Madden Fastpitch Academy

07/30/2026

PREACH👏👏👏

I remember coming out of retirement in 2018 when Team Canada was getting ready for the Olympics. It felt like every conversation had shifted to analytics.

Rapsodo came out to one of our camps in California and I was genuinely excited. We never had this stuff when I was younger. I wanted to know my numbers. My spin rate. My movement. My efficiency. I wanted every piece of information I could get.

At the end of the session, the guy sat me down and walked through my report.

Then he looked at me and said something I’ll never forget.

“Based on your data… you’re really not built to be a strikeout pitcher.”

I remember just staring at him.

Not because I was offended…

Because I was trying to figure out how a machine was so confident about telling me who I was.

So I asked him a few questions.

Does your data measure who wants the ball with the game on the line?

“No.”

Does it measure who can execute a pitch when their heart feels like it’s going to explode out of their chest?

“No.”

Does it measure who’s willing to fail, get embarrassed, and still come back attacking the next hitter?

“No.”

Does it measure obsession? Confidence? Competitive fire?

“No.”

I said, “Interesting…”

“Because I’m fourth all-time in NCAA history with over 1,700 strikeouts.”

Here’s my point…

Data is a tool.

It’s not your identity.

Too many athletes today hear one number, one metric, one opinion, and immediately decide that’s who they are.

“My spin isn’t good enough.”

“My velocity isn’t high enough.”

“The numbers say I can’t.”

Bu****it.

The numbers tell you where you are.

They don’t get to tell you where you’re going.

If I would’ve believed that report, maybe I stop chasing greatness. Maybe I pitch scared. Maybe I become exactly what the data predicted.

Instead…

I trusted the competitor that lived inside me more than I trusted a computer.

Use analytics.

Learn from them.

Get better because of them.

But don’t ever hand a machine the authority to define your ceiling.

Because some of the greatest competitors the world has ever seen did things the numbers never saw coming.

07/28/2026

07/24/2026

📢We are excited to host an official MLB Pitch, Hit & Run competition! 🥎⚾🏆

📅 Thursday, July 30th | 6–8 PM
📍 Tyger River Park, Field Blue 6
179 Dillard Road, Duncan, SC 29334

Ages 7-14, girls & boys, softball & baseball divisions.

Compete in three events:
🎯 PITCH — test your accuracy on the strike zone target
💥 HIT — see how far you can send it off the tee
🏃 RUN — race the clock in a 90ft sprint

Top scorers can advance to a Team Championship… and it doesn’t stop there. The road literally leads to the MLB World Series. 🏆 Yes, really.

👉 It’s FREE. It’s fun. Register now:
https://pitchhitrun2026.leagueapps.com/events/5036875-upstate-power-house

Tag a future Pitch, Hit & Run champ below 👇

07/23/2026

I’m going to say something not everyone loves to hear.

Pushing your kids past their comfort zone is part of the job. Comfort doesn’t build competitors. It doesn’t build resilience. It doesn’t prepare them for a 3–2 count with the game on the line. Growth lives just outside what feels safe.

Sometimes they’re tired. Sometimes they don’t feel like it. Sometimes they’d rather be anywhere but in that uncomfortable moment. And as a parent, you can see what’s on the other side of that resistance. You know if they lean in just a little more, something shifts. Confidence builds. Calluses form. Belief grows. That push matters.

But here’s the part people skip over — you also have to know when to reel it in. There’s a difference between stretching them and snapping them. A difference between holding a high standard and making them feel like they’ll never be enough.

If the fire in their eyes starts to dim, if the joy disappears, if the pressure gets heavier than the passion — that’s when you pause. That’s when you check yourself. The goal isn’t to raise robots who perform. It’s to raise strong, confident humans who choose to compete.

Pushing is powerful. Listening is powerful too. The best parents know when to press and when to protect. And if you get it right, they won’t resent the push — they’ll realize you weren’t pushing them to win. You were pushing them to become.

07/10/2026

Options on Tuesday and Thursday this week to focus on your velocity! See you there✨

Register here: https://maddenfastpitch.myesoftplanner.com/dashboard

07/09/2026

So much wisdom here👏👏

The best conversation I had yesterday wasn’t after a win. It was after a loss.

Yeah, losing pi**es you off. It should. If losing doesn’t bother you, you’re probably in the wrong sport. But once the game is over, I’m not interested in blaming the umpire, the errors, or the offense that couldn’t buy a run. I’m interested in one thing… What did we learn?

One thing I told my daughter hit hard. As pitchers, we have this bad habit of lowering our standard when everything around us starts falling apart. The defense kicks a ball. The bats go silent. The strike zone is all over the place. And somehow we convince ourselves it’s okay to stop throwing with conviction because “nothing else is working.”

Absolutely not.

Your standard doesn’t move because somebody else’s did. Your job is still to own the next pitch. Not the last call. Not the last error. Not the scoreboard. The next pitch. That’s it.

Too many athletes let outside chaos become an inside excuse. The great ones don’t. They aren’t emotional because they’re winning, and they don’t fall apart because they’re losing. They’re locked in because they understand their job never changes.

Every time you get the ball back… deep breath. Get the sign. Trust your work. Attack.

I’ve always loved what Ken Ravizza taught: stay committed to the task, not the outcome. The second you start worrying about the umpire, your defense, your offense, or the scoreboard, you’ve given away the one thing you actually control—your focus.

The game is going to throw garbage at you. Bad calls. Errors. Cheap hits. No run support. Good. Compete anyway.

Because toughness isn’t dominating when everything is going your way. Toughness is refusing to lower your standard when nothing is.

Anybody can compete when they’re up five.

Show me the pitcher who refuses to blink when she’s down two.

That’s the one I’d bet on every single time ‼️

06/30/2026

CLAIRE! So proud of you kiddo🔥

💚🥎 BACK-TO-BACK WINS! 🥎💚

The Northwood Minors All-Stars are State Champs after an incredible evening at the park!

🏆 Game 1: 3-2 Win
🏆 Game 2: 3-2 Win

Two one-run victories. One determined team! We’re so proud of these players, coaches, and families for their grit, heart, and never-quit attitude.

💚🤍