Shows / From the Coach's Mouth
From the Coach's Mouth
Jay Bolden of BeBold Fastpitch and St. Xavier University, and Ken Krause of Softball Success and the Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog, talk with fastpitch and specialty coaches about their lives, their journeys, and their thoughts on a variety of topics related to the sport of fastpitch softball.
Episodes
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 83: Shawnee Harle the Sequel
Two-time Olympian and Mental Toughness coach Shawnee Harle of Winning Matters returns to the podcast to share more insights on what causes breakdowns in…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 82: Karl Gollan
Jay and Ken speak with Karl Gollan, former superstar men's pitcher, about his years dominating international competition with the New Zealand Black Sox, how he…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 81: Chris Berry
Chris Berry, head coach at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, joins Jay and Ken talk about his early career playing baseball, how he came to McLennan…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 80: Leslie Huntington
This week Jay and Ken welcome University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire head coach Leslie Huntington to the From the Coach's Mouth studio to talk about her days…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 79: Hallie Blackney and Bailey Dillon
We have a special treat this week as Hallie Blackney, head coach at Missouri Southern State University, and one of her star players, Bailey Dillon, join Jay…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 78: John Oothoudt
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…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 77: Jay and Ken on Fall Ball, Fieldy, Pitching Rules
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…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Re-Release: Rich Balswick
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…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 76: Tom Rupert
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…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 75: Scott Mead
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…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 74: Joey Cunha
Hold onto your hats and get ready for your head to spin as Jay and Ken welcome The Farm System's CEO and co-founder Joey Cunha to the podcast. Joey shares some…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Re-Release: College Bound Jocks
With the September 1 start of the D1 recruiting process coming up, plus changes to NCAA eligibility rules such as 5-for-5 which adds an extra year of…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 73: Jay and Ken on the Quest for A Level Bracket Pitchers, Player Development v Winning, Using Video
Jay and Ken are back with a brand new episode guaranteed 100% fresh! They offer their thoughts on teams looking for "A Level Bracket Pitchers" post-tryouts…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Re-Release: Dr. Rob Gilbert
With the 2026-2027 softball season getting under way we thought it would be good to address the mental side of the game with this re-release of Jay and Ken's…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 72: Gina Furrey Buhse
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College head coach and personal friend of the podcast Gina Furrey Buhse joins Jay and Ken to talk about her early days as a star…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 71: Jay and Ken on Joining a New Team, Being a Pitching Coach
Jay and Ken offer a timely episode that offers tips for players and parents to help ease the transition onto a new team, and for coaches to begin the tough…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 70: Shayla Cravens Taylor
In this week's episode, Jay and Ken speak with Fuel and Fire owner Shayla Cravens Taylor about her journey as a star pitcher at Silver Creek High School in…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 69: Joni Frei
Jay and Ken were delighted to speak with Joni Frei, founder and lead architect of Canada Futures, a program designed to identify and nurture high-level…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 68: Jay and Ken Talk Tryouts
Jay and Ken take a deep into what to do, and what not to do, during tryouts for players, parents and coaches. Among the topics discussed are the importance of…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 67: Margo Jonker
Hall of Famer and longtime Central Michigan University head coach Margo Jonker joins Jay and Ken to talk about how she got started in fastpitch softball, some…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 66: Brad Kilpatrick
University of Washington pitching coach and USA Men's National Team pitcher Brad Kilpatrick talks to Jay and Ken about growing up as an athlete in Australia…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 65: Bobby Humphrey
Renowned catching coach Bobby Humphrey, a volunteer assistant at Bridgewater College and conductor of catching clinics across the U.S., joins Jay and Ken to…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 64: Michael Bastian
This week the podcast takes on a bit more of an international flavor as Michael Bastian, who spent time as a coach with Team USA in the first Olympics era and…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 63: Jay and Ken on Internal Rotation, Other Pitching Mechanics, and College Softball Fails
In this week's episode, Jay and Ken talk pitching mechanics, starting with a deep dive into what exactly is internal rotation - and what it's not - as well as…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 62: Dr. Rob Gilbert
In this week's episode, Dr. Rob Gilbert, a professor of sports psychology at Montclair State University in New Jersey, joins Jay and Ken to talk about how he…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 61: Dee Abrahamson
This week Jay and Ken are joined by Dee Abrahamson, the winningest fastpitch softball coach in Northern Illinois University history whose 1988 squad made it…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 60: APS Recruits
We know that the recruiting process can be challenging and confusing for parents and players alike, so Jay and Ken were excited to welcome Ryan Renne and…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 59: Steve Hendershot
Award-winning journalist and content creator Steve Hendershot joins Jay and Ken to talk about his upcoming documentary-style podcast Uningrained, which looks…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 58: Rich Balswick
Legendary pitching coach Rich Balswick joins Jay and Ken to talk about his years as a top men's player and what made him transition from being a hard thrower…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 57: Sarah Pauly
This week Jay and Ken are joined by one of the all-time great fastpitch pitchers, the incredible Sarah Pauly. The former D1 and National Pro Fastpitch standout…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 56: Don Stopa
