Am I a Softball Mom?

The Texas Travelers Select Softball Team spends hours of practicing, traveling to tournaments, and the girls participate in many private lessons.  They have a desire to play softball at the highest level.  The coaching staff is preparing the girls to become 4-year starters for their Varsity High School Teams as well as positioning themselves to play at a collegiate level. The environment the elite softball organization has created is on which players can reach their full potential and achieve the self-confidence and positive self-esteem necessary to be successful both on and off the field.  From time to time, parents are asked to share their experience and Kara Adams, mother of Kelsie Adams, utility player for the Texas Travelers has shed some insight on what it is like to be a softball mom.

It first started because my kid had more energy than sense. I signed her up for softball at 4 years old. At first they were just so darn cute. They didn't really know how to throw or catch. They would forget there was a second base and run straight to third from first. And if they hit the ball to the grass they thought they were superman. As they grew so did their skills. We began to see that our daughter was a bit more competitive and driven than the others on her rec team and began to search out select softball. Holy cow did we get our eyes opened. There are so many talented girls out there. Where our kid always stood out before, she was suddenly lost in the group.

So began the lessons and camps. She was determined to not only stand out, but to be the best at what she did. I watched her through hours of practice, always trying to be what she needed at that time. Sometimes she just needs to be motivated. For me to remind her of why she is out in the 110 degree heat practicing her base running. Sometimes she needs a little TLC. For me to wipe away the sand and blood, patch her up and send her back out. Sometimes she needs me to be her and her dad’s (coach) mediator. I have to sit them down and remind them they are on the same team. Sometimes she just needs her mom. To be told she is my superstar, that she is loved and always will be. Through the ups and downs, the strike outs and the home runs, the scorching heat and freezing cold, me and my fellow softball moms proudly sit by the fence and watch our girls play.

Am I a softball mom?  Yes, because my girl is a softball player. She shows me every day the true meaning of hard work and determination. She sets goals and works endlessly to achieve them. She has learned what being a member of a team means and by that the meaning of lasting friends. These are priceless life lessons. Not only does she still have more energy than I, she is a softball stud and earned it all. It makes all the money spent, vacations missed, sunburns, dirty laundry, and near strokes worth it. Yes, I am a softball mom and wouldn't have it any other way.

For more information on Kelsie Adams, the Texas Travelers, or any other players; you can follow the team on Facebook or visit the Texas Travelers News Network Site.

Texas Travelers play local Real Texas Fastpitch Softball Tournament

Recently, the Texas Travelers have been competing across the state in tournaments such as ASA Texas Challenge Series; which the third leg of the tournament will be held in Houston, Texas next weekend.  However, this weekend Saturday, April 18th and Sunday, April 19th; softball fans will be able to catch a glimpse of some of the best talent select softball in North Texas has to offer.  That’s right, the Texas Travelers will be competing in the Real Texas Fastpitch tournament held at the Mesquite Girls Fastpitch Complex in Mesquite, Texas located at 1717 McKenzie Road.

The Texas Travelers are coming off of a powerful weekend scoring 75 runs which was the most in the ASA Texas Challenge Series only giving up 13 in this ASA National Qualifier.  The bats are hot, the arms are strong, and the Travelers softball fans cheer for the teams showing complete class.  It’s an exciting time when the Texas Travelers play as they have the top rated players in Texas at several fielding positions in addition to their strong sticks!  Fans will be delighted to see great plays, the best pitching, and excellent hitting.

There are 16 girls’ softball teams that have entered the tournament which is a MoneyBall Qualifier Tournament.  The tournament will consist of two Pool Play Games and Bracket Play will be Double Elimination with the championship game scheduled for 2 PM on Sunday afternoon.  Currently, the teams that are registered are Central Texas Buzz, Havoc, Sneaky Cleats 04, Black Widows, Texas Elite, Texas Glory, Sneaky Cleats 05, Waco Heat, MoJo Ultimate, Inferno, Zebra Crush, Texas Havok, 2022 Texas Glory, Ennis Cyclones, and the Batbusters in addition to your Texas Travelers.  The Texas Travelers will be playing the Black Widows at 8 AM and then the Batbusters at 9:30 on Saturday.  From there, they will be seeded accordingly for Bracket Play which will begin on Saturday and finish Sunday afternoon.

