My Timehop recently led me down memory lane with a status update from last year that depicted ‘the struggle’ of ball season. I laughed at my own joke (as I frequently do because I’m hilarious) and decided to expand on the idea I had a year ago. For girls all over the United States, the heat of ball season is happening and along with all the games and practices come a few other things. So without further delay, here are 12 reasons why I know it’s softball season.

1.  Corn dogs from gas stations are often referred to as ‘dinner’.
You’re not too good for a corn dog that’s been sitting there for 4 hours. You’re just not.

2.  When the Chinese lady handed me my takeout and said ‘have a nice day’ I responded with ‘good game’.
*Face palm* Sorry, I don’t know how to not softball.

3.  Those tan lines, though.
We all know the classic “Racerback”. Then there is the ever-popular “Permanent Sunglasses”. Followed by my personal favorite “Glove Hand Tan”. And don’t forget those beautiful tan lines at your ankles. JK. That’s dirt.

4.  “Will somebody braid my hair?”
I pity the fool who admits to knowing how to braid. Let me know if you need some Advil for that arthritis that you’re about to develop.

5.   It’s bow time
I didn’t choose the bow life. The bow life chose me. I love breaking out the biggest, most glittery bows you’ve ever seen during softball season. I have no shame in the bow game.

6.  I’m. So. Hungry.
I’ve been up since 6:00am and played five games today. There’s no measurable amount of food that can fix this, but we will try. We will try.

7.  I may or may not develop a drug habit
Game today? Better take a couple ibuprofen. Ehh..let’s make it four just to be safe. Another game? I should probably take a couple more. We play again? A few more won’t hurt. #TeamLowInflammation.

8.  Tournament Tees
Yasssss. I know what I’m wearing to school on Monday.

9.  The apparent baseball/softball conundrum
At least once a season I nearly throat punch someone for telling me that baseball and softball are the same thing. No. No they aren't. They are fundamentally different games. I have never in my life played a game of baseball. Go home.

10.  My leg is sticking to my pants…my bed…my chair…my life.
My strawberry is oozing gross leg juice and it’s sticking to everything. Don’t mind me while I peel my leg from whatever surface it’s currently adhered to. Just keepin’ it classy over here.

11.  Let me set 293409283 alarms for in the morning
It's my biggest fear to oversleep and be late for a game or practice. So I set 20 bajillion alarms just to be safe. You can never be too careful.

12.   Oh, dear God. I forgot my headphones.
Forget your headphones on a long trip? Might as well go ahead and quit life.


So, how do you know it's softball season? Share your personal experiences by commenting below!

Continuing on in the spirit of team, I want to talk about what contributes to a truly great team. I previously wrote an article about how ‘It Takes Nine’ to play the game. That wasn’t entirely true. Yes, you only need nine to play a softball game, but on the vast majority of teams there are anywhere from 12 to 25 girls. Only nine (or ten) can play at a time and those who are aren’t in the lineup often feel disappointed, unimportant and like they can’t contribute to the success of the team. The idea that if you’re not playing then you’re not contributing is false. Every member of the team plays a pivotal role in team success and I want to remind the girls in the dugout of that. If you are in the dugout…you still have the opportunity to contribute to the success of your team. But will you?

Motivation & Encouragement
This is by far the most important thing the girls in the dugout can contribute. Flat out - an upbeat, positive, loud dugout makes a huge difference. I feel like I can’t stress that point enough. A lot of players don’t believe in that, but I’m telling you from many years of experience…it matters. It plays a role in how your team and the other team plays.

