"And my dad drilled it in my head, you know, ‘If you want it bad enough, and you’re willing to make the sacrifices, you can do it. But first, you have to believe in yourself.’"
- Jennie Finch
Belief in Self
"Even when you’ve played the game of your life, it’s the feeling of teamwork that you’ll remember. You’ll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you’ll never forget your teammates."
- Deborah Palmore
Teamwork
"I do my job on the mound and then do what I can at the plate, always working on helping the team anyway I can."
- Jennie Finch
Teamwork
"Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you're never wrong?"
- Pat Summitt
Responsibility
"Discipline helps you finish a job, and finishing is what separates excellent work from average work."
- Pat Summitt
Determination
"We’re prepared, and we’ve done everything we can to prepare for this moment in time. That’s what confidence is all about."
- Lisa Fernandez
Self-confidence
"I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion."
- Billie Jean King
Self-awareness
"When you choose to be a competitor you choose to be a survivor. When you choose to compete, you make the conscious decision to find out what your real limits are, not just what you think they are."
- Pat Summitt
Courage
"No one feels strong when she examines her own weakness. But in facing weakness, you learn how much there is in you, and you find real strength."
- Pat Summitt
Strength
"Attitude is a choice. Think positive thoughts daily. Believe in yourself."
- Pat Summitt
Belief in Self
"When I’m in the game [softball], it’s not so much mechanics. It’s more of just trusting my teammates, trusting myself, trusting my preparation that we’ve put in to get there. When you’re in the game, it’s go-mode. There’s going to be times when you’re tweaking things but when you’re in that game mode, you just want to think about that one next pitch."
- Jennie Finch
Focus
"Go hard every play. You don’t want to leave anything behind and regret it years down the road that you didn’t give it all when you could have."
- Ashley DeBuhr
Motivation
"By doing things when you are too tired, by pushing yourself farther than you thought you could -- like running the track after a two-hour practice -- you become a competitor. Each time you go beyond your perceived limit, you become mentally stronger."
- Pat Summitt
Determination
"Anything worthy of your passion should be worthy of your preparation."
- Sue Enquist
Motivation
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."
- Colin Powell
Hard Work
"Attitude lies somewhere between emotion and logic. It's that curious mix of optimism and determination that enables you to maintain a positive outlook and to continue plodding in the face of the most adverse circumstances."
- Pat Summitt
Positivity
"Here's how I'm going to beat you. I'm going to outwork you. That's it. That's all there is to it."
- Pat Summitt
Hard Work
"Accountability is essential to personal growth, as well as team growth. How can you improve if you're never wrong? If you don't admit a mistake and take responsibility for it, you're bound to make the same one again."
- Pat Summit
Responsibility
"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game"
- Babe Ruth
Motivation
"Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable."
- John Wooden
Success
"It's always about wanting to one-up myself from the day before. There's never an absolute 100% perfect performance, but going out and striving for that perfect performance is what keeps me going."
- Cat Osterman
Motivation
"The team with the best athletes doesn't usually win. It's the team with the athletes who play best together."
- Lisa Fernandez
Teamwork
"A true champion is someone who wants to make a difference, who never gives up, and who gives everything she has no matter what the circumstances are. A true champion works hard and never loses sight of her dreams."
- Dot Richardson
Motivation
"A true champion works hard and never loses sight of her dreams."
- Dot Richardson
Motivation
"Try not to get lost in comparing yourself to others. Discover your gifts and let them shine!"
- Jennie Finch
Self-confidence
"There is a way to play this game (softball) physically, but it’s the mental part that’s going to separate gold from silver and silver from bronze."
- Lisa Fernadez
Mindfulness
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."
- Helen Keller
Optimism
"This game is about the long run. LIFE is about the long run. Pick successes that can build your confidence over time and stay in the process. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, but you can’t see the light if you fall into the trap of all the failures trying to pull you down."
- Amanda Scarborough
Perseverance
"If I'm not leading by example, then I'm not doing the right thing. And I want to always do the right thing."
- Pat Summitt
Leadership
"Teamwork is really a form of trust. It's what happens when you surrender the mistaken idea that you can go it alone and realize that you won't achieve your individual goals without the support of your colleagues."
- Pat Summitt
Teamwork
"Anyone can quit, but it takes a strong, committed person not to quit when times are tough."
- Pat Summitt
Perseverance
"Dream big and work hard. Play with passion and the sky is the limit. Fastpitch rocks!"
- Jennie K., Catcher, Arizona
Motivation
"When someone you have a lot of respect for believes in you, it helps you believe in yourself."
- Cat Osterman
Belief in Self
"You can't always control the circumstances -- only how you react to those circumstances; you can always control your attitude and your effort."
- Jennie Finch
Self-awareness
"You can’t always control the circumstances – only how you react to those circumstances; you can always control your attitude and your effort."
