35 | Relive The Action: Episode 9 of 12U PGF Nationals!

[00:00:00] Welcome back everybody. Lacie and I took the week off so this is a replay now that PGF is going on right now So this is this was her take when she was in I believe 12U PGF So enjoy this replay I remember it was late at night and

[00:00:22] We were all very tired from losing we Were in not panic mode, but we're all like oh my gosh the road to get to you the championship now It's gonna be very hard

[00:00:33] But we all went in I think with a mindset of now it's like grand time like there's no other option other than to win So when you have that mindset, I feel like you just find any way to

[00:00:49] Make that win possible. Hello and welcome to Catching You a Dad and Daughter softball journey I'm Rusty a dad who's been in the dugout and on the sidelines

[00:00:59] And I'm Lacie the daughter whose journey through softball has been filled with incredible wins tough losses and so many lessons both on and off the field For the past 16 years

[00:01:09] We've navigated the highs and lows of softball together from the local fields to national tournaments and everything in between From the challenges of recruitment during COVID to the mental and emotional roller coaster that comes with being a student athlete

[00:01:21] We will be sharing the perspectives of both the parent and athlete in first-hand experience of the impact of sports on mental health And the importance of support from the sidelines Welcome back everybody. I am your co-host of Catching You I'm here with my daughter Lacie Lacie say hello

[00:01:42] Hi, your season's about to start how many how many more days? I think it was your number yesterday, right? How many more days? 11 days now, but it was 12 yesterday 12 and and what's the significant of the number 12? I've been number told my entire life

[00:02:02] This year I got to change my number back to what it originally was which is very exciting because It I feel like myself again But as you get older you the significance of having your own number and Like what it means to you

[00:02:22] Because I I want to I a lot of my teens I was number 12 and I never changed it until college Which is crazy. Yeah, your freshman year someone had the number 12. She was I think she was right at the time So you're fresh from the sophomore year

[00:02:40] You had to change numbers now. What's the significant of the number that you went to? So I went I got number 22 because You were 22 in The sports that you played that's right when I was in high school basketball. Yeah, so I appreciated that that was pretty cool

[00:03:00] Thank you for doing that now you're back to your original now you feel like you're in your own skin so to speak Yep new uniforms new number knew everything Yeah, I like these you Sounds Aesthetically, I don't know if you talked about it

[00:03:17] Yeah, yeah aesthetically they're gray. I love how they look The pants are just a little tight. That's it really People are like, oh tight likes a lot of people like softball players like tight pants because it just just looks better

[00:03:32] But when they're a little too tight and you can't really move around much It's a little different cool Yeah, but I like them especially if you're a pitcher and you have to have that long stride and

[00:03:44] Yeah, I'm worried about my catcher is more than anything really because they have to squat down. Yeah Anyway, also we're we're still on the 12th We're second year 12. We just got done with the usa elite world fast pitch championships

[00:04:01] And again at the Epps the beginning of the season lace Uh, I talked about how we talk about the ups and the downs and everything in between right? Yeah, these are the ups right 12 second year 12s was definitely The up part of your

[00:04:19] Season or your career would you agree? I would agree because it's right before 14th which is Monumental and like her for multiple reasons Yeah, monumental because at the time and and if you're a younger softball player, you wouldn't know but

[00:04:42] At the time you even alluded to last week that there was eighth graders that were Committing they don't sign out on the paper until they're Juniors in high school, but so they're committing at eighth grade So pressure was on with you even because you were again

[00:04:59] You were this was a great season You were having personally never and then there were girls on your team that were having great seasons too So the pressure was on not only you but the girls on your team

[00:05:09] To perform well in 14 so that you can start committing to these power because of the organization we're in We lean towards these power five schools right in florida homas, origans, arizona In my team, we were really excited to move on to 14s because like you said, that's

[00:05:30] Pretty much the time that everyone was looking at schools going on visits committing and It was it's crazy to even think that at 13 years old. I was thinking about Of what college I wanted to go to

[00:05:45] Or my coaches are like, oh this college is interested. This college is interested because I'm just in middle school But that was the norm I'm just a baby That was the normal that was the complete normal and obviously there was pressure and

[00:06:03] Try like comparison like comparing myself to other pitchers that were committing my at my age but Now that I think about it that is just not normal not well yeah, and if

