June 4, 2024 • 40 mins
Listen as Alyssa Nicholas shares her journey that led her to be a four-year starter at the University of Akron, playing third base and catcher. She is currently a High School coach, offering her skills and insights to players who want to make it to the next level.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to the Ohio Storm Coaches Corner podcast. This podcast is dedicated
to fast-pitch softball where we are committed to sharing authentic and unique
stories from coaches, players, and parents.
We hope these stories encourage you and shine light on how people from all stages
have dealt with the ups and downs of the competitive softball landscape.
This podcast is brought to you by Ohio Storm, a premier travel organization
(00:23):
for Northeast Ohio, and Crew Sports, a company dedicated to helping student-athletes
navigate the recruiting process.
For more information on Ohio Storm, visit ohiostormfastpitch.com.
For more information on Crew Sports, visit crewsports.net.
Thanks again for joining. We really appreciate it. Now on to the podcast.
(00:46):
Hey, thanks everybody for joining this episode of the Ohio Storm Coaches Corner podcast.
We are excited to be joined yet again by another Ohio native,
Northeast Ohio native who has a great story to tell. We're excited to share it with you.
We have Alyssa Nicholas with us today. Alyssa, we are excited to have you on
(01:06):
the podcast and look forward to talking to you.
Yeah. Thank you guys for having me on. And I hope my point comes across to a
lot of parents, coaches, players, anybody that's currently going through the softball process.
You know, I've been here, and I'm excited to share my story with all of you guys.
Awesome. Yeah, we're excited to dig in. Let's jump right into just your softball journey in general.
(01:29):
Let's talk about the early days, when you first picked up a ball,
when you knew that you loved this game.
Just kind of walk us through your experiences you've had all the way through
college, and we'll dig into some of that specifically, but give us the overview.
Yeah, so I started playing softball when I was about six years old.
So I started out playing t-ball, went to rec ball.
(01:52):
As I got older, I got involved with local travel ball organizations.
And then I went to Lakeview High School. So I graduated from a school that maybe
had 120 kids in their class. So it was a pretty small high school.
And then I also played college softball at the University of Akron at the Division I level.
(02:16):
And I'm currently an assistant varsity softball coach at Jackson High School.
Nice. Yeah. Awesome. That's our connection for sure through Jackson and love
seeing your work there with the kiddos.
Let's dig into travel ball just a little bit
let's let's go there what what age were you when you
jumped into the travel ball world do you remember I was about
(02:36):
10 years old so when I was I
when I was in 10U I played probably from
10U to 12U I played for local travel ball organizations throughout like the
Warren area and then as I got older you know that's when I really decided that
I wanted to play collegiate softball at the division one level.
(03:01):
So then when I hit high school, I transferred to a well-known travel ball organization
out of the Akron-Canton area called the Ohio Ice. Yeah, okay.
When you jumped into the travel, do you remember, I mean, obviously...
Probably a lot of emotions and feelings going on at that time when you
decided hey we're going to step it up move into
(03:23):
travel ball was that you remember kind of some of the challenges there or
some of the excitement that was built like what was different for you when you
when you took that next step and and entered the travel ball world yeah when
i started entering the travel ball world especially going to like a more well-known
organization i would say like the competition level definitely got higher.
(03:45):
You know, we were playing in very well-known organizations and,
you know, we were playing in Columbus, the traveling part of it,
you know, that was, that was very time consuming.
So, I mean, it was a great experience for me.
I was super excited because at a young age, I knew what I wanted to do in college
(04:07):
and my parents really set the expectation.
Like I wouldn't say set the expectation, but they helped guide me to get where I want to be.
And I'm so thankful for, you know, all the opportunities I've had and so thankful
for my parents being able to support me in my decisions and for what I wanted to do.
(04:28):
Yeah, that's great. That support system is, is huge. And we'll get into that
here in just a little bit.
Do you, do you remember some of the challenges? I mean, you mentioned like the
travel Travel component is a whole other thing, like staying in a hotel,
having to drive out of town, the early wake-up calls.
I mean, there's so much that goes on there. But if you kind of zoom back out,
do you remember any of the sort of challenges you faced in that intense,
(04:53):
more intense level of ball?
Things you had to, maybe even specific examples of tournaments you remember,
just difficult situations you had to deal with as a part of that?
Yeah, of course. Of course. I mean, if we're talking about travel ball,
you know, like typically if you lose on either like a Saturday afternoon and
(05:13):
you go into that loser's bracket on Sunday, you can play up to five to six games a day.
And I think that was some of the challenges because it's super exhausting,
especially being able, you know, playing that many games in one day.
And then obviously, you know, coming home late at night and,
(05:34):
you know, having to go to school the next day and making sure you're keeping up with your grades too.
So yeah, I remember some challenges.
Yeah. And I remember even the transition to high school ball,
like going, wait, we're just playing one game.
Like what's what's going on this is a very odd feeling for
me to show up for yeah one game instead of multiple on
(05:56):
the day yeah and then you know travel ball that occurs i would say what around
like june so you know it gets really hot too so like heat exhaustion is a thing
and you know you got to make sure you're we're taking care of our bodies but
you know as we're younger when we're For younger players,
we're just constantly thinking, go, go, go, go, go. Like, we got to do this. We got to do this. Right.
(06:21):
So it's kind of looking back on it. It's like, you know, maybe I should have
taken care of my body a little bit better during those hot summer months. Yeah, sure.
Do you ever remember feeling like, like, did you deal with, hey,
you had a crushing loss or maybe you were up to bat at the end and,
(06:41):
you know, couldn't get that last run across the across the plate?
Like, do you remember in the moments thinking that, you know,
just really, really struggling with maybe a bad weekend or something?
And then now looking back on it, would you view that differently now that you've
kind of experienced life a little bit?
Oh, 100%. I would view it differently. So, you know, when we're younger like
(07:03):
that and we're in a pressure situation and, you know, we're not producing,
we really take it to heart because, you know, we're there for our teammates.
We want to help the team win. And then you really take that personally.
But then as you get older, and then as you start a career, you start to realize,
hey, this, what I think was a failure has set me up for so much success in the
(07:32):
real world. in the real world.
Yeah. Yeah. That's good. And I feel, I feel like that's something it's hard,
it's hard for kids to see, or even young, you know, teenagers to see,
but yeah, just how much, how much of real life they're experiencing,
uh, lessons they're learning at that, that age, uh, is, is crucial.
Talk a little bit about your coaches and that you, you know,
(07:53):
you came across and those years travel ball coaches specifically,
and maybe even ones you didn't play for, but admired from, you know, from afar.
What were, What kind of stood out about them if you were talking to a coach
today in the travel world?
What would you say to them to say, this is what a quality coach really looks like?
(08:14):
Yeah, and I'll give you a specific example if that's okay. Yeah, yeah.
So, like I said, I played for some local travel ball teams.
And then at the time, before they were the Ohio Ice, they were called the Mad Dogs.
So we played them a lot in like championship games.
(08:35):
And I was a catcher. And I remember in between innings, you know,
throwing down to second base.
And this coach, he would stop in his tracks right by where I was catching.
He just watched me throw down.
And he would tell me all the time, and he would be like, You need to come play with me.
So what do you know? The next year, I ended up trying out with him, and then I made the team.
(08:58):
But he really focused on each individual as a person.
So they really cared about our well-being.
He taught me so much about competitiveness, grit, work ethic. Yeah.
And managing life outside of softball. I think that's a huge portion of what's
(09:22):
helped me be so successful in my career and then in my life right now.
I still talk to him this day, so it's actually a funny story.
