr. Holly Roehl's rule, "where your thoughts go, your energy flows," explains why a hitter thinking "I hope I don't strike out" is already setting up the strikeout.
• Why breathing is the first youth softball mental game tool to teach, and how it lowers heart rate, clears the mind, and relaxes muscles in the batter's box.
• Why parents should never coach swing mechanics from the stands during an at-bat, and how trusting your training builds consistency from practice to game day.
• How youth sports burnout builds from year-round play and playing on two teams at once, and why rest and multi-sport cross-training keep kids in love with softball.
• How fear of reinjury affects athletes returning from surgery, and why injured players often hide sadness and isolation from their parents while they recover.
• Why only about 2% of high school athletes earn athletic scholarships, and why Division II or Division III may give your player more field time than Division I.

We talk about:

00:00 Why the youth softball mental game gets overlooked

01:59 Dr. Holly Roehl on what sports psychology really is

05:44 Why do cage warriors struggle once the game starts

06:39 Every hitter feels anxiety in the batter's box

10:13 Playing to compete versus playing not to fail

12:28 Why do kids quit softball by age 14

13:36 Burnout, rest, and the problem with year-round play

16:19 Breathing as the first tool for focus and emotional control

17:03 Why parents should not give batting lessons mid at-bat

20:17 Fear of reinjury and the mental side of injury recovery

23:36 Athletic scholarship odds and choosing the right division

27:23 Advice to young athletes: have fun and dream big

New episodes of Inside the Circle with Coach Pat drop weekly. Subscribe so you catch the next one, and follow Coach Pat Fastpitch Academy on Instagram for training tips between episodes.

Connect with Dr. Holly Roehl

• Website: https://www.hollyroehl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roehlsports/
• Email: [email protected]

Connect with me

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/coach_pat_fastpitch
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/share/19C1qWzufS/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• YouTube - https://youtube.com/@coachpatfastpitch
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#softball #fastpitch #travelsoftball #youthsoftball #softballparents #softballmom #softballdad #mentalgame #softballmentalgame #sportspsychology #mentalperformance #confidence #youthsportsburnout #sportsparenting #softballhitting #athletementalhealth #mentaltoughness #InsideTheCircle

Softball hitting confidence is not a personality trait your daughter is born with. It is proof she builds, one successful rep at a time. If your travel softball player steps into the box with a hope and a prayer, swings at the first pitch she sees, or loses her mind after one 0 for 4 weekend, the problem usually is not her swing. She has no plan, no proof, and no way to measure progress beyond batting average. For travel softball parents and coaches of 14U athletes, that gap shows up as pressing, slumps, and a mental game that cracks with two strikes.

On this episode of Inside the Circle with Coach Pat, Coach Pat, a youth and travel fastpitch softball coach with 20+ years of experience guiding players to college opportunities, sits down with Vicky Galasso, two-time Big Sky Conference Player of the Year at Idaho State, former NPF player, former University of Maryland hitting coach, and founder of Clutch Hitters Club. Vicky explains why she teaches linear hitting, how her quality at bat chart set a team goal of .500, and why her hitters log 10 perfect reps in every location before moving on. She also covers when youth softball players should start strength training, how recovery and nutrition build resilience, and why she was still uncommitted heading into her senior year. Every kid's journey is unique, and the confidence to own it is built in the cage.

You’ll learn:

• Softball hitting confidence comes from proof, not personality, and Vicky Galasso's rule of 10 perfect reps in every pitch location shows your hitter exactly how to build it before game day.
• Quality at bats track hard contact, moved runners, sac flies, walks, and eight plus pitch battles, giving softball parents and coaches a truer read on a hitter than batting average alone.
• Linear vs rotational hitting in softball comes down to time in the zone, and Vicky explains why a linear swing keeps the barrel in the hitting zone longer when timing is off.
• A pitch to pitch adjustment plan builds softball hitting confidence by teaching your hitter to read early or late swings, predict the next pitch, and stop stepping in with a hope and a prayer.
• Strength training for youth softball players can start with body weight speed and agility work at any age, with resistance training added around seventh to ninth grade based on training age.
• Travel softball recruiting does not end at 14U, and Vicky's story of committing to Idaho State as a high school senior shows why culture fit matters more than the biggest program name.
• Recovery, nutrition, and resilience matter as much as reps, because a pitcher throwing 500 pitches a weekend without strength work is piling on volume her body has no base to handle.

