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149. Utah Tech Softball Coach Randy Simkins
107 Plays21 days ago
This week, we’re joined by Coach Randy Simkins, the head softball coach at Utah Tech University. Coach Simkins is the only college coach in Utah history to lead teams at the JUCO, DII, and DI levels — all from the same office. But his impact goes far beyond wins and titles.
In this episode, Coach Simkins shares wisdom from decades of experience in coaching and recruiting. We talk about what it really means to “compete without contempt,” how women’s sports are evolving, why multi-sport athletes thrive, and what college coaches are actually looking for in today’s high-pressure recruiting environment.
Highlights from the episode:
- The importance of teaching athletes to compete without contempt
- Why multi-sport athletes tend to be more competitive and resilient
- How the rise of travel ball is impacting team culture
- The similarities and differences in coaching women vs. men
- Why college softball is exploding in popularity — and what fans can learn from it
- The advice Coach Simkins gives his own athletes about handling pressure and expectations
This is a powerful listen for parents, coaches, and athletes who want to rise above the noise and focus on what really matters.
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Credits: Hosted by Shad Martin & Dustin Smith
Produced by Shad Martin and IMAGINATE STUDIO
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Coach Simpkins' Background
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Especially for Athletes podcast, where we explore essential principles that empower athletes to learn life's most valuable lessons through sports.
00:00:16
Speaker
Welcome everybody to the Especially for Athletes podcast. I'm Dustin Smith. I'm here with Shad Martin. And our guest today is Coach Randy Simpkins. Coach Simpkins is the softball coach at Utah Tech University in St. George, Utah.
00:00:31
Speaker
He grew up in a small town in Nevada, played basketball at Southern Utah University, and is now coaching and living in St. George and coaching at Utah Tech University. Coach, thanks for joining us today.
Journey to Coaching Softball at Utah Tech University
00:00:44
Speaker
ah It's great to be here. Thanks, gentlemen. but now Right before we we started recording this, I asked you a question about, well, there's got to be a story from how you ended up in a from a small town in Nevada to playing basketball at Southern Utah to now coaching softball at Utah Tech. How did end up being the the softball coach at Utah Tech University?
00:01:06
Speaker
When I grew up out in Nevada, there was four small towns in our county, Spinnaka, Alamo, and Caliani, and they all had a men's fast pitch team. So that's what I grew up watching the adults do during the summer, Labor Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, they all had a men's fast pitch.
00:01:21
Speaker
So my my cousin, and my uncle, a of my uncles, you know everybody's dad played, so we did it. I didn't know slow pitch existed until I got to college at Southern Utah and we go play softball. I'm like, hey, who pitches? And they're like oh, anybody pitches. And it was slow pitch. So I'm like, wow. So I'd never even seen it till I got to college. So that's, I grew up, you know, playing men's fast pitch and then ended up transitioning to be a pitcher. So I'm still a men's pitcher. I throw BP to our girls all the time. I don't, I don't travel around. I used to travel quite a bit, played on teams out of Northern Utah, played on a team out of New Mexico, a team out of Kelso, Missouri, a team out of Memphis, Tennessee, you played a few of those, but I don't i don't travel around near as much.
Coaching Across Different Levels
00:02:00
Speaker
but So that's that's how I i um got into fast pitch softball. But um yeah, my my dream, just like every other kid, was to make it to the NBA.
00:02:09
Speaker
ah Obviously, I'm almost six nine so... um but I played basketball growing up. I was fortunate enough to play basketball at Southern Utah. My town is 80 miles straight west of of Cedar City. So it was obvious, you know, played close to home, had a great opportunity to play there. Got a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, you know, so I taught high school math for 27 years, but I've been down here. um i think this is my 18th year. i think um my claim to fame and Gordon Eakin from BYU, uh,
00:02:37
Speaker
pointed this out to me several years ago is you're the only coach in the country that's coached JUCO, D2 and D1 and never had to move. So when I started here in 03 and 04, we were junior college.
00:02:47
Speaker
I left, was at the high school for a few years and then came back in 09 and we were in D2 and now we're D1. You know, i've've I've seen it from all
Unique Challenges and Advantages of Height in Softball
00:02:57
Speaker
perspectives. So I do have a pretty wide perspective on the junior college D2 and athletics. But I got the greatest job ever.
00:03:06
Speaker
Well, that's, ah yeah, not a lot of coaches can say they've done that. You probably are the only one. And yeah I bet you that I can guarantee you're the tallest ah college softball coach in the world.
00:03:18
Speaker
but That's probably fair. There's a couple others, Glenmore from Baylor. There's a couple other guys that are pretty tall, but yeah, I think I probably got him by an inch or so. Pete Meredith at BYU, I think I got him by an inch or two, but yeah, so you're probably right.
00:03:33
Speaker
I'm sitting here imagining fast pitch men's softball with a 6'9 guy that close you. You could almost step halfway to home plate before you let the ball go.
00:03:44
Speaker
It's it you're right, but it also comes back that much faster, too. If you're that close, you you definitely want to avoid making mistakes in the middle of the play. Yeah. Yeah. That that. But I'm guessing that the angle that you release it with, you probably have long arms like you can you can probably do some nasty stuff to that softball.
Impact of Travel Ball and AAU on Youth Sports
00:04:04
Speaker
It's fun. it it's It's a great, great sport for sure. Well, let me jump right into a question that we've we've had baseball people on here before. And Chad I ah played baseball together in college. And and having I've had two sons that have ah grown up playing baseball. And baseball, I mean, it's a world.
00:04:23
Speaker
I mean, it's completely different. It's a different world now than it used to be, you know, 30 years ago when I played it. is with that With club ball and travel ball and all this stuff. Is that the same in the softball world? And what are the the pros and cons that you see to this current sort of AAU model youth sports that we have?
00:04:42
Speaker
we We always say we we get them from the most selfish world that they they're ever going to live in um because it's more important for for these kids in the travel ball world to be successful with the college coach watching than it is for their team to win the game. And we've we've kind of messed that up with all the showcases and the combines and all of the things that we throw at them as far as, you know, hey, these are the measurables that you need to get to, but they forget how to play the game.
00:05:08
Speaker
We have a thing that this this used to hang up, and I don't know if you can really see it very well, but it's ah it's a baseballism quote. And it says the name on the front of the jersey represents who you play for. The name on the back of the jersey represents who raised you. Do them both justice, you know.
00:05:23
Speaker
And and we we always say play for the name on the front of the shirt, okay, rather than the name on the back of the shirt. Because the back of the shirt sometimes, especially in the AAU travel ball world that you talk to talk about, they're so focused on everything.
