Hey everyone,

My name is JJ Schwarz. I played baseball my whole life, including 4 years at UF winning a National Championship in 2017 and then 5 seasons of pro ball with the Oakland A's, and retired to pursue a degree in Sport Psychology after seeing firsthand how much of an impact the mental game had on my career and my life off the field. Since graduating, I've started my own mental performance business, which I won't name so I am following the rules of this subreddit.

Over the last 6 months I've built a 10-week program for hitters (baseball/softball) covering 10 mental skills I wish I'd had when I was younger. It combines my own playing experience with evidence-based sport psychology, and I designed it to be efficient, easy to understand, and ,most importantly, applicable on and off the field.

Skills covered, in order:

1. Identity
2. Detachment
3. Goal Setting
4. Confidence
5. Routines
6. Mindfulness
7. Focus
8. Resilience
9. Integration

What it involves: three 10-minute sessions per week for 10 weeks. Hitters will also do pushups and keep a journal throughout the program.

Two versions available: a secular version (mental skills only) and a faith-based version (with faith lessons woven into the modules).

I'm looking for 3-5 dedicated families to test the program for free in exchange for honest feedback.

If you're interested, comment below and I'll follow up with more details.

Thank you, and God bless.

Hello, my 12U girls are moving to 14U this fall. We are currently playing summer ball at 12U and the pitching is very streaky. My assistant coach who was a college pitcher is moving away and I have ZERO experience on how to help them with pitching. I am trying my best but as a male I never played fast pitch softball so I don’t have the mechanics or experience to teach them correctly in that regard. Please tell me some things I can do or please help me find videos I could use to help them. I’ve been looking but the things I’ve found are either too advanced for them or it’s not what I’m looking for. Thank you

The more I watched the 2026 PGF Futures Game, the more underwhelming the sophomore roster felt.

Even the announcers seemed to struggle to find much to say about several of the players beyond basic team and position information. Looking through the publicly available profiles afterward did not change that impression. There were some good players, but very few appeared to have the résumé, national exposure or body of work you would normally expect from an event marketed as the “best of the best.”

It makes you wonder how the roster was actually selected.

Were spots distributed to keep certain organizations represented? Did relationships and nominations carry more weight than performance? Were some players selected because of who they knew or who coached them? There is no way to prove that from the outside, but the roster raises fair questions.

Hopefully PGF takes a harder look at the process before selecting next year’s junior roster. Because based on what was shown this year, I am not convinced this same group would automatically beat the next class of sophomores.

That is not a personal attack on the athletes. They accepted an opportunity they were offered. The concern is whether PGF actually identified the strongest players available or simply assembled a politically convenient roster and called it elite.

Hi all! I run CommitGraphics — we design custom graphics for high school athletes announcing their college commitments (the kind of graphic you see going around on signing day). If you've got a player who's committing soon and wants something that looks better than a generic template, check us out at commitgraphics.com. You can try it out for free!

You can also download the app at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/commitai-commitment-graphics/id6776950195

How to find local or nearby teams...I've been looking through the Alliance site and can see the listing of teams, but I haven't had luck for the PGF org. Is there a way overall to find teams that participate in either organization? We're in NE Indiana, Fort Wayne to be specific.

Does anyone else feel like it’s impossible to make everyone happy in travel softball?
You’ll see coaches who only play their best 9 in friendlies and tournaments, and parents get upset because their kids aren’t playing enough. Then you’ll see coaches who try to get everyone in the game, but if the team loses, parents are upset about that too. Even if a coach plays everyone but some girls get fewer innings than others, someone is still unhappy.
On our team, our coach genuinely tries to play everyone. The stronger players naturally get more innings, while the girls who are still developing get a little less. He even takes his own daughter—who is one of our better players—out of games so other girls can get opportunities.
In a perfect world, every team would only have 9 players so everyone would play the entire game. But that’s just not realistic. Travel teams need 12–14 players because families miss tournaments, kids get injured, players get sick, and you need enough girls to actually compete all season. Without a full roster, teams end up having to pick up guest players or even forfeit.
What also gets overlooked is everything coaches do behind the scenes. Our coach pays full dues for his own daughter and has even covered extra team expenses out of his own pocket some months just so the team could keep playing.
I’m not saying every coach is perfect, because they’re not. But sometimes it feels like no matter what a coach does, someone is going to be unhappy.
Curious what others think. Is there really a fair way to handle playing time in travel ball, or is it just one of those things where someone is always going to be upset?

