So fun being back with Team USA! Training and more training.  Good stuff!:)

Up and ready for practice now.  I'm heading to grab a quick coffee, then we'll hit the fields.

I want to award the ladies of the 14U Stars from Fort Collins, CO as my Finch's Favorite this week.  First, congratulations on your back to back tournament wins!  When teams work together and train hard, the benefits are endless.  So happy to see you all having such success.

It also seems appropriate to recognize the Stars on this 4th of July week, especially with your red, white and blue team colors.  

Congrats ladies and coach Quintana. Keep updating your Weplay page, I just love checking out your photos and reading about the season.

Believing,

#27

Last night was a good night for the Bandits! ;) I love feeling accomplished!

I bet the ladies of the U12 Indiana Magic do as well!  Congrats girls, you're my pick for Finch's Favorite this week.

This fast pitch travel team from the Lafayette area has a great team site on Weplay.  I'm impressed by the number of parents, coaches and fans who seem to be extremely involved with the team. Reminds me of my parents (and entire family for that matter).  It truly takes a village to help keep you going while traveling all over for these very competitive fast pitch games.

I also enjoyed checking out the 731 photos highlighted in their gallery!!  Sharing memories is what Weplay is all about.

So congrats ladies.  I'll be sending you an autographed team photo soon.  

Dream and Believe #27

P.S.
Love your team description:

"We are a Girls Fast Pitch Travel Softball Team DEDICATED TO EACH OTHER and to the great game of softball."  

Rough one for the Bandits last night.  We should have pulled it off!  But just when I found myself lost in frustration late yesterday night, I came across the Southern Explosion 12U Blue group on Weplay.  Their team motto is definitely the type of motivation I needed to bounce back and get ready for game two against the Force tonight:

"Winners Don't Make Excuses, They Make Adjustments!!"

You girls are so right!  I hate to lose, but I know there are two things I can control each day:  My attitude and my effort.  So thanks ladies for helping me keep things in perspective.

But the SE Blue have done more than follow a great motto all season!  With a jam packed roster that features almost no benchwarmers and 300 photos in your gallery, you all are definitely my pick for Finch's Favorite this week.  

Good luck at the WFC State Championships next weekend.  Play your hearts out and enjoy the game.  Every season we play this amazing game is a gift.

Believing,

#27

Also, if you didn't know already, you have 3 more weeks to win an "Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards" fan pass. Visit:
WomensSportsFoundation.org & click "VIP FAN PASS"

It was perfection for us (The Bandits) defensively tonight! What a night! A lot of fun! So much fun, not going to be shy about it! Its been a long couple of months getting back. Rachel Folden and I were on the same the page, groovin, she called a great game! It was so much fun to be out there competing with my teammates, Go Bandits!

I have to give all the glory to Him, the only true perfection I know. You, Jesus! Thank you! By your grace and only by your grace! The Valleys and the Mountain Tops you are always there at work, moving and shaking! Thank you Lord for your perfect timing in all things. We will keep looking to You through it all and in all!

USA Tryouts was a lot of fun! It was a young group for the most part but ballers they are! It was fun to be a part of the excitement, youthfulness, and eagerness. For a lot of the players invited it was their first USA experience. It was great to be able to witness them going after their dreams, dreams of wearing the red, white, & blue. This is what it was all about. They were taking it all in, treasuring, and storing it! Lots of fun in San Diego. I am so grateful to be able to be apart of it and again have the honor of wearing USA this summer. I will be playing in the Canada Cup, Oklahoma World Cup, and the Japan Cup. I look forward to competing with this talented group.

It was a little different this time. A new quad, many new players, and a new Coach. Sadly Coach Candrea retired from USA along with many legends of this game. They will all be missed so dearly! It won't be the same, but we look forward to the future of USA Softball. Look forward to Coach Miller and the future players of our game. It was a special week! A little reunion for us returners too. Congrats to all the invites, thanks for a fun week of great softball.