The Texas Travelers are one of the top teams in Texas and the most talked about team in the country.  The select softball organization is deep with talent and competes at the highest level.  The roster is loaded with special players at each position.

Elizabeth Schaefer is the Texas Travelers starting pitcher and one of the strongest pitchers in the country for girls select softball.  She currently has 112 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched.  Even more impressive is she has only walked 13 batters and has a WHIP (Walks, Hits per innings pitched) of less than 1.  Elizabeth threw two no-hitters last week and has combined with the other pitchers (Kelsie Adams and Kylie Morton) for two others.  Elizabeth has struck out a total of 818 batters since she started pitching in 2012 up to last weekend.

Catching Elizabeth is Emily “Moose” Forrester.  Emily is a proven winner having won first place in the USSSA World Series and first place in Star Drill at USSSA World Series.  She boast a 2.4 pop-time and throws out over 30% of the runners trying to steal.  Moose plays like she is 7 feet tall, and helps captain the defense on the field.  Her 74% on base percentage leads the team and contributes to the Texas Travelers high power scoring offense.

Kaydee Bennett is known as the best shortstop when it comes to tournament play.  However, she is also the best leadoff hitter in Texas.  Kaydee leads the team in RBI’s, Homeruns, Batting Average, and any other hitting category you can think of.  The most interesting thing about this is that she does it from the one-hole position for the Travelers.  There is not a pitcher she has faced that has been able to control her from getting on base.

Jessa McDonald has one of the strongest softball IQ’s on the field.  She has spent time at third base, second base, catcher, outfield and recently first base.  She is a coach’s dream when it comes to being able to put her in a place to help the Travelers win.  Jessa puts the ball in play almost 70% of the time and is one of the team’s leaders in RBI’s.

Kelsie Adams is a utility player for the Texas Travelers.  She has played every position on the field except for catcher; however, she would play that position if asked.  When Kelsie is on the mound, she has struck out 24 batters in 13 innings and has an 80% winning percentage.  She is a speedster on the bases and that is tremendous as she puts the ball in play almost 70% of the time.

Holding down the hottest corner in all of softball is third baseman, Kaycee Bock.  Bock is known as “The Tank” for the Texas Travelers because of her cannon of an arm.  She has power from the plate getting an RBI for almost every hit she makes.

Olivia Bauerschlag is one of the quietest girls on the field, but one of the most solid hitters on the team.  Her bat certainly speaks volumes as she has put the ball in play almost 70% of the time with authority.  Olivia or “O” to her teammates is a solid fielder playing 2nd base, third base and outfield for the Travelers.

When big hitters come up to the plate, the first place they look is to see who is in centerfield.  They become deflated when the see Hayeli Acosta.  Hayeli makes Sports Center worthy plays when fly balls travel her way, and isn’t afraid to dive every chance she gets.  She also plays catcher, second and first base.

Zariah London is one of the fastest players in select softball.  She plays outfield for the Texas Travelers, but her primary role for the Travelers is to become a scoring machine.  Anytime, the Travelers can get her on base; they are assured multiple stolen bases and very likely a run across home.

Payton Smythe plays one of the corner outfield position as is quickly becoming a power hitter for the Texas Travelers.  She is the youngest player on the team, but fans can’t tell.  She finds a way to get on base by being patient at the plate.  Her quality at bats are one of the highest on the team.

