Category Archives: speaker

Cindy Bristow - University of California Riverside

14Nov

Cindy Bristow

Posted By: rpokoj 0 Comments speaker

Cindy Brisotw University of California Riverside Assitant Coach Action Shot
  • Cindy Bristow, Assistant Coach at UC Riverside and owner of Softball Excellence, is one of the most renowned and experienced pitching instructors and clinicians in the world and an NFCA Hall of Famer.
  • Bristow’s skills and experience range far and wide. She has been involved in virtually every facet of softball throughout her 30-plus year career in the sport, including:
    • College Coach: Current Assistant Coach (Pitching) UC Riverside. Also coached collegiately at Arizona State, New Mexico State and Wichita State.
    • Professional Coach: Georgia Pride of the National Pro Fastpitch League
    • Pitched collegiately (Cal Poly Pomona) and Pitched professionally (Santa Ana Lionettes).
    • Past-President of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA)
    • National Director of Junior Olympic Softball and National Teams Director for USA Softball (formerly the ASA)
    • Director of Development for the International Softball Federation (ISF)
  • She has authored numerous instructional books and videos on hitting, and has given hundreds of hitting clinics and lessons
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2018 Hitting Summit Dr Tom Hanson

18Jul

Dr. Tom Hanson

Posted By: rpokoj 0 Comments speaker

Dr. Tom Hanson Sports Psychologist Action Shot
  • Replacing his co-author and mental game icon Dr. Ken Ravizza who passed away unexpectedly, Dr. Tom Hanson is the founder of the Play Big Academy and author of the book Play Big: Mental Toughness Secrets that Take Baseball Players to the next Level. Big Play won the American Baseball Coaches Association Best in Show award in 2012, and introduces players and coaches to energy psychology.
  • Tom is known throughout softball and baseball for his ground-breaking books Heads Up Baseball and Heads Up Softball and he’s just released, along with his co-author Dr. Ken Ravizza, Heads Up Baseball 2.0.
  • Tom has worked with the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins as well as Microsoft, American Express and Fannie Mae. He specializes in eliminating the “yips” that afflicts the high-level athlete.
  • He earned his Ph.D. specializing in sport psychology, from the University of Virginia, where he also served as the Cavaliers’ hitting coach for 3 seasons. He then became a tenured professor and head baseball coach at Skidmore College (NY), before starting a coaching and consulting company (HeadsUpPerformance.com).
  • A leading authority of mental game assessments which are used for both player development and selection in softball, baseball and other sports, we are thrilled to have Mental Game m

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Natasha Watley Olympian USA Softball Coach

30May

Natasha Watley

Posted By: rpokoj 0 Comments speaker

Natasha Watley Action Shot
  • Natasha Watley is currently an Assistant Coach for USA Softball and the Technical Assistant Coach for Team Toyota in the Japanese Pro League.
  • One of the finest hitters and slappers to ever play the game.
  • A champion in every sense of the word
    • Internationally
      • 2-Time Olympian (2004 Gold Medalist, 2008 Silver Medalist)
      • 3-Time World Champion (2002, 2006, 2010)
      • National Pro Fastpitch Champion (2010, 2013, 2014)
      • Japan Softball League Champion (2010-12, 2014, 2016)
    • Collegiately
      • Led the UCLA Bruins to the NCAA WCWS Championship (2003)
      • Led the Bruins to the NCAA WCWS (2000 & 2002)
      • 4-time NFCA 1st Team All-American
      • Honda Broderick Cup Award Winner (2003)
      • UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee (2014)
  • At the 2004 Olympics hit .400 with 4 RBI, 5 stolen bases, and 12 hits (tied a team best), and at the 2008 Olympics hit .321 in the leadoff position with 2 home runs and 6 RBI.
  • During her career at UCLA hit a robust .450 with 135 RBI, 15 home runs, 158 stolen bases, and a .600 slugging percentage

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Ken Ravizza Mental Game Expert

29Nov

Dr. Ken Ravizza

Posted By: rpokoj 0 Comments speaker

Ken Ravizza Sports Psychologist Action Shot
  • Dr. Ken Ravizza is one of the nation’s preeminent sports psychologists having worked with pro teams such as the New York Jets, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Olympic athletes, and currently the Chicago Cubs.
  • Ken is known throughout softball and baseball for his ground-breaking books Heads Up Baseball and Heads Up Softball and he’s just released, along with his co-author Dr. Tom Hansen, Heads Up Baseball 2.0.
  • A former professor of kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton and one of the best speakers you’ll ever hear, we are thrilled to have Mental Game master Ken Ravizza speaking at both our 2018 Pitching and Hitting Summits.

"We’ve had so many requests for a mental game speaker and to get Ken Ravizza is a home run! Ken’s experience in softball and baseball is unmatched and he has the incredible ability to make the complicated easy and funny. Ken will make the Pitching and Hitting Summits even better!"
~Cindy Bristow

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Matt Meuchel University of Arkansas Assistant Softball Coach

27Nov

Matt Meuchel

Posted By: rpokoj 0 Comments speaker

Matt Meuchel Action Shot
  • Matt Meuchel is in his 2nd season with theRazorbacksfollowing 8 years as the head coach at Nevada, which included 2 NCAA tournament appearances.
  • In his 1st season in Fayetteville, Meuchel helped orchestrate a 17-win increase and get the Razorbacks to the SEC and NCAA Tournament for the 1st time since 2013. He also helped coach 2 All-SEC performers and 2 NFCA All-South honorees.
  • Under Meuchel, the 2017 Razorbacks had a .284 BA (.24 improvement over 2016), with 58 HR’s and a .468 slugging % (.58 improvement over 2016).
  • During his 8-season tenure as Nevada’s head coach, Matt guided his teams to 196 victories. In 2016, the Wolf Pack posted a 32-15 overall record, with a 10-10 mark in the Mountain West Conference, the program’s best season since joining the conference in 2013. Matt saw 5 players named to the 2016 All-Mountain West Conference team, including 2 1st-Team selections.
  • Meuchel began his coaching career with assistant roles at Arizona State, McNeese State, Nevada and Oklahoma State, before returning to Nevada as Head Coach in 2009.
  • Matt has also coached at the international and professional levels. He was part of the coaching staff for the Greek National Team that completed in the 2004 Athens Olympic G

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2018 Hitting Summit Matt Lisle Missouri

27Nov

Matt Lisle

Posted By: rpokoj 0 Comments speaker

Matt Lisle Action Shot
  • Lisle begins his 1st season as an assistant baseball coach with theUniversity of Missouri, after an outstanding season as an assistant softball coach at the University of South Carolina.
  • Prior to coming on board with the Gamecocks, Lisle spent one season at Menlo College (2016), where he led the Oaks to their 1st winning season in 14 years, and 4 of his hitters attainted All-Golden State Athletic Conference honors.
  • Proving his acumen as a hitting coach, while an assistant at Santa Clara (2015), he boosted the Broncos batting average over 30 points, and helped them to their highest RPI finish in program history.
  • Prior to coaching at Santa Clara, Lisle was an assistant at Cal State-East Bay (2014). He helped the Pioneers multiply their home run total from 7 to 48 in one-year, ranking 2nd in NCAA Division II’s California Collegiate Athletic Association in both slugging % and RBI.
  • Lisle also spent time as a volunteer assistant at Oregon (2013), where he was part of the Duck’s 1st Pac-12 title.
  • He has tutored hitters in both the National Pro Fastpitch League and Major League Baseball, and has been a featured speaker at the NFCA Convention.

"Matt has a tremendous

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2018 Hitting Summit Tripp MacKay Kennesaw State

21Nov

Trip MacKay

Posted By: rpokoj 0 Comments speaker

http://hittingsummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-HS-Tripp-MacKay-Kennesaw-Web3.jpg

Trip MacKay Action Shot
  • Tripp begins his 1st year as Head Coach at Kennesaw State after having spent 2 seasons as Assistant Coach for the Texas Longhorns.
  • MacKay spent 2016 as the Director of Player Development for Scrap Yard Sports in Houston and with the newest NPF expansion team, the Scrap Yard Dawgs.
  • For 8 seasons Tripp was an assistant at the University of Oklahoma, where he worked with OU's outfielders and offense. During his stint at OU stretching from 2007-2015, he helped guide the Sooners to:
    • The 2013 National Championship and a 2012 Runner-up Finish
    • A 389-97 overall record
    • Eight consecutive NCAA postseason appearances, including 4 Women's College World Series berths
    • Five Big 12 Conference regular-season titles, and 2 Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship crowns
    • He shared 2013 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year honors and four straight NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year (2012-2015) accolades.
  • MacKay helped lead the 2013 Sooners offensive to the national title, leading the country in runs scored per contest (7.8) and slugging percentage (.582), while also rating in the top 10 in batting average (.333), home runs per game (1.54) and doubl

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21Nov

Caitlin Lowe

Posted By: rpokoj 0 Comments speaker

Caitlin Lowe Action Shot
  • Caitlin Lowe enters her 7th season as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, where she has made an immeasurable impact with UA’s outfielders and slappers.
  • Helped lead the 2019 Wildcats to the 2019 Women’s College World Series. During the 2019 season, 7 Wildcats were named all-Pac 12, with 5 1st-team selections; 3 Wildcats were named 1st team NFCA All-Americans, with 2 2nd-team NFCA All American selections.
  • Considered one of the best hitters and slappers to ever play the game, Lowe has taken her expertise and experiences to become one of the nation’s elite hitting/slapping coaches.
  • Caitlin has excelled as a player at every level of the game:
    • 2008 USA Softball Olympian, took home the silver medal at the 2008 games in China.
    • A 2-time National Champion (2006 and 2007) at the University of Arizona, where she remains 2nd on the Arizona record books in batting average (.446), 4th in hits (351), 4th in triples (12), 7th in runs scored (242) and 1st in stolen bases (156).
    • Played four seasons in the NPF competing for the USSSA Pride.
  • Only one of two players in Arizona history (Leah Braatz is the other) to be awarded first

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Cindy Bristow Founder Softball Excellence

16Nov

Cindy Bristow – 2018

Posted By: rpokoj 0 Comments speaker

Cindy Brisotw Action Shot
  • Cindy Bristow, owner of Softball Excellence, is one of the most renowned and experienced instructors and clinicians in the world.
  • She is a prolific author and instructor – having written thousands of blog articles, authored numerous instructional books and videos, giving hundreds of clinics worldwide as well as ongoing lessons to players of all ages and skill levels, including many NCAA Division I & II pitchers.
  • An avid student of the game, Cindy understands the mechanics, fundamentals and strategies at all levels, while able to get that knowledge across in an easy-to-understand manner. Because of her expertise and prowess, Cindy has gained a well-deserved reputation as a softball leader and innovator.
  • Cindy’s skills and experience range far and wide. She has been involved in virtually every facet of softball throughout her 30-plus year career in the sport:
    • She pitched both collegiately (Cal Poly Pomona), and professionally (Santa Ana Lionettes).
    • She coached collegiately (Arizona State, New Mexico State, Wichita State), and professionally (Georgia Pride and Florida Wahoos).
  • Cindy has also served as:
    • President of the National Softball Coaches Association
    • National Director of Junior Olympic Softball and National Teams Director for USA Softball (formerly Amateur Softball Association)
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Karen Weekly Co-Head Softball Coach University of Tennessee

29Oct

Karen Weekly

Posted By: Vanessa Goodrum 0 Comments speaker

Co-head Coach University of Tennessee

  • A 20-year collegiate softball head coaching veteran boasting 997 career wins, Karen Weekly and her husband Ralph just completed their 15th season at the helm of the Tennessee softball program.
  • Weekly has guided UT to 754 victories, 2 National runner-up finishes, 5 top 3 national finishes and 7 WCWS appearances.
  • In 2016, the Vols had a high-powered offense that ranked among the nation’s leaders in runs per game, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and triples. UT's 426 runs scored were the most since 2006. UT also set a new program record with a .446 on-base percentage and blasted 57 home runs, marking the 4th straight year eclipsing the 50-homer plateau.
  • With the Weekly’s at the helm, the Vols have had:
    • 55 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region selections
    • 32 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America selections
    • 66 All-SEC or All-Freshman selections
  • Weekly has coaches a number of outstanding players, including USA Softball National Player of the Year and Olympian Monica Abbott, Shipman, Ellen Renfro, Rainey Gaffin, Raven Chavanne, Lauren Gibson, and numerous others.

Softball Excellence

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