- Jennie Finch
Self-awareness
"Never limit yourself, never be satisfied, and smile -- it's free!"
- Jennie Finch
Motivation
"I think an athletes mental state is what separates he goods from the greats! Being able to have a short term memory when failure hits is a taught skill and should be something that is practice daily on exactly how you as an individual handle failure. In our sport failure happens far to often so you have to perfect bouncing back fast!"
- Natasha Watley
Resilience
"I didn’t fall out of bed and become an Olympic champion. I worked hard, I was dedicated, and I really worked to perfect all aspects of my game."
- Michele Smith
Hard Work
"To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them."
- Amanda Scarborough
Taking Risks
"I am now, and will always be me. But when it comes time to step out onto that field, me gets a little more dedicated, a little more serious, and nobody stands in my way."
- Caitlin Sumpter, Catcher, Kansas
Determination
"She taught me that it's ok to let down your guard and allow your players to get to know you. They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
- Pat Summitt
Leadership
"The team with the best athletes doesn’t usually win. It’s the team with the athletes who play best together."
- Lisa Fernandez
Teamwork
"My parents taught me a long time ago that you win in life with people, and that's important, because if you hang with winners, you stand a great chance of being a winner."
- Pat Summitt
Teamwork
"We're prepared, and we've done everything we can to prepare for this moment in time. That's what confidence is all about."
- Lisa Fernandez
Self-confidence
"It’s always about wanting to one-up myself from the day before. There’s never an absolute 100% perfect performance, but going out and striving for that perfect performance is what keeps me going."
- Cat Osterman
Motivation
"Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have."
- Pat Summitt
Leadership
"Don’t underestimate yourself. You are more capable than you think. Keep working. Don’t give up."
- Jennie Finch
Motivation
"You can make yourself miserable or you can make yourself strong. The amount of work is the same."
- Andrea Duran
Motivation
"What I love about the game is that the game doesn’t know who is supposed to win."
- Sue Enquist
Belief
"I want kids who are going to go out there and compete, lay it all on the table. I think the big thing about this game is you have to care a lot about it."
- Mike Candrea
Motivation
"It’s a game of making great pitches at the right time, being opportunistic by getting a run at the right time and playing good defense."
- Mike Candrea
Teamwork
"I don’t need to be Number 1 on the team. If I need to hit, pitch, run, whatever, I will do it. If everything was going to be about me, I’d quit."
- Michele Smith
Teamwork
"We’re going to step on the field knowing that every team we’re going against is going to push their game to that whole new level that we probably hadn’t seen. … We’ve just got to be ready to step up with them"
- Crystl Bustos, Third Basemen, Team USA
Motivation
"We play this game with emotion and love. Coach always says ‘Emotionally, physically, mentally – come to the field prepared.’ Because if you don’t bring that to the field, you’re going to get beat."
- Laura Berg
Motivation
"Take it one pitch at a time. Take it one day at at time."
- Amanda Scarborough
Motivation
"Never let yesterday’s disappointments overshadow tomorrow’s dreams."
- Allison, West Morgan Softball
Optimism
"If you look back at yesterday and think it was a big deal, then you haven’t done anything today."
- Cat Osterman
Focus
"I’m not exceptionally fast or overly powerful. But I have a good work ethic, and I make up for it by using technique and trying to be smarter."
- Dot Richardson
Hard Work
"I am who I am. I’m going to be who I am. And I’m going to give my all to the game in the way that I do it."
- Lonni Alameda
Determination
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
- Benjamin Franklin
Motivation
"I make my weaknesses my strengths and my strengths stronger."
- Lisa Fernandez
Self-improvement
"I really didn’t have my best stuff. My drop ball was inconsistent and they had a good game plan. I stopped worrying about striking people out and just focused on getting people out."
- Cat Osterman
Focus
"But I wasn’t getting in my pace, staying within myself, I was getting a little rushed. So I think I finally took a couple deep breaths and let myself get my timing back."
- Cat Osterman
Focus
"I do not just want to be just another face. What I want is to go out there and prove something on the field."
- Jennie Finch
Motivation
"Every time you go out there, you want to be a little nervous, have a little bit of butterflies in your stomach and get the juices flowing."
- Taryne Mowatt, Pitcher, University of Arizona
Motivation
"When I step into batter’s box, the fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a battle between me and the pitcher. And more than anything, I want to win."
- Mary W.
Motivation
"As an athlete it feels so natural to stick with your strengths and never really evolve. To stay ahead of the trends, it’s so important to constantly evolve & reinvent daily to stay ahead of the curve."
- Natasha Watley
Self-improvement
"What I love about the game is that the game doesn't know who is supposed to win."
- Sue Enquist
Belief
"I am who I am. I'm going to be who I am. And I'm going to give my all to the game in the way that I do it."
