Lexi Kilfoyl Won the All-Star Cup on a 40-Point Swing

A 1.98 ERA over 17.1 innings, 3–1 on the mound, 1,072 total points — and the whole thing came down to a single MVP vote worth 40 points after Baylee Klingler had briefly taken the lead. That’s the format working exactly as designed. Four weeks in Rosemont where nobody gets a night off, and it closed Aug. 30. First pitcher to win an individual competition since 2023.

AUSL  ·  Open it ›

September 1 Opened. The 2028s Are Live.

At 2 p.m. ET on Sept. 1, D1 coaches could start calling, texting, DMing, offering, and setting up visits with the class of 2028. If you’re a junior, understand what actually happened that day: a phone call is information about one program’s timeline. It is not a verdict on your career.

Line Drive Media  ·  Open it ›

What to Do If the Phone Didn’t Ring

Fewer than 300 D1 programs exist, with maybe 1,500–2,000 roster spots a year. Plenty of coaches now skip Sept. 1 on purpose so they can evaluate fit instead of racing the calendar. Your daughter has 18 months before a decision is actually required. The portal is full of kids who rushed.

Softball on SI  ·  Open it ›

The Vision Training Study Nobody Finishes Reading

Twenty D1 hitters, about 8.5 hours of strobe glasses and oculomotor work across ten weeks. In instrumented BP: launch angle up 9.4 degrees, hit distance up 41 feet. Then the part everybody skips — zero change in actual game numbers. Average, on-base, slugging, strikeout rate, all flat. That isn’t a knock on vision work, it’s the entire argument for See · Think · Move. Training the eyes in isolation moves what you can measure in a cage. Transfer takes decisions against a live arm with something on the line. Do both, and know which one you’re doing.

bioRxiv · Duke & Indiana  ·  Open it ›

Perfect Game Made WIN Reality Its Official VR Partner

VR pitch reps and Blast sensors are moving inside Perfect Game showcases — meaning the room where you get evaluated and the room where you develop are becoming the same room. Whatever you think of that, know what’s being measured on you before you walk in.

Youth Sports Business Report  ·  Open it ›

Bat Speed Is Having a Moment. Read the Fine Print.

Driveline’s Jacob Hirsh on why bat speed drives everything downstream, plus how weighted bats, Blast, and TrackMan are being used to chase it. Here’s my caveat: bat speed you can’t control is a number, not a skill. Chase controlled exit velocity — speed that still finds the barrel on a pitch you didn’t expect.

Cronkite News  ·  Open it ›

Rob Crews Hitting Clinic

Escanaba, Michigan · September 18–19

Hannahville Ice & Turf Complex, Bay College. Every player session is sold out — the Friday evening coaches seminar is the last way in.

Coaches Clinic — Register ›

Rake Sessions & Coaches Seminar

Houston, Texas · September 25–27

Elite Training Facility, 2012 Center Street. Coaches seminar Friday 7–9:30pm, $75. Four player sessions Saturday and Sunday, $200 each, 10 hitters max — these fill fast.

Coaches Seminar — Register ›    Player Sessions ›

Rob Crews Inner Circle — $19/mo

Where I put the long-form work: daily thinking, training breakdowns, and the material that doesn’t fit in a newsletter.

Join the circle ›

Shorty Training Bat — $150

Part of the Swing Dynamics system. Built to clean up barrel path and make the hands work — the right tool for a fall block where you’re rebuilding, not maintaining.

Get the Shorty ›