00:05:39
Speaker
them being successful that they forget to play for their
Team Play vs Individual Glory
00:05:43
Speaker
teammates. And like I say, it's more important for them to go three for three if I'm watching than it is for their team to win the game. And then they get to us and they forget how to play the game because they play these hour and a half showcases, you know, and they don't understand how to play seven innings or nine innings or whatever. so we preach a ton, play for the name on the front of the shirt, um, play and don't, don't. The other thing is that they change these, they change travel ball teams.
00:06:08
Speaker
Like we change clothes, you know, they're, they're playing from the time they start, you know, at 10 or 12 years old, they're playing for five or six different travel ball teams. And some of them are playing at two or three different schools, you know, and we want them to,
00:06:23
Speaker
play where they live, you know, struggle sometimes. And sometimes it's not going to be easy. You know, it's easy to transfer and go to go to the sort they school down the street that's going to win a bunch of games. but But playing with the person that you grew up across the street with and the kid that you sit next to in Algebra 2 class, those are really, really important things,
Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation
00:06:43
Speaker
you know. The other thing with AAU and travel ball, we're I'm a big proponent, a big advocate of playing more than one sport.
00:06:50
Speaker
And that's hard because a lot of these travel ball coaches and AAU coaches are not wanting them to play anything else. And when you're in high school, I was coaching at some of the schools that were smallest in the classification.
00:07:04
Speaker
And if we didn't have those extra football guys come and play basketball for us, or some of these volleyball girls play softball for us, we weren't going to be as competitive. We needed those girls. We needed those guys.
00:07:15
Speaker
and And if you get somebody hurt and you don't have those guys, you're not going to be very competitive. why Why do you think it's important, Coach, for from a Division I softball coach saying, parents, let your kids play more than one sport? What benefits have you seen on the other side of that that make you say that? um ah they They play so
Recruitment Focus: Reaction to Failure and Team Interaction
00:07:35
Speaker
much. They're playing between 75 and 150 games a year.
00:07:40
Speaker
Number one, that the wear and and tear on their arms, especially overhand, is really difficult. And you're seeing, i saw a thing the other day that for Major League Baseball doing a mandatory kind of moratorium where these Major League Scouts can't go watch video, ah combines, or anything during some of these periods um because they're seeing such a rise in arm injuries. So, you know, ah giving their body a rest from the sports-specific exercises that we do is a huge thing. They're the benefit of them competing from a different perspective.
00:08:15
Speaker
Say Dustin's the best quarterback on the football team, but he's the backup shortstop, you know, or a pinch hitter or a pinch runner or a bullpen catcher. he's going to He's going to look at competition from a much different aspect. You know, he walks down the hall during football season and everybody thinks he's on this big pedestal.
00:08:35
Speaker
Well, he walks down the hall in baseball season and nobody even sees him play unless it's mom and dad in a blowout game or something like
Character and Resiliency in Athletes
00:08:41
Speaker
that. So his perspective on those type of competition and then the being able to train for a different sport athletically allows you to be a better athlete and and understand ah your body in in space in a much different realm.
00:08:56
Speaker
Hmm. So when you're recruiting, watching a girl that you're considering offering or bringing them to Utah Tech, how important is it to see that girl compete, right? If she goes three for three and loses, but doesn't care, what does that do in your mindset of should we recruit her or not?
00:09:15
Speaker
yeah the The best catcher I ever recruited, kid, was national catcher the year when we were at D2. She went 0 for 3 on the day I decided to to um but to offer her, but it was how she went 0 for 3.
00:09:28
Speaker
It's how she competed and how she had her at-bats. And, you know, I think one of them was a routine ground ball after like 11 pitches to the to the pitcher, but she sprinted it out on her third at bat. So it's it's how you do those things.
00:09:43
Speaker
Those are really big. We always say we want to see you fail. as a pitcher and I'm a pitching coach, I wanna see you fail. I wanna see you give up but that home run. Not very often, obviously, but I do wanna see you give you know give up tough hit or whatever, because I wanna see how you throw to the next three hitters.
00:10:00
Speaker
And I wanna see how you interact with your teammates. And I wanna see how you talk to your pitching coach when you come off the dugout come come off the field into the dugout. And I wanna see you maybe possibly lose a close game. And I wanna see how you deal with your parents and your teammates at the end of that.
00:10:16
Speaker
Because that's
Staying Local vs Transferring for Exposure
00:10:17
Speaker
what's, you know, that's what's in here, you know. But when I got done playing basketball in college, I helped Coach Evans, Bill Evans, that was the basketball coach at Southern Utah after I left, run some travel run some summer tournaments.
00:10:30
Speaker
And he had a kid in there that he was looking to recruit. And he asked me, why what do I think about the kid? And This kid checked all the boxes. He was elbow deep in the rim. He could knock down threes, score mid range. He could get to the free throw line, the whole nine yards.
00:10:43
Speaker
And when his team was good, he was the best player on the floor. But as soon as his team wasn't very good, he he was the last player down the floor complaining to the referees, not setting good screens, all that type of stuff.
00:10:55
Speaker
And he asked me at the end of the week, he says, Coach Simpkins, what do you think? And I told him at the first of the week, Coach, you need this kid on your team. And then at the end of the week, I told him that and he looked at me right right in the eye and he poked me in the chest. He goes, Coach Simpkins, heart transplants are hard to come by and they cost a lot of money.
00:11:09
Speaker
And these kids, so when we watch them, we want to see what's in here. we We want to see what's in their heart because we can't change a whole lot. that That comes from the parents. That comes from their coaching. That comes from them. And one of your core core values is resiliency.
00:11:24
Speaker
You know, being able to deal with failure and setbacks is going to happen to you every day, you know. And when you don't deal with it well, you got some growing up to do and you got some teaching to do, I guess.
00:11:37
Speaker
You know, Dustin, this goes to, I don't know if I've ever shared this story before, but when I was a senior in high school, I was playing in a tournament, the Pomona baseball tournament, and a coach from Cal State Los Angeles who I ended up playing for came to watch the game. He had seen me the year before when he recruited
NIL Influence on High School Sports
00:11:56
Speaker
one of my teammates that went there.
00:11:58
Speaker
So he sat next to my dad and he was sitting between my dad and his player's dad because he had a little brother on the team as well. And there came a play. I mean, you know how it goes with tournament umpires, right? You're getting whoever you can kind of a thing.
00:12:16
Speaker
And I mean, it was a really bad call. And I'm not just saying that this ball was probably eight inches outside and the guy rung me up and I struck out and the coach turned to my dad and said, i want to see how your son reacts to this. And so i go back to, you know, put my bat in the bat rack grabbed my glove, put on my hat, and I started to to cheer for the guy up to bat. Like, let's go, Chris!