- Lonni Alameda
Determination
"If you look back at yesterday and think it was a big deal, then you haven't done anything today."
- Cat Osterman
Focus
"Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece."
- John Wooden
Self-improvement
"Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."
- John Wooden
Courage
"The absolute heart of loyalty is to value those people who tell you the truth, not just those people who tell you what you want to hear. In fact, you should value them most. Because they have paid you the compliment of leveling with you and assuming you can handle it."
- Pat Summitt
Integrity
"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"
- John Wooden
Efficiency
"The willingness to experiment with change may be the most essential ingredient to success at anything."
- Pat Summitt
Adaptation
"Success is a project that's always under construction."
- Pat Summitt
Success
"I may be wearing makeup, but I can throw a fastball by you at the same time."
- Jennie Finch
Self-confidence
"Every year I make a commitment to try to beat myself. So whatever number I got or however many hits I got, I try to beat myself and become better."
- Alexxis "Chip" Bennett
Self-improvement
"Mastery is a product of consistently going beyond our limits."
- Stewart Emery
Achievement
"What you put into it is what you get out of it."
- Keilani Ricketts
Motivation
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."
- JOHN WOODEN
Optimism
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
- John Wooden
Leadership
"In sport, part of the game is accepting the umpire’s call, no matter how hard that might be. Sometimes the calls go your way, and sometimes they don’t."
- Dot Richardson
Resilience
"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."
- Walt Disney
Aspirations
"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."
- John Wooden
Focus
"Pitching is the art of instilling fear."
- Sandy Koufax
Courage
"Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."
- Warren Spahn
Insight
"Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who'll argue with you."
- John Wooden
Wisdom
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
- John Wooden
Resilience
"Be so good they can't ignore you."
- Steve Martin
Compassion
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
Leadership
"The point of the game is not how well the individual does but whether the team wins. That is the beautiful part of the game, the blending of personalities, the mutual sacrifices for group success."
Teamwork
"A winner is that person who gets up one more time then he was knocked down."
Perseverance
"The strongest people aren’t always the people who win, but the people who don’t give up when they lose."
Resilience
"Softball goals are attained not by strength but by perseverance."
Perseverance
"Play for the name on the front of your jersey, not the name on the back."
Teamwork
"It’s supposed to be hard, if it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."
Motivation
"Passion is a prerequisite to winning."
Motivation
"The true definition of confidence has nothing to do with other people who surround us and statistics on a sheet of paper. The only place that confidence comes is from inside YOU. Yes, you. Our confidence belongs to us, no one else."
Self-confidence
"ANYONE can be on a team, but NOT just anyone can be a loyal leader who people look to and who rises above all the negativity and drama."
Leadership
"Don’t think you’re to good to sit and root for your team, be a team player."
Teamwork
"You only get so much time to play the game. Play it right the first time. You don’t get a second try at life."
Motivation
"Before you ask me why my legs are bruised, my knees are scared and my nails are broken. Realize I hit the drop ball, take the shot at home plate and swing for the fence. I don’t play with Barbie’s and I don’t jump rope. If the game were easy, I wouldn’t play. 2 teams, 4 bases, 7 innings, 1 game…FASTPITCH SOFTBALL"
Motivation
"Passion creates work ethic. Work ethic creates possibilities. Possibilities create happiness."
Motivation
"When you’re in a slump don’t lie down and take it. Remember: you’re a fighter."
Motivation
"Somewhere behind the athlete, behind the hours of practice, behind the coaches who have pushed you, is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back."
Inspiration
"Sometimes it feels like you’re pushing and pushing and not getting through. But there’s so much progress that can’t be seen each day."
Motivation
"You’re going to be praised and you’re going to be criticized. Ignore both. Neither one matters."
Resilience
"Four bases, three strikes, two teams, one winner. It’s not just a game, but a way of life. Softball, this is my destiny."
Belief
"Worrying about past plays is such a waste of time, energy, and emotion. Know what you need to do in that moment."
Focus
"The pitcher’s mound is a place where I can feel powerful, confident and in control."
Self-confidence
"It only takes one pitch to make a difference."
Motivation
"Be that pitcher that every hitter is afraid to face."
Motivation
"Playing fast pitch softball against me is as close to death as you’re gonna get."
Motivation
"If you love that 3-2 pitch, that diving catch, the dirt in your hair, the face of your opponent and that slide into home that won the game, but also gave you one horrible bruise…then you’re a true softball player."
Love
"Softball is for everyone. Fast-pitch is for athletes."
Belief
"I don’t want to play golf. When I hit a ball I want someone to go chase it."
Motivation
"The game begins the moment you forget you’re playing."
Mindfulness
"Strawberry’s always hurt less when the umpire calls you safe."
Motivation
"What success is can’t be defined by what other people can do. It’s your success. You define it."
Self-awareness
"Be yourself."
Self-awareness