Division 1 or Bust? / Expectations for young players / Banana Ball style tournament / Discipline - Be consistent Artwork

Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast

Everything Fastpitch is a podcast hosted by Coach Tory Acheson and Coach Don McKinlay. Tory and Don are former college coaches that are now full time instructors and travel ball coaches. Since retiring form active collegiate coaching they have committed themselves to providing educational materials to the fastpitch community. This podcast is one of the resources they are providing. Their website has 500+ blog posts and they have a YouTube channel. All of these cover fastpitch softball from coaching and training beginner athletes up through college athletes. It is a great resource for players, parents and coaches. Whether it be training tips, mental aspects, coaching methods, recruiting etc. it is all covered, hence the name Everything Fastpitch.

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Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast

Division 1 or Bust? / Expectations for young players / Banana Ball style tournament / Discipline - Be consistent

April 01, 2026 • Tory Acheson & Don McKinlay

0:00 | 35:05

Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 414, thank Patreon supporters, and share a “good news, bad news” did-you-know: pitching coach Bill Hillhouse has died after battling cancer, while Oklahoma pitching coach Jennifer Rocha has returned to the dugout after her own cancer fight, alongside encouragement to support cancer research. The City of the Week is Oxford, Mississippi. A recruiting listener question challenges “Division I or bust,” emphasizing academics and that playing college softball at any level is an accomplishment. Tory then discusses unrealistic expectations for young players transitioning from tee ball/coach pitch to kid pitch and travel ball, stressing long-term development over quick fixes. The cleanup segment reviews a popular Atlanta-area Banana Ball-style tournament, praising the fun while noting safety and skill concerns for young players. The coaching tip argues coaches must clearly communicate team rules and reasons for discipline/benching and enforce rules consistently.

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