00:12:45
Speaker
And he turned to my dad and said, when can you guys visit Cal State Los Angeles? I'd love love your son to come and play for me. So he had seen enough of other stuff, apparently,
00:12:56
Speaker
But the way I reacted to that was what sold them on me. And I think that young people don't understand all of those things that go into recruiting.
00:13:08
Speaker
they I tell the quarterbacks I work with, when a coach comes to see you, he's already seen you throw. Like he knows you can play. He's coming to look for the things he can't see on film.
00:13:18
Speaker
And those are, what do you do on the sidelines? What do you do after you know, a touchdown, do you, do you, do you run over by yourself, take your helmet off and stand by yourself so everyone can see, or do you go talk to your lineman?
00:13:30
Speaker
Right. Like, you know, how do you, how do
Future of Elite Athletes and Private Leagues
00:13:32
Speaker
you act when you throw an interception coming off the field? Cause they know you're going to throw an interception, right? They, they get that. It's like, Like this guy said to you, Chad, and coach, like you talked about, I want to see how he acts after he throws an interception when he comes over the sideline. Does he go and blame his wide receiver?
00:13:48
Speaker
Does he throw his hands up and complain when he gets to the sideline that it's not my fault? Like those are the things you can't see on film. But the coach wouldn't be there watching you if he didn't already think you could hit a baseball, you know, or or pitch and throw a strike. But had do you I remember here a scout for the New York Yankees telling me about, this was, gosh, almost 20 years ago.
00:14:09
Speaker
He said, I want to watch his ass get off the bus. thats what he told me. So he'll show up early. He said if he gets off the bus and his hat's on backwards and his AirPods are in, and this was but actually before AirPods, his headphones are in, and he's got his flip-flops on. He's not talking to his team, and he kind of shuffles into the dugout. There's no energy.
00:14:29
Speaker
He walks out onto the field to take fly balls during BP. All of those are indicators to me that I don't like. You know, i want to see how does he interact with his teammates? How does he run out of the dugout?
00:14:40
Speaker
What does he do before the game? that separates him from the other guys I've seen that can all hit well and run well and throw well. And to your point, Chad, I don't think kids really understand that's what everybody, they're all the best of the best. So like we talked about, it's the ands and buts that Nick Saban talks about.
00:14:59
Speaker
He does this, he does this, and he does this, and he really knows how to fail. Or he does this and he does this and he does but
Social Development through Traditional Schooling and Sports
00:15:07
Speaker
when he fails, dude's selfish, goes in the tank, right?
00:15:12
Speaker
That's what separates you. Yeah. I listened to a college basketball, ah a woman, college basketball coach the other day. I can't even remember who it was, but she says, I purposely go watch blowouts with the recruits that I want to recruit because I want to see how they, they spend the 20 minutes on the bench and the 10 minutes in the game.
00:15:31
Speaker
Cause they're going to play for a quarter, quarter and a half, and then they're going to be up a whole bunch. And I w I want to see what they do. And we preach that with us. we We figure that in a two hour softball game, you're gonna have about 10 minutes that you're actively engaged in something that're that relies on you. Field on a ground ball, cut off, you know your swings in the box, that 10 minutes, what are you doing for the other hour 50?
00:15:56
Speaker
Are you being productive for the other hour 50? So we write that right on our core values, you know, the 10 minutes versus hour 50. What are you doing? So my son's a sophomore playing basketball. And i always tell him, you know, you've you've got about four minutes out of that 32 minutes, maybe five of that 32 minutes that you'll have the ball in your hand or you're going to be guarding the ball.
00:16:16
Speaker
What are you doing for the other 27 minutes? You know, are you setting the screen? Are you hustling back? Are you talking? Are you cheering when you're off the off the floor? You know, those those types of things. Because everybody's really good when they're guarding the ball or they have the ball in their hand, you know. or when they're out there. but Are you impacting the game ah in a positive way when you're not involved? you know
Forming Friendships Through Sports
00:16:39
Speaker
And that's what we're, as coaches, that's what we're always looking for.
00:16:42
Speaker
And that's ah that's a mature thing to do. When I coached basketball high school basketball, we had a kid, we had two brothers on the team, Jeremy and Stevie Barnes. And Jeremy was a junior and Stevie was a sophomore and we won a state championship that year.
00:16:55
Speaker
And Well, actually, Stevie was a junior and Jeremy was a senior. But Stevie was was our point guard, and he would play 32 minutes, and some and Jeremy was his backup. And sometimes Jeremy wouldn't get in the game. Well, we went 22-2 and won it all when I was an assistant coach with Coach Hodson. But guess who beat the living dog out of Little Brother every day in practice?
00:17:18
Speaker
Jeremy beat Stevie up because he knew come Friday night the other team wasn't going to take it easy on him. So if I'm going to take it easy on my Little Brother, Because I'm not doing him any favors and it's not making me any better.
00:17:30
Speaker
But guess who got a championship ring? Both Jeremy and Stevie. And they both looked exactly the same, you know. yeah So I always tell and tell people my Jeremy Barnes story because that's the 25 on 9. 12 5 mentality of everybody on your bench against their 5 on the floor or the 25...
00:17:49
Speaker
people on your roster versus their nine on the field. You know, everybody's got a ah role to play and it might be during practice. It might be in the bullpen. It might be in the dugout, you know, picking pitches from the opponent but opposing pitcher.
00:18:02
Speaker
But if if you're not comfortable being a role player, you're only going to be so good. Okay, so I have a question, Dustin, because I realize here I'm with two coaches, and so I actually have a question for both of you, it relates to something, Randy, that you said earlier.
00:18:21
Speaker
And Dustin, I know it's a misconception that you and I have talked about in casual conversations before. I have a ah buddy who says, okay, so there's these kids playing from my town. I coached them as youths.
00:18:34
Speaker
And they come up and they get to high school and then some other schools start coming in and saying, hey, you should come. You should come play for us. Right. And he's and his statement was, it's really hard.
00:18:48
Speaker
It's really hard to look at that kid in the face and say, no, don't do it. Because some of those kids, I mean, now that there's NIL money in college and if they're really good, they're going to get seen better at that school. And.
00:19:02
Speaker
He said, I feel and because part of me wants to say, stay home and play with your buddies, play with those coaches, play with your own community. And then part of me is like, but I understand if you go to this school, you are going to get seen more on a national level. and I'm just wondering about that tension with the two of you. One college coach, one high school coach. Dustin, you had a
Coaching Women vs Men
00:19:25
Speaker
young man that played for you last year that's at USC now. And so many that have gone on that have played for you and are playing in major colleges. And I'm just because I hear what you're saying, Coach Simpkins.