Kylie Morton is one of the hardest working ballplayers in softball.  There is never a time she can be seen sitting.  Her positive attitude is effectively contagious and she is always ready to spell her teammates.  Kylie is one of the pitchers for the Texas Travelers and pitched a No-Hitter against the Texas Glory on just 50 pitches.

Madison McClarity is one of the Texas Travelers part-time players, but an important player when she is in Texas.  She currently splits time between her Arkansas team and the Travelers; however, when she is with the Travelers she is a dominating pitcher and hitter for her North Texas Club.

The 04 Texas Travelers will be playing in the 2015 ASA Nationals in Normal, Illinois and have the goal to win the championship.  On their path, the North Texas Select Softball Team will be competing in Turf Wars in Birmingham, Alabama, Dallas ASA Preview, Stage 1-3 Texas Challenge Series (in DFW, College Station, and Houston), Hall of Fame Qualifier (Fort Worth), and the Hall of Fame Series in Oklahoma City in addition to numerous other softball tournaments in North and East Texas.

The Texas Travelers would like to wish all teams’ good luck and have a safe tournament.  We look forward to competing with you on the field.

For more information about the 04 Texas Travelers contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702 or follow The Texas Travelers on Facebook.  The Texas Travelers are a 10 U 2004 team that plays ASA competitive softball.  To follow particular players, games, practices or see any other information about the North Texas Select Softball team visit: 04 Texas Travelers News Site.

Life isn’t fair so why do you expect Softball to be?

Recently I had a discussion on one of my trips from Houston back to Dallas, Texas.  Now this discussion was with a colleague of mine who has also coached select softball at a high level.  He proposed a question and asked, “What are your feelings on ‘Daddy Ball’?”  I stated emphatically that “Daddy Ball” ruins the game, and can hurt players.  In a past blog, I wrote how my daughter’s introduction into select softball was a terrible experience as we were exposed to “Daddy Ball”.  My colleague, known for being opinionated, made the statement “How did that hurt your daughter?”  He stated that the experience she went through actually helped her.  Five hours later, he convinced me that “Daddy Ball” wasn't a bad thing.  Yes, you heard that right.  “Daddy Ball” is actually great for girls’ softball.

OK, now that I have you steaming mad right now or completely dismissive of this blog, let me try to explain the points my colleague was making that convinced me.

First, let’s look at life itself.  Have you ever been passed over a promotion in a job or felt unappreciated with the work you do by your boss?  We all have at one time or another.  Have you ever been pulled over and given a speeding ticket while the car who was going the same speed got a free pass?  Or think about when you were in high school, and the person in front of the fast food line got a discounted meal because he knew the person behind the counter and you received minimal portions at full price!  We all have stated, some people have all the luck…right?  Life just isn’t fair.

Is life really not fair?  Maybe that promotion in the job would have given you more money, but what kind of stress would have been added to you.  Maybe that ticket saved your life as you remember to slow down the next time you went through the speed trap.  Maybe the extra food you wanted kept you from having a heart attack by the time you turn 40.  It all comes down to perspective.

Second, who is responsible for the growth of youth sports?  We are going to focus on softball, but this blog pertains to all of youth sports.  Let’s look at the teams itself.  Who coaches the teams 9 out of 10 times?  Usually the dad (moms are starting to coach more often) of one of the players.  

So let’s take a deeper look at the commitment a dad makes to the team.  The dad is usually someone who played sports in high school and maybe in college.  His skillset is that of someone who loves sports and likes coaching kids.  If we are lucky, he knows the game he is coaching.  He has a fulltime job that pays his family’s mortgage and puts food on the table.  (He spends about 40-60 hours a week in that job).  He spends 2-4 hours a week at practice with your kids.  He spends another hour or more if committed analyzing competition during the week.  He spends another hour a week studying the game so he can motivate and coach the girls on the field.  For tournament teams, the dad will spend another 6-8 hours at the field for Pool Play Games, and then average 4-6 hours for Sunday Bracket Games.  At a minimum the Dad, I mean the coach, will give an extra 14-22 hours a week to the team.  For most coaches, there is no payment, no discounted cost for their daughter to play, and when losses happen; all too often he hears how he could have had a better game plan.  (As an assistant coach for a top select softball team I absolutely love all of the girls on the team that my daughter plays for.  However, there is one girl on the team that I love the most and the longest.  Yes, it is my daughter.)  Coaches in essence are working a part-time job with no pay.  There only form of payment is they are getting to spend 20 hours a week of quality time with their daughter and the sport they love to play.  Without these coaches, where would your daughter be today?

