The MyGrind Blog

Straight talk for baseball and softball families. How to track what matters, stay eligible, and develop a player who competes at the next level.

NCAA Core GPA Calculator

Enter your player's core classes and grades, get the unweighted GPA the NCAA actually checks, and see where it lands against the D1 and D2 minimums. Free, on the page, nothing leaves your browser.

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Is Fall Ball Worth It?

Not a tryout, but coaches are evaluating work ethic and character right now and filling spring rosters off fall progressions. What actually gets measured this fall.

The Man Behind the Legend: 25 Years With Reggie Smith

On August 15 Reggie Smith becomes the 10th Legend of Dodger Baseball. Coach has spent 25 years beside him: the story of a dad, a 9-year-old, an empty field in Encino, and the lessons a legend taught them both.

What Coaches Look For at Baseball and Softball Tryouts

A head coach on what actually gets measured, the single rep that decides close calls, what your job is that week, and what to do if your player does not make it.

Can Girls Play Baseball? A Coach's Guide to Every Level She Can Play

Yes, and nothing requires a switch to softball. The programs that exist right now, the age-12 squeeze and why it happens, high school and college club baseball, and the new pro league.

Youth Bat Sizing Guide: What Size Bat Your Player Actually Needs

The two 10-second tests that beat every chart, sizes by age, what drop weight means, the league stamp rules, and why the too-big bat is the most common swing killer in youth sports.

Youth Pitcher Arm Care: A Coach's Guide to Protecting Growing Arms

A young arm is not a small adult arm. Growth plates, Little League elbow, real pitch counts, the Tommy John myth, and the weekly routine that keeps kids throwing, baseball and softball both.

Creatine for Teenage Athletes: A Coach's Honest Answer

The supplement question every parent eventually gets. What creatine is, what the research says for teens, why the basics beat the tub, and the safe way to decide with your pediatrician.

Travel Ball Then and Now: What 25 Years Did to the Grind

Travel baseball went from a high school proving ground to a $28 billion business in 25 years. The cost to young arms, the recruiting truth, and how to protect the development.

New NCAA Eligibility Rules 2026: A Baseball & Softball Parent's Guide

The NCAA just replaced five-years-to-play-four with an age-based clock. What it means for your baseball or softball player, when it hits, who it skips, and the one thing it did not change.

Private vs Public School for Baseball & Softball

The powerhouse or the school down the street? An honest take on private versus public, transfers, sections, and why playing time matters more than the name on the jersey.

The Year-Round Training Calendar: What to Do Every Month

Season, rest, build, maintain, ramp. When to shut the arm down (longer for pitchers), when the strength window opens, when tryouts hit, and why the off-season needs a record.

After 12U: Travel Ball or Wait for High School?

The field gets bigger, the high school question starts, and every family faces the same call. Travel ball versus patience, and whether to join the team your high school runs.

Softball Training Journal: What to Track

Fastpitch is its own sport. What hitters and pitchers should track, how to watch a pitcher's circle workload, and why the recruiting clock starts early.

What Is a Baseball Training Journal?

What a training journal actually is, why it drives development and confidence, what to track, and whether paper or an app is right for your player.

When Should You Switch Travel Teams?

The honest reasons to move, the bad reasons that feel urgent, and the five questions to answer before you make an expensive call on a feeling.

Baseball & Softball Stats Worth Tracking

Which numbers actually predict development, which ones quietly mislead, and why consistency beats every stat on the sheet.

NCAA Eligibility GPA: A Parent's Guide

Core-course GPA, the sliding scale, the Eligibility Center, and the timeline. How to make sure eligibility never costs your athlete an offer.

How to Keep a Training Journal That Sticks

Why most training journals get abandoned in two weeks, what to log, and how to build a daily habit that actually lasts a season.