00:19:42
Speaker
man, just play with those like for that the front of your jersey. and And then now there's this other element that's been introduced even into high school sports. And I don't even know what answer I want the two of you to give. I'm just wondering...
00:19:57
Speaker
From a coach perspective, what would you say to that? but I'll go first. It's hard because it's it's it's it's really difficult. we've We've lost kids to the transfer portal.
00:20:08
Speaker
You know two years ago, we won our conference and we lost two kids that were all region kids to bigger schools. And they got more money, you know? And so we we understand that, you know, and our athletic director made the comment, we might be the Duke of small schools because we coach them up and they play really hard and they do really well. And then they end up going to a bigger school, you know?
00:20:27
Speaker
and And when you see some of the money, and not necessarily, it might not be in our case, but in some of these bigger schools, some of these kids are getting generational money and it's gonna change their family forever where they've they're getting thousands and thousand tens and thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars and they're gonna graduate debt-free and it's gonna change their family or their or their personal family's life forever. So it's really hard. And and I put myself as a 19-year-old If I had the opportunity to go get paid a whole bunch of money, there's no way that I would have stayed.
00:21:00
Speaker
There's no way. i know what I was like as a 19-year-old, and I loved my college experience. But if somebody was going to pay me that much money, I probably would have left too. So you can't fault those kids. It puts them in a tough situation. It really does.
00:21:15
Speaker
We want them to be loyal, but we also understand, hey, if there's a great opportunity for you, you know what? Go. Jerry Glasgow, coach at Texas Tech, he he was at Louisiana, and they had an opportunity for a young lady to go from University of Louisiana to Oklahoma.
00:21:34
Speaker
And he had coached this young lady for three years, and she was unbelievably good. And Oklahoma was going to give her a whole bunch of money, and he told her, Go.
00:21:45
Speaker
du You only have one opportunity to play for this school at this location. So, yeah, it's, you know, from from the high school to college, it's a little different. But these kids get the opportunity to do something like that. It's it's a really tough decision that you have to have with them.
00:22:00
Speaker
Yeah. What would you say, Dustin, on the high school level? It's a little different. Yeah, I think for for most kids, they don't fall into that. big payday NIL. I think they think they do. And so that's the excuse that can be used for why I need to go, you know, play for this school because of the reasons you said they, they get more eyeballs on them. They're going to be on TV. Fortunately,
00:22:24
Speaker
The last couple of years, it's completely changed everything. And I agree with, with coach Simpkins that there are some cases where it's really hard to tell a kid that, you know, he's going to get the same sort of eyeballs and the same sort of attention playing at a really small school somewhere versus playing at, you know, the big six, a school that's going to be playing in the state
Building Team Unity and Relationships
00:22:46
Speaker
championship and going to have college coaches at all the practices all the time and, and say, you're still going to get seen. You're still going to be found.
00:22:53
Speaker
Now, In most cases, I still think that the elite athletes, no matter where they play, will still be found. They have to do a little bit of marketing of themselves. You still need to go to camps and you still need to do some things.
00:23:05
Speaker
But this NIL thing has changed everything. It really has. And we're so new in it in the high school world because it it's very slowly worked its way into high school. and i don't think people realize how much of the NIL world is now integrated inside a high school where high school kids are being paid.
00:23:23
Speaker
And high school kids are going to be skipping their senior years after they have these big offers to potentially avoid injury. Why? Right. ah I got this money. I'll go get a trainer, a nutritionist. ah I'll do homeschool now and then I'll work out five, six hours a day. And why risk tearing my ACL playing against some small school somewhere?
00:23:44
Speaker
So and how do you how do you argue that to coach's point? Like, how do you. When a kid's going to be making, some cases, over a million dollars in football, certain position groups, quarterbacks, if you're a big-time school, it's going to be a million-plus at every big-time college school. um it's It's really hard to...
00:24:02
Speaker
to tell a kid, you know, not to. Unfortunately, it's going to cause some problems for really the purity of the game where I think it's going. And I hope my next comment ages well. Maybe if it does, we can pull this up in five or 10 years. But I think we're going to where a private business is going to start in all sports.
00:24:24
Speaker
their own league. And it's going to be like the AAU model where the elite of the elite are going to play under the sponsorship of whatever company. And they're going to be their own independent independent from high schools, the best of the best. And they're going play against each other where the schools all know these are where the top kids are.
00:24:45
Speaker
And that's where the money goes. And these kids are training to be elite level athletes. It's already happening right now as we speak today. I know of three sports performance training facilities just in Utah County that have opened up homeschool options where kids don't go to school. And these are junior high kids.
00:25:04
Speaker
They're not going to junior high anymore. They're going to the training facility that they train in. doing online training for three or school for three or four hours and then training the rest of the day.
00:25:16
Speaker
And these are kids who are 14. fourteen You don't even know if they're any good yet, but they're that serious about it. I think it's just going to become individualized, its own business, and high school sports is going to be kind of the second tier.
00:25:29
Speaker
But the best of the best are going to play under the Nike or the Adidas or the whatever, you know, major company in the state that's going to sponsor them. And they'll play against teams from other states. And that's where the big schools will come to find the elite of the elite. I think that's where it's going.
Effective Coaching Strategies for Young Women
00:25:45
Speaker
Well, don't you see that in basketball already? Like the yeah we have and schools here in Utah, right? that they don't They don't compete for a state championship. They're playing on the national level. So basketball is probably the easiest sport to do it in because it's five to 10 players.
00:26:00
Speaker
You get to come to your school and sometimes it's in the middle of nowhere, Sampeet, Utah, right? and um and And you're there. And I mean, it's wonderful. They're they're getting... some training and and things like that. And great recruits come out of there, but you're already seeing it in some sports for sure.
00:26:17
Speaker
So that's interesting, Dustin. i I hadn't really thought of that, but that's kind of where it's going, isn't it? You don't need that many. I mean, a football team, you could have, you know, 40 kids, 30 kids really. And, and you know, you got your 11 starters on offense, your 11 on defense, a handful of kind of backup kids and and you're playing against the other top 20 or 30 of those teams in the country.
00:26:41
Speaker
And you know, if you're on that team, you're a big time player that's going, everyone's going to have offers. They're going to be throwing the best technology and science and food and training at these kids because they're, they're their own brand. That's going to make a lot of people, a lot of money and they can do, you can do your schooling now online. You don't need to go to high school to be educated anymore. It can be done online. You can get your degree online.
00:27:04
Speaker
Everything can be done at home. So they'll say, I don't need to go to the dances and I don't need to be part of that part of school. Unfortunately, I think that's awful for their social development.