We talk about:

00:00 Meet Vicky Galasso, Big Sky Player of the Year

02:35 Starting travel softball late at age 13

07:45 How do you know a travel team is the right fit

11:06 Uncommitted senior year after Penn State said no

14:06 Why culture fit matters on college visits

17:33 How college coaches build a recruiting board

22:09 Linear vs rotational hitting in softball explained

25:51 Building softball hitting confidence through reps

33:30 Making pitch to pitch adjustments at the plate

37:52 What is a quality at bat in softball

44:52 When should softball players start strength training

55:03 What Vicky would tell her younger self

New episodes of Inside the Circle with Coach Pat drop weekly. Subscribe so you catch the next one, and follow Coach Pat Fastpitch Academy on Instagram for training tips between episodes.

Connect with Vicky

• Website: https://clutchhittersclub.com
• Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clutchhittersclub
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vicky_galasso/

Connect with me

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/coach_pat_fastpitch
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• X (Twitter) - https://x.com/CoachPatFP

#softball #fastpitch #travelsoftball #softballhitting #softballparents #softballcoach #youthsoftball #14Usoftball #softballrecruiting #hittingcoach #qualityatbats #linearhitting #softballtraining #softballmindset #mentalgame #softballstrength #girlssoftball #clutchhittersclub #insidethecircle

How to be a coachable softball player comes down to three things three-time Olympic gold medalist Leah O'Brien-Amico lived at every level: take the correction, make the adjustment, and bounce back fast after a mistake. Most young players want to look perfect in front of their coaches. Leah says the ones who rise are the ones willing to get out of their comfort zone. If your daughter just got moved to a new position at fall tryouts, is sitting more than she expected, or tightens up every time a coach tries to change her swing, this episode gives you the words to help her see it as an opportunity.

Coach Pat, a 20 year travel softball coach who has helped guide dozens of players toward college opportunities, sits down with Leah O'Brien-Amico, a three-time Olympic gold medalist (1996, 2000, 2004), three-time NCAA national champion at the University of Arizona, and USA Softball Hall of Fame inductee. Leah explains how Mike Candrea moved her from pitcher and first baseman to center field, why she says that one change is the only reason she made Team USA, and how she got the only hit off Lisa Fernandez in the 1993 national championship game as a freshman role player. She shares why she would take a lesser talent with a stronger mindset, and breaks down her G.O.L.D. Standard framework: goal setting, overcoming obstacles, leadership, and dedication. Every kid's journey is unique, and Leah's proves the path rarely looks the way you planned.

You’ll learn:

• How to be a coachable softball player at camps and practice, and why Leah O'Brien-Amico says only one player on an entire team made the simple drop ball adjustment she asked for.
• How to help your daughter handle a position change, from Leah's move from pitcher and first baseman to center field under Mike Candrea that put her on the 1996 Olympic team.
• Why being a coachable softball player matters more than raw talent, and why Leah says she would take a lesser talent with a stronger mindset when the pressure hits.
• What college softball coaches look for when a player struggles, including why Patrick Murphy waited to see how Montana Fouts responded to a bad outing while recruiting her.
• How to accept a role player spot without checking out, from Leah's freshman year at Arizona to getting the only hit off Lisa Fernandez in the 1993 national championship.
• What "be where your feet are" means, the Mike Candrea mindset that keeps players present after a bad at bat, and why Leah became a better hitter with two strikes.
• How the G.O.L.D. Standard framework helps young athletes set goals, overcome obstacles, lead from any role, and stay steady when comparison and self-doubt creep in.

We talk about:

00:00 Meet three-time Olympic gold medalist Leah O'Brien-Amico

02:56 Joining travel ball at 13 and winning 14U nationals

07:12 Stepping up a level and learning like a student

08:23 How to be a coachable softball player

10:22 Why coaches want to see how you handle failure

12:41 The position change that put Leah on Team USA

16:34 Why a new position is an opportunity not a failure

17:30 Mike Candrea's be where your feet are mindset

19:38 What does it take to be a great role player

20:35 Getting the only hit off Lisa Fernandez in 1993

23:15 How do you reset at the plate with two strikes

32:01 The G.O.L.D. Standard framework for young athletes

New episodes of Inside the Circle with Coach Pat drop weekly. Subscribe so you catch the next one, and follow Coach Pat Fastpitch Academy on Instagram for training tips between episodes.