I’ve played on teams that had the loudest most supportive dugouts you can imagine. Other teams hated us. Not because we were mean or ugly in our cheering, but just because we were loud and supportive and that annoyed them. You’re mistaken if you don’t believe that a dugout full of girls screaming and yelling in support of their team won’t shake the confidence of their opponents. When your opponent sees 12 to 25 girls rallying, cheering, pumping up their team and being AS LOUD as they possibly can be, it tells the other team that you aren’t giving up. You’re going to fight. You’re going to continue to give 100% no matter what the score is. If you’re up by ten, down by ten, or the score is tied, a loud dugout can get in the head of your opponent. I’ve been a part of it and I’ve witnessed it. I coached the most awesome group of girls this past year down in Excel, Alabama. I had the sweetest girls who were also amazing athletes. And I had a dugout full of non-starters and JV players who absolutely helped us win games. Their excitement, passion, and support of the ten girls in the lineup still leaves me in awe and makes me so proud of them. (Shout out to my Lady Panthers! Excel, baby!!)

Aside from psyching out your opponents, a loud dugout motivates and pumps up your own players. It’s really hard not to get excited when everyone around you is up on their feet cheering, stomping, clapping, and yelling. You have the opportunity to inspire and motivate the girls playing. It shows that you believe in them. It shows you support them. It shows you love them. So get up off the bench, get on the fence, and give everything you can to your team.

Relief
If you are in the dugout you are the relief for the girls in the lineup. It’s reassuring to those girls to know if something were to happen and they had to come out of the game, there is someone else in the dugout who is ready to fill their shoes. So, pay attention. Know what is going on. Support the team. And be ready to fight for the team. If you are in the dugout, you are constantly in relief. Be prepared for when the opportunity comes. Know where your equipment is so you can go in at a moment’s notice. Stay loose. Be into the game. Cheer. As a coach, I’m much more likely to put in the person who has been up on the fence watching and cheering on her team rather than someone who has been sitting on the bench not paying attention.

Watch and Learn
When you are in the dugout you have the opportunity to watch and learn from the starters. You get to learn from their mistakes without the personal repercussions. This is another reason why, as a coach, I carried my JV team with me everywhere. They were there to support, cheer, and learn so when it was their time to step up on to the varsity field, they were ready and knew what was expected of them. Take advantage of the dugout. Use it to your benefit. One day it will be your turn. Make sure you’re ready. 

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I have said before that being on a team requires selflessness. It’s not always easy. It’s not always fun. Everyone wants to be in the game. Unfortunately, that’s not a reality. Only ten can play at a time. But just because you’re not one of the ten, doesn’t mean you can’t play a role in team success. So, you have a choice. You can sit on the bench and pout because you’re not playing or you can get up, set your ego aside, and contribute. It’s your decision.  Who will you decide to be?

In the spirit of my series of posts on ‘TEAM’ I have compiled a list of things that good teammates do or don’t do. Some of it is light- hearted. Some of it is pretty serious. Either way, thou shall follow the handbook if you want to be a good teammate.

Don’t be late. Ever. For any reason.
Because the rest of us are going to run for it and now we all hate you.


Get a good night’s sleep the night before games
Don’t be selfish. Your team is counting on you to be 100% and you can’t do that if you’re running on 2 hours of       sleep.

Take care of yourself
Again, your team is counting on you. Your body can’t perform its best if you aren’t getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and eating right. Don’t skip meals either. Especially on game days.

Don’t drink 24 hours before a game
If you are under aged this rule shouldn’t apply to you. But if you are 21 and over you have the right to drink. I can’t stop you. But don’t drink the night before a game. That’s completely unacceptable and selfish.

Make sure the smell of your cleats don’t gag your teammates
Come on, man. Get some Febreeze.

Don’t gossip to your teammates about your other teammates
Don’t create or encourage drama. This creates bad vibes and tension within the team. Learn to keep your mouth shut and your life will be much easier and happier. I promise. 

Touch the freakin’ line!
If the coach tells you to run to a certain point…you run to that point. If we run extra because you weren’t willing to go 2 inches further, I can assure you, we all hate you.

Don’t be the person who forgets their ponytail holder every single day
That person is really annoying.

Wear a sports bra
For everyone’s sake.

Don’t be the person who always has an excuse
As a coach, I hate it. And as a player, I’m completely annoyed when people constantly make excuses. Hold yourself accountable and do better next time.