00:27:15
Speaker
But everybody thinks that their kid's the next one, right? And then money will buy it. And that's where I think we're headed. yeah we Yeah, and you touched on it. You know, let the kid be a kid, you know, being able to go to dances. You know, my sophomore got asked to his first dance the other night.
00:27:31
Speaker
And that's, those are the experiences that we want them to have. You might miss something to go to that dance or whatever, but it's okay. Those parts of growing up. And yeah, I understand the elite athletics end of it, but at some point that ends. Yeah. I listened to a guy the other day talk about that that when when these 18-year-old kids get to college, their mental ah age is probably 15, maybe 16. Why?
00:28:00
Speaker
Because they haven't ever had to communicate other than this. Everything that they do is, it's not paper, pencil anymore. It's electronic. It's not face-to-face electronic. It's electronic.
00:28:11
Speaker
they don't call They don't call somebody up to actually talk to them. They submit it electronically. So when when you when we bring these kids in here and they're freshmen in college and we're expecting them to know how to do all of the other things that people did 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago when they got to college and they don't know how to do it,
00:28:30
Speaker
Well, it's not 100% their fault because they haven't ever had to do that. they' They've done everything electronically and they've never had to go you know do some of the things that we, us older people, had to do growing up.
00:28:45
Speaker
ah so So their development is a little bit delayed. And the more they go to that model that Dustin was just talking about, where they're kind of separated from the regular group,
00:28:56
Speaker
the more they're going to feel like that they maybe are above the law, not really above the law, but maybe maybe they're a different part of society. We want these kids to feel like that they're part of this of our community rather than a different or a higher set of our community.
00:29:14
Speaker
Yeah. and And it's interesting, Dustin, something you said goes right along with this. So that is we're talking probably about 30 kids take a state like Utah, you know, that are we're the elite
Motivating Players through Internal Culture
00:29:26
Speaker
of the elite. And we're talking 30 kids in high school. So maybe 10 to 12 per class are what we're talking about. That's going to go make this this money. Yeah.
00:29:36
Speaker
But if parents are treating all of their kids as though, hey, you are the elite of the elite, and in their mind, of course, they think that. But that's just not true. It really is not true. Baseball is a great example because of the amateur draft.
00:29:52
Speaker
There are kids that are incredible high school plate baseball players here in Utah, for example. Maybe one or two of those are going to get drafted to play minor league baseball. right?
00:30:04
Speaker
and And the rest are going to go on and play at normal colleges and do normal things and have great experiences that are going to help them develop in life and have the life lessons that we ah we all learned, right? I mean, everyone on here played at a small college, yet sports are still an integral part of our growth, our friendships, and all of those things. And I think if we start treating sports like a business and a way to make NIL,
00:30:32
Speaker
What the collateral damage of that is, friendships and opportunities at those moments when you're riding on a high school bus and you just got McDonald's and you've just won together.
00:30:45
Speaker
Those moments that we all long for now. Some kids will never get to experience. I listened to your podcast with Brandon Doman the other day, and he talked about having the competition against the other high school kids. And then you get to college and you end up to be best friends.
00:31:00
Speaker
That was me. A kid beat me out for player of the year at our small schools in Nevada. And his team beat my team for the state championship. And we get to college and he's playing football and I'm playing basketball at Southern Utah.
00:31:13
Speaker
And fast forward to this day, it's 40 years later and we're still best friends. And we we don't talk a whole lot. He lives in Mesquite, I live here. But every time we we catch up, it's like we we never missed a beat.
00:31:24
Speaker
But we hated each other in high school. We literally hated each other in high school and their team beat my team for, for his own championship or region championship, each one of the four years, you know, and they were better than us. They had some kids that went and played in college and they were really, really good, but we, we hated them, but we got to college we were like, you know what? You're just like me.
00:31:43
Speaker
We're just a small kid, you know, a kid from a small town. And we ended up to be really, really good friends. We used to play a ton of, a ton of softball together and to hang out and stuff like that.
00:31:54
Speaker
I primarily work with male athletes, have for 20 years. You know, obviously Shad and I played ball growing up. Shad has three daughters. So this is actually a question for both of you. We have had people and do have people a part of, especially for athletes who have been been former division one coaches who are female. We've had Olympians on, we've had, you know, we try to get female coaches and athletes on, but we that's not really our,
00:32:21
Speaker
Network. So it's a little bit harder. I'm curious to get your thought because i we have, we've asked this of another coach before and got an interesting answer. I'm curious your answer, coach, the difference between coaching women and coaching men. Have you noticed there to be a difference? You have to change the way that you coach.
00:32:41
Speaker
You know what? Not that much. I thought it was going to be a little different. um Young ladies will, buy into what you're selling um if they believe you maybe a little bit quicker.
00:32:55
Speaker
um they i was way older than I should have been when I learned this. They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. If the young ladies know that you care for them personally, they're going to run through a brick wall for you. And and our recruiting philosophy is good person first, good student second, good athlete last.
00:33:12
Speaker
We're going to treat you as a person first. we're yeah We're going to try to take care of you as a young lady first, as a student second, and then
Valuing All Team Members
00:33:19
Speaker
the athlete last. Because athletes are a dime a dozen. There's a million kids out there that can hit a ball and throw a ball.
00:33:24
Speaker
We want to find kids that are great young ladies personally first, great students second, and then the athlete last. but But young ladies will will buy into what you're selling, buy into your system maybe a little bit quicker than guys.
00:33:37
Speaker
Guys, we're all a little bit skeptical. we We think we know it. ah all a little bit more. But the young ladies, if you prove that, hey, I have your but best interest in heart, I know what I'm talking about, and and we can be successful on the field, they're going to buy in maybe a little bit quicker.
00:33:52
Speaker
And they're just as tough as guys. I've watched girls but just get absolutely whatever, you know, and and physically, and they they come back to just as strong as anybody I've ever been around.
00:34:04
Speaker
yeah we This coach that we had on had brought up that when you're her experiences coaching females, they're a little bit more interested in, in, and in your opinion of them.
00:34:17
Speaker
Meaning if you're disappointed in them and you get angry, they'll where a guy might be like, all right, I'm going to go show coach. It might be a little bit harder for the girl because they want you to be proud of them more.
00:34:31
Speaker
Does that make sense? hundred percent 100%. That's so true. We use this analogy with, with you know, I have 23 girls on my roster and there's some of them that I can look at them and say, you know what, Susie, I'm really disappointed. And it's going to absolutely crush Susie.
00:34:46
Speaker
But Barbara right next to her, I'm going to say, Barbara, I'm really disappointed. Barbara's like, yeah, big deal. But for the most part, most girls, yeah, if you tell them that you're disappointed, yeah, that it's it's going to definitely um affect them a lot more than guys. Guys guys are like, you know what?