Connect with Leah

• Website: https://www.leahamico.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leah.o.amico/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah20usa
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-amico-oly-7734531a6/

Connect with me

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#TravelSoftball #SoftballParents #FastpitchSoftball #YouthSoftball #SoftballMom #SoftballDad #14USoftball #CoachableAthlete #BeCoachable #SoftballMindset #MentalToughness #SoftballPositions #CollegeSoftball #OlympicSoftball #TeamUSASoftball #LeahAmico #MikeCandrea #TravelBallParents #SoftballFamily #InsideTheCircleWithCoachPat

A softball recruiting advocate for parents is someone who turns a coach's interest into a real plan instead of a guess, and Cheri Naudin has built an entire company around doing exactly that. If you're posting highlight videos, tagging four hundred coaches, and still hearing nothing back, the problem probably isn't your daughter's talent, it's the strategy. Every summer, travel softball families spend thousands of dollars on camps and showcases chasing a dream school that was never actually recruiting at their level, while the programs that do want them get overlooked completely.

In this episode of Inside the Circle with Coach Pat, Coach Pat sits down with Cheri Naudin, founder of Collegiate Sports Advocate (CSA), who has guided 972 student athletes through the recruiting process, including 210 who landed on a college roster last year alone. Cheri breaks down her Decision Grid method for matching an athlete's talent and academics to the right level of program, explains why she calls unsolicited advice free has no value, and walks through the eighth grade timeline every family should start before high school hits. You'll hear why she believes social media does more damage than good in recruiting, and what to do instead if you want a real invitation, not just a mention. If your family is still guessing where your daughter fits, this conversation gives you the plan.

You’ll learn:

• Why chasing a dream school on social media almost never works, and what Cheri Naudin means when she says you can get more exposed than you get exposure.
• How the Decision Grid matches an athlete's talent, academics, and personality to the right level of program instead of chasing a name brand.
• Why Cheri's rule free has no value explains why most unpaid recruiting advice on social media ends up costing families more than it saves.
• Why eighth grade is the right time to start a recruiting plan, built around the two real seasons travel softball actually has each year.
• Why posting camp invites and highlight reels publicly can hurt a recruit's reputation with the wrong coaches instead of helping it.
• How the current transfer portal and five on five roster changes in college softball are reshaping who gets recruited and when.
• Why Cheri tells parents you have to take the crown off your athlete and find the school that actually values her, not just the biggest name.

We talk about:

00:00 Coach Pat introduces Cheri Naudin and Collegiate Sports Advocate

00:59 How Cheri's own family experience led her to start CSA

07:46 Why todays travel ball culture creates a 99 percent mentality

09:07 Inside the Decision Grid for matching athletes to the right college

17:29 The over reliance on social media in softball recruiting

26:58 How college coaches actually rank talent across divisions

34:59 What the transfer portal boom means for young athletes

46:00 Are recruiting camps and apps actually worth the money

52:37 Why Twitter and social media rarely lead to real recruiting

56:13 When should a family start working with a recruiting advocate

59:05 Cheri Naudin's final advice for softball parents

New episodes of Inside the Circle with Coach Pat drop weekly. Subscribe so you catch the next one, and follow Coach Pat Fastpitch Academy on Instagram for training tips between episodes.

Connect with Cheri

• Website: https://collegiatesportsadvocate.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherimasonnaudin/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherinaudin/

Connect with me

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/coach_pat_fastpitch
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• X (Twitter) - https://x.com/CoachPatFP

#SoftballRecruiting #TravelSoftball #CollegeSoftball #FastpitchSoftball #SoftballParents #RecruitingAdvocate #CollegiateSportsAdvocate #SoftballMom #SoftballDad #NCAASoftball #TransferPortal #SoftballScholarships #YouthSoftball #TravelBall #SoftballFamily #RecruitingJourney #SoftballCoach #InsideTheCircle

A softball recruiting app for parents like APS Recruits exists because the college recruiting process for travel softball families has quietly become an unpaid second job. Between tracking emails, uploading video, and guessing which college coaches are actually watching, parents end up buried in spreadsheets and login screens before their daughter ever steps on a showcase field. Coach Pat sits down with Tiffany Worthy Deering, a 2005 NCAA National Champion at the University of Michigan and now President of APS Recruits, to break down what actually gets a travel softball player noticed and why so much recruiting advice misses the point.