Red River High School and former University of North Dakota pitching coach Don Stopa joins Jay and Ken to talk about his career as a head and assistant coach…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 55: Joe Massaro
USA Softball National Hall of Fame umpire Joe Massaro joins Jay and Ken to share how he got started as an umpire and how he worked his way up through the ranks…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 54: Kelley Montalvo
South Mountain Community College head coach Kelley Montalvo joins Jay and Ken this week to talk about her playing career at Alabama, where she earned multiple…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 53: Doug Gillis
Jay and Ken once again have the opportunity to speak with a fastpitch softball legend. This time it's former men's international and national champion pitcher…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Re-Release: Bill Hillhouse
We learned sadly late Saturday night that Bill Hillhouse had passed away after an eight-month battle with pancreatic cancer. We had the privilege of speaking…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 52: High School Softball, Bad Advice Coaches Give
This week Jay and Ken make it a duo to talk about getting the most out of high school softball and what players can do if they didn't make them team they were…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 51: Chanin Billings
Chanin Billings, head coach at Maryville University in St. Louis, chats with Jay and Ken about her career as a four-year starter at the University of Kansas…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 50: Dr. Tayler Onion
Tayler Onion, Ph.D. joins Jay and Ken to talk about her career as a D1 volleyball player, youth softball player, and most importantly her work around…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 49: Rachel Folden
Former Chicago Cubs/current New York Mets organization hitting coach Rachel Folden joins Jay and Ken to talk about her career as a top-notch collegiate and…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 48: College Bound Jocks
Jay and Ken take a deep dive into the ins and outs of getting recruited to play in college with Brian Chidester and Brian May of College Bound Jocks. The…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 47: Jay and Ken Talk Favorite Coaching Tools
This week Jay and Ken share some of their favorite coaching tools for hitting and pitching, as well as some of the must-haves for every coach's personal…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 46: Bill Hillhouse
Legendary men's fastpitch pitcher and private instructor Bill Hillhouse joins Jay and Ken for a discussion about his approach to teaching pitching, how the…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 45: Alisa Goler
Western Illinois University head coach Alisa Goler joins Jay and Ken to talk about her days playing at the University of Georgia, where she still holds many…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 44: Dr. Chelsea Martin
With the softball season beginning to ramp up again, it's important to take steps to prevent injuries, especially those to joints such as knees and shoulders…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 43: Roman Foore
Jay and Ken welcome Roman Foore, assistant coach for Bethel University in Minnesota, to the From the Coach's Mouth studio to talk about his career as a men's…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episde 42: Rick Pauly Rides Again!
Pitching coach extraordinaire Rick Pauly helps Jay and Ken kick off the new year right with a return visit to the podcast. Rick covers a wide variety of…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 41: A Very Special Holiday Episode 2025
Jay and Ken wrap up 2025 with a look back on some of their favorite episodes and guests, as well as an overview of their impressions of the first year of the…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 40: Prashant Patel
High-level cricket coach Prashant Patel stopped by the From the Coach's Mouth studio to talk with Jay and Ken about his career as a cricket (and for a brief…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 39: Jay and Ken on How the Game Has Changed
Jay and Ken take a look at many of the ways the game of fastpitch softball has changed, what has been behind those changes, and whether they think it's for…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Re-Release: Linda Lensch
The always fun Linda Lensch of Greased Lightning Fastpitch stops by the podcast to talk about how she got involved playing fastpitch softball with (and…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Re-Release: Lauren Haeger
Join Ken and Jay as they speak with 2015 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year and Women's College World Series champion Lauren Haeger about her…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 38: Joe Kinsella
This week Jay and Ken speak with Lake Forest College Head Coach Joe Kinsella about how this former football player came to become the coach of one of the most…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 37: Jay and Ken Top 10 Coach Don'ts
This week Jay and Ken offer up their top 10 things coaches shouldn't do while coaching. Some are general, some are position-specific, but all are good advice…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 36: Kerri Blaylock
Jay and Ken were honored this week to be able to speak with former longtime SIU Carbondale head coach and current John A. Logan Community College volunteer…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 35: Carol Bruggeman
Talk about a catch! National Fastpitch Coaches Association CEO and Hall of Famer Carol Bruggeman joins Jay and Ken to talk about how growing up in a small town…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 34: Nick French
Rutgers University pitching coach Nick French joins Jay and Ken to talk about how he got started as a pitching coach by coaching his high school classmates…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 33: Jay and Ken on Coaching Young Players v College, Plyo Balls, Multi-Sport Athletes, Trusting the Process
Jay and Ken talk about the similarities and differences between coaching youth players v college players, including expectations. They then touch on the use of…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Re-Release: Jon Gwizdala
Jay and Ken talk to Jon Gwizdala, former pitcher with USA Softball's Men's team, former head coach at Jackson College, and current assistant coach at Davenport…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 32: Jay and Ken on Changeup, Offspeed, Sept 1, Transitioning to College
This week Jay and Ken dig deep in the value and strategies for the changeup, what pitchers need to do to maximize its effectiveness, some things to avoid when…
- From the Coach's Mouth
Episode 31: Emma Lemley
Virginia Tech standout pitcher and AUSL star Emma Lemley joins Jay and Ken to talk about her early career as a four-sport athlete, her journey to and time at…