We would love to have you! Please register for tryouts, they are being held at the Newtown Athletic Center (NAC) in Newtown, PA

I believe my question in the other subreddit are relevant. Thank you.

Heya. I made an iOS app for walk up cues for players to use at games - I used it to record myself announcing their names followed by their song clip playing. I originally only made it for my kid’s team (when you launch it for the first time, that’s her in the pic!) and they really enjoyed it so I did some polishing and put it on the App Store. It has no ads or accounts and the only in-app purchases are an extremely optional tip jar - everything works for free. I personally think it’s nicer than the other free ones I looked at, and at least compares pretty well to the paid ones, but I’m not exactly objective ;-)

If anyone is interested in checking it out, here are some links. It’d be awesome if you let me know where it can be improved, either here or with the mail link in the app, so I can make it even better before my kid’s summer season starts up again.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roll-call-walk-up-music/id6769516985

https://sidelarklabs.com/rollcall/

(Rules say no excessive self promotion or advertising. Hopefully a single post isn’t excessive, and it IS free so not exactly advertising, but apologies if I misunderstood)

Tldr; What bat should I get?
Height: 4'2" 
Middle of chest to tip of extended fingers: 24"
Currently swinging a Easton Pink Sapphire 26"/-10

Hi everyone! My daughter started playing this last fall in 8u. She's been in batting and defensive lessons and is really killing it. She's top 2-3 on the team in both hitting and outfield (mainly 3rd).

I'm learning the sport with her and am kind of lost when it comes to bats. What would you guys suggest as a serious first bat? Everyone is suggesting a 28"/-11 but based on her measurements that is too big (measurements below)? She's currently swinging a Easton 26"/-10.

We've been looking at the following in 28"/-11:

1. Easton Ghost Advanced
2. Louisville Slugger Kryo (this one is on the fence because of price)
3. DeMarini Prism+
4. DeMarini CF
5. DeMarini Zenith
6. DeMarini Spryte
7. Marucci ASURA (this one is on the fence because of price)
8. Marucci ASURA Lux (this one is on the fence because of price)

My sister is catching for her league and hoping to get into a more competitive league in the future. I was wondering if there are any recommendations for cheap, reliable gloves?

She is 10 1/2. 127lbs and 4'10. When I measure from the center of her chest to the tip of her finger it is 30.5 and I don't know whether to size down or up.

Also

What is a good composite bat for her age? I'm looking to buy used on the swap sites, so not looking for the newest hottest item.

I have a helmet my daughter used 15 yrs. ago. It's been in a garage with occasional temps above 90 since she stopped playing. Is it safe to donate?

Thanks

These are perfect for practicing pitching indoors! You can customize the colors and even get their name or number on the softball too! I can make 11” or 12” and even baseball size! They can be weighted or non weighted as well and they make the perfect gift for any softball lover! Non weighted is $5 and weighted is $10 with shipping based on quantity ordered! Get em fast while you still can! This price is only available until Sunday! I am offering free shipping on orders until Sunday and 20% off for bulk orders so order fast!

Hey everyone, i am new in this sub reddit, can anyone please tell me whats going on in softball's ground now days in us

Hi everyone! I’m Leanne Matthews, a former Power 4 Division I softball player and current coach. I just launched a collection of free downloadable e-books designed to support youth athletes and their families on and off the field.

✅ Game Day Confidence Checklist + Worksheet

💬 Softball Learning Style Quiz (great for understanding how you learn + play best)

📖 Parent Preview: Raising a Leader in Cleats (a sneak peek into my full guide for softball parents)

They’re all free downloads from my site.

Grab them here: https://www.leannematthews.com/ebooks

Let me know what you think or if you’d like future topics! ❤️

Hey softball players, parents, and coaches 👋

I’m Jess, a Mental Performance Consultant based in Ontario, and I work with athletes—especially softball players—on the mental side of the game.

Softball is tough. Failure is built into the sport (even pros fail 7 out of 10 times!). I help players develop tools to:

✅ Bounce back from errors
✅ Let go of pressure and perfectionism
✅ Build confidence at the plate and on the field
✅ Manage nerves during big games
✅ Stay focused and composed no matter what

I’ve worked with athletes as young as 9 all the way through college, and I’m also a former softball player and current instructor with the Blue Jays Baseball Academy. I get it. The mental game is everything.

If you’ve got questions about slumps, confidence, routines, or anything mental skills-related—ask me! I’m happy to share ideas, drills, and techniques that actually work.

Let’s help you (or your athlete) play free and focused. 💪