From the Coach's Mouth

Jay and Ken are joined this week by former men's fastpitch player and current Bethany Lutheran College assistant coach John Oothoudt (or Johnny O as most people call him) to talk about his playing days in Minnesota, what it was like growing up in a small town, how he got back into softball coaching through his daughter, and the benefits of being the boss when you're trying to balance a business career as well as coaching. He also shares what he looks for in a recruit, the kinds of players BLC is looking for, his thoughts on the current pitching rules, and how a non-pitcher ended up as a college pitching coach.

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.