[00:06:16] The organization and so you have these top organizations and and you can people can argue with me Who they consider the top organizations at the time it was batbusters So Cala is firecrackers crony angels, right? Those are your top four

[00:06:32] You know, I don't think markata was they're getting there. They were getting there I think they just started when you were in eighth grade But those were the and those are the you know, the top colleges were

[00:06:42] Watching those programs because that's where the top players were coming from and and if you want to argue with me You can but that's what we thought at the time. Those are the top four programs

[00:06:55] In the nation and let's talk california. I'm sure there are programs across the nation. So I don't want to I don't want Disregarding any top programs that are weren't in california. Anyway, so we'll get into that we'll get into the 14th and the pressures of

[00:07:11] Being in that organization and being in the 14s with one of the top coaches in the nation at the time but let's backtrack to Now our pgf second year 12s were ranked third in the nation. We just came off a huge tournament we

[00:07:27] Were I wouldn't say we're predicted to win The championship. I think it was there was an article saying that we were favorites to win the pgf national championship So there's pressure, right? So I don't know if you felt any pressure

[00:07:43] Coming into this tournament or you were just on the high from the other tournament. You're just like hey, let's go Let's do this I think There's always pressure going into the national championship but yeah, it felt a little different from the elite select because

[00:08:01] I felt like this is like pgf is what everyone's preparing for all summer That's the big time Tournament that you want to want to go win and if even if or even when you're Predicted to win then you're like, okay

[00:08:14] Like now we have to go win or the people are talking about you going far or now you have to go far There's really no other option is in our minds if you're two and out

[00:08:24] What the that doesn't even make sense in my like that's not even a possibility in our minds so Going in it was just You know what we prepared for all year Right and and I alluded to it in a couple episodes where we were invited to pgf

[00:08:42] So it wasn't like we had to play our way in right? So we were invited so again like you just said The preparation was the key like we were preparing to Play in this tournament because we're at rink so high people thought again, some people

[00:08:59] May not have thought that we were the best team but we were predicted I think flow softball predicted us to to win it anyway But so let's talk about the term again. This is the ups part So the we're not necessarily getting into the mental health aspects

[00:09:13] That we alluded to early in the season We will hit 14s And later This is actually the ups the the high point of your career. So there's really no mental issues. It's just more

[00:09:26] Are we gonna win or are we just gonna be just how are you gonna be disappointed if we lost which We'll get to in a little bit, but so pgf is a long it's a long week, right?

[00:09:35] Mom and I are usually in vegas at this time and then we fly back in When it's important Don't know no no vegas is important Later in my career as well. Yeah Yeah, because they're always And it's always around the time of the biggest tournament of the season

[00:10:00] Someone's got to make a choice Anyway, ladies Anyway, so we fly back in Because the if you guys don't know pgf is is about a week long, but you play It was almost like the the select right you play these You know say these friendlies

[00:10:21] To warm up get you want to you know get everybody warmed up So you play three games we're in vegas. We don't care about those games So we fly in when it was important you guys I think you won your first couple games

[00:10:32] I don't remember who they were but we won our first couple games and then The rematch with the bolds There was a rematch if you guys don't remember last episode We played a friendly against the bolds. They kicked our butt We played them again in the quarter finals

[00:10:54] of the elite game and We turned it around and we beat them and now there's a rematch in pgf how fitting two versus three In the nation, right? And you probably don't remember the game. I don't know more whole lot of the game either

[00:11:11] Yeah, it was a scramble blur. They were playing we end up losing And for people that have been in pgf before The last thing you want to do is get into the loser's bracket That's like the worst outcome you could ever

[00:11:29] Yeah, and if you get in the losers bracket early, then it's a tough road Right and what we'll talk about in just a second losing later

[00:11:37] Maybe it's not a that big of a deal because then but you get in the losers bracket of pgf because there's so many teams Yeah, it's just it's brutal Yeah, it's really hard to stay on course and stay focused

[00:11:51] Yeah, because of the amount of games you have to play and the amount of Great, there's breaks because there's not there's a lot of fields But there's not that many fields that you can play at

[00:12:02] So you have to take game breaks and then you have to warm up again play another game take a break warm up again Play another game And just how you have to keep winning Yeah, we'll get it out in a second

