Back in 2015, when I was running Chicagoland Baseball & Softball Academy’s softball program, I worked with a great coach who emphasized the importance of players understanding the game, not just playing it. My baseball counterpart had a simple yet insightful idea—he wanted the boys to coach first base so they could develop a better feel for the game.

He gave them some basic guidance and sent them out there. But to his surprise, they struggled. Even with clear instructions, they just couldn’t grasp what to do. He was baffled—when he was a kid, coaching first base was second nature.

So many challenges, frustrations, and disappointments—whether for coaches, players, or parents—stem from vague expectations and a lack of communication throughout the season. Inspired by these teams and my own coaching experience, I’ve put together a set of guiding principles for pitchers. These rules help ensure that every pitcher understands her role, stays accountable, and approaches the game with the right mindset.

At every age leading up to college softball recruiting, coaches suggest getting a realistic assessment of your skills. Everyone wants to know, do I have what it takes? Go to college games to observe the level of play. Ask instructors and coaches what you realistically need to improve on.

Erica Hanrahan

When it comes to deciding who should call the game, there are two very different schools of thought—and both have valid points. Before diving into the debate, though, I want to emphasize something I’m incredibly passionate about:

Pitchers need to have full autonomy to shake off a pitch or location call if they feel something else is more appropriate.

This autonomy is critical because pitchers need to own every pitch they throw. If they don’t like a pitch call for any reason, it’s on them to shake it off and get the pitch or location they believe in. That’s how you grow from being a thrower to becoming a pitcher. At the end of the day, the responsibility lies with the person throwing the ball—not the pitch caller.

Investing wisely in quality instruction, essential tools, and physical training programs can make a real impact on a pitcher’s journey. When you prioritize tools and training that build both physical and mental strength, you’re setting up pitchers for growth and long-term success.

Winter in Chicago can make softball practice challenging, but it’s crucial for young pitchers to keep working on their skills, no matter the conditions. Consistency is key, and even if you don't have access to perfect equipment or facilities, there are still ways to practice effectively. Whether your daughter has a catcher, a net, or just a small space indoors, there are drills and equipment that can help her focus on mechanics and build proper movement patterns. The key is to make the most of what you have and keep practicing every day, ensuring steady progress even during the colder months.

This is what college coaches are looking for: a pitcher who wants to be part of a team’s success, even if that means she isn’t the primary star. This takes practice, and that practice is in the mental preparedness to be that type of a teammate. You must train to execute this behavior when you don’t think or feel this way at first. Once you rehearse this skill after learning about it, writing about it, and deciding your action plan to live it, you get to prepare in class through the Practice Pro model. THAT is why I believe in pitching school so profoundly. And THAT is also why Abby and I are deeply motivated to start an elite level class for pitchers who want to be everything they can be in college

Over the last 37 years of my relationship with softball (as both a player and a coach), there is not a single piece of my experience that trumps the TIME spent with my father.  We forged through thousands of hours of training together.  It created the foundation of our adult lives together, and that life has been a host of full and vibrant experiences (some softball and many not), set in motion by softball: the joy, laughter, frustration, honesty, support, and motivation that was necessary for me to transform myself from the worst player on my 10 year old travel team to the pitcher who earned a college scholarship and became a coach herself.  

What if you could make decisions based on what a player earned, not just on what you feel? What if you could take the pressure off yourself and let the work they put in decide who gets the ball? What if, when a player asked, "Why am I not pitching?" they understood, didn’t resent it, and just got back to work to get better? You’d have more peace. You’d have a better team.

This year I created the online practice club. We tested it last year, and now we’re rolling out an upgraded version. The program I created tells you exactly what to practice, pitch by pitch, every day for the ten weeks of pitching school. There are four levels, and as you improve, you move up a level. Each drill has a video so you can review it. Everything is in CoachNow, our app where students currently store their videos and notes. There are rewards, pins, and a community to keep you accountable and to cheer you on.

This quiz can be taken by people who are thinking about taking on the pitching position or for people who are already pitchers and want to test their progress. I wrote this from the player’s perspective, but parents can take it too.

I notice, as expected, parents new to the sport and position aren’t aware of what it really takes, and are looking for a way to “get by” and just “pitch a few more strikes”, without formally learning how to do the skill. Likewise, long-time players wonder why they’ve hit a plateau. Take this test to see if there are any barriers you need to overcome.

See where your mindset is!