Wear sliders
No one should see ‘PINK’ written across your butt through your white pants.

Don’t be a Bat Nazi
Yes, I understand that’s your personal bat but sharing is caring, yo. It’s softball etiquette. If someone asks to swing your bat, you let them. Plus, if you don’t, all your teammates secretly think you’re kind of a jerk.

Don’t bang your cleats with someone else’s bat
If someone lets you borrow their bat, DO NOT hit your metal cleats (or anything else) with their bat. Now you’re the jerk.

Don’t make a big deal if you get called out
It’s embarrassing. If you get called on the third strike or you get called out sliding into a bag, don’t throw a fit. A) The umpire isn’t going to change their call & B) It’s tacky.

Don’t take the option
If coach gives you an option to do something, do it anyway. Everything about ball isn’t a blast. You have to fundraise, pull tarp, clean the locker room, pick up trash on the bus, and all other sorts of not so fun stuff. You’re part of a team and EVERYONE on the team needs to pull their weight.

Carry equipment
Unless your coach has designated certain equipment to certain players, everyone should help out. Don’t leave it to the same soft-spoken, timid kids every time. Get down off your horse and set an example. Do your part.

Keep up with your school work
You don’t help your team out in any way if you are ineligible to play.

Don’t blast your music on the bus
I shouldn’t be able to hear your music if I’m sitting right next to you much less five rows back. Some people are trying to do homework. Some people are trying to sleep. Some people just don’t want to hear your stinkin’ music. Be considerate. Be respectful.

If it’s not important…don’t tell the coach
Your coach doesn’t need to know every little piece of drama. If it’s big and it has the potential to affect the team or it can’t be handled without the coach’s help…yes, involve them. Otherwise, just be quiet.

Don’t bash your coach to your teammates
I know it can be hard at times. (Trust me. I know.) Coach benched you. Coach yelled at you. Coach is unfair. But when you start bashing your coach the next thing you know other people are joining in and suddenly you have the entire team rioting in protest against the person who runs your team and makes it possible for you to even play. (I can assure you, you’re not going to get your coach fired. Sorry ‘bout it.) Flat out, talking smack is contagious. Don’t poison the entire team because you’re upset in the moment. Suck it up and move on.

What happens at softball stays at softball
Don’t tell outsiders all the embarrassing details you learn about your teammates. Keep it in the team.

Don’t be a diva
Ugh. Just don’t.

Don’t take yourself too seriously
If you take a tumble at practice, be willing to laugh it off along with everyone else. Don’t be a Debbie D just because you have two left feet.

Follow your teams rituals
Even if you think it doesn’t matter if the bats are crossed or if you step on the line, just go along with your team’s rituals. It’s not going to kill you.

Don’t be the jerk of an upperclassman
Don’t constantly call on the freshman or rookies to do your dirty work. They are your teammates. Not servants. I promise you, you are fully capable of carrying equipment or manning the bucket during BP.

Learn to throw front toss
This isn’t even a skill. Like, anyone could do this. My grandmother could do this. (Hey, Nana!) It’s really annoying when you’re incapable of underhand tossing a ball to a target from 15 feet away.

Don’t give me a high five after I strike out
I’m really angry right now. I know you’re trying to be encouraging and uplifting, but please, just give me space. I need a second to stop contemplating suicide. Feel free to throw me a “You’ll get it next time” from across the dugout. (I probably take softball more seriously than I should. I’m aware of that.)

Celebrate the success of your teammates
Don’t be a Jelly Janice. Someone on your team did something awesome, which translates into a positive thing for the team. Spit out that Haterade and say congrats (and actually mean it).

Don’t hype up the pitcher unless it’s true
Just because you struck out, don’t come in the dugout and tell everyone she has the sickest rise ball you’ve ever seen (back to the ‘don’t make excuses’ point). Uhh, no. It didn’t move. You just missed. And now you just psyched out your own teammates before they ever stepped up to the plate.