Coach Pat, a travel and youth fastpitch softball coach with more than 20 years of experience and a proven college placement track record, walks through APS Recruits' AI powered school matching, integrated coach messaging, and camp finder covering hundreds of events nationwide. Tiffany explains the platform's real engagement metric, a coach must have an athlete's email open for 60 seconds or more before it counts as genuine interest, and why she believes character and work ethic still outweigh exit velocity in what coaches are actually looking for. You will also hear how the NCAA's five for five roster rule is reshaping the transfer portal and what that shift means for your daughter's recruiting timeline. If your travel softball player is heading into showcase season, this episode hands you a plan instead of more noise.

You’ll learn:

• What a softball recruiting app for parents actually replaces, and why Tiffany Deering built APS Recruits after watching her own daughter juggle five different recruiting platforms.
• How APS Recruits defines real coach engagement, a 60 second minimum email view time, and why that single metric tells you more than a form reply ever will.
• Why college coaches still rank character and work ethic above raw power numbers, and what Tiffany tells softball parents who panic over strikeouts at showcases.
• What age travel softball players should start building recruiting habits, and why eighth grade, not freshman year, is the right time to introduce the process.
• How the NCAA's five for five roster rule is reshaping the transfer portal, and what that shift means for a travel softball family's recruiting timeline.
• Why Michigan's 2005 national championship culture, built on humility and buying into something bigger than yourself, still shapes how Tiffany coaches her own daughter today.
• How to build a custom tag list at tournaments to track which college coaches actually showed up, so your follow up emails reach the right programs.

We talk about:

00:00 Coach Pat welcomes Tiffany Deering to the show

01:14 Tiffany's path from T-ball to travel softball

02:04 Why her parents never pushed her in softball

05:34 Getting recruited to Michigan before social media

08:54 Why culture mattered more than winning at Michigan

12:41 How Ryan Renne built APS Recruits from Firecrackers

16:52 Inside the APS Recruits platform and its features

22:15 Why most players still get discovered in person

26:20 How weekly coach verification keeps emails accurate

28:34 What age to start the recruiting process

34:20 Revisiting Michigan's 2005 national championship win

36:56 Where to find APS Recruits and its pricing

New episodes of Inside the Circle with Coach Pat drop weekly. Subscribe so you catch the next one, and follow Coach Pat Fastpitch Academy on Instagram for training tips between episodes.

Connect with Tiffany

• Website: https://www.apsrecruits.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyworthydeering/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apsrecruits/
• Email: [email protected]

Connect with me

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/coach_pat_fastpitch
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/share/19C1qWzufS/?mibextid=wwXIfr
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• X (Twitter) - https://x.com/CoachPatFP

#SoftballRecruiting #TravelSoftball #CollegeSoftball #SoftballParents #FastpitchSoftball #SoftballMom #SoftballDad #RecruitingProcess #SoftballShowcase #NCAASoftball #SoftballTraining #YouthSoftball #SoftballLife #CollegeBound #SoftballFamily #TravelBallParents #SoftballCoach #InsideTheCircle

Michele Smith is a two time Olympic softball gold medalist, ESPN's lead college softball analyst, and one of the loudest voices in the fight for equal opportunity under Title IX.

If you are a softball parent watching your daughter's team practice on a shared field while other sports get brand new stadiums, this conversation explains why that funding gap still exists and what Michele believes softball communities need to ask for next.

Coach Pat, a 20 year travel softball coach and founder of Coach Pat Fastpitch Academy, sits down with Michele to trace her path from a Title IX baby on the 1996 Olympic team that won gold in the first ever Olympic softball game, through the accident that doctors said would end her pitching career, to the 16 years she spent playing professional softball in Japan.

Michele also answers a question sent in by Briley Watson, a 14 year old catcher recovering from her own injury, using the same one word lesson in perseverance a mentor gave her at 17. Whether your family is dealing with a setback this season or just trying to understand why softball still fights for equal facility funding, this episode gives you a two time Olympic gold medalist's answer, straight from the circle.