When we attempted to play Hoover on Tuesday,
I shot him a text earlier that day, and I was like, hey, we're playing Hoover
because Because his kids, they went to Hoover and the pitcher for the ice she
(09:47):
played back in the day and won a state title with them.
And he ended up going to the game.
So, yeah, it's just really nice to be able, like, when you look back,
it's been so many years since I played travel ball.
But still being able to reach out to them and them still being able to,
you know, come watch you on the coaching aspect of it.
(10:07):
I mean, it truly means so much to me.
Yeah, that's huge. huge makes it yeah makes it all worth it and encouraging
to see people like that that are that are coaches out there that have invested
in kids in a way that they want to yeah want to stay in contact for for years
after the fact yeah at what at what point of that journey did you,
(10:27):
kind of realize hey there's this is this is a real thing for me like i could
actually play beyond this and and maybe even started getting some interest i
know i know that the recruiting cadence and cycle and what do's and don'ts has
changed a lot over the years.
So I'm sure your experience was maybe even different than what can even happen today.
But I'm curious kind of when you when you realized, yep, there's some interest,
(10:50):
I think this might work. I want to do this.
Yeah, I would say like, when I was about 14 years old.
So that's when I really like started, started to kind of like see my talent
and what I can do on the field.
And then even you know, My coach with travel ball saying, he's like,
you can play division one. He's like, there's no doubt about it.
(11:11):
And he was a huge part of my recruiting process.
I mean, him and my parents, they worked so well together.
As far as recruiting goes, they were reaching out to college coaches to let
them know what tournaments that I was going to be at.
They would put skills videos together for me on YouTube.
(11:32):
And then yeah and then giving me some advice on college camps and some showcases
that I should attend so yeah you know it's true he was truly an inspiration
to me as well as my parents so I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to
play with him yeah what what was the.
(11:53):
As you're getting older and the coaches are like showing up at your games,
do you remember some of the pressure or the, you know, the situations that you
felt like, okay, this is, this is, this matters because there's somebody here
that's watching this game.
Like, do you, do you remember any of that and how, how that made you,
how that kind of played out for you?
Oh yeah, definitely. I mean, I would see like, my interest was in Akron and
(12:14):
then I remember seeing the two coaches and they're in their gear walking down,
just walking down the field. And I'm like, oh my gosh, they're here.
And I was like, okay, like it's it's a lot of pressure but
it really you know for me it's
all it was a lot about like the mental aspect of it of
really like walking in and showing them what
I could be able to do so I remember
(12:37):
one game specifically and this my coach
will tell you from Akron she'll tell me this or she'll
tell you this to this day she was like you know when I wanted
you and I was like when end she was like this the
bunner bunted the ball and it was a pop-up that
the catcher couldn't find i was playing third base at the time and i made a
diving play and i caught it she's like i knew right then and there that we needed
(12:59):
to be a part of this team so i was really good at like the i liked hand like
the pressure aspect of the game because i thought like hey this is my opportunity.
To be big for my team and anything that I can do to help them when I, I I'm going to do that.
And that is such, that's such a good story. Cause I feel like that's a missed
(13:23):
piece and all of this is that there's so many, there's so many girls out there that.
That want to play at that next level, can play at that next level.
And sure, if you're hitting big-time bombs every time you're a bit bad,
that's going to draw some attention.
But with all the coaches we've talked to over the years, it really comes down
to those sort of, not intangibles, but those moments that really shows what
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type of character you have, what kind of player you are.
It's not always the biggest, flashiest thing. It's, yeah, I went after a ball
hard or I, you know, I made a smart mental decision or I didn't,
you know, I didn't get, I didn't lose my mind when I struck out,
you know, whatever those things are,
it feels like those moments are, are almost more valuable than,
than some of the things that we normally would think would get you, you know, recruited.
(14:11):
They want to see that, that, that type of player. So that's, that's awesome.
Yeah. And, you know, or softball is, it's a game based off of success and failure, right?
So, you know, coaches want to be able to see that too.
College coaches, they want to see like if you strike out, how do you handle
that strikeout and how do you bounce back from it in a positive way?
(14:32):
So, you know, they're constantly looking on the, they're looking at the good,
but they're also looking at the bad as well to see how you handle it and,
you know, try to overcome that obstacle.
Sure. Were you given any sort of forward advice advice on what to expect during
that recruiting process?
And I'm going to be 100% honest with you. No.
(14:55):
I mean, I was the first person in my family to be able to attend a Division
I college and play a sport.
I was the only Division I player on my travel team that had the opportunity to do that as well.
So I really was kind of blindsided by it.
(15:17):
And, you know, to be honest, the recruiting process can be extremely overwhelming
because you're getting letters after letters after letters and people are telling
you like, hey, you need to attend all these camps.
And, you know, I attended camps from Division I to Division III.
And looking back at it, it's like, Like, okay, maybe I should have focused more
(15:40):
on attending like a couple camps rather than doing so many camps at a time.
Because like I said, it could be extremely overwhelming, especially when you're,
you know, 14 to 17 years old. Yeah.
Yeah, that's great advice, too. I do feel like we've almost gotten into this
(16:01):
camp overload environment where it's just fit as many as you can in,
which if you want to get work and you want to get insight from other coaches, that's a fine approach.
But if it's to give visibility to a team you think you want to play for,
it feels like a much narrower approach would be better, and you can really focus
(16:23):
on those handful of schools you're super interested in.
And invest your time and money there for sure.
Yes. All right. Let's walk through recruiting specifically and just what,
I mean, I'd love to hear every detail on that.
Just kind of your first formal interaction.
Obviously, you see Akron come. They come play at your, or come watch your game.
(16:47):
And you know that they're there.
But kind of what were some of those first formal interactions with them?
Them what were the steps you took to really confirm
yeah this is the place that I want that I
want to be yeah as far as like
formal interaction goes with them you know I was
getting basically emails about attending camps and I was like oh okay like I'll
(17:11):
go and you know I'll prove myself and it's been a while so I'm trying to kind
of go back to those those those memories that I have But I really like the campus in general.
So that was like one thing. I love the facilities there.
The coaches did a really good job as far as instruction goes and what they're looking for.
(17:34):
And, you know, when I went on my unofficial visit, I mean, they were just great people.
Like they genuinely cared about us as a person. And then sometimes when you
get to that high level Division I, it's, I mean, it's pretty tough.
So to be able to have like people before you, you know, coaches before you get
(17:57):
there, get to your first day on campus.
Genuinely express their interest in you as a person
means a tremendous amount yeah yeah
that's uh it's a great great feeling for sure wanting to
know somebody wants you but also getting that that
campus experience and really loving loving what
you see there for sure what we talked a
(18:19):
little bit about yeah maybe the more wisdom and the
camp choices what what else would do you wish you
would have known during that time during recruiting
it's a it's a very you know i feel it's a very stressful season
and a lot on the line again a
lot of sort of false expectations a lot of confusion about what do's and don'ts
(18:39):
but if you could go back and talk to your kind of 15 16 17 year old self what
would what would you say what are some things you you wish you would have known
back then about the recruiting i mean i think like the biggest thing now is,
like to see it as you know they're not like i said they're not really they're
looking for your success, but they're looking for your failure.
(19:01):
I think when we're getting recruited, we're always thinking,
oh my gosh, I have to be able to perform at this high level for them to be able to recognize me.
I would just basically tell myself, hey, play the game. You know how to play. You're a great player.
And just stay positive in that sort of nature and just kind of tone down the
(19:24):
pressure aspect of the recruiting process.
Did you feel like after you were verbal or signed and you were wrapping up those
last couple of years, you have high school ball, you have some travel ball going
on during, did you, how, what was your approach to high school and travel?
