Pitch Session

To celebrate having made it to double digits, Andrew and Kirstin welcome Duke Head Coach Pam Bustin to the podcast.  They discuss the success the #2 ranked Blue Devils have had this year, and look ahead to Duke's season-ending showdown with their rival and #4 ranked North Carolina this weekend with the ACC outright title and #1 seed for the ACC tournament on the line.

Andrew and Kirstin also look back at the ending of Rutgers undefeated dream, the sketchy status of some of the knowledge of some field hockey commentators, and who's flying under the radar.  They assess the situation of each conference as we head to the final weekend of conference play, discuss the year-ending UNC-Duke showdown, give a vital update on the fat bear contest, and make a pick for the World Series.

It's Week 9 of the season and as the NCAA Tournament draws closer, Andrew and Kirstin are joined by Caitlyn Prandato from Harvard, the Chair of the Division I Field Hockey Committee.  They discuss how the process of how the eight at-large teams for the NCAA Tournament are selected, what goes in to selecting the four regional hosts and whether or not Andrew should have a say in who makes the tournament.

Andrew and Kirstin also break down last week's action, including a rough weekend for Louisville, a big round number for one coach and Rutgers win over Ohio State.  A look at this weekend's games includes Rutgers vs. Northwestern in the Game of the Week, the surging New Hampshire Wildcats, and other Games to Watch (tm).  Oh, and a shout out to the Netherlands.

There's a new #1 team in the country, which means Andrew and Kirstin have a new head coach to talk to.  Northwestern coach Tracey Fuchs rolls the dice with the Pitch Session curse to discuss her #1 Wildcats season to this point, what's gone right during their current 12-game winning streak, and a look ahead to the final weeks of the regular season.  Andrew and Kirstin also discuss Liberty's upset of then #1 North Carolina, preview the week ahead and discuss a wonderful afternoon at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

Andrew and Kirstin are joined by Erin Matson, the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, the newest #1 team in the country.  They discuss her first year as a head coach, what she's found challenging, and Erin shares her very clever rule proposal for field hockey.  Andrew and Kirstin also discuss the past week as teams reach the halfway mark of the regular season and look ahead to another weekend of conference games, top-25 matchups, and games to watch.

Andrew and Kirstin welcome the coach of the #1 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, Lisa Cellucci to discuss what's gone right for the top-ranked team this year, what it's like playing in the rough and tumble Big Ten, if the corn sweats provide a home field advantage for the Hawkeyes, and what to do about overtime.

Andrew and Kirstin also take a look at the most recent coaches poll, compare it to the RPI and look at who's up, who's down, and the Games of the Week (TM).

Andrew and Kirstin discuss the first full week of conference play, preview this weekend's games, look at Team USA's roster for the PanAm Games, and share some things that annoy them.

Andrew and Kirstin look back on the third weekend of the season and the changes it brought in this week Top 20 Poll, look ahead to the start of conference play, debate cross-country travel, and consider Kirstin's affinity for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Andrew and Kirstin discuss the first update to the NFHCA Coaches Poll, an update on the St. Joseph's Hawk, corn sweats in Iowa and a look ahead to the final weekend of play before conference play begins next week.

Andrew and Kirstin look back on the first weekend of play, propose a new polling system for the sport, discuss breaking mascot news, and look ahead to the season's second weekend.

Andrew and Kirstin discuss the NFHCA preseason poll, predict conference championships, and discuss the upcoming season.