Softball Gameday

It’s NOT the Softball BAT

Yes, the holidays are approaching, and yes that means lots of girls in softball land have their eye on new softball gear. (Heck, I got my eye on some new softball gear too). But there is one thing that I would like to make clear with everyone before they go dumping yet another $300 into the…

Picking a Fastpitch Travel Team

Just where we live (in a little ant dot of a community in Georgia), there are literally hundreds of travel teams. And right now, during the fall – is when so much of the spring recruiting is taking place. If you are looking for a new travel team, or looking to find your first travel…

Three Things Coaches Say (That Players Can’t Stand)

We talk to a lot of fast-pitch players round here. And one thing is for sure, fast-pitch softball players have opinions and are emotional little creatures. I’m sure there are plenty of coaches in this world who get down on one knee before a practice or game and just pray that the ‘regular non-hormonal, happy’…

13 Tips for Fastpitch Pitchers

We have to admit, we are a little partial to pitchers. Having several in the family – we are privileged to have an insiders view of just how frustrating, hard, painfully exhausting, and mentally challenging the act of pitching REALLY is. The pitcher IS NOT the most important member of the team. Unless they are…

Making the Softball LineUp

It’s Friday. And somewhere, in some office, or in some living room there is a coach sitting down trying to make weekend line-ups for his or her team. Oy! So many folks in the softball world get frustrated about the line-ups their coaches make. Either heir daughter is not included in it enough, or isn’t…

Softball Player Responsibilities

Get your HOLIDAY SHOPPING DONE WITH SIFG GIFTS and Shirts! You play softball, right? Your mama and daddy don’t play. YOU PLAY! If so – then chances are your parents have taken on a lot of the responsibility to ensure that you can play. Driving you to practice, buying your equipment, showing up at games,…

10 Saving Money During Softball Tournaments

Admit it, you are softball poor. While most people think of golf, or horseback riding as the expensive sports – we all know firsthand that softball AINT CHEAP! Between the equipment, and the shoes that either get beaten up, or grown out of, uniforms and tournaments expenses – its easy to drop thousands of dollars…

Softball Lessons From Team USA

Last weekend, we attended the 2-day TEAM USA fastpitch camp in Chattanooga. It’s an amazing, surreal thing for young players to meet their athletic idols, to see them interact and learn from the girls that they watch play the game they love on television. To be face to face with the best of the best!…

Crying in Softball?

We’ve all seen it. Crying in softball. Typically speaking, many folks think that girls are just criers, and that since softball is such an emotional game – the crying is just par for the course. Then, of course there are all the quotes and sayings that say things like, “There no crying in baseball,” or…

Breaking the Hitters Slump Mentally

We’ve all been there. You’re having a fantastic season and then suddenly you come to a tournament and suddenly can’t hit water if you fell straight out of a boat. Next tournament, same thing happens. At practice, you start struggling hitting a ball off the tee. And so the hitters slump waterfalls. The good news about…

Left of Center – Parents in Fastpitch

When we first started our travel softball team, we gathered the greatest kids and parents conceivable. The good news is that they are still together, and here we are in 16U! The funny thing, is that one softball mama in particular, never seemed very interested in huddling around home plate, participating in the dug out…

A Softball Players Prayer

A Softball Players Prayer! Dear Softball Gods, Please, oh please – bless this bat May the pitches come in slow and fat. May the fielders bobble and boot my ball May me legs on the bases, fail to stall. May I always find the secret sweet spot And hit hard ground balls…

An Open Letter to My Fans

Dear Fans on MY Sidelines; I am a 15-year-old pitcher. I have spent many, many hours struggling against the pitching rubber, trying to get my pitches right, relying on the relentless (and often frustrated) support of my dad in the hopes that I can stand in the middle of the brick-dust, on a slab of rubber,…

Daddy Ball Softball

We, at SIFG, hear a lot of complaints, rants and annoyances in relation to the perception that many competitive teams today are playing “Daddy Ball Softball!!” (This term by the way is inter-changeable with Mommy-Ball, because we KNOW lots of moms coach too!) In fact, recently we had a parent call on us to ask…

Softball Tournaments – Rules of Etiquette

We’ve all been there. Woke up early to prepare to enjoy a full day or weekend at the ball park supporting our children, only to be bombarded with a steady flow of rudeness from people who don’t follow the unwritten rules of a softball tournament. Lets just be understanding for a moment, and give these folks…