Undefeated the story of Christina Whitlock

 On the newest episode of the No Shot Podcast, with your hosts Santa, Trainer Mike, and A-Town, we dive into the inspiring journey of Christina Whitlock. Her story is one of faith, perseverance, and an unwavering resistance to defeat. From the softball fields to the minor leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, Christina’s journey is a testament to grit and determination. Don’t miss this powerful episode of the No Shot Podcast, available on all social media and major podcasting platforms. Follow Christina Whitlock and the No Shot Podcast, and share this episode far and wide. The No Shot Podcast is here to inspire and captivate!

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Transcript

Opening And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_02 0:06

You're listening to the No Shot Podcast, where we discuss sports, true stories, and mental health. Brought to you by True Victory Apparel and Radio Influence. Let's get after it.

SPEAKER_04 0:18

Welcome back to the No Shot Podcast. We are your hosts, Santa, T Mike, and A Town. Hello.

unknown 0:25

Hi.

SPEAKER_03 0:27

Why do you sound depressed? It's my it's my voice. It's it's just my DJ voice. Hi, everybody. That's better.

SPEAKER_02 0:36

And this is T Mocky. Welcome back to the No Shot Podcast, and it's been brought back to you by Radio Influence. That's your boy, Jay Floyd, and we are in beautiful Tampa Bay, Florida. We still have A Town in the background as well in the forefront. And today we have an absolutely amazing guest on deck. Ladies, this episode is for you. This is inspirational. This is drama. This is reality. And through this episode, we are going to express to you the value of never giving up and making sure that your story is being told to inspire others. We have Ms. Christina Whitlock on deck. Clap it up for guys. Woo.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Thank you, Mike, and fellas, thank you for the wonderful introduction.

Christina’s Early Years And Baseball Roots

SPEAKER_02 1:25

So with that in mind, Christina, you have an absolutely incredible story. In fact, it involves coaching, it involves softball, it involves the major leagues, the minor leagues, so many different facets to your story. So let's just get right down to the taxes. Go ahead. Start from the beginning.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Oh well, I think the biggest thing is, you know, that it involves faith. And so thank you for giving me an opportunity to share my story. Um man, if I go way back, I have to say my father, you know, is is is huge in regards to getting me involved in sports at a young age. And I think I was about eight years old when he um signed me up for baseball. And that's where it all started. We were in, we were I grew up a Navy brat and went to seven elementary schools as a kid. So, you know, from a very early age, I was constantly learning how to adjust to different environments and meeting new people. And um, there was no time to be shy, right? And the great thing about, you know, signing up for baseball and being involved in sports at a young age is you're you're thrown right into a team environment and um it refines your skills on how to adapt, adjust, and um and meet people. You know, you get plugged into a great community at a young age. And from there, I just continue to be a multi-sport athlete, um, played baseball with the boys up until I was 14 years old. And that was right before I went to high school. And my dad was like, hey, you know, they have scholarships for for women now to play college ball. And he's like, was that something you'd like to do? And I'm like, yeah, what do I need to do to do that? And so he got me involved with a top team in the nation, um, California Raiders, coached by Phil Bruder, who I found out um when I signed um my contract with the Cardinals, I found out that he actually was a formal cardinal. I didn't even know that I had had training at a young age from a formal right. Isn't that a strange, strange, strange connection, right? It all comes full circle, Chris, isn't it? Right. And and you know, I had a lot of old school coaching methods in my in my upbringing. And I'm thankful for that because it taught me to be very tough, tough minded, right? And you got to remember at that time too, it was a time when women's sports was just seeing some growth. So, you know, it it it took a lot of tough-minded women to be able to endure those environments when you're fighting for, you know, the different things that are gonna what what we see now today, right? SEC softball, right? So, anyways, my dad um he he got me signed up, talked to me about you know earning a scholarship. My parents were very supportive in the way that uh they were always gonna put me in a position to where I could um move my career forward. And but it wasn't it wasn't glamorous. Let's just say that. It's not it was not the travel ball of today. And um, you know, we played in shorts then as women, so lots of battle scars in many ways, right?

SPEAKER_03 4:27

I don't like that. Whole lot of strawberries on those knees. I don't know who thought it was a great idea to slide in shorts.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

I know, I don't know. Um but anyway, so I I um continue to play baseball through through high school. Um, California, um, they had what was called a winner league. So I talked to the baseball coach my junior and senior year when I realized that it was time to put down some of the other sports and really kind of start to specialize, you know, later in my career to like, okay, if I'm gonna achieve this goal, what do I need to do? So I stopped running cross-country, I stopped playing soccer, and I started focusing on, you know, the things that I needed to do to prepare for, you know, earning a college scholarship. And I knew that if I played baseball in the falls or in the winter, then I would be it'd be my spring training. And so that's what I did. I talked to my coach there. His name was Butch Smith. He is also um, he also was Dave Roberts um coach as well. Um, skirt, skirt.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Yeah, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Dave Roberts, the Dave Roberts, are you talking about the Los Angeles Dodgers?