Once you knew that I'm going to go to college ball.
(19:44):
I think that there's some, you know, there's some challenge around,
then how do I view or approach, you know, my travel and high school team?
How did you kind of handle that? And what was your thought process when you,
once you kind of knew you were going somewhere, how did you handle it?
As soon as I knew I was going somewhere, I think the biggest thing was,
you know, I still need to perform my best.
(20:04):
My teammates need me to be able to perform and I need to be able to perform for my teammates.
So, I mean, I took, after I committed and everything, you know,
I still worked extremely hard.
I didn't want my game to slow down just because I got an offer from somebody.
I continued to do everything I needed to do to work hard, and that's exactly what I did.
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And then in travel ball as well, back in the day, people would say,
oh, we're not going to play.
I'm already committed. I'm not going to play travel ball my senior year.
And playing Division I, it's huge. It's a huge commitment playing at the collegiate
level in general is a huge commitment.
And, you know, for me, I wanted to make sure that I, you know,
(20:53):
I'm playing on that high level organization and I'm, and I'm continuing my skills,
you know, this is, this is, you know, when you get to college, you're,
You know, you want to continue to grow your skills because you want to be better each day.
Do you feel like, so from that process, I mean, it feels like the transition
(21:13):
from high school travel to college is a massive one.
We talked a little bit about the transition from rec to travel.
There's some changes there.
There's some challenges. Mom and dad are there with you to help,
you know, those type of things too.
But now you you're talking about playing
at a high school or college or a travel ball level and
then boom you are thrust into college life which is like in and of itself like
(21:38):
its own thing like its own challenge and then you got d1 or any level for that
matter your collegiate softball program it just it just looks like it's a it's
a huge transition talk about that a little bit like Like when you leave high school, graduate,
you get ready, you go into Akron.
What was that first week, two weeks, month like when you made that choice?
(22:00):
Yeah, I mean, it's a huge difference.
You know, I'll just talk a little bit about like from high school,
like we were a very great program.
I would say like coaches really didn't invest in us as like a high school program.
Travel ball, I had more of that.
(22:20):
But going into that college level, it's very overwhelming, I would say,
for the first month because, you know, you're trying to manage going to 6 a.m.
For workouts, going to class, going back to practice for two and a half hours,
and then having night class, and then managing good grades and making sure you're
(22:43):
sleeping and you're eating.
And it's a lot but it's very rewarding.
I just remember my first practice and looking at everybody, and I'm like, wow, everybody is good.
There's not really one person that completely stands out amongst another person.
(23:05):
But that, to me, made my mentality like, hey, I need to work extremely hard.
I know I'm going to have to fight for my position.
And that's exactly what I did.
Yeah, did you talk a little bit about your teammates at that point?
Did you find it hard to get along?
I always talk about the transition into high school ball.
(23:29):
There's the freshman girl who's coming in, and she's in the dugout with an 18-year-old
woman, which is like there's a lot going on in those years.
There's a big transition. That age gap is huge.
But also it seems like the same. You're now in college at 18 years old,
and you've got 22-year-olds that
are about to go live their life and have careers and things like that.
(23:51):
Did you find it hard to learn how to work with people that are older than you?
There were some people that really helped you out make that transition.
What was the culture like, I guess?
I would say the culture was extremely well. I thought our team was,
I mean, I had a great experience with my teammates.
(24:14):
I felt like we all got along extremely well together.
And everybody was there for each other. So high school ball,
like you said, I mean, it's it's a little bit different because,
you know, you're younger and, you know, emotions are flying through,
you know, that time frame.
And, you know, when you go to
(24:35):
college, I think everyone starts to get a little bit more mature in a way.
And then everybody's there to perform. So, I mean, I would say I had such a great experience.
And, you know, all my teammates, we all got along extremely well.
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And that was one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Akron was because of the
culture that they provided.
And, you know, going on unofficial visits and everything, you can just interact
with the teammates. And I loved it.
Let's kind of go on both sides of the coin here. Let's talk about during the college...
Seasons or experience what were
(25:16):
maybe some some challenges you know hard times you know
you look back and go man I remember that just being really tough
or maybe it was a tough series or a game you remember but also
let's flip it on the other side and say what were some of your greatest memories
of of playing collegiate athletics yeah I mean I'll just I'll give an example
so my sophomore year I was having an extremely hard time you know trying to
(25:42):
manage the classes and going to practice,
not being able to see my family because we're traveling starting in February to May.
And it was taking a toll on me mentally.
And I remember going into my coach's office and then I basically told them how I wanted to quit.
And they literally looked at me and they told me, you're not quitting.
(26:06):
They were like, we need you.
So they worked around me And I was able to get caught up on whatever I needed
to get caught up on, spend some time with my family, which I think was super important.
And like I said, they genuinely cared about us as people. So that was huge, I think.
Another thing is, too, like it's very overwhelming because, you know,
(26:29):
we're always practicing and we need to manage to get good grades.
Our coaches did an excellent job making sure if we're on the bus where,
you know, we have study tables.
In the hotel rooms, we're doing study tables as well. And they were constantly
making sure we were keeping up on our grades.
Yeah, yeah. Huge and necessary component for sure.
Yeah. And I feel like I've heard so much of that from people.
(26:52):
And even when, in my own daughter's experience of just asking questions and
trying to understand what she's about to face, I've asked the question before,
like, what is the most, you know, aside from a girl showing up and just,
you know, not really wanting to be there and choosing to not continue her career as a college athlete,
(27:14):
what are some of the bigger things that just make people not successful at this transition?
And it feels like, without a doubt, everybody tells me it's the lack of a support
system, like having the right support system, whether that's solid mom or dad,
good coaching, friends, whoever that is.
Like you talked about, when you want to quit, and it feels like a lot of people
(27:38):
have that moment where they're like, I don't know if I want to do all this,
that you have the right support system to guide you through that.
But then also that you have faced some adversity in your life and you know how to press through that.
And so that translates into college ball and knowing how to persevere.
And so, yeah, it feels like same with your story, like having a good support system around you.
(28:03):
So when you're weak and maybe not wanting to keep pushing, that you have that
there to help you. Yeah. Yeah.
I mean, my parents, my teammates, they were huge support systems of me and my coaches.
I mean, like I said, I had such a great experience. And then my problem was
I like to keep everything in.
(28:23):
So I really didn't talk about, you know, what I was kind of going through.
And then, you know, that's kind of what hit me all at once.
And then when I told the coaches, yeah, they were like, no, it's not going to
happen. But this is what we're going to do to make you feel more comfortable,
which, I mean, was awesome.
And my parents were so supportive and, you know, I couldn't ask for,
(28:47):
you know, anything better in that situation.
And then I ended up coming up.
I think my junior year, oh, well, we'll talk about this later,
but I had, I think my sophomore year, like after that, I ended up being like
Mac player of the week very soon after that.
So I think I just kind of needed a little break from kind of what everything,
(29:11):
what, what I was going through.
And, you know, when I came back, I was ready to go.
Yeah. Let's maybe you named one right there, but let's talk about some of your
greatest memories of college ball.
Yeah. Some of my greatest memories were I was a four-year starter.
So crazy, crazy story. My freshman year in the fall, I wasn't playing.
(29:33):
So I was pretty much just like a bullpen type of catcher at the time.
And I remember we were playing. It was right before we got into MAAC play.
And we were playing in Washington, D.C.
And then I'll never forget this. They were like, Alyssa, you're going to play third base.