[00:12:15] But and then the fields that you play on are you play on the side fields and that they know, yeah And if you're listening in your shuffle player, you understand that not every field is made the same Yeah

[00:12:28] So we lose to the bulls they get one back on us Now we play Another local team that we've battled with before in the past many times The hole in the tigers

[00:12:42] Coach Sanchez is a good friend of mine. So I don't know do you remember any about that part of that game at all? I remember it was late at night and We were all very tired from the losing we

[00:12:58] Were in not panic mode, but we're all like, oh my gosh the the road to get to you the championship now is going to be very hard But we all went in

[00:13:08] I think with the mindset of now it's like grind time like there's no other option other than to win So when you have that mindset, I feel like you just find any way to Make that win possible

[00:13:24] So scrappy hits bond spinning the ball I was pitching. I don't know how much During every week. Yeah every game under pitches pretty. Oh, yeah so obviously my body is gonna slow down towards the end of the day and

[00:13:42] You just really have to focus on hitting your spots or spinning the ball Because velocity at this point is probably out the window And but my guess and you pitched really well and the team that again, it wasn't just I want to make that clear

[00:13:57] I remember maybe I didn't make that clear last episode You had a great defense behind you and yeah, I don't want to discount anything. We had a great defense Jen Dad isn't that short who's at Iowa now. You have bill at second

[00:14:14] Dad's is that pit pit. I'm sorry Coach, yon is that oh, Iowa. Yeah, so does if you're listening I apologize. You're a pit. Yeah Somebody else's lanes. Yeah, you go through our roster. They're all D ones, right? Most of them are D

[00:14:28] So we had a really good defense, but you're pitching well Ohana Tigers were a good team and again But we predicated we weren't a great office team at the time Again, we manufactured run. So I think we got the first run like super early

[00:14:43] And so we excelled or it's like, okay Laces pitch. I think you're adrenaline What's kicking in you're just like, okay, we need to win this. So I think you were pitching well Because of that and they end up tying it hit the one-to-one

[00:14:57] Fairly late. So I think it's maybe the 15 or something like this Parents are going crazy We may have had a couple of adult drinks throughout the night. Maybe Not sure It was an everyday thing. It was an everyday thing for you guys. So

[00:15:12] Anyway, I think it's pretty normal. Yeah, so we're it's exciting game and it's late. I think we have bases loaded And I'll never forget this and if Lenny you're listening Lenny is the best, right? Lenny is the best So bases loaded

[00:15:30] Genesis hits a triple down the right field line scoring three Remember, I told you if you if we scored three it's over, right? There nobody's gonna score more than that against us. So we ended up going up four to one but the triple Lenny

[00:15:47] climbed the fence about halfway I don't know if you remember this He climbed the fence about halfway up and it was just like Dreaming and yelling was just it was super fun to watch him do that and watch you guys win Do you remember Taty's grandma?

[00:16:04] Why no, I don't what she did. She would scream like effort everyone that got an H. Yeah She was also part of that. Yeah, she's part of the clan We're a good group of parents and we're still real good friends today

[00:16:19] But but we needed to win that game and don't forget no, so if you lose two you're out So if we would have lost that game we're going home Yeah Literally home and we can talk about that in second two We talked about it off camera, but

[00:16:35] What was cool about the usa elite was we were at the hotel together We did everything together right as a family I consider ourselves A family at that point because we're just so close. We play together since First year tens. There's a lot of us that were

[00:16:51] It's our fourth season together. We're traveling together and so we're almost family, right? So this was a different feel I can't describe that feel of usa elite compared to the pgf Let's take a quick break If you want to leave us a message

[00:17:10] Use the link in the show notes and if you want us to respond Leave your name and email address. Also, please rate us in or leave a review as we're trying to grow the show every day

[00:17:22] Finally, lacey and I both love coffee. We would greatly appreciate any contribution to the show That link is also in the show notes. Thank you. Take care So pgf is hosted in huntington beach So this is about maybe an hour and a half from where

[00:17:43] Might like our houses like in down in southern california so You have all these teams from like the east coast or the south coming and traveling to huntington beach and staying in hotels and it's so different for pgf because