SPEAKER_00 5:35

Absolutely, absolutely. So just gives you an idea of the type of um coaching that I had, you know, um growing up as a youth. And the team, the team that I played on, we they were, you know, a championship caliber team. They were young men that that went on to play college ball and professional ball. And, you know, Mike, I had the opportunity to play with my cousin, who also was drafted by the um Boston Red Sox. So, you know, I was amongst these young men who were very serious about their careers as well. And so we were we were like iron sharpens iron. I would catch bullpins for, you know, the the pitchers there, and I'd, you know, just plug in wherever they needed me. Or I was just there to train with them to help make them better. And along with it, they made me better.

SPEAKER_03 6:16

So was there like a specific time or some event that just said, you know what, I'm putting everything in softball, everything, you know, just um I think it was just a a conversation with my dad.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Like the end of the little league season had concluded, right? And it was the next the next season was gonna be with the high schoolers at that time. And he's like, hey, like and it was right around the age that everybody starts to hit their gross birds. So there's gonna be you're gonna start to see the differences between the you know, the boys become men, young men, right? And so he he was like at the net, you're probably I'm only five three, 150 pounds. He he's like, You're probably, you know, I already I only grew one inch in college. I mean it was five two to five three, so it wasn't much. I was at capacity, right?

SPEAKER_03 7:03

So short life.

Choosing Softball And The Scholarship Path

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Yeah, exactly, exactly. So so he he was just like, hey, you know, the reality of you playing collegiate baseball is just he goes, I'm not gonna push that, right? And he's like, There's opportunity for you in the girls' world. And that was basically that conversation. I was all in for it. I I knew I'd be one of the first people in my family to go away to college and and do something, you know, in that capacity. So it wasn't a struggle. It was just like, well, what do I need to get do to get there? And um continue to play baseball was the way to do that, but not not in season. So I transitioned into the travel ball and then high school, you know, played college hotball.

SPEAKER_04 7:39

So one of the things I think was really interesting that you were talking about, like you played uh baseball with the boys. Like that push you to be better because I'm sure some of them, like, you know, maybe they didn't really think that you should be on the team. That's usually around that age, where like, ah, you know, I don't want to play with a girl. So like there's that competitiveness there. Did that push you to become better?

SPEAKER_00 8:04

You know what? It's funny, you hear about that. There are other young women out there that that have those stories. I don't have those stories. Wow. Those guys, I was a tomboy, right? I was a tomboy, and um those guys, if they if they thought, if they thought that, they didn't, they never, they never rudely or expressed it. You know, I there was really mutual respect amongst my teammates. And I think it was because uh our athleticism matched, you know. Um, I can run with them, I could throw with them, I could receive with them, uh, you know, all of those things. Like we had a full respect in the and it stemmed from the leadership down, I'll be honest with you. Like my my coach tells me that he had a few parents that weren't happy about it, but he was able to handle that. But he he he he respected what I was trying to do. And I think that when you have leadership that respects what you're trying to do and understands it, then then it works. And you know, and and and um it probably helped too that my cousin who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox was there.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

So it's in the bloodline, you know.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it was like having an older brother on the team. But again, it was it was a lot of mutual respect.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

Let's let's expound upon that point. I know we've mentioned respect a few times here, but I don't think a lot of people understand that at that age how simple it is to earn respect. You know how a lot of boys will go into playground and they'll earn respect by, you know, bullying each other a little bit and oh, you're tough, I'm tough. We've earned respect. And a lot of people don't realize at a young age, I'm telling you, all you need to do is prove it. And you did that, Tina. You proved it.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Yeah, I think the biggest thing I think for me was I understood what my athleticism brought me. I knew how to run. I knew how to run. And if I couldn't beat you by being faster than you, then I could outlast you. Like that competitiveness that was there. That means like, okay, you beat me here, but can you can you beat me if we go six miles or seven miles?

SPEAKER_03 10:03

You know, that's right that's the other thing, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:05

I mean, or your your arms, your arms stronger, but can you be more accurate than me? You know, that kind of thing. Like the that competitive, and it was healthy. It was healthy, it wasn't anything unhealthy. And um so and the other thing is too, when you're a small athlete, undersized athlete, you have to be technically sound, biomechanically technically sound, right? And when you're consistent with that, then it shows in your ability to execute um a skill on the field. And that's that's impressive. And I was able to do that at a younger age. So and an older age.

SPEAKER_04 10:40

Uh so it's really interesting that you uh mentioned like outlasting uh some of the boys. So uh recently I was reading a study that um they found that um specifically this was in women's cross country, that um women could outlast men e even though uh on average in this specific arena, even though the men were faster.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

I think that's the beauty of how God's designed us with our with our with our differences, you know. They're meant to complement one another, you know. And I think that there's when when you're given a per the ability to endure or or persevere, that's a good thing. You know, it's it's just that it's the beauty of how we've been designed. It's not supposed to be competitive in a way that's detrimental to one another, but more complimentary to one another.