Meanwhile, I'm a bullpen catcher warming up a pitcher. and
(29:53):
I'm like okay I'm like here we
go I embraced it though and then I came out I
had a diving play in the gap of a ground
ball between third and short I had a diving play through the runner out I think
I ended up going like three for four and ever since that moment I started from
there on out it was such a great experience and you know being able to start
(30:17):
four years was was awesome some for me.
Yeah. Some other great memories I had,
In 2016, I made second team All-Mac.
And then, like I said, I was Mac Player of the Week as well.
We made the Mac Tournament all four years. I was able to play against Team USA
(30:39):
in a college All-Star game.
So that was awesome.
And, you know, having that wonderful coaching staff and support system that,
you know, instilled hard work and dedication was truly, you know,
a great experience. And it's what has made me super successful in my life right now and in my career.
(31:00):
And then being able to meet like a bunch of people has been awesome as well.
And just creating a special bond with my teammates that I still talk to every day.
I mean, it's truly an awesome experience.
And, you know, being able to share that with previous teammates is awesome.
(31:20):
And with younger girls right now.
Yeah, you've talked a lot about the coaching staff and how supportive they were
and how impenetrable even in your decision to go there.
And I think that's, I've heard a lot of people say, you know,
pick the school, not the coach or pick the school, not the program.
Because I understand that that's, it's more geared at like, if you have a specific
major you're going after and you know, your career relies on that. I get that.
(31:45):
But man, the more and more that I talk to people, it feels like,
I don't know, like Like maybe it is pick the coach or pick the players or pick
the culture because you're with these people a lot and they go through some
of your most formidable years together.
And it feels like you and even in your own story that that is so crucial to
make sure you have a good cultural fit, coach fit to make the experience better.
(32:10):
Yeah. And I'll tell you what, I still talk to her. I still talk to her this
day, you know, not too long ago. She's a mental health.
Coach. So she works with a lot of different teams across the US,
but we actually had her come talk for one of our women's resource group meetings for work.
(32:30):
So it's pretty awesome to still have that special connection with her.
And she's willing to do whatever for me.
And that truly means so much to me. Yeah, that's awesome.
Let's talk a little bit about, so after college, Yeah, what that transition
was like out of college and get into a little bit about what you're doing today and with Jackson.
(32:53):
And yeah, tell me what life after college has been like for you.
So life after college, I graduated with a sports management degree.
I was looking to go into like planning and promotions for sports.
But you know talking to my parents you
know it was really you know they pretty much told me it's really you know hard
(33:15):
to you know find like a job right away in that they were like you should explore
some different options so I did some research and then I ended up accepting
a job Albus Sherwin-Williams.
So I had to train down in Wheeling, West Virginia for six weeks,
(33:35):
became an assistant manager in Worcester, Ohio, which at the time after college,
I was back with my parents.
Worcester was about an hour and 45 minutes away from where they lived.
So, you know, I had to get an apartment and, you know, kind of go on my own,
which I was already used to it because I was pretty much, you know, away during college.
(33:59):
So I had that experience, which helped me a lot.
And then I worked up the ranks. I became a manager. I was a manager for Sherwin-Williams
for about three years, and then I was promoted to a sales rep.
So softball has taught me so much.
Out as far as life goes, to be super competitive, to have that work ethic and to be successful.
(34:24):
And I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to be able to play and then
have that in my life and instilled in me for forever.
In my career, coaching at Jackson High School and being able to share it with
them as well is super, super important to me.
And I'm happy that I'm able to do that.
(34:47):
Yeah. I think that's such an important investment for, especially for the,
for the girls as they are going through high school to see somebody that is
not too far removed from their own, you know, situation and their own season
of life and someone they can rely upon and who gets them,
you know, at a level that that's, it's challenging at times.
(35:07):
So I know, i know they love it as well all right
let's let's zoom out a little bit and let me just ask some broad
questions i like to end the in the
podcast always on words of wisdom that you would give you know give other people
as they're walking through this crazy softball journey together so we'll start
with younger girls and maybe even some of the players that you're coaching today
(35:30):
you know who who want to play want to play softball that definitely who want
to play at the the next level.
What would you tell them? What are some kind of your principles or words of
wisdom that you like to share with those young ladies?
Yeah. I mean, as far as words of wisdom goes, I think keeping a positive attitude
is super important and working extremely hard.
(35:52):
And embrace the role that you're given, right? I think some people may get a
little defeated, like, hey, I'm not really playing.
And then they get in their head. But like I said, softballs, It's a huge mental game.
So if we try to remain positive and have that positive attitude and we're focusing
(36:13):
on working hard, the sky's the limit.
That's going to take you to so many places and you're going to be extremely grateful. Yeah.
That's so good. And I, but again, you talked about it, life lessons, right?
That teach you something that no matter what play out in life in general,
it's like, if you, if you work hard, you know, what's, what's the worst that could happen?
(36:38):
You learn a, you learn a characteristic that you can carry through the rest of your life.
That's a pretty great thing.
What about parents? You talked, you talked a little bit about your,
your parents and the support they gave you.
Obviously parents can be huge support
systems they also can be challenging for for
some players and for coaches so so talk about yeah advice you would give parents
(37:02):
as they're walking through this season watching their daughter grew up play
ball maybe even go to college what's some what's some advice you give parents
as far as advice i would give parents is you know to remain positive for their kids because they're,
you know, staying positive is huge. I mean, they look up to you, right?
And, you know, I think another thing is like, we need to let our kids be their own advocates.
(37:28):
I think sometimes parents tend to set the expectation for their kids,
which creates so much pressure for them, you know?
And I think it puts, like I said, it puts a tremendous Tremendous amount of
pressure on the athlete.
But if we let our kids be our own advocates and set their own goals,
(37:51):
we have, as a parent, we have the ability to support and guide them to where they want to be in life.
And still teaching them, yeah, again, valuable life lessons.
This is what it looks like to stand up for yourself or to communicate your feelings
or whatever it may be. This is what teaching them to do that is so, so important.
(38:12):
And the last question is, what would you say to anyone who is about to be a
freshman collegiate player? Maybe they are right now.
From your experience, what wisdom or insights would you give them?
I mean, college softball, it's a huge commitment and it's a grind.
But I think, you know, going into that environment can be super challenging.
(38:34):
But I think it's super important that we're establishing relationships with
our teammates and making friends. You know, that's huge.
Focus on the little things too. You know, making sure we're going to practice
and games every day, giving it your all.
And you're a dedicated teammate.
I mean, those are some big, big key factors. I would give advice to student
(38:58):
athletes that are wanting to get to that next level in college. Yeah, that's great.
I'll throw it out there for any, any last insights or wisdom or stories that you want to tell.
I'd love to hear anything else that's on your mind before we close it out.
I would just say, you know, college softball is forever.
It will forever be my biggest accomplishment and,
(39:20):
you know, Being able to get back to my roots and work with girls going through
the softball process means so much to me.
Being able to share my experiences with them, I just hope I can be that role
model for them so they're not feeling so overwhelmed and making sure they're
(39:45):
grinding hard and focusing on the little things to get where they want to be.
So like i said i'm so honored to
be able to share my experiences with pretty
much everyone on this podcast with you with my teammates so yeah i really appreciate
you having me on this call today ryan yeah thanks for thanks for being here
(40:09):
thanks for sharing your story i'm sure we'll talk more later maybe dig into
some of the specific nuances of this game and other other pieces of it we'll have have you back,
but we do appreciate you joining and, and looking forward to talking to you soon.
Thank you, Ryan. I look forward to talking to you soon as well.
Thanks for listening to the Ohio storm coaches corner. We hope that encourages
(40:29):
you as you go through your own softball journey.