After tryouts we were able to catch up with Casey for a couple days. Very short days it felt like. It was so much fun hanging with family and being with Casey! Casey is doing so well! We are so proud of him and all he is doing for the Express. He sacrifices a lot, and is so encouraging of my lil' softball gig! ;) I am so grateful and so honored to call him my husband! He is having such a great year! Keep it up honey!

Ace is now locking me out of the bathroom stall... yet another milestone! Oh, he is getting so big! Too big! We are loving every minute spent with him. He is such a fun lil' man and so full of it. He is into singing, bull riding, fighting the thing called sleep, baseball (like his daddy, he is not shy to tell anyone and everyone his daddy plays baseball), eating (I think we are in a growth spurt), animals, attempting to swim (he doesn't get very far), being outside, wearing his catchers mask, and just a sweetie and a lover, he loves to cuddle! He is so much fun and what a blessing!

Every good and perfect gift comes from Him!

Dreaming & Believing!
#27

It's a game of failure and all about consistency. Not getting too high or too low. Tonight was a rough one. I'm not a good loser and I hope never to be. I love to compete! I love this game! But I HATE TO LOSE!

These past few months have been a roller coaster ride for me getting back into things. My pitching mechanics have put me through the ringer. I have been battling with them. There has been major internal struggles going inside this body. A major tug o war, nothing like you've quite seen of TV... A tug o war! You try to keep them in your body and far away from your brain/mind... this is the hard part. Not going mental... its not easy. Especially when you are battling yourself daily! I was debating to even write about it publicly but here I am.

I feel many others may have this same struggle and see there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This game isn't easy, not even for Olympians! :) (and its not about what you've done in the past, its the past!) I'm not a quitter but when your mechanics won't cooperate its a rough ride. I know mentally what I need to do, its just getting the physical part to comply. It clicked about 2 weeks ago, Amen! I was filled with tears on the mound, finally I felt like I should feel. My pitches were moving like they should and I had that "pop"! Amen, I was dancing leaving the field! Now, its just trying to get my body to do this consistently. For a while I had to make a conscious effort every single pitch and at times it still didn't happen. I did it all, video taped, visualized, analyzed, prayed, it all... over and over. Honestly this was such a tough time for me about a month ago. But by God's grace, a lot of work, believers in me, I'm on my way out. Yes, through tears, struggle, doubt, many hours in frustration, Coaching, and much more it finally clicked. The moment I had been waiting for the magic click.

Now is the tricky part getting it to click each and every time. And yes I am greedy, click without even having to think about it. This is where I want to be. My first outing was on Wednesday night for the Bandits. Wow, it felt good out there. I was so stinking fired up! I'm back! Finally!
Of course, it never comes fast enough! Just when I thought this... well the Lord is keeping me on my toes. Keeping me humble and keeping me grateful for the good times out there.

Then came tonight... well it was a rough one. I didn't have it. I had bits and pieces of it in the pen but it wasn't that magical click. So I battled out there on the mound. There are going to be days where you don't have it, but I wasn't ready to take a step back. I want this train to keep moving! It was one of those days where I relied a lot on my change up and hitting my spots. I felt confident in getting 2 strikes but where was strike 3? I battled and thanks to my defense it didn't turn out too bad. 1 pitch, as soon as I let it go, I knew... I knew. Not good instantly. I haven't hung a screw ball like this one in a while. UGH, I will relive it over and over again for a while. The 1 pitch, the 1 mistake. YUCK! For you pitchers out there you know exactly where I am it with this.

After my outing I went over to the pen and it clicked again. The magic click. Wow, I had my legs again, I was finishing strong on my pitches, I had the "pop"! I know its within its just a matter of getting it there every time I step on the mound. Good news is my speeds were up, 67-68 on Wednesday! Good stuff... tonight there were down a bit. I need to continue to go to work and be as consistent as I can and continue that magic click. Every time. And battle even when that magic click isn't there, you battle and battle confidently. This is what makes you the pitcher, player, person you are... your battle.