00:35:02
Speaker
You know, i'm I'm going to show you. I'm going prove you wrong. Girls don't have that as easily. There are some that do, but girls won't. not take it personally as easy. They'll they'll definitely take it personally. And so we we spend a lot of time, hey, don't ever take anything I say personally.
00:35:21
Speaker
Everything we're saying, especially on the field, is to help you be better at this skill or this whatever. It's not that I don't like you. It's not that you don't look great, whatever, all those things. It's it's it's not personal.
00:35:34
Speaker
I need you to be in this spot saying this thing with your hands right here all the time. So, but yeah, and them taking it personally, it's a little bit, a little bit quicker with the young ladies for sure.
00:35:45
Speaker
I've just noticed, and you have as many girls as I have Dustin. So I just have less boys. it's true. I just have a lot of kids. I wish I did, but I've, I've noticed how the relationship aspect to young ladies is really important part of the team, not just, just with coaches, but also with their teammates.
00:36:08
Speaker
The coaches that have the ability to create true unity, not fake unity, not having some chant that you do together in a circle and then hug each other and say, I love you, and then go stab each other in the back every time every chance you get. Not that kind of unity. But when there is true, my coach loves me and my teammates, we love each other. I feel like that's when I've seen my daughters perform at their best.
00:36:35
Speaker
And when there's not that, when they don't trust their coach, and it's not even that their coach is like that they can't be hard on them. My girls want their coaches to be hard on them, but they want it to be from a place of love.
00:36:50
Speaker
And I want you to reach your potential. And I think whatever coaches can do, i think this is true of men as well, but just especially true of young women. Coaches, if they'll be intentional,
00:37:03
Speaker
by telling their individual players, not just, I love you guys, I love you guys, and then showing extra attention to five that are the stars.
00:37:14
Speaker
But those moments to connect with each individual is really impactful. And when there have been coaches that have done that with my daughters, connect with them on a personal level.
00:37:28
Speaker
And I love you and I love what you bring to our team. Even if it's a role player, which, you know, my daughters, I would say were role players in the teams that they played on.
00:37:39
Speaker
When coaches appreciated and loved them for the role they brought, the attitude they brought, the contribution they made even beyond the the court or the dance or whatever.
00:37:52
Speaker
They loved and trusted those coaches. And so I think that that's what I've seen make a big difference in the life of my daughters. The coaches that made a difference in their life cared about them and appreciated their contribution, whether it was the most valuable contribution on the team or a role player contribution, they appreciated it and genuinely appreciated them.
Athletes as Role Models
00:38:14
Speaker
We're using ah a book by John Gordon, um The Seven Commitments of of a Great Team. um And so ah we're we're we're doing we're doing a little bit of this this year. And and one of the commitments is the commitment to connect.
00:38:28
Speaker
And they they ask, ah one of the activities is the five-teach activity. And we're we're doing this with each one of our classes each week. And and basically, it's basically to find out you know more about these kids because when they know who they are when your teammate knows more about you, it's a lot easier for them to you know compete with you and to understand when you're having a good day or a bad day and and how that you need to be helped.
00:38:53
Speaker
But the the questions are, who's your hero? What's a hardship that you faced in your life that was a defining moment in your life? What's a highlight you're proud of? What do you hope for? And what's hilarious? And we've done that with our seniors and our juniors so far. Our sophomores will do it sometime this week or next week.
00:39:09
Speaker
And then our freshmen are going to the power the all The power that it has brought to our team as far as knowing something that somebody's going through that we didn't know about, there's not a dry eye in the place every time we do it. you know But it's forming that legitimate connection with these kids.
00:39:31
Speaker
And that's what they want. The difference between guys and girls, girls want a lifelong friend right away. They want to be able to walk in there. And then when they walk out for four years, work they want to be able to 40 years from now, I still want to have that person as my best friend.
00:39:46
Speaker
You know, that's what they want big time. Yeah. Well, coach, you've been on this podcast. I've come in you and I have chatted out in the parking lot for twice, I think for, you know, 30 minutes or so. And I've spoken to your team a couple of times. What is especially for athletes,
00:40:05
Speaker
mean to you what we're trying to do with especially for athletes you've obviously taken to it and we appreciate that thank you so much for you know helping us get the word out but you know what what do you see and what Chad and I are trying to do with especially for
Leadership and Positive Interactions
00:40:20
Speaker
athletes and eyes up do the work that you know you might be able to share with those people listening why is what we're doing important to you ah these These kids have a ton of power.
00:40:30
Speaker
They have a ton of influence. They're looked up to so much. We always say when a kid puts on their social media that they've committed to our school, within 24 hours, they have at least 300 likes.
00:40:41
Speaker
So they they have a tremendous amount of power. to be able to influence people for good. So get actually get your eyes up. The quote that we had at the bottom of our practice schedule the other day is, character is is how you treat somebody that can do that can't do anything for you.
00:40:57
Speaker
What are you doing to help somebody? Who did you actually help out today? but So we ask them that all the time. And it's like, look for opportunities to make somebody's day better.
00:41:08
Speaker
Great teams talk in touch. You know, the Steve Nash thing, when he won his MVP, they tracked 239 times, fist bumps, high fives, and hugs. And that was Matt Blanchard. matt Matt came and spoke to our team the other day, and he's amazing.
00:41:21
Speaker
um ah And i'm going to connect you guys with Matty. Matty's amazing. But he he said that the physical touch of these kids, and it doesn't even have to be a great athlete, but the physical types that these kids have of high fives, fist bumps, and hugs, there's a ah transfer of energy that makes somebody's day better. And it doesn't have to be athlete to athlete.
00:41:43
Speaker
It can be random person walking down the hall. And if this athlete in a letterman's jacket or a football sweatshirt whatever, looks at that young person and says, hey, how you doing? or looks them in the eye and just says, hey, i like your shoes or whatever.
00:41:58
Speaker
um It just makes their entire day. I have a shirt, my wife's going to laugh at I tell this story, but I have a shirt that said, be the person that your dog thinks you are, you know?
00:42:08
Speaker
um And so I was wearing that. I went to the grocery store the other day. had four people comment on that picture or on that shirt and tell me, I love that shirt, you know, but that made me feel better.
00:42:20
Speaker
And I'm not wearing it to find, you know, I'm wearing it because I i want people to act like that. My wife's favorite shirt is be a kind human. I love that that's that. That's what we try to preach all the time.