Please take a couple of seconds to subscribe to the podcast and come back often.
We would love for you to share the podcast with other coaches,
players, and parents. Thank you for listening. We really appreciate it.
Welcome to the Ohio Storm Coaches Corner podcast. This podcast is dedicated
to fast-pitch softball where we are committed to sharing authentic and unique
stories from coaches, players, and parents.
We hope these stories encourage you and shine light on how people from all stages
have dealt with the ups and downs of the competitive softball landscape.
This podcast is brought to you by Ohio Storm, a premier travel organization
(00:23):
for Northeast Ohio, and Crew Sports, a company dedicated to helping student-athletes
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For more information on Crew Sports, visit crewsports.net.
Thanks again for joining. We really appreciate it. Now on to the podcast.
(00:46):
Hey, thanks everybody for joining this episode of the Ohio Storm Coaches Corner podcast.
We are excited to be joined yet again by another Ohio native,
Northeast Ohio native who has a great story to tell. We're excited to share it with you.
We have Alyssa Nicholas with us today. Alyssa, we are excited to have you on
(01:06):
the podcast and look forward to talking to you.
Yeah. Thank you guys for having me on. And I hope my point comes across to a
lot of parents, coaches, players, anybody that's currently going through the softball process.
You know, I've been here, and I'm excited to share my story with all of you guys.
Awesome. Yeah, we're excited to dig in. Let's jump right into just your softball journey in general.
(01:29):
Let's talk about the early days, when you first picked up a ball,
when you knew that you loved this game.
Just kind of walk us through your experiences you've had all the way through
college, and we'll dig into some of that specifically, but give us the overview.
Yeah, so I started playing softball when I was about six years old.
So I started out playing t-ball, went to rec ball.
(01:52):
As I got older, I got involved with local travel ball organizations.
And then I went to Lakeview High School. So I graduated from a school that maybe
had 120 kids in their class. So it was a pretty small high school.
And then I also played college softball at the University of Akron at the Division I level.
(02:16):
And I'm currently an assistant varsity softball coach at Jackson High School.
Nice. Yeah. Awesome. That's our connection for sure through Jackson and love
seeing your work there with the kiddos.
Let's dig into travel ball just a little bit
let's let's go there what what age were you when you
jumped into the travel ball world do you remember I was about
(02:36):
10 years old so when I was I
when I was in 10U I played probably from
10U to 12U I played for local travel ball organizations throughout like the
Warren area and then as I got older you know that's when I really decided that
I wanted to play collegiate softball at the division one level.
(03:01):
So then when I hit high school, I transferred to a well-known travel ball organization
out of the Akron-Canton area called the Ohio Ice. Yeah, okay.
When you jumped into the travel, do you remember, I mean, obviously...
Probably a lot of emotions and feelings going on at that time when you
decided hey we're going to step it up move into
(03:23):
travel ball was that you remember kind of some of the challenges there or
some of the excitement that was built like what was different for you when you
when you took that next step and and entered the travel ball world yeah when
i started entering the travel ball world especially going to like a more well-known
organization i would say like the competition level definitely got higher.
(03:45):
You know, we were playing in very well-known organizations and,
you know, we were playing in Columbus, the traveling part of it,
you know, that was, that was very time consuming.
So, I mean, it was a great experience for me.
I was super excited because at a young age, I knew what I wanted to do in college
(04:07):
and my parents really set the expectation.
Like I wouldn't say set the expectation, but they helped guide me to get where I want to be.
And I'm so thankful for, you know, all the opportunities I've had and so thankful
for my parents being able to support me in my decisions and for what I wanted to do.
(04:28):
Yeah, that's great. That support system is, is huge. And we'll get into that
here in just a little bit.
Do you, do you remember some of the challenges? I mean, you mentioned like the
travel Travel component is a whole other thing, like staying in a hotel,
having to drive out of town, the early wake-up calls.
I mean, there's so much that goes on there. But if you kind of zoom back out,
do you remember any of the sort of challenges you faced in that intense,
(04:53):
more intense level of ball?
Things you had to, maybe even specific examples of tournaments you remember,
just difficult situations you had to deal with as a part of that?
Yeah, of course. Of course. I mean, if we're talking about travel ball,
you know, like typically if you lose on either like a Saturday afternoon and
(05:13):
you go into that loser's bracket on Sunday, you can play up to five to six games a day.
And I think that was some of the challenges because it's super exhausting,
especially being able, you know, playing that many games in one day.
And then obviously, you know, coming home late at night and,
(05:34):
you know, having to go to school the next day and making sure you're keeping up with your grades too.
So yeah, I remember some challenges.
Yeah. And I remember even the transition to high school ball,
like going, wait, we're just playing one game.
Like what's what's going on this is a very odd feeling for
me to show up for yeah one game instead of multiple on
(05:56):
the day yeah and then you know travel ball that occurs i would say what around
like june so you know it gets really hot too so like heat exhaustion is a thing
and you know you got to make sure you're we're taking care of our bodies but
you know as we're younger when we're For younger players,
we're just constantly thinking, go, go, go, go, go. Like, we got to do this. We got to do this. Right.
(06:21):
So it's kind of looking back on it. It's like, you know, maybe I should have
taken care of my body a little bit better during those hot summer months. Yeah, sure.
Do you ever remember feeling like, like, did you deal with, hey,
you had a crushing loss or maybe you were up to bat at the end and,
(06:41):
you know, couldn't get that last run across the across the plate?
Like, do you remember in the moments thinking that, you know,
just really, really struggling with maybe a bad weekend or something?
And then now looking back on it, would you view that differently now that you've
kind of experienced life a little bit?
Oh, 100%. I would view it differently. So, you know, when we're younger like
(07:03):
that and we're in a pressure situation and, you know, we're not producing,
we really take it to heart because, you know, we're there for our teammates.
We want to help the team win. And then you really take that personally.
But then as you get older, and then as you start a career, you start to realize,
hey, this, what I think was a failure has set me up for so much success in the
(07:32):
real world. in the real world.
Yeah. Yeah. That's good. And I feel, I feel like that's something it's hard,
it's hard for kids to see, or even young, you know, teenagers to see,
but yeah, just how much, how much of real life they're experiencing,
uh, lessons they're learning at that, that age, uh, is, is crucial.
Talk a little bit about your coaches and that you, you know,
(07:53):
you came across and those years travel ball coaches specifically,
and maybe even ones you didn't play for, but admired from, you know, from afar.
What were, What kind of stood out about them if you were talking to a coach
today in the travel world?
What would you say to them to say, this is what a quality coach really looks like?
(08:14):
Yeah, and I'll give you a specific example if that's okay. Yeah, yeah.
So, like I said, I played for some local travel ball teams.
And then at the time, before they were the Ohio Ice, they were called the Mad Dogs.
So we played them a lot in like championship games.
(08:35):
And I was a catcher. And I remember in between innings, you know,
throwing down to second base.
And this coach, he would stop in his tracks right by where I was catching.
He just watched me throw down.
And he would tell me all the time, and he would be like, You need to come play with me.
So what do you know? The next year, I ended up trying out with him, and then I made the team.
(08:58):
But he really focused on each individual as a person.
So they really cared about our well-being.
He taught me so much about competitiveness, grit, work ethic. Yeah.
And managing life outside of softball. I think that's a huge portion of what's
(09:22):
helped me be so successful in my career and then in my life right now.
I still talk to him this day, so it's actually a funny story.
When we attempted to play Hoover on Tuesday,
I shot him a text earlier that day, and I was like, hey, we're playing Hoover
because Because his kids, they went to Hoover and the pitcher for the ice she
(09:47):
played back in the day and won a state title with them.
