. . . important coach in any collegiate softball program might not be anyone on the staff but rather the ace pitcher's private pitching coach.

Another softball board and found him to be very insightful.

Just a sample: "One of the most influential figures in softball history, Bill Hillhouse, passed away Saturday at 6 pm CST, of pancreatic cancer. "Bill was just 53 years old, but his legacy in softball—men’s and women’s—will forever live on. "The one-time great pitcher in men’s fastpitch softball competed for Team USA and eventually found his way to the fastpitch women’s side when he saw that the teaching of mechanics was poor and proper instruction needed to be shared. "And that he did to a level that’s been unparalleled."

From the Line Drive Media story that I linked above... "A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, he also served as a D1 pitching coach at Providence and Creighton Universities and was a pitching consultant for the USA Women’s National Team under Ken Eriksen."

is and isnt these days - The corkscrew spin has replaced the backward spin...I have not seen many true rises (but also have not watch in detail a lot of softball this year). We were spoiled with AT - thing of beauty it was! My oldest through a true rise right spin (per Denny) but could not break 55 mph with it...we called it the rise change - she got a lot of swing and misses and was all-state but had school in her future. Was your girl a true riser? Do you know of any out there these days? Pitchers seem uncommited to "keeping the body sideways to allow the arm to come through and create the proper spin (they see the drop in mph too and its over for them mentally). The rise we see today still goes up from its release point to catcher - but never hops - maybe a swerve - but not a hop like AT's... Honestly, K Fleet had a true rise in HS - not sure what JMU has done too her - no real pitching coach there - just a hitting coach that calls her pitches...shame for that program. Our staff at VT has a ton of pitching experience, but hard to take a kid that has learned one way for ten years and change them in <4yrs with a new D1 pitch...very hard...IMHO

I didn't care if my daughter EVER threw one. She had one and, on occasion, it would be very effective but she never relied on it. She was a down pitcher. So down, in fact, she had exactly zero balls hit over the fence on her in high school and travel ball. Didn't happen until college and then rarely. A true 6-12 spin is almost impossible to master and you certainly can't do it at mph. The 12-6 for the drop is much easier and you can throw with the same spin. Virtually all rises you see today are corkscrew and, honestly, many are just high fast balls as the physics of the corkscrew/bullet spin isnot going to cause a ball to 'jump'. JMU certainly does have a pitching coach. I've seen Fleet pitch a lot. Some days she's effective but like many HS 'riseballers' she's just not good enough with it to fool collegiate batters out of the zone often enough. Being a collegiate pitching coach is tricky business since virtually all D1 prospects come to campus having been privately coached for many years. Knowing who the prospect's private coach was and how she was coached should be part of the recruiting process. If the collegiate is thinking "I'm going have to fix this kid" the best thing to do is not bring her to campus.

of ending her college career at USCe, Charlotte, and another school - good pitcher, but...not a real coach. They have NO COACH with any experience coaching pitchers...this is what I meant...and prior to Scruggs - Herzig sometimes sat in the bullpen and did call the pitches game time and probably still does. The entire JMU pitch staff is nothing to write home about, List and Johnson. Era's 4-5. We are much better off at VT with our pitching experience and coaches

. . . collegiate pitching coach has a first job. Most of those first jobs are at places like JMU. Being mentored in that first job by an experienced coach like Herzig (who I have great respect for) is a good thing. Far better than being hired into your first job and simply told 'the pitching staff is yours, figure it out'. Sure VT is likely better off now in that area but what about three years ago when there was no apparent pitching coach? Not sure what put the burr in your saddle about JMU (Fleet maybe?) but your off-base with your critique. ** Edited by MidloHokie at 6/5/2026, 7:21:05 AM

-ing coach. When M Dean built the program up, I expected a little more from them after having Ford, Good, and Alexander. There has been a drop off and you cant deny that...they are back to being a non-factor each yr...maybe more NIL money will come their way given footballs success (if they can keep a coach). VT got stuck with the firing of that who remains nameless - Doug somebody... ** Edited by U2Hokie at 6/5/2026, 8:22:01 AM

I suspect the answer is none, except JMU (2013-2021) and none ever again given NIL. Of course they've fallen off. Mickey was a good coach but he was very fortunate. Ford was recruited and signed by the prior staff. He did identify Good and the sort of hide her during the recruiting process. Note that she had an injury and could have followed Dean to Auburn but chose to remain at JMU. Alexander was literally recruited as a utility player much like Mazz and was developed by the current staff. Who do you think was primarily for calling pitches when JMU beat both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in OKC in '21? NIL has completely changed the landscape for programs like JMU. Can they be better, yes. Can they or any other Non P4 team ever advance to OKC again? I doubt it.

OSU. M Dean was a pitching coach prior to becoming head coach. He coach Jenny Finch for awhile! Love on Herzig all you want, but she is not a pitching coach. She may be a solid hitting coach and may understand the game very well...maybe calls a good game too...but not a pitching coach...nope.

. . . the first-time coaches they brought on board including the then Libby Morris. I suspect I've spent a few more hours in the presence of the JMU staff than you have. Micky Dean was, essentially, his own pitching coach even when he was the head coach. Basically all the pitching coaches JMU has had since Loren has had the job have been first-timers or near first-timers. Do you believe the designated pitching coach is always the individual ultimately deciding what pitch to throw?

JMU has had no real pitching coach until 2025 signing Scruggs...after Libby left. I believe a program like JMU had should have had a pitching coach to maintain some of the prestige they amassed. For whatever reason they decided to run with Laporte and Herzig and no pitching coach I said that they really have not helped Fleet cause there was no real pitching coach. My experience in the games of baseball and softball may surprise given i was a player, professional, coach, and a student of the game. I know that the pitching coach does not always call the pitches, may never, but when a great rise ball is sluffing into a corkscrew no hop flatty - i dont want a mentor to fix it, I want a pitching coach. I learned from C Kempf and Denny T. Let it go and have a great day - you like Herzig as a pitch caller/mentor and I say JMU made a mistake by not having a real pitching coach around and my intel is from a player i saw for 4 yrs and actually caught on occasion - Also, she sweet as can be and is not bad mouthing anyone there - but she was surprised by the situation after her freshman year...JMU can and should be better.

You're right about Fleet. Great kid and recognizes that JMU provides a great education. "Great" rise balls "sluffing" after high school? Quite frankly many do. That's why I'm recruiting down pitchers first. It's most often not the pitch that has changed it's the batter's the P is facing. In high school at Auburn Fleet may have seen one D1 capable batter per game, but most likely none. Penta was, of course, a very successful pitcher at Auburn who was recruited and developed by none other Mickey Dean making her

SEC Championship: 3-hit shoutout Regional Championship: 1-hit shutout Super Regional Championship: 5-hit shutout Semi-final game: 2-hit shutout There seems to be a pattern there.

I didn’t think she was dominant earlier this year at times during regular season but she rises to her best in postseason That’s what we need from our best players to get over the hump in postseason Fortunately many of our best still have years left to play