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ULM Softball Taking Positive Steps Forward with Fichtner

ULM Softball Taking Positive Steps Forward with Fichtner

Softball Feb 03
By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist
 
MONROE, La. – Another long practice completed, Molly Fichtner retreated to her office upstairs at the ULM Softball Complex. 

The first-year head coach sent a few e-mails, gathered her belongings and was preparing to leave when she paused. Outside she could still hear music booming and the voices of her players carrying across campus on this late February afternoon. 

"I'm like, 'What's going on?'" Fichtner said with a smile. "I walk outside and they're laughing, cutting up, hitting BP, shagging fly balls, diving all over the place like they'd only been out there 10 minutes. That was fun to see."

Fichtner's enthusiasm has taken hold of the ULM softball program since her arrival last September. A former Alabama catcher who played in the College World Series, she brings the ex-player credentials, zest for life and a positive touch that command attention. 

"It's easy to be out there when you're having fun," infielder Tori Fugatt said. "It's not like, 'Oh my gosh, we have practice again.' It's like, 'I have tests, and I have stress and stuff. I get to go to the field and be with my teammates and my coaches and play softball. It's a positive getaway for a little part of the day.'" 

Said outfielder Victoria Pederson: "This year, everybody has bonded and gets along. Everybody hangs out with one another. That started with Coach Molly setting a good tone for the team."

On her first day with the squad, Fichtner asked each player to talk about themselves for 30 seconds without mentioning softball. While the conversation eventually turned to the sport, the message was clear from Fichtner's first pitch. She wanted to know more about the players as individuals first. 

"She cares about us off the field as people," Fugatt said. "No matter if I go 0-for-3 or 5- for-5, she's going to care about me as a person first, then as her player. That's really important."

"When she came in, we knew she played at Alabama and we knew she'd grow a culture here," infielder Jayden Mount said. "She played in the College World Series and that's obviously our goal. It's awesome having her here bringing that new life. It's a breath of fresh air. She's such a leader and so positive. It rubs off on us."

Watch the team preparing this preseason and it seems like the players never stop moving during their high-energy sessions. They have eight seconds to race on and off the field from their positions, with the coach counting down. Rapid-fire defensive drills take place with music blaring so loud you can't hear anything else, which requires keen focus. 

"We try to spice things up," Fichtner said. "I don't want to do the same things every day because it does get monotonous. We try our best as a coaching staff to make things fun and make them want to be out here. Even though we have the music going for defense, it really is for them to communicate over the music. At the same time, you see them relaxing on the side when they're not playing. You get a little of both."

Fichtner takes nothing for granted when it comes to fundamentals either. ULM players learned that right away. 

"When you think of college ball, you think you know the little things," Mount said. "You think you know how to throw a ball and catch a ball. Our first practice with her, we literally went over how to throw, how to catch. We even did base running techniques that I'd never heard of before. That really set something into me. I'm going to be a coach one day, and I've learned so much from her."

As she worked her way up the ranks from player to assistant to her first head coaching job at ULM, Fichtner never forgot her most effective mentors. She always took notes and maintains a binder that serves as her own personal playbook.  

"The coaches I respected the most were the ones who cared about me as a person," Fichtner said. "That's the type of coach I want to be. I want them to know that I might chew your butt out at practice. But when we go home and we're off the field, I'm still going to love you. That's not going to change. Your value is not going to change based on your performance. It never will. Get them to understand that softball is what you do. It's not who you are. If they think softball is who they are, I'm not setting them up for life."  

While they spend countless reps fine-tuning their athletic skills, Fichtner's players are also drilled with lessons they can lean on long past the games.    

"Coach Molly sets a positive tone every day," Pederson said. "She always talks about gratitude and being selfless. She wants us to do more service for others than taking from others. That gives us a positive vibe that leads right into practice."  

Team-building exercises serve as daily reminders to always strive to take the right approach in life. For example, after a recent practice the players gathered in a circle and conducted their "positive to the right" activity. 

Explained Fugatt, "Whichever teammate is to your right, you say something positive and you just keep it positive all the way around. We do stuff like that all the time."

The softball facility itself is seeing upgrades too, including a batting cage and VIP lounge for the players. Midway through a recent preseason workout, Fichtner sent them scampering to their new hangout for a quick snack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so they could finish the day strong. 

"If I was a young kid just coming here, I'd be like 'Dang you're getting stuff done," Pederson said. "She's making things happen, which is what we need. She's building things up. Outside looking in, you'd think this place is about to be a palace."
 
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