• Why Michele calls herself a Title IX baby, and how the 1972 law directly funded the training that helped Team USA win gold in the first ever Olympic softball game in 1996.
• Why softball still struggles to get public facility funding compared to sports like basketball and volleyball, and what Michele believes softball communities need to ask for next.
• What Michele told Briley Watson, a 14 year old catcher who wrote in about her own injury, after a doctor once told Michele she would never pitch again.
• Why Michele walked into her first Olympic softball game exactly 10 years to the day after the accident that nearly ended her career, and what that timing taught her about perseverance.
• How the preparation, performance, recovery triangle Michele built after studies showed her 1996 Olympic team was overtrained now shapes how she thinks about pitch counts for young arms.
• What 16 years playing professional softball in Japan taught Michele about practice culture, and why she believes being the nail that sticks out is a good thing.
• How Michele became the first woman to call a nationally televised Major League Baseball game in 2012, and what that moment meant for women in sports broadcasting.

00:00 Meet two time Olympic gold medalist Michele Smith

02:30 How Title IX built the 1996 Olympic softball team

06:00 Why softball still cannot get equal facility funding

11:40 A 14 year old catcher's letter about her own injury

16:00 What do you tell an athlete told she will never play again

20:30 The one word a mentor named Crazy Jack gave her at 17

29:00 The preparation performance recovery triangle explained

35:30 How many pitches is too many for a young arm

38:15 What 16 years playing professional softball in Japan taught her

44:00 How she became ESPN's lead softball analyst while still competing

49:20 Calling the first nationally televised MLB game as a woman

58:20 Inside Clearwater for Youth and Title IX Vineyards

New episodes of Inside the Circle with Coach Pat drop every other week. Subscribe so you catch the next one, and follow Coach Pat Fastpitch Academy on Instagram for training tips between episodes.

• Website: https://michelesmith.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelesmith32/
• X: https://x.com/michelesmith32
• Title IX Vineyards: https://titleninewine.com/
• Crush for a Cause: https://crushforacause.org/

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/coach_pat_fastpitch
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• X (Twitter) - https://x.com/CoachPatFP

#MicheleSmith #TitleIX #OlympicSoftball #TravelSoftball #FastpitchSoftball #SoftballParents #SoftballMom #SoftballDad #TeamUSASoftball #SoftballHistory #SoftballInjuryRecovery #14USoftball #SoftballCoach #WomenInSports #ESPNSoftball #SoftballMindset #TravelBallParents #CollegeSoftball #SoftballFamily #InsideTheCircleWithCoachPat

Travel softball for parents means finding guests who have lived every version of this journey, and Dr. Dot Richardson has lived nearly all of them. Rejected for being a girl, told to cut her hair and go by the name Bob just to play Little League, she still became the youngest player in women's major fastpitch softball history at age 13. If you're a travel softball parent watching your own kid face rejection, an odd age cutoff, or a rough stretch of strikeouts, Dot's path is proof the setback is rarely the whole story.

Coach Pat, a 20 year travel softball coach who has helped guide dozens of players toward college opportunities, sits down with Dr. Dot Richardson, a two time Olympic gold medalist, orthopedic surgeon, and 13 year head softball coach at Liberty University, to talk about believing in a dream before anyone else does.

Dot breaks down the mental approach she used at the plate, grouping every 10 at bats to manage confidence through slumps, and explains why she considers softball one of the hardest sports to play because it is built around more failure than success. She also traces the origin of the Spring Games at Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont, Florida, the college softball showcase she founded in 2008 that has grown to as many as 500 teams a year. If this softball season has felt like one long string of setbacks for your family, this conversation is the reset.

You’ll learn:

• Why Dot turned down the chance to play Little League baseball disguised as a boy named Bob, and what that decision taught her about not hiding who you are.
• How grouping every 10 at bats became Dot’s mental strategy for staying confident through a slump, a tool any travel softball parent can pass along to a struggling hitter.
• The story behind the first home run in Olympic softball history, hit by Dot in the 1996 Atlanta Games, 30 years before this episode aired.
• Why Dot tells young players that softball is built around more failure than success, and how travel softball parents can help reframe strikeouts as part of getting better, not falling behind.
• How the Spring Games at Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont, Florida grew from one college team in 2008 to as many as 500 teams a year, and what that means for softball recruiting exposure.
• What Dot tells athletes about finding their identity outside of wins, losses, and how well they played that day.
• Why Dot believes a missed all-star tournament, an age cutoff, and even a childhood injury were each part of a bigger plan for her softball career.