SPEAKER_03 11:30

But it sounds like you even though some of the young men just beat you or in you know a race or something like that, it wasn't like, oh man, I lost.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

I I No, not at all.

SPEAKER_03 11:41

This is the last time you're gonna beat me because I'm gonna go work at this, and the next time we run, I got Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

Things uh things along that line, right? And again, we made each other better because it was healthy competition.

Earning Respect And Competing With Boys

SPEAKER_02 11:54

So next question. Obviously, you're maturing, you're growing, and you're getting new experiences, like you mentioned prior, all the way up to the point where you got talented enough at baseball to convert over to softball, and then ultimately the SEC. Let's maneuver into that story.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

Oh wow. So I was fortunate that um I was recruited by the University of South Carolina along with some all some other schools, but you know, decision time, you know, this it was time to make a decision. And um I chose the University of South Carolina and at that time. I know, go game cocks, right? Um, at that time, um, they were not in a conference. The the softball team was independent, and so they were just getting ready to to they just brought in baseball. And then my senior year was the the first year of the SEC um championships for women's softball. And then the wonderful thing was um we won it. You just don't know you we won the very first ever, right? But but this is the thing, this is the crazy thing. My freshman year, after my freshman year, I wasn't homesick or, you know, being away from home, that was easy for me because just grow up growing up in a military family, you're you know that you're gonna be away from you know members of your family. But I I had wanted to win big. Like I want, I uh the I had had the training to go win a national championship and all those kinds of things. And I wanted that, like I wanted to be part of a team that did that. What I what I lacked was a few other things. And when I prayed about, you know, possibly leaving after my freshman year to go find a team that was already doing that. The Lord said he convicted me in my prayer. He's like, he's like, Tina, he goes, I he goes, he that's the easy part to just to go transfer and go plug in to where it's already built. He goes, you're here. And he goes, he goes, I want you to stay because I have more in store here that you're gonna stay. Try to be a game changer, try to be, you know, be part of the change that's needed to to to bring the team to that caliber. And the great thing is, is those things happened. And the Lord also fulfilled some other wonderful night things in my life. Like I, because I was military, you know, you're always making new friends. And and he brought my best friend to my life. And my best friend ended up introducing me to my my my husband that I was married to for five years. Amazing. I I I look at that and I'm like, Lord, if I hadn't listened to him, I would have missed out on this being part of this special team that won the first ever SEC championship. I would have missed out on an amazing best friend. I would have missed out on meeting my husband.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

So let's let everybody know how far the distance was from where you were living to where you actually had to go to school.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

It's a country song. It is such a country song. It's a heads California, tails Carolina.

unknown 14:50

You know?

SPEAKER_00 14:52

It is a country song. So yeah, cluck across the nation.

SPEAKER_02 14:56

That's absolutely incredible as well. So I want to dive a little deeper into a couple differences, Chris. How about this? You made mention earlier that baseball was a massive part of your upbringing. Now we actually made a big swing in a softball. Could you give us an understanding or a little bit more clarity on what it was like to play with the boys and then ultimately play with the girls? What was the big difference that you noticed in between the competitive nature, the attitudes, the the personality types, et cetera, before you maneuvered on from South Carolina?

SPEAKER_00 15:30

Oh wow. Well, you know, the gear the girls cheer a lot more. There's a different there's a di they create energy by cheering and talking and and um there's it, you know, they create that in the dugout. Um and then they just it's a there's not as uh when I came through, there wasn't as much depth. So I think you saw a hey, this is my territory, you know. You know, you had we went to the World Series with 15 girls on our roster. 15 girls? 15 girls. So there wasn't depth. So you were you protected your position because nobody else was going to take it from you, and you had to endure through a whole season, you know, you had just as many games as the guys, and so you had to be healthy and or play through some injuries, right? And so I think that's one of the biggest changes in the current game is you have larger rosters, which we had there was a Title IX um suit years ago that um lady named Margie Wright out of Fresno had won about being able to create larger rosters so we could create that depth. However, I think there was something very special about those young, those older teams, like when I came through, is the fact that you learned to be the best at your game. You learned to per you know persevere and endure, you know, an entire season, and you learn to be healthy. Um, so you had to create a lot of that uh your own energy there.

Old School Coaching, Grit, And Discipline

SPEAKER_02 16:57

Here's a question because this is really, really interesting to me. You know the dynamics that are unique to baseball in regards to the coaching side, how a coach can talk to a baseball player. And there's a different dynamic when it comes to a coach talking to a softball player. What are some of the major differences you noticed in regards to how coaches communicated with both sides?

SPEAKER_00 17:19

Ooh, you know, um Will, um I I think sometimes um it it really depends on the athlete, because I think that you can't, when you say softball, we can generalize it, or what we can do is just um we can say specific to the athlete. Because um what I've learