05/18/2026
It's been a while since I've enjoyed a weekend this much.
This weekend, Taylor and her team played in the annual, end-of-the-season KGSA Idaho tournament. To be honest, I thought it would be a short weekend.
Five games later, we walked away with our heart full of joy and pride.
My family is new to the world of softball, and this season was a wild introduction to a sport in which I will inevitably be emersed spanning the next several years. The chants are definitely new. The rules I am still trying to figure out. I have been coaching baseball for close to a decade, I haven't a damn clue how to help her with her pitching motion.
But she couldn't have picked a better environment in which to play.
Taylor went into this season as the youngest on her team. She refused to do another year of tee-ball, and she wanted to try playing with "the big girls." Tee-ball was too easy, she said.
What an adjustment it was.
She has always been one of, if not the best, on any team she played on. Now, she was playing against some girls who two years older than her. No doubt there were plenty of tears of frustration throughout the season; striking out was a new concept, and no, they wouldn't bat through the entire order any more.
But the growth I saw in her was incredible.
She took to the mound and went from not being able to get it to the plate to striking out three girls in two innings. She hit off of other girls' pitches (which is pretty rare at this level). That throw from the other girl that she used to shy away from, Taylor was now catching it.
I am so glad we made the decision to move her up.
Her team finished second in the tournament, playing more games than anyone in the tournament, but losing to a more experienced team twice. Yet, what I love is that these girls went about it the right way. They were chanting, having fun, competing, giggling, and encouraging each other with every inning. Positive, growth-mindset coaching, alongside a warm atmosphere from our parents was a bonus. It was fun. Just a lot of fun.
But watching how excited Taylor was for her teammates was the pinnacle of it all. She made friends (most of which will be future Lakeland Hawks softball players!) with whom she celebrated every great moment on the field together. In the dugout, on the field, and between games rolling down the hill, there were so many smiles with her new friends.
I no longer have a tee-baller in Taylor -- I now have a softball player. I have a girl who loves the sport and wants to get better day after day. That little girl is getting bigger and better with every inning, and watching her continue to grow as a player and a young lady has been the greatest joy her dad has had in a long while.
Play ball like a girl, Taylor.