We talk about:

00:00 Introducing Dr. Dot Richardson, Olympic gold medalist and Liberty softball coach

00:43 Meet the youngest player in women's major softball history

02:34 Why Dot turned down the chance to play as a boy named Bob

06:56 The tryout that put her on a women's softball team instead of baseball

11:38 An injury before the all-star tournament and the setback that followed

15:27 The at bat that made her a big leaguer at 13 years old

26:00 What people told her in high school she would never do

33:03 Why is softball built on more failure than success

36:36 The story behind the first home run in Olympic softball history

44:35 What does it mean to show your faith on and off the field

49:37 Inside the Spring Games and Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont

58:14 Where to find Dot’s own podcast and closing thoughts

Connect with Dr. Dot Richardson

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdotusa1/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dot-richardson-815773249/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrDotRichardson/
• Podcast: https://dotrichardson.com/pages/podcast
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDotRichardsonShow
• Website: https://dotrichardson.com/

Connect with me

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/coach_pat_fastpitch
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/share/19C1qWzufS/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• YouTube - https://youtube.com/@coachpatfastpitch
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@coach.patfp
• X (Twitter) - https://x.com/CoachPatFP

#TravelSoftball #SoftballParents #FastpitchSoftball #YouthSoftball #SoftballMom #SoftballDad #OlympicSoftball #DotRichardson #LibertySoftball #SoftballRecruiting #SoftballMindset #14USoftball #SoftballFamily #TravelBallParents #CollegeSoftball #SoftballCoach #FaithAndSports #InsideTheCircleWithCoachPat

Travel softball for parents raises one of the toughest questions in the sport: how do college coaches actually decide who gets recruited?

On Inside the Circle with Coach Pat, University of Montana head softball coach Stef Ewing pulls back the curtain on the college softball recruiting process, from reading a tournament schedule the right way to understanding why rosters are expanding under the NCAA's new five-for-five eligibility rule. If you have ever wondered why one player gets seen at a showcase and another gets missed, this conversation breaks down exactly what recruiters are watching for and when.

Coach Pat, a 20-year youth and travel softball coach with a proven college placement track record, sits down with Stef Ewing, now entering her third season as head coach of the University of Montana Grizzlies in the Big Sky Conference. Ewing walks through the recruiting board her staff builds before tournaments like Colorado's Sparkler and IDT, explains how the transfer portal and the five-for-five rule are reshaping roster sizes, and shares her mudita based approach to team culture and player confidence.

Parents and coaches walk away with a clearer picture of when to contact a program, what college coaches actually notice between innings, and how to help a young athlete build confidence that outlasts any single game.

You’ll learn:

• How the five-for-five eligibility rule is expanding college softball rosters, and why Stef Ewing is holding two roster spots open while she waits to see who returns for a fifth year.
• Why sending your tournament schedule to a college program the night before you play is already too late, and when the college softball recruiting process should actually start.
• What college coaches are really watching for between innings, including outfield throws and infield reps, when they show up to a showcase game to see one specific player.
• How the transfer portal is changing college roster building, and why Stef Ewing still prioritizes recruiting high school players over transfer additions on her own team.
• Why Stef Ewing built a Colorado recruiting board covering 46 games a day across three coaches, and how her staff decides which players get direct communication first.
• How mudita, finding joy in a teammate's success, shapes team culture at the University of Montana and helped turn a last-place Big Sky team into a near champion.
• Why confidence, not results, is the biggest factor Stef Ewing coaches for, and how she teaches college athletes to communicate honestly when they are struggling.

We talk about:

00:00 Welcome to Inside the Circle with Stef Ewing

00:53 Meet Montana head coach Stef Ewing

02:27 How Stef Ewing started playing softball at age 12

03:53 Landing her first coaching job at Butler

10:21 What makes a player fun to watch when recruiting

16:23 How does the five-for-five rule change college rosters

19:59 Why a late tournament schedule costs you a recruiting look

26:23 What is five-for-five and how it affects recruiting timelines

33:00 Why rosters are expanding and how the portal changes roster turnover

35:48 Building team culture through mudita

41:14 How to help a young athlete build real confidence

53:41 Meet Stef Ewing's Montana coaching staff

Connect with Stef

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanieewing
• Website: https://gogriz.com/sports/softball/roster/coaches/stef-ewing/1891

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Softball team culture is the real reason a mid-major program keeps beating Power Four schools, and in this episode of Inside the Circle, Coach Pat sits down with Rick Fremin, head coach at Southeastern Louisiana University, to find out exactly how he built it.