If you were the reader who said, “Yes but…” Let me interrupt your train of thought really quick.  Anybody can put together a team and coach.  So, if you want to coach and make all of the decisions, by all means do it.  Make sure you commit to listening to unhappy parents, understand feelings of young girls, put together a game plan, schedule practices, be at practices and games early, and understand that your 20 hours of extra time with your daughter will be interrupted with additional attention to 10 other girls.

So we as parents have put a negative connotation on the term “Daddy Ball”.  

I completely understand why.  I described my daughter’s first experience with a select softball team to my colleague this way as well.  She wanted to pitch.  The head coach told the team that anyone wanting to pitch for the Fall Season had to take pitching lessons.  She did.  She was never given an opportunity to take the mound during the whole Fall Season.  By the way, that team lost every game without even coming close to a victory.  However, the four players that received some mound time during the 20 game season were coaches’ daughters.  I felt that was an injustice to my daughter not getting to have the opportunity to pitch for that team.

His simple answer was, “It doesn’t look like it hurt her.” (My daughter is now the starting pitcher for a great select softball team that looks to her to deliver excellent results.)  During this five hour drive, I said, “OK, but I took the time to work with her.  I kept taking her to pitching lessons.  I motivated her when she was down and helped teach her the nuances of the game.”  He replied, “So that experience helped her develop into what she is becoming today?”

I’m pretty thick headed!  Just ask my wife if you don’t believe me.  I hate losing an argument, so I turned my focus on other girls.  I then said, “Well, let’s take my daughter out of it.  There were three other girls on the team that didn’t get a lot of playing time.  They usually found themselves on the bench and playing the outfield when the game became out of reach.” I argued, “Out of the four coaches, their daughters played catcher, shortstop, third base and pitcher.  They never moved off of the infield.  As a matter of fact, the best friend of one of the coaches’ daughters played second base.”  So he then asked me “what are they doing now” referring to the coaches’ daughters.  I told him that all of them except one are out of softball.  The one that is still playing is playing rec ball and nobody really hears about her anymore.  I started to understand what he was saying, but he wasn’t satisfied with his point.  He asked, “And what about the three girls that were sitting the bench or not getting significant playing time?”  The point was made.  I said, “They are all playing for select teams and doing quite well in softball.”

So I had a new perspective on “Daddy Ball.”  It isn’t all that bad of a term.  We have made a bad word out of “Daddy Ball”.  I’m not saying it is right to play favorites.  I’m not saying it is right to hurt a girl’s confidence.  However, we should embrace the fact that a Dad (or mom) has agreed to take the time to coach our kids.  The coach has to make 11 different individual decisions (each girl) for the good of the team.  Also, when an injustice occurs or we think has occurred due to playing time; we should look at it as an opportunity to correlate the situation with what life will throw at us later.  I have always told my players as well as kids, “Failures and Success doesn’t define you; it is how you react to the failures and successes that makes you the person you hope to become.”  We can use every situation as an opportunity to teach our kids.  We can use it as motivation to help with future opportunities.  If we are patient and look at the whole picture of life, we might be better off.

Life is not always fair.  Neither is softball.  However, how you react to these situations will determine your future and with that; you will be happy more times than not.

For more information about the Texas Travelers Girls Select Softball Team contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702 or visit their Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/04-Texas-Travelers/774587365960430.