Advertise on podcast: From the Coach's Mouth

This week Jay and Ken go deep on their thoughts on how to take the best advantage of fall ball, including using it to explore what your new players can bring to the table, giving coaches a chance to develop their players instead of playing everyone in the same old positions, giving pitchers the opportunity to try new pitches, and generally discovering what you don't know. Ken then shares a quick product review of how he uses the Fieldy AI wearable assistant (which applies to other brands as well), and then Jay and Ken offer their thoughts on what they're seeing around pitching rules, including whether umpires are putting their priorities in the right places.

We were saddened to learn this week that one of the all-time great pitching coaches and men's pitchers, Rich Balswick, passed away on September 10. Rich was always generous with his time and knowledge, not only with his own students but with other pitching coaches and general coaches who wanted to learn more about fastpitch pitching. Rich will be sorely missed by the entire fastpitch softball community. Earlier this year, Jay and Ken had the privilege of speaking with him for one of his last known public appearances. In his honor we are re-releasing this conversation with him, which first appeared online April 30, 2026. RIP, Wick. If Heaven has a team, we're sure you'll be starting in the circle.

USA Softball Region 6 Commissioner Tom Rupert joins Jay and Ken to talk about how he got started as a college coach, why he left the collegiate coaching ranks to become an award-winning high school, and his many years as a high level travel coach in the Indiana Gators organization. Tom also shares his thoughts on time limits in softball (spoiler alert: he's agin 'em), other changes he has seen in his many years in the sport, why he likes working on the administrative side for USA Softball, what it's like for players to play in the USA Softball All-American Games, the differences between playing (and coaching) at the D1 v D2 level, and a whole lot more!

This week Jay and Ken are joined by Scott Mead, a former police officer on a high-risk apprehension team and current travel baseball and softball coach who talks about using what he learned as a police officer to help train athletes on how to manage the critical 10 seconds after something goes wrong (strikeout, error, etc.). Scott talks about why that initial reaction is so important, some of the techniques her teaches to overcome it, what held him back from achieving more in his own playing career, the role parents play in creating or reducing stress for their athletes, the car ride home, and more. He also shares information about his new app, The Mirror Mindset, which offers daily affirmations, quick resets, journaling, and other resources to help athletes determine if they're happy with the person they see in the mirror and ways to improve those feelings. It also offers resources for parents, coaches, teams, and programs. For more information go to https://mirrormindsetperformance.com/welcome or download the app for Apple or Google devices. While there is a lot of free content on the app there is some paid content too. But the first 10 listeners who sign up and enter the coupon code KEN will receive 25% off all purchases for the lifetime they use it.

Hold onto your hats and get ready for your head to spin as Jay and Ken welcome The Farm System's CEO and co-founder Joey Cunha to the podcast. Joey shares some of the knowledge he has gained through his study of human performance across multiple disciplines - knowledge that has led him to become a hitting consultant for about half the Major League Baseball teams as well as working with collegiate athletes and programs in both baseball and fastpitch softball. He shares how he got started, why he left a lucrative corporate career to pursue his passion, how he serves as a translator between trainers, biomechanists, hitting coordinators and others within a program, and some great insights on the opportunities to improve player performance by training fascia, not just muscles. You'll want to take notes on this one! For more information on the cutting edge training and tools, go to https://www.thesystem.farm/ or download the app for Apple or Google devices.

With the September 1 start of the D1 recruiting process coming up, plus changes to NCAA eligibility rules such as 5-for-5 which adds an extra year of eligibility for D1 athletes, Jay and Ken thought it would be a good idea to reach into the archives to their conversation with Brian Chidester and Brian May of College Bound Jocks for their take on the whole recruiting process, what athletes and parents should be doing, how to determine which level of play is right for them and more.

Jay and Ken are back with a brand new episode guaranteed 100% fresh! They offer their thoughts on teams looking for "A Level Bracket Pitchers" post-tryouts, parents and coaches placing trying to win every game over player development, unrealistic expectations for pitchers, the reality that other players won't be perfect either, the importance of using video during training and more.