And he ended up going to the game.
So, yeah, it's just really nice to be able, like, when you look back,
it's been so many years since I played travel ball.
But still being able to reach out to them and them still being able to,
you know, come watch you on the coaching aspect of it.
(10:07):
I mean, it truly means so much to me.
Yeah, that's huge. huge makes it yeah makes it all worth it and encouraging
to see people like that that are that are coaches out there that have invested
in kids in a way that they want to yeah want to stay in contact for for years
after the fact yeah at what at what point of that journey did you,
(10:27):
kind of realize hey there's this is this is a real thing for me like i could
actually play beyond this and and maybe even started getting some interest i
know i know that the recruiting cadence and cycle and what do's and don'ts has
changed a lot over the years.
So I'm sure your experience was maybe even different than what can even happen today.
But I'm curious kind of when you when you realized, yep, there's some interest,
(10:50):
I think this might work. I want to do this.
Yeah, I would say like, when I was about 14 years old.
So that's when I really like started, started to kind of like see my talent
and what I can do on the field.
And then even you know, My coach with travel ball saying, he's like,
you can play division one. He's like, there's no doubt about it.
(11:11):
And he was a huge part of my recruiting process.
I mean, him and my parents, they worked so well together.
As far as recruiting goes, they were reaching out to college coaches to let
them know what tournaments that I was going to be at.
They would put skills videos together for me on YouTube.
(11:32):
And then yeah and then giving me some advice on college camps and some showcases
that I should attend so yeah you know it's true he was truly an inspiration
to me as well as my parents so I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to
play with him yeah what what was the.
(11:53):
As you're getting older and the coaches are like showing up at your games,
do you remember some of the pressure or the, you know, the situations that you
felt like, okay, this is, this is, this matters because there's somebody here
that's watching this game.
Like, do you, do you remember any of that and how, how that made you,
how that kind of played out for you?
Oh yeah, definitely. I mean, I would see like, my interest was in Akron and
(12:14):
then I remember seeing the two coaches and they're in their gear walking down,
just walking down the field. And I'm like, oh my gosh, they're here.
And I was like, okay, like it's it's a lot of pressure but
it really you know for me it's
all it was a lot about like the mental aspect of it of
really like walking in and showing them what
I could be able to do so I remember
(12:37):
one game specifically and this my coach
will tell you from Akron she'll tell me this or she'll
tell you this to this day she was like you know when I wanted
you and I was like when end she was like this the
bunner bunted the ball and it was a pop-up that
the catcher couldn't find i was playing third base at the time and i made a
diving play and i caught it she's like i knew right then and there that we needed
(12:59):
to be a part of this team so i was really good at like the i liked hand like
the pressure aspect of the game because i thought like hey this is my opportunity.
To be big for my team and anything that I can do to help them when I, I I'm going to do that.
And that is such, that's such a good story. Cause I feel like that's a missed
(13:23):
piece and all of this is that there's so many, there's so many girls out there that.
That want to play at that next level, can play at that next level.
And sure, if you're hitting big-time bombs every time you're a bit bad,
that's going to draw some attention.
But with all the coaches we've talked to over the years, it really comes down
to those sort of, not intangibles, but those moments that really shows what
(13:48):
type of character you have, what kind of player you are.
It's not always the biggest, flashiest thing. It's, yeah, I went after a ball
hard or I, you know, I made a smart mental decision or I didn't,
you know, I didn't get, I didn't lose my mind when I struck out,
you know, whatever those things are,
it feels like those moments are, are almost more valuable than,
than some of the things that we normally would think would get you, you know, recruited.
(14:11):
They want to see that, that, that type of player. So that's, that's awesome.
Yeah. And, you know, or softball is, it's a game based off of success and failure, right?
So, you know, coaches want to be able to see that too.
College coaches, they want to see like if you strike out, how do you handle
that strikeout and how do you bounce back from it in a positive way?
(14:32):
So, you know, they're constantly looking on the, they're looking at the good,
but they're also looking at the bad as well to see how you handle it and,
you know, try to overcome that obstacle.
Sure. Were you given any sort of forward advice advice on what to expect during
that recruiting process?
And I'm going to be 100% honest with you. No.
(14:55):
I mean, I was the first person in my family to be able to attend a Division
I college and play a sport.
I was the only Division I player on my travel team that had the opportunity to do that as well.
So I really was kind of blindsided by it.
(15:17):
And, you know, to be honest, the recruiting process can be extremely overwhelming
because you're getting letters after letters after letters and people are telling
you like, hey, you need to attend all these camps.
And, you know, I attended camps from Division I to Division III.
And looking back at it, it's like, Like, okay, maybe I should have focused more
(15:40):
on attending like a couple camps rather than doing so many camps at a time.
Because like I said, it could be extremely overwhelming, especially when you're,
you know, 14 to 17 years old. Yeah.
Yeah, that's great advice, too. I do feel like we've almost gotten into this
(16:01):
camp overload environment where it's just fit as many as you can in,
which if you want to get work and you want to get insight from other coaches, that's a fine approach.
But if it's to give visibility to a team you think you want to play for,
it feels like a much narrower approach would be better, and you can really focus
(16:23):
on those handful of schools you're super interested in.
And invest your time and money there for sure.
Yes. All right. Let's walk through recruiting specifically and just what,
I mean, I'd love to hear every detail on that.
Just kind of your first formal interaction.
Obviously, you see Akron come. They come play at your, or come watch your game.
(16:47):
And you know that they're there.
But kind of what were some of those first formal interactions with them?
Them what were the steps you took to really confirm
yeah this is the place that I want that I
want to be yeah as far as like
formal interaction goes with them you know I was
getting basically emails about attending camps and I was like oh okay like I'll
(17:11):
go and you know I'll prove myself and it's been a while so I'm trying to kind
of go back to those those those memories that I have But I really like the campus in general.
So that was like one thing. I love the facilities there.
The coaches did a really good job as far as instruction goes and what they're looking for.
(17:34):
And, you know, when I went on my unofficial visit, I mean, they were just great people.
Like they genuinely cared about us as a person. And then sometimes when you
get to that high level Division I, it's, I mean, it's pretty tough.
So to be able to have like people before you, you know, coaches before you get
(17:57):
there, get to your first day on campus.
Genuinely express their interest in you as a person
means a tremendous amount yeah yeah
that's uh it's a great great feeling for sure wanting to
know somebody wants you but also getting that that
campus experience and really loving loving what
you see there for sure what we talked a
(18:19):
little bit about yeah maybe the more wisdom and the
camp choices what what else would do you wish you
would have known during that time during recruiting
it's a it's a very you know i feel it's a very stressful season
and a lot on the line again a
lot of sort of false expectations a lot of confusion about what do's and don'ts
(18:39):
but if you could go back and talk to your kind of 15 16 17 year old self what
would what would you say what are some things you you wish you would have known
back then about the recruiting i mean i think like the biggest thing now is,
like to see it as you know they're not like i said they're not really they're
looking for your success, but they're looking for your failure.
(19:01):
I think when we're getting recruited, we're always thinking,
oh my gosh, I have to be able to perform at this high level for them to be able to recognize me.
I would just basically tell myself, hey, play the game. You know how to play. You're a great player.
And just stay positive in that sort of nature and just kind of tone down the
(19:24):
pressure aspect of the recruiting process.
Did you feel like after you were verbal or signed and you were wrapping up those
last couple of years, you have high school ball, you have some travel ball going
on during, did you, how, what was your approach to high school and travel?
Once you knew that I'm going to go to college ball.
(19:44):
I think that there's some, you know, there's some challenge around,
then how do I view or approach, you know, my travel and high school team?