[00:18:00] When girls live maybe 30 minutes away from huntington beach or how we live like maybe an hour We can just go home after a game or two and sleeping our own beds but

[00:18:17] For me personally that just feels like i'm going somewhere on the week like to a random turn me on the weekend going And playing and then coming home and waking up the next morning and doing it all over again Which isn't a national championship type feel

[00:18:32] Like when you're playing a national championship, you want to feel like You're there you're You've traveled somewhere big and you staying in a hotel You're you're not in your own house with your own room with kind of distractions to be honest like when you're

[00:18:52] When we went to kansas city, you're staying in the hotel You're staying with all your teammates at the same hotel. You're going to get dinner all together You're All the parents are hanging out together that with pgf with our team being originally from socao

[00:19:06] People just go home and have dinner at home or something. It's it's not the same thing But you have these other teams sitting staying in hotels doing everything together driving to the fields together Yeah, and It's just a whole different vibe. I feel like

[00:19:23] Yeah, and we were lucky because your your grandparents your me mo papa have a place I think 15 minutes 20 minutes from where we're playing so we stayed there that night Even though it was a late night Can you imagine

[00:19:36] It was a late night like when we won it we I think the game ended at maybe 10 o'clock 10 or 11 and I still had to go take a shower Yeah, and you were not long. Yeah, you were so tired

[00:19:48] So can you imagine us having the very back all the way back to our home an hour away? And then have yeah, and so this so just so you know, I'm excited up for everybody

[00:20:00] We have to be back at the field at 6 30 because we're the first game was at eight because we're in a losers bracket now So we have to win for

[00:20:09] Four we need to win four in a row. So that first game was an eight. We had to be there at 6 30 Can you imagine if we had to come back home an hour and then Have to wake up. Yeah 5 a.m. Maybe for yeah grateful for the

[00:20:23] The house in honeyton beach, but it's still because I grew up going there and staying there when we stay with my grandparents, but Still not like a hotel vibe and getting breakfast in the morning and all that stuff

[00:20:38] Yep, so now or the next day. This is this is saturday. You have to win four in a row Again lack of sleep you probably From the adrenaline I'm guessing you didn't get to bed until close to midnight After that having to wake up at

[00:20:55] 5 a.m. To get get ready and stuff. Yeah, so we have to win four. So we won that first game I think it was actually for again all of our games were close. I said that off camera all of our games were close It wasn't like

[00:21:07] It was like we're blowing anybody out. I don't think we blew anybody out But yeah, it was just as long as we score three runs. We felt pretty good So I think we won three to two

[00:21:17] Next game we play a team so Cal A's had a really good picture. I think we went nothing Yeah, I don't remember but we win the four games. So we get to It's called a what if game so you the team that we're playing now

[00:21:33] Has won all our games. So we have to beat them twice in order to get to the finals This is semi finals. We made it to the semi finals. Yeah And we're exhausted Right word that beat this is just I can't even describe how

[00:21:49] I think you just black out really but like during those four games Like I have no memory of what those four games look like none I I only remember the semi finals Because like I said earlier, there's no other option other than to win

[00:22:05] So when we woke up that morning, we're like, all right, we're so we're gonna win four games and then it's the semi finals Like those four games Honestly did not mean anything because in our heads. We're like, all right, we're going we're winning

[00:22:18] Yeah, we're playing x we'll play six games in a matter of way, right? That was Yeah, but if you if we had ever gone in being like, oh like Worrying about any of those games. I think we would have been out. Yeah for sure. Yeah Yeah, and

[00:22:37] Again, you're you and this is nothing again lacks or corby Are you he just he was running with who was who got us there? So your pitch in every game 100 pitches plus per game So we win the four games who get to the semi finals

[00:22:53] We have to beat this team twice sudden impact. They're really good Yeah, they and their pitchers were all good So the strategy was we're gonna sit you Because they sat there number one Like you guys warmed up, but we saw who they were warming up

[00:23:12] And they were warming up their number two. So we're like, okay, let's pitch lex And lex was lex was a good picture. It wasn't nothing against her great spin Yeah, she her curve ball was

[00:23:21] It's crazy legit. I think it was a drop curve if I'm not mistaken, but Well, and she had a good knee jump too. Yeah So we win that game