In five years, Rick took a program with only four winning seasons in over three decades to back to back NCAA tournament appearances, a first ever regular season conference title, and the school's first at-large NCAA bid in 23 years.

Rick breaks down the lion, chameleon, turtle, and bull framework he uses to evaluate players, why he'd rather recruit character than home runs, and why a transactional recruiting pitch breaks teams apart while a transformational one holds them together. He also shares why his team runs a player-led leadership council and a 30 minute phone-free rule after every game.

If you're trying to understand what actually separates good teams from great ones, this conversation gets specific.

You’ll learn:

• Why Rick Fremin cares more about a player's character than her home run totals or batting average when building softball team culture.
• What the lion, chameleon, turtle, and bull framework reveals about the four player personality types and who a program should actually recruit.
• Why a transactional recruiting pitch breaks teams apart while a transformational approach to softball culture holds them together long term.
• How a player-led Lion Council gives athletes real ownership over team accountability instead of leaving all of it to the coaching staff.
• Why Rick Fremin's program runs a 30 minute phone-free rule after every game to protect relationships over distractions.
• What it actually takes to move a roster from a team to a champion to a warrior, and why that process takes years, not one good season.

We talk about:

00:00 Meet Rick Fremin and the Southeastern Louisiana turnaround

02:24 Why vision matters more than talent when building a program

04:12 Inside the team retreat that sets the tone every season

05:12 Why you can't put bad people in a good organization

09:35 How faith and self improvement show up in daily culture

10:00 Why a strong culture ends up recruiting itself

11:56 The win or learn mindset behind failing forward

17:07 Why players are treated like adults with no curfews

24:44 Transactional versus transformational team building

26:18 How the player-led Lion Council keeps standards high

28:00 The lion, chameleon, turtle, and bull personality framework

Connect with Rick Fremin

• Camps + Clinics: https://www.rickfremincampsandclinics.com/

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Travel softball recruiting advice from someone who has sent 529 players to college ball starts right here.

In this episode of Inside the Circle, Coach Pat sits down with Bill Conroy, founder of the Beverly Bandits and the original Chicago Bandits professional team, who has spent over 30 years guiding families through camps, showcases, and the recruiting process.

Bill breaks down why one smart camp choice can save a family thousands of dollars, how the new five for five rule and transfer portal are reshaping college rosters, and why he caps parent coaches at three years max to protect kids from favoritism. He also shares the story behind Empowering Girls for Life, the nonprofit that gave out $140,000 in scholarships last year.

If you're trying to understand where the real value is in recruiting, this conversation cuts through the noise.

You’ll learn:

• Why one local recruiting camp with several college programs in attendance can outperform four separate out of state camps that cost $8,000 total.
• How the new five for five eligibility rule is changing the way college softball players plan their four to five years on a roster.
• Why Bill Conroy caps parent coaches at two to three years on a team to avoid favoritism as recruiting decisions get made.
• What percentage of transfer portal athletes actually land in a better spot, according to Bill's estimate from three decades of recruiting.
• Why building real relationships with college coaches takes years, not a single strong season, before a travel program gets real recruiting traction.
• How Empowering Girls for Life grew from a single event into a nonprofit that gave out $140,000 in scholarships last year.

We talk about:

00:00 How Bill Conroy backed into coaching softball by accident

02:07 Building the Beverly Bandits from rec ball to a national title

04:05 Why he almost coached in Chicago's first pro softball league

09:52 Should young players go to college recruiting camps

12:12 Why one smart camp beats four expensive flights

13:35 How COVID and new rules changed softball recruiting for good

17:00 Why parent coaches need a built in expiration date

23:42 The years it takes to build real college coach relationships

25:06 What actually happens behind the scenes at PGF Nationals

27:00 The truth about the Colorado 4th of July tournaments

30:22 Why Empowering Girls for Life started and what it's grown into

Connect with Bill Conroy

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-conroy-3a1a555/
• Empowering Girls for Life: https://empoweringgirlsforlife.com

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#TravelSoftball #SoftballRecruiting #CollegeSoftball #PGF #BeverlyBandits #SoftballCamps #SoftballParents #14USoftball #SoftballShowcase #DivisionOneSoftball #SoftballScholarships #EmpoweringGirlsForLife #FastpitchSoftball #SoftballCommunity #InsideTheCircle #CoachPat #SoftballDad #SoftballMom #TravelBall #YouthSoftball