How did you kind of handle that? And what was your thought process when you,
once you kind of knew you were going somewhere, how did you handle it?
As soon as I knew I was going somewhere, I think the biggest thing was,
you know, I still need to perform my best.
(20:04):
My teammates need me to be able to perform and I need to be able to perform for my teammates.
So, I mean, I took, after I committed and everything, you know,
I still worked extremely hard.
I didn't want my game to slow down just because I got an offer from somebody.
I continued to do everything I needed to do to work hard, and that's exactly what I did.
(20:30):
And then in travel ball as well, back in the day, people would say,
oh, we're not going to play.
I'm already committed. I'm not going to play travel ball my senior year.
And playing Division I, it's huge. It's a huge commitment playing at the collegiate
level in general is a huge commitment.
And, you know, for me, I wanted to make sure that I, you know,
(20:53):
I'm playing on that high level organization and I'm, and I'm continuing my skills,
you know, this is, this is, you know, when you get to college, you're,
You know, you want to continue to grow your skills because you want to be better each day.
Do you feel like, so from that process, I mean, it feels like the transition
(21:13):
from high school travel to college is a massive one.
We talked a little bit about the transition from rec to travel.
There's some changes there.
There's some challenges. Mom and dad are there with you to help,
you know, those type of things too.
But now you you're talking about playing
at a high school or college or a travel ball level and
then boom you are thrust into college life which is like in and of itself like
(21:38):
its own thing like its own challenge and then you got d1 or any level for that
matter your collegiate softball program it just it just looks like it's a it's
a huge transition talk about that a little bit like Like when you leave high school, graduate,
you get ready, you go into Akron.
What was that first week, two weeks, month like when you made that choice?
(22:00):
Yeah, I mean, it's a huge difference.
You know, I'll just talk a little bit about like from high school,
like we were a very great program.
I would say like coaches really didn't invest in us as like a high school program.
Travel ball, I had more of that.
(22:20):
But going into that college level, it's very overwhelming, I would say,
for the first month because, you know, you're trying to manage going to 6 a.m.
For workouts, going to class, going back to practice for two and a half hours,
and then having night class, and then managing good grades and making sure you're
(22:43):
sleeping and you're eating.
And it's a lot but it's very rewarding.
I just remember my first practice and looking at everybody, and I'm like, wow, everybody is good.
There's not really one person that completely stands out amongst another person.
(23:05):
But that, to me, made my mentality like, hey, I need to work extremely hard.
I know I'm going to have to fight for my position.
And that's exactly what I did.
Yeah, did you talk a little bit about your teammates at that point?
Did you find it hard to get along?
I always talk about the transition into high school ball.
(23:29):
There's the freshman girl who's coming in, and she's in the dugout with an 18-year-old
woman, which is like there's a lot going on in those years.
There's a big transition. That age gap is huge.
But also it seems like the same. You're now in college at 18 years old,
and you've got 22-year-olds that
are about to go live their life and have careers and things like that.
(23:51):
Did you find it hard to learn how to work with people that are older than you?
There were some people that really helped you out make that transition.
What was the culture like, I guess?
I would say the culture was extremely well. I thought our team was,
I mean, I had a great experience with my teammates.
(24:14):
I felt like we all got along extremely well together.
And everybody was there for each other. So high school ball,
like you said, I mean, it's it's a little bit different because,
you know, you're younger and, you know, emotions are flying through,
you know, that time frame.
And, you know, when you go to
(24:35):
college, I think everyone starts to get a little bit more mature in a way.
And then everybody's there to perform. So, I mean, I would say I had such a great experience.
And, you know, all my teammates, we all got along extremely well.
(24:55):
And that was one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Akron was because of the
culture that they provided.
And, you know, going on unofficial visits and everything, you can just interact
with the teammates. And I loved it.
Let's kind of go on both sides of the coin here. Let's talk about during the college...
Seasons or experience what were
(25:16):
maybe some some challenges you know hard times you know
you look back and go man I remember that just being really tough
or maybe it was a tough series or a game you remember but also
let's flip it on the other side and say what were some of your greatest memories
of of playing collegiate athletics yeah I mean I'll just I'll give an example
so my sophomore year I was having an extremely hard time you know trying to
(25:42):
manage the classes and going to practice,
not being able to see my family because we're traveling starting in February to May.
And it was taking a toll on me mentally.
And I remember going into my coach's office and then I basically told them how I wanted to quit.
And they literally looked at me and they told me, you're not quitting.
(26:06):
They were like, we need you.
So they worked around me And I was able to get caught up on whatever I needed
to get caught up on, spend some time with my family, which I think was super important.
And like I said, they genuinely cared about us as people. So that was huge, I think.
Another thing is, too, like it's very overwhelming because, you know,
(26:29):
we're always practicing and we need to manage to get good grades.
Our coaches did an excellent job making sure if we're on the bus where,
you know, we have study tables.
In the hotel rooms, we're doing study tables as well. And they were constantly
making sure we were keeping up on our grades.
Yeah, yeah. Huge and necessary component for sure.
Yeah. And I feel like I've heard so much of that from people.
(26:52):
And even when, in my own daughter's experience of just asking questions and
trying to understand what she's about to face, I've asked the question before,
like, what is the most, you know, aside from a girl showing up and just,
you know, not really wanting to be there and choosing to not continue her career as a college athlete,
(27:14):
what are some of the bigger things that just make people not successful at this transition?
And it feels like, without a doubt, everybody tells me it's the lack of a support
system, like having the right support system, whether that's solid mom or dad,
good coaching, friends, whoever that is.
Like you talked about, when you want to quit, and it feels like a lot of people
(27:38):
have that moment where they're like, I don't know if I want to do all this,
that you have the right support system to guide you through that.
But then also that you have faced some adversity in your life and you know how to press through that.
And so that translates into college ball and knowing how to persevere.
And so, yeah, it feels like same with your story, like having a good support system around you.
(28:03):
So when you're weak and maybe not wanting to keep pushing, that you have that
there to help you. Yeah. Yeah.
I mean, my parents, my teammates, they were huge support systems of me and my coaches.
I mean, like I said, I had such a great experience. And then my problem was
I like to keep everything in.
(28:23):
So I really didn't talk about, you know, what I was kind of going through.
And then, you know, that's kind of what hit me all at once.
And then when I told the coaches, yeah, they were like, no, it's not going to
happen. But this is what we're going to do to make you feel more comfortable,
which, I mean, was awesome.
And my parents were so supportive and, you know, I couldn't ask for,
(28:47):
you know, anything better in that situation.
And then I ended up coming up.
I think my junior year, oh, well, we'll talk about this later,
but I had, I think my sophomore year, like after that, I ended up being like
Mac player of the week very soon after that.
So I think I just kind of needed a little break from kind of what everything,
(29:11):
what, what I was going through.
And, you know, when I came back, I was ready to go.
Yeah. Let's maybe you named one right there, but let's talk about some of your
greatest memories of college ball.
Yeah. Some of my greatest memories were I was a four-year starter.
So crazy, crazy story. My freshman year in the fall, I wasn't playing.
(29:33):
So I was pretty much just like a bullpen type of catcher at the time.
And I remember we were playing. It was right before we got into MAAC play.
And we were playing in Washington, D.C.
And then I'll never forget this. They were like, Alyssa, you're going to play third base.
Meanwhile, I'm a bullpen catcher warming up a pitcher. and
(29:53):
I'm like okay I'm like here we
go I embraced it though and then I came out I
had a diving play in the gap of a ground
ball between third and short I had a diving play through the runner out I think
I ended up going like three for four and ever since that moment I started from
there on out it was such a great experience and you know being able to start
(30:17):
four years was was awesome some for me.