[00:23:31] We went it. Yeah, we won the games or like holy kill or one game away as you get into the national championship Yeah And in that game, I don't know if you remember It's on pgf. It's on national no, it wasn't on national tier, but it was filmed

[00:23:47] They filmed every game they commented on Balls hit this time Go ahead This is my second time having to play one of game Yeah Oh Did it in ten you? Yep And did it In 12 you now for the championship or semi finals this one, but semi finals

[00:24:10] I just didn't like it. Yeah, so we're up two to one real late in the game ball hit the center line drive and hana kour Does what she does she's playing for oklahoma now and she's done it multiple times. We've seen it

[00:24:24] In practices she probably did it more in practices was she does crazy catches in practices, but You do it in practice. You're going to do it in the game. Exactly. Exactly. So He was legit catch and she was tiny at the time. She's not tiny now

[00:24:41] You're just tiny at the time, but great catch. We get to the next game Again our close game we got the two top pitchers battling out and just unfortunately I think there was an error And like an open snow they scored early

[00:24:59] And it was one of those things where it was almost like you it was like if that pitcher Had two or three runs behind her belt That she wasn't giving up any runs, right? I think she gave it one run

[00:25:10] I think it was like a fluke and I think we ended up losing three to one. So We end up getting third place eliminated Just think if we were ranked third in the nation So we ended up being where we're sweet. We proved everyone right

[00:25:30] Except going and winning we were supposed to go and win but remember you got third third two there's co-third Yeah, it's tight hyper third, right? Yes, you changed the challenge Do you remember who it was? I know Georgie has no it was so Cal 3d

[00:25:47] Oh, that's right with the yeah Didi yeah, didi. That's right. She's at San Diego State now. That's right Yeah, we because that's another one of our rivals, but we classify them as our good rival Yeah, they were cool. They're coaches were similar Yeah, our coaches

[00:26:04] Your friends with the girls. Yeah. Yeah, we have a dd story, right? We end up Pitching against her and you're what? You bet you pitch against her in her last high school game I hope you remember she pitched her yes Crescent of alley

[00:26:21] Yes, and we were at mesa. Yep. So yeah, we can talk about that when we get to the high schools Well, we get the third place trophy they hand us the third place trophy

[00:26:31] And and I talked in episodes in previous what we did was if we didn't win what we did with certain things So I think it was a mother's day or memorial day back in 10 year 12 years And we got second what did we do lace with the ribbons?

[00:26:47] We show them in the trash you're in the trash Because we don't do Check out what? None of us wanted the medal anyways. We already have all these medals from other Tournaments, we don't work out on people might be listening to be like

[00:27:03] Nuts, but it is it was at the time that that was our mentality so we get the trophy And we do what with the trophy We leave it on home plate for Anyone to take really? Yeah, so they you guys meet in left field

[00:27:24] And there's crying you guys are disappointed Parents were disappointed. We're hearing rumors about 14 at this time And we'll get into that Yeah, I had no idea Yeah any of this you think of me because the idea that again Chris's whole thing in 12th and 10th

[00:27:46] My job is to prepare you for mark Campbell and mike steth Yeah, like that's my job. I'm preparing you guys This is why your practice is so hard because when you get to them It's gonna be

[00:27:58] I wouldn't say an easy transition, but it's gonna be a similar transition, right? You're gonna right or see how these practices are run And we'll get into that when you get in the 14s But so there's rumors because steth and Campbell were watching the game

[00:28:15] So they were like watching us lube, but The rumors were that there were certain girls from this team that we're gonna Go to Campbell and somewhere and so there was rumors flying and we were just like, I don't know

[00:28:28] So you guys were meeting in left field. You say your goodbyes Somebody I don't know who said it on home plate could have been came in I don't know if you don't know home plate, but the huddle After the game really stuck with me like I still remember

[00:28:45] Everyone's balling her eyes out except Emily of course because she showed no emotion And we're all just like saying how proud we are of each other all this stuff how

[00:28:57] We should have wine blah blah, but then people start bringing up and we're not all gonna be together next year and I'm like Confused I'm like, I'm still angry about the game. But also people are like, oh, we're not gonna all be together and like these like girls

[00:29:12] I developed like a huge relationship with them and they're I see them more than my friends at school and even more than my family sometimes And now they're talking about us not playing together and I can't even imagine a world where we don't play together

