DR3 Fastpitch Blog

It came at 11:03 PM.

I was lying in bed, exhausted from a long lesson day, halfway debating whether to even check my email. And there it was: a message from a player I hadn’t heard from in over a year.

“Coach D… I just wanted to say thank you. I almost quit softball this summer. I was miserable. B...

This story still gives me chills.

I was running a 12U game with one of my lesson girls on the mound. She was new to pitching and just finding her confidence. But she had crazy energy, a big smile, and always begged to hit.

Her coach came up before the game:

“We’re thinking of just letting her ...

Okay, confession time.

Yes—I became a “P.O.”

Yes—I had a complicated relationship with hitting in college.

But also? I once hit a walk-off.

It was my junior year, and I hadn’t swung a bat in months. We were down a player due to illness, so my coach asked if I could just stand in to get throug...

I remember it like it was yesterday.

We were mid-tournament. Our first baseman rolled her ankle bad on a rundown. Everyone’s panicking.

And I go, “Hey Coach—I can play first.”

Blank stare.

“No, you’re a pitcher. You’re not even warmed up for that.”

The crazy part? I was ready. I grew up play...

 I was 20, sitting in the training room with tears in my eyes… again.

Injured. Again.

Frustrated. Again.

My junior year—and my seventh injury since I was 14.

But this time… it felt different.

Not just physically, but mentally. Emotionally.

My identity as a pitcher, a leader, ...

 My last pitch wasn’t thrown on a field. It was thrown in a bullpen, with my dad quietly watching, both of us knowing… this was it.

I haven’t watched these videos since the spring of 2019.

This was the last bullpen I ever threw. I didn’t know it would be at the time—or maybe I did. Deep down...

@meganncclare didn’t start pitching until she was 14 years old. Most would say that’s “late.” But what they don’t see is the heart, the work, and the resilience she’s poured in since day one.

I’ve had the privilege of working with Megan since she was a freshman in high school — and watching her ...

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