With the 2026-2027 softball season getting under way we thought it would be good to address the mental side of the game with this re-release of Jay and Ken's conversation with the amazing Dr. Rob Gilbert, professor of sports psychology at Montclair State University. Dr. Gilbert shares his thoughts on the importance of consistency to achieve excellence, how a thought repeated enough becomes a belief, Muhammed Ali's approach to training (and how he hated it but trained harder than anyone in spite of it), and his formula for success, among other nuggets and stories.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College head coach and personal friend of the podcast Gina Furrey Buhse joins Jay and Ken to talk about her early days as a star pitcher in high school, the devastating shoulder injury that ended her college softball career (and how it happened), how her degree in psychology helps her as a coach, and her lifelong love love of learning. Coach Buhse also discusses what she looks for in recruits, some of the advantages of playing in the NAIA over other college divisions, her views on pitching mechanics, and SMWC's team support alpaca Andre. Anyone interested in setting up a pitching lesson with her can reach her through her Furrey Fastpitch website, http://www.furreyfastpitch.com/.

Jay and Ken offer a timely episode that offers tips for players and parents to help ease the transition onto a new team, and for coaches to begin the tough work of getting teams with some or all new players to gel. They share some strategies and activities they have used to make it happen. The guys also talk about some sides of being a pitching coach, or any type of instructor for that matter, that people often don't see. It's about a lot more than the lesson itself!

In this week's episode, Jay and Ken speak with Fuel and Fire owner Shayla Cravens Taylor about her journey as a star pitcher at Silver Creek High School in Indiana, her time as a D1 pitcher at Kennesaw State University, and the events that led to her launching her career as both a pitching coach and a registered dietician. Coach Taylor talks about how meeting Lisa Fernandez when she was a youth player inspired her, the differences between what she was taught and what she teaches (and why she changed), and what her business entails. She also shares some tips about diet and nutrition, including what to eat at tournaments (and when to eat it), her thoughts on supplements, how much protein softball players really need, and how to stay hydrated on hot and humid days. She also busts a few food-related myths. If you are interested in pitching lessons or a nutrition consultation, you can contact Coach Taylor at https://www.fuelandfirellc.com/ or via her Facebook Fuel and Fire LLC Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/fuelandfirefastpitch.

Jay and Ken were delighted to speak with Joni Frei, founder and lead architect of Canada Futures, a program designed to identify and nurture high-level softball talent in Canada while raising the quality of play across the board, about her work with that organization, why this Canadian chose to play at Georgia State College and University (the reasons will surprise and amuse you), how she came to be an assistant coach at Kennesaw State University, and her experiences coaching internationally in Austria and Uganda, among other locations. She also shares why she is so dedicated to mentoring younger coaches, some ways the game has changed, a Disney-quality story about bringing a Ugandan team to play in a major tournament in Canada and more! A huge shoutout to Sarah Pauly for connecting us with Joni. For more information about Canada Futures, go to https://www.canada-futures.com/.

Jay and Ken take a deep into what to do, and what not to do, during tryouts for players, parents and coaches. Among the topics discussed are the importance of projecting confidence by talking to the coaches/evaluators and looking them in the eye, what not to wear (you'd be surprised), what parents should do during tryouts, questions to ask, whether the team emphasizes player development versus just managing the skills they already have, and whether a "National" team designation or a branded franchise is worth it.

Hall of Famer and longtime Central Michigan University head coach Margo Jonker joins Jay and Ken to talk about how she got started in fastpitch softball, some of the great coaches and mentors she had early in her career, what it was like taking over CMU's team in only its second year and building it into a national powerhouse, how she built her own knowledge base talking to coaches and going to clinics, and how she still enjoys going to watch games live. She also shares her thoughts on how the game has changed, aspects where it has improved, things parents and player can do to help or hurt their chances of being recruited, and why many coaches still prefer multi-sport athletes when building a team.

University of Washington pitching coach and USA Men's National Team pitcher Brad Kilpatrick talks to Jay and Ken about growing up as an athlete in Australia, how his performance in on the Australian Men's Juniors team and a chance encounter by his father led to him playing for Team USA, his experience as an undergraduate assistant for Tim Walton at Florida, and how it led to his current coaching position. He also shares his thoughts about the benefits of more practice and fewer games, how many pitches a pitcher needs (and 340% grading system he uses), the importance of developing every pitcher on the staff, what he believes a good strike percentage is for a collegiate pitcher (and how that impacts younger pitchers, and more!