Today’s post was actually written by my partner in podcasting Coach Jay Bolden of Be Bold Fastpitch LLC. As many of you know Jay and i do the From the Coach’s Mouth podcast, where we interview coaches and talk amongst ourselves about all sorts of fastpitch softball and general coaching topics.

You can find it on all your favorite podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Ok, commercial over.

A couple of days ago, though, I saw Jay put up a great post on his Be Bold Fastpitch LLC Facebook page, talking about how he approaches working with his students. It was very heartfelt and great advice for all of us to remember so I asked him if I could reprint it here. He, of course, is a great guy so he said yes.

So here’s what he had to say on the topic. He has a lot of great content like this so I highly recommend that if you are on Facebook you give him a follow. And if you’re not, get on Facebook and then follow him. It will be well worth it.

Without further ado, here’s the post:

Let me say this loud and clear…

Person first. Student second. Player third.

Somewhere along the way, youth sports flipped that order — and we’re seeing the damage every single day. Kids tied up in performance anxiety. Kids terrified to make a mistake. Kids who think their value comes from stat sheets, exit velos, strike percentages, and trophy photos.

That’s on us as adults.

If a kid thinks her worth depends on how she plays on Saturday, then we failed long before the first pitch.

Because softball is a chapter in her life — not her entire identity.

Before I care about her curveball, her batting average, or where she hits in the lineup… I care about what kind of person she’s becoming.

Is she kind? Coachable? Honest? Does she show up for others?

That matters more than any tournament ring.

Then comes the student.

Grades, habits, responsibility, learning how to manage real life — those are the things that carry her long after her last at-bat.

Player is last on purpose.

Not because the game doesn’t matter — it does.

But because the game is the platform, not the identity.

We’re not just coaching softball.

We’re developing strong, confident young women who can handle life.

Person first.

Student second.

Player third.

And when we get that right?

The softball takes care of itself.

Train Hard. Play Bold. Chase Greatness.