00:42:30
Speaker
But when somebody reaches out and looks you in the eye and says, you know, hey, how you doing, Randy? How you doing, Dustin? How you doing, Chad? Whatever. It makes you feel better and it lifts you up. And it doesn't matter how bad your day is, it's going to
Time Management and Disciplined Routines
00:42:43
Speaker
make it better.
00:42:43
Speaker
You know, so to have these kids look out and reach out and high five somebody, fist bump somebody and hug somebody and compliment somebody, it's it's powerful.
00:42:54
Speaker
It really is. but Okay, coach, we're going to move to some rapid fire here about our principles. And I'm excited to get your thoughts as a division one college coach on these subjects. And so the first one and win the hour, right?
00:43:09
Speaker
Getting the most out of of every moment of every day, being present, being where you're where your feet are. You've watched young ladies and you as ah as a college basketball player have sought to become great yourself throughout your journey and coaching young people.
00:43:28
Speaker
What advice would you give young people in regard to becoming great and winning the hour and getting the most out of their opportunities? Yeah, they always say we never have enough time. No, we don't take enough time.
00:43:40
Speaker
You know, we we don't. the The priorities, if you prioritize your time, you're going to have all kinds of time because we have a lot of downtime. You know, um obviously, we spend way too much time on the phone. If you put your phone down, be able to to get out and do the things, you're going to have plenty plenty of time.
00:43:55
Speaker
um Yeah, obviously, the the the snooze button analogy that you guys use, that's that's a great one. um You get up and get rolling. the The thing that my my dad and everybody's dad says an hour in the morning is worth two in the afternoon.
00:44:08
Speaker
um if you If you get here early, um you're going to get a lot more done in the morning than you are in the afternoon. So that's that's a huge one for us. Awesome. And you coach young ladies and some would look and think that young ladies are not as competitive as young men.
00:44:22
Speaker
i bet you would say that's false. Yeah, that that that's false. These kids, they want to rip your heart out to beat you. that They're extremely competitive, for sure. Yeah. And so you're familiar with our principle of competing without contempt, competing without hatred. And I'm curious, as a Division I softball coach, how do you try to build within your athletes that that fiery competitor that every coach wants, but balancing that without being inappropriate in that way, competitive to the point that you're a jerk or you hate those that you're you're competing against. How do you balance those two?
00:45:00
Speaker
Well, our sport is small enough that these kids all know each other. they They all play travel ball. They all play high school. They And so they know so many kids in the other dugout. It's not even funny. They've they've been on a team. They've played with somebody's older brother or sister.
00:45:16
Speaker
but They have a connection with almost every kid, especially if it's a local team that we're playing whatever. They have a connection with those kids. So we don't see the hatred near as much as maybe you would with guys or a team that's maybe a little bit more national.
00:45:32
Speaker
Because these kids know each other really well. And they, you know, they were on a team with that kid as a 12 year old or whatever. So they have those connections. So compete without contempt isn't too hard. But yeah, there's times where our girls are are pretty, pretty competitive and they and they want to win pretty bad. and And we have to focus on, hey, focus on what we want to get done and and the results will take care of itself.
00:45:55
Speaker
You know, we had a phrase a few years ago, NATO, not about the outcome. It's about the process, you know, and Focus on the process to get things done because it's not about the outcome. The outcome will take care of itself if you do the right thing.
00:46:08
Speaker
That's really cool. NATO, not about the outcome. That's rock that yeah awesome. I don't know how I've gone my whole life and not heard that. It was awesome for sure.
00:46:20
Speaker
Yeah. And so part of this compete without contempt is the way coaches choose to motivate their players. You've probably seen in some sports or some realms, maybe even in the in the college softball realm, that some coaches try to almost drum up controversy or hate or bulletin board material to motivate their players.
00:46:39
Speaker
How do you motivate your players and what's the healthiest way you think for coaches to motivate their players? Wow. If I knew the answer to that, I think we'd be a little bit better. I'm not very good with the skirt and pom-poms thing, the rah-rah stuff, but um our expectations, we try to communicate our expectations, play hard every day, play with your tail on fire all the time. One of the things that we always say is we have a get-to job. We don't have a got-to job.
00:47:02
Speaker
we We get to do this. And our girls, when they talk about it's like, hey, I get to play with my best friends and I owe it to them to to play hard all the time. So we we drill, hey, sprint on and off the field. You know, every rep in the cage is is is important.
00:47:19
Speaker
Be engaged, never miss a pitch, but those type of
Resilience and Redefining Success
00:47:22
Speaker
things. And it's it's a little harder to to judge how hard you play in our sports sometimes because basketball and football, you're flying around the field and how hard do you run is really, really visible.
00:47:32
Speaker
Well, in softball, sometimes it's not as visible on how hard do you play because there's so much downtime and stuff like that. But being able to bring, you know, the the one thing that we always ask our players, what do you bring to our team that nobody else can bring?
00:47:46
Speaker
And that should never take a day off. If it's hustle, if it's throwing an elite rise ball, if it's being able to, you know, take ah take away base hits, if it's an elite arm, whatever, whatever you bring to our team that nobody else can bring can never take a day off. That has to show up every day.
00:48:03
Speaker
Yeah, we've had people say something along the lines when we ask a similar question that a coach would prefer consistency over motivation every time. yeah Someone who's consistent and puts in the work rather than someone who shows up one day in his skirts and pom-poms, as you said, instead of and consider just someone who's going to bring the work and concentration every single day.
00:48:26
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. 100%. hundred percent Awesome. The other part, we touched on this a little bit, but softball a game of failure, much like baseball that Dustin and I grew up playing and played in college, where, you know, you're successful under 50% of the time, you could still be a Hall of Famer type type person. You're going to fail a lot if you sign up to play baseball and softball.
00:48:50
Speaker
And so our our principle of resiliency What are your thoughts on the importance of being a resilient person and how sports or softball in particular can build resiliency in individuals?
00:49:05
Speaker
Yeah, we have to redefine success. One of the guys that used to talk to our team a little bit named Zach Sorensen, he worked with Brian Kane a little bit. He had a little activity that he did and he says, redefine success. So what we did is we, and again, you probably noticed I'm one of the biggest thieves there is. i steal stuff from really good coaches, PPA, positive plate appearances. I stole this from Clint Hurdle and we adjusted it a little bit, but what we have you know the positive plate appearances that we want to be successful at.
00:49:33
Speaker
The hit, the walk, the hit by pitch, catch or interference, move the lead runner with an out, move the lead runner with an error, eight or more pitch at bat, a high exit velo. You know, those eight or nine things are things that we redefine success and not very many of them show up in the stat line.
00:49:49
Speaker
Did you have a great at bat? We always say as a right-handed hitter, if you lined out to the second baseman, you did almost everything right. You let the ball get deep. You hit it on a line. You hit it to the other field.