[00:29:30] Now they're saying at least he's going to mark's team and ball I was like, when was that ever said no one's came up to me and said, hey, you're going to mark's team

[00:29:38] Right, it hasn't even happened. So why are you like? Why are you assuming that and I started getting I'm like getting I'm already emotional as it is Yeah, and now people are like how like how do you not know like how do you not know that you're going

[00:29:51] I was like, I've been invested in this team since I was nine And you want me to start thinking about moving to another team and you think I I'm like Like dead set on moving to another team. No, obviously if there's an option of us all staying together

[00:30:05] What do you think I'm gonna choose? and I still remember that meeting and then I'm just I'm bothered because no one said anything to me about that Like what they were looking for from me. Yeah We didn't know either we just we were hearing the rumors during

[00:30:25] that last game Like we had no idea until I like think things were gonna get shaken up. It's like, oh, I can't Anyway, we're gonna get into that. Yeah, go ahead. You were talking about how Chris was like leading us up to it

[00:30:39] Yeah, and then after the last game things changed Yeah, we can get into that right before we'll talk about the next episode as far as You guys getting split up and how people reacted. Yeah, we're working on that next episode But so somebody had the trophy

[00:30:55] We're walking back to our cars again We're not we don't have hotels we're walking back to our cars because we're all gonna go back home Because when we live a half hour hour away And somebody put the trophy on home plate and we left

[00:31:09] And the director was not happy at pgf. They were just like What are you guys doing? So I guess the director of whoever gave it back to stands and said hey, they forgot their trophies Oh, we never forget it

[00:31:24] Well, and then after after you're done with pdf or like that last tournament You only get maybe two or three weeks off and then you're Trying out for another team or like going back to practice

[00:31:34] So like before then you got to go into the facility start work. You still got to work out Like it never stops. So I still remember Going in for I know it wasn't uniform fitting But maybe probably going into workout or something and our trophy

[00:31:50] Is at the foot of the stairs And what our organization did was we used third or second place trophies as door stops So it was a doorstop at sgc Yeah, and I was like, oh, I swear we lashed that at home plate, but I guess someone returned it

[00:32:09] Yeah, they put it back in the box and they gave it back to mike and said mike Here you go. Doorstop me doorstop. Thank you. We were consistent, right? We don't do anything less in first place

[00:32:19] So anyway, we'll get into next week two as far as now you're going to camps You get elected to go to a this that select 30 elite camp in yeah Alabama Yes, because we know Louisiana was the second one

[00:32:43] Is that the second one because that's when you had the lsc visit Yeah, and then the first one we were in alabama and we like walked around auburn or something like that I was like, oh my gosh. I love auburn

[00:32:55] Oh, no, we walked around alabama. Remember we tried to sneak into the stadium But yeah, but then we went to auburn and I got like this auburn keychain and I wore it I put it on my backpack at school and I thought that was really cool That's right

[00:33:09] anyway, we'll talk about that next week And any parting words? How you feeling about the upcoming season? Oh this these past few weeks. We've been practicing a lot like Now that we're in spring semester

[00:33:28] Per ncw rules. We have to have one day off throughout the entire week, which is always mondays So mondays we always have off but Do I wish I would it was on a sundae? Probably because sundae practices

[00:33:42] Feel like never ending you're like, oh when does this week end because Usually because I feel like it's more routine For us to have weights and practice in the morning and then Go to clash and all this stuff. It's like all the whole week routine, but

[00:34:01] It starts on monday And then we practice Tuesday once a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, sundae Yeah, but sundae feels like you need to have a reset day before school starts on monday So it's just all weird

[00:34:14] We've been doing good and scrimmage like we've been scrimmaging. We've been doing all this stuff and I think we've worked. I think we've worked pretty hard. Yeah, you have Cool. All right, so everyone who's listening we have a favor to ask if you could

[00:34:31] Rate the show give us five stars if you would And then what is that not comment? What are they? You can review that's what I meant. You can review If i'm a rookie at this podcast leave a review

[00:34:45] And then share with people you think that would have enjoyed this type of show We would appreciate that please do that so we can grow And we will catch you on the other side. Bye lice. I love you. Bye. Love you