Yeah. Some other great memories I had,
In 2016, I made second team All-Mac.
And then, like I said, I was Mac Player of the Week as well.
We made the Mac Tournament all four years. I was able to play against Team USA
(30:39):
in a college All-Star game.
So that was awesome.
And, you know, having that wonderful coaching staff and support system that,
you know, instilled hard work and dedication was truly, you know,
a great experience. And it's what has made me super successful in my life right now and in my career.
(31:00):
And then being able to meet like a bunch of people has been awesome as well.
And just creating a special bond with my teammates that I still talk to every day.
I mean, it's truly an awesome experience.
And, you know, being able to share that with previous teammates is awesome.
(31:20):
And with younger girls right now.
Yeah, you've talked a lot about the coaching staff and how supportive they were
and how impenetrable even in your decision to go there.
And I think that's, I've heard a lot of people say, you know,
pick the school, not the coach or pick the school, not the program.
Because I understand that that's, it's more geared at like, if you have a specific
major you're going after and you know, your career relies on that. I get that.
(31:45):
But man, the more and more that I talk to people, it feels like,
I don't know, like Like maybe it is pick the coach or pick the players or pick
the culture because you're with these people a lot and they go through some
of your most formidable years together.
And it feels like you and even in your own story that that is so crucial to
make sure you have a good cultural fit, coach fit to make the experience better.
(32:10):
Yeah. And I'll tell you what, I still talk to her. I still talk to her this
day, you know, not too long ago. She's a mental health.
Coach. So she works with a lot of different teams across the US,
but we actually had her come talk for one of our women's resource group meetings for work.
(32:30):
So it's pretty awesome to still have that special connection with her.
And she's willing to do whatever for me.
And that truly means so much to me. Yeah, that's awesome.
Let's talk a little bit about, so after college, Yeah, what that transition
was like out of college and get into a little bit about what you're doing today and with Jackson.
(32:53):
And yeah, tell me what life after college has been like for you.
So life after college, I graduated with a sports management degree.
I was looking to go into like planning and promotions for sports.
But you know talking to my parents you
know it was really you know they pretty much told me it's really you know hard
(33:15):
to you know find like a job right away in that they were like you should explore
some different options so I did some research and then I ended up accepting
a job Albus Sherwin-Williams.
So I had to train down in Wheeling, West Virginia for six weeks,
(33:35):
became an assistant manager in Worcester, Ohio, which at the time after college,
I was back with my parents.
Worcester was about an hour and 45 minutes away from where they lived.
So, you know, I had to get an apartment and, you know, kind of go on my own,
which I was already used to it because I was pretty much, you know, away during college.
(33:59):
So I had that experience, which helped me a lot.
And then I worked up the ranks. I became a manager. I was a manager for Sherwin-Williams
for about three years, and then I was promoted to a sales rep.
So softball has taught me so much.
Out as far as life goes, to be super competitive, to have that work ethic and to be successful.
(34:24):
And I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to be able to play and then
have that in my life and instilled in me for forever.
In my career, coaching at Jackson High School and being able to share it with
them as well is super, super important to me.
And I'm happy that I'm able to do that.
(34:47):
Yeah. I think that's such an important investment for, especially for the,
for the girls as they are going through high school to see somebody that is
not too far removed from their own, you know, situation and their own season
of life and someone they can rely upon and who gets them,
you know, at a level that that's, it's challenging at times.
(35:07):
So I know, i know they love it as well all right
let's let's zoom out a little bit and let me just ask some broad
questions i like to end the in the
podcast always on words of wisdom that you would give you know give other people
as they're walking through this crazy softball journey together so we'll start
with younger girls and maybe even some of the players that you're coaching today
(35:30):
you know who who want to play want to play softball that definitely who want
to play at the the next level.
What would you tell them? What are some kind of your principles or words of
wisdom that you like to share with those young ladies?
Yeah. I mean, as far as words of wisdom goes, I think keeping a positive attitude
is super important and working extremely hard.
(35:52):
And embrace the role that you're given, right? I think some people may get a
little defeated, like, hey, I'm not really playing.
And then they get in their head. But like I said, softballs, It's a huge mental game.
So if we try to remain positive and have that positive attitude and we're focusing
(36:13):
on working hard, the sky's the limit.
That's going to take you to so many places and you're going to be extremely grateful. Yeah.
That's so good. And I, but again, you talked about it, life lessons, right?
That teach you something that no matter what play out in life in general,
it's like, if you, if you work hard, you know, what's, what's the worst that could happen?
(36:38):
You learn a, you learn a characteristic that you can carry through the rest of your life.
That's a pretty great thing.
What about parents? You talked, you talked a little bit about your,
your parents and the support they gave you.
Obviously parents can be huge support
systems they also can be challenging for for
some players and for coaches so so talk about yeah advice you would give parents
(37:02):
as they're walking through this season watching their daughter grew up play
ball maybe even go to college what's some what's some advice you give parents
as far as advice i would give parents is you know to remain positive for their kids because they're,
you know, staying positive is huge. I mean, they look up to you, right?
And, you know, I think another thing is like, we need to let our kids be their own advocates.
(37:28):
I think sometimes parents tend to set the expectation for their kids,
which creates so much pressure for them, you know?
And I think it puts, like I said, it puts a tremendous Tremendous amount of
pressure on the athlete.
But if we let our kids be our own advocates and set their own goals,
(37:51):
we have, as a parent, we have the ability to support and guide them to where they want to be in life.
And still teaching them, yeah, again, valuable life lessons.
This is what it looks like to stand up for yourself or to communicate your feelings
or whatever it may be. This is what teaching them to do that is so, so important.
(38:12):
And the last question is, what would you say to anyone who is about to be a
freshman collegiate player? Maybe they are right now.
From your experience, what wisdom or insights would you give them?
I mean, college softball, it's a huge commitment and it's a grind.
But I think, you know, going into that environment can be super challenging.
(38:34):
But I think it's super important that we're establishing relationships with
our teammates and making friends. You know, that's huge.
Focus on the little things too. You know, making sure we're going to practice
and games every day, giving it your all.
And you're a dedicated teammate.
I mean, those are some big, big key factors. I would give advice to student
(38:58):
athletes that are wanting to get to that next level in college. Yeah, that's great.
I'll throw it out there for any, any last insights or wisdom or stories that you want to tell.
I'd love to hear anything else that's on your mind before we close it out.
I would just say, you know, college softball is forever.
It will forever be my biggest accomplishment and,
(39:20):
you know, Being able to get back to my roots and work with girls going through
the softball process means so much to me.
Being able to share my experiences with them, I just hope I can be that role
model for them so they're not feeling so overwhelmed and making sure they're
(39:45):
grinding hard and focusing on the little things to get where they want to be.
So like i said i'm so honored to
be able to share my experiences with pretty
much everyone on this podcast with you with my teammates so yeah i really appreciate
you having me on this call today ryan yeah thanks for thanks for being here
(40:09):
thanks for sharing your story i'm sure we'll talk more later maybe dig into
some of the specific nuances of this game and other other pieces of it we'll have have you back,
but we do appreciate you joining and, and looking forward to talking to you soon.
Thank you, Ryan. I look forward to talking to you soon as well.
Thanks for listening to the Ohio storm coaches corner. We hope that encourages
(40:29):
you as you go through your own softball journey.
Please take a couple of seconds to subscribe to the podcast and come back often.
We would love for you to share the podcast with other coaches,
players, and parents. Thank you for listening. We really appreciate it.
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