00:50:00
Speaker
There's just somebody standing in the way of your base hit. So we we again, it's not about the outcome. It's about the process. Are you doing things the right way? And did you, you know, the three for three things that we think, you know, best swing, be on time and have it be a pitch you're looking for.
00:50:16
Speaker
If you give me your best swing, you be on time and it's a pitch you're looking for, you can't ask for anything more. Yeah. Yeah. And that that being able to focus on those things that are within your control,
00:50:31
Speaker
is so much healthier. Yeah. NATO is going to stick into my mind forevermore. Right. Yeah. And because it's not about the outcome. And sometimes when we, when we start focusing too much on the outcome, then supposed failures become too weighty and discouraging rather than focusing on those things that are within our control that might not be outcome oriented, but they are,
00:50:57
Speaker
things that we can we can really focus on and improve and know you're speaking to the heart of a baseball player some of the best games I ever had I went oh for four yeah right and then sometimes I made the paper and I'm like yeah I was late on that it was a check swing that went over the first baseman's head and I stretched it into a double yeah and I'm being praised right and so Not about the outcome. that That's something that will stick with me forever. Awesome. And then you've already shared some of your thoughts about Eyes Up, Do the Work. But I wanted to ask a question in relationship to what we were talking about previously with young women and that relationship aspect of a team being so important.
00:51:40
Speaker
And so this is a specific application of Eyes Up, Do the Work. But when it comes to team captains and leaders on a team, How important is it for them to have their eyes up looking for those on their own team and paying attention to how they're doing and doing the work to go to and to take care of their own teammates?
00:52:03
Speaker
yeah I'm just curious your thoughts as a coach about the importance of that. percent When your best players are the most invested, your team's got a chance to be really, really good. we We pair all of our kids up with peer mentors and coach mentors. So they have an upperclassman and a lower classman. um and they work together. They sit together in meetings. they They're going to do some community service together and and stuff like that.
00:52:28
Speaker
So being able to be invested in each other is is a huge thing. And and that it's not overnight. it It takes a long time. You know you need to go, you know, go to lunch with them, go study with them, you know, figure figure out what makes them tick, figure out the things that that are are weighing on them, being able to to know what they like and what they don't like and how to motivate them.
00:52:50
Speaker
That's going to be a huge thing. And then your then your seniors and your captains have to understand that. They're just like a coach. they They need to know how to push buttons for their other 22 teammates. they They need to know, hey, does that person need a hug?
00:53:04
Speaker
Does that person ah need some space?
Growing Popularity of College Softball
00:53:07
Speaker
What does that person need right now now? When Matt was talking the other day, Matt Blanchard was talking here, he's like, if I come into your office and I talk to you and you absolutely light me up, you call me every name in the book, you chew me out or whatever, I've got one or two choices. I can walk out of your office and tell everybody that I see what a POS you are.
00:53:25
Speaker
or or what a bad person you are, or you're having a bad day or whatever. Or I can walk out of your office saying, and you know what, he needs a hug. he needs he He's going through something right now and he needs me. Yeah, he chewed me out or whatever, but I got two choices.
00:53:38
Speaker
And everybody that's ever done anything hard has always come up to two choices. You can either quit or keep going. They both hurt. and They're both going to be unpleasant, but you get two choices. And and and matt Matt was talking about that the other day. and It's amazing that, yeah, if I come up to that tough choice and I quit, it's going hurt like crazy.
00:53:59
Speaker
But if I keep going, it might even hurt more, but both of them are going to hurt. So might well choose the right one and get through it. um so That's really cool. That's really cool. And I wanted to ask one last question.
00:54:11
Speaker
It seems that college softball on the rise. ah ah Big time. Big time. I was watching the other day, and just because I haven't had much exposure to it, not the other day, i this is last spring, but i I, for the first time in my life, found myself a little bit invested in the college softball world series where Softball is a fast sport. In fact, it's even faster than a college baseball game. It just says bang, bang, everything.
00:54:41
Speaker
What would you say about your own sport and about playing softball at Utah Tech for those who listen to this? It's the greatest thing ever. These kids work their tail off. They're crazy talented. is the The viewership for the Women's College World Series outpaces the Men's College World Series every year. They're they're they're fast. They're athletic. they're um They're crazy talented. They're talented in so many different areas. talented.
00:55:06
Speaker
great teammates. ah They play with a ton of passion. They play hard every play. you know so but those things are obviously on display. It's driven the professional game, that the Athletes Unlimited, the the other different NPFLs, the different leagues but or the professional opportunities for these young ladies so professionally, whether here or overseas. One of my former assistants was Savannah Jaquis. She's playing with the national team and she's played in Japan and stuff. And the The professional opportunities for these young ladies are are really popular because just like you said, it's fun to watch.
00:55:43
Speaker
It's quick, it's fast, they're talented, it's it's engaging. And I'm a huge baseball guy, but watching a baseball game for two hours, two and a half, three hours is tough. Watching a softball game where it's so much faster and and the pace of play is faster is so much better.
00:55:59
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I am so happy for every young person that gets to play for you, coach. we've We've got to know you a little bit, not only through this podcast, but Dustin spoke so highly of you. and And you're one of those coaches that really gets it, that sports is a tool to help build people. Man, if I had a daughter playing softball, I want her to come down there to Utah Tech, especially from the months of September to Like tell us, why do you not have an indoor hitting facility?
00:56:33
Speaker
We always say we don't have an indoor facility because we don't need one. You know, our weather, our weather for the school year is, is really, really good. So, and we're just getting to the tail end of the hot stuff. So it's going to be perfect for the next few months. So.
00:56:45
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's good. No, I've, I've surrounded myself with great assistant coaches and great young ladies. And, you know, obviously my family, my wife have been unbelievably supportive of me, you know, chasing this dream and being able to to do these things. So I'm incredibly blessed.
00:57:01
Speaker
Awesome. Well, coach, I want to end with one thing. This is, this is my dog. This is, this is Ripken. So you probably know where that name came from. A hundred percent, hundred percent.
00:57:14
Speaker
But I'm going to leave today and try to be the person he thinks I am. So there you That's awesome. That's awesome. Give Ripken an egg for me. So that's awesome. So well, coach, thank you. It's been an absolute pleasure getting to know you better. And thank you everyone who's joining us on this podcast.
00:57:30
Speaker
As always, keep your eyes up. Do the work. Thank you for joining the Especially for Athletes podcast. To learn more about Especially for Athletes organization, get a copy of our book, The Sport Light, or to bring our program to your team, school, business, or organization, visit us at especiallyforathletes.org.