Play because you love the game
If you aren’t playing ball because you love it, do yourself and your teammates a favor and walk away. You can’t fully commit and invest in something if you don’t love it. Your teammates are counting on you to give your all to the team and you can’t do that if your heart isn’t in it.


Being a good teammate isn't always easy or necessarily 'fun'. It requires sacrifice and selflessness. I have probably broken every single one of these rules at some point in my softball career. I am not softball sinless and I don't claim to be. But as the saying goes, "You live and you learn." And then you write a blog. 

My last blog post talked about how I felt that catchers are undervalued. I worried, afterwards, that people would somehow take that to mean that I believe catchers are superior in some way compared to the rest of the team. That is not, in any way, my belief. As a catcher, I am obviously biased and also have more insight into what goes into being a catcher than I do any other position. (I also feel like 2nd basemen are undervalued but that’s another opinion for another time.) So I wanted to do a series of blog posts on the power of team. I say series, because I believe it’s the most important concept in softball and it is the driving factor in creating a successful club and there’s no way I could sum it all up in one post.

I grew up in a program (7th grade to 12th grade) where the guiding principle was TEAM. That is the foundation our success was built on and success was something we had a lot of (shout out to my Lady Rebels). During the years where I was growing the most as a person and developing my own opinions and thoughts about the world, I was surrounded by the concept that I am but a small portion of a much bigger and better picture. I spent nearly every day of my young adult life being reminded of that. I had a coach who did an outstanding job of creating a level playing field. There was no special treatment for anyone – ever. We were equals. (Thank you, Coach Harris for that little life lesson called “Sit down. You are not that special.”)

In sport, I feel as though we place a lot of emphasis on certain positions, like these players are more important than others. These players get more attention and ‘press’ than anyone. And this isn’t something that is seen just in softball. In football, it’s the quarterback. In baseball, it’s the pitcher. In basketball, it’s the guy who’s throwing back sick dunks. So much emphasis is put on one particular position or player. Unfortunately, I’ve even played with girls (as I’m sure most people have at some point in time) who thought the rules didn’t apply to them because they were this or that. Through their words and actions, they came off as entitled and selfish. I’ve even seen coaches perpetuate this by treating them differently and giving them special privileges. (For the love of God, coaches, stop doing this. You’re creating way more problems than you know. Ever heard of team cohesion? Yeah, that’s a thing and it matters.) You can’t create a winning program if anyone has or is given a sense of superiority. (That’s why I don’t believe in having team captains. Your true leaders will step up and lead without a title.) 

In regards to softball and baseball, I have a problem with the fact that the pitcher ‘gets the win’ or ‘takes the loss’. What? Why? Why do they get to take credit for the win or have to carry the weight of the loss? That’s crap. The last time I checked, this is a team sport and that pitcher wasn’t the only one on the field.  Which brings me to my point: it takes nine.

I guarantee you, 100%, without a doubt, if you put any player on the field alone, they will lose the game. This is not an individual sport. It takes everyone. If you want to be a star, if you want all the glory and attention for yourself then go play tennis. Softball isn’t for you.  How many times has a second baseman scooped some ridiculous throw I whipped at her off a bunt? A lot. How many times has a shortstop been there to take my throw when someone tries to steal on me? A lot.  How many times has an outfielder saved my butt after someone jacked a change-up that I called? A lot.  How many times has a pitcher been there to cover the plate after I’ve had a pass ball? A lot. I can’t play this game alone and neither can anyone else. You need every person on that field in order to walk away with a W and when you start singling out players you take away from the power of the TEAM.

So, stop. Stop giving the pitcher the win. Even if she strikes out every batter she faces, she still needs her hitters to put a run on the board. Stop giving the pitcher the loss. She didn’t lose the game by herself. There were eight other girls out there with her. It shouldn’t fall on any one person.  The TEAM won the game. The TEAM lost the game. Stop isolating players. Stop blaming players. Stop crediting players. The TEAM rises and falls together. Mia Hamm said it best: “I am a member of the team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” Right on, Mia. Right on.