It was a rough battle tonight for us on the field. Defensively we had it rough. But there were some great things on the field though at the same time. We came back twice, we had quite a few good at bats. In the end we beat ourselves... this game does this. Its a gut check... Luckily for us we have tomorrow, it is our first series, and we are loaded with talent. Its just a matter of continuing for consistency, working hard, respecting the game, and respecting our opponents. Its going to be a battle all year here in the Pro League, we play each team in a 5 game series. They are going to know us and we are going to know them. This is the best of best here in the NPF. It will come down to many dog fights and many whoever makes the first mistake loses kinda games. What an awesome season this will be! Great times!

However, we are aware of the fight and I'm proud to go to battle with these girls and we will be ready.

Loving this game, the good times and the bad times.

Dreaming & Believing... for the magic click every time!
#27

How about this years Women's College World Series? Amazing! Talk about some incredible games! Every night I have been covered in chills tuning in. Looking forward to tonight, Can Florida come back? Washington seems unstoppable at this point. However, you never know and this series has proved that.

Summer has been going good! We have been enjoying having family in Round Rock and loving every minute spent with them there. Its the first time we have been close to family for the baseball season. An answered prayer for sure! Casey is loving being in the South and has warmed right up! Even found the fishing spots, not hard to do for him.

I am so excited to be back with the Bandits this summer! There are so many amazing women here in the National Pro Fastpitch League who have given so much for this league and our game. I am in awe! These women have put their "real lives" either on hold or have made it work in order to be able to pack up and leave to play for the summer. This is such an amazing opportunity, so many unselfish women, owners, Coaches, and the list just goes on and on! The NPF is full of talent, the best of the best. I look forward to the challenge of every series. I look forward to opening up tomorrow night against Philly! This is my 5th summer on the roster and to see how much has been invested into to making this what it is, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and hope!

I have loved every second getting back on the field with teammates! It is such a special feeling and the best environment!

Ace is doing great! Enjoying being a Bandit too! He had his first Dentist visit last week. He was so good, my little guy! He just laid there and was a champ. Not too hard with SpongeBob playing on the ceiling! :) His 3 yr old Dr. visit on the other hand, he wasn't too excited for. He thought there would be a few shots, but luckily not this visit!






Ace on the field in Rockford, swinging for the fences!

He is just crazy, still sporting his jersey everyday! Head to toe! Too funny! The other day we were headed to Rockford for a scrimmage game against the Thunder and I was telling Ace he was going to see Cat (Osterman). I was asking if he remembered her? He replied, is that a jaguar or is she a girl? Too too funny! Cat got a good laugh about it too! ;)

Well better get going, off to practice!

Dreaming & Believing!

#27

This week's Finch's Favorite is located in the heart of softball country--Oklahoma that is.

The young ladies from Oklahoma City's Sweet Poison U14 ASA team are doing a fabulous job. Everyone seems to be participating on their team page and more importantly, they're gearing up for a number of tournaments in May and June. Tournaments are always a great way to break into the season!

Speaking of season, there's only one week until the Chicago Bandits take the field again. I can't wait!

Good luck with everything Sweet Poison. Challenge yourselves everyday and you'll be the best fastpitch team you can be.

I'm off to Ace's first dentist appointment. Good stuff:)

#27

Oh goodness I'm sore from six days of pitching! But the WGSL 12U All Stars from Whittier, California are doing just fine. In fact, they're my pick for Finch's Favorite this week. Congratulations!

One of the best parts of their Weplay profile is the description: "Keep smilin', keep shinin' Knowin' you can always count on me, for sure. That's what friends are for. For good times and bad times I'll be on your side forever more. That's what friends are for."

I love this! Always encourage, motivate and make your teammates better players. That's your responsibility on any team.

I also love that the team organizers are really getting the most out of the features on Weplay. They're using the documents tab, the discussion and news boards and best of all, sharing wonderful team photos.

Enjoy the season ladies. You all are making me even more anxious for the Bandits season to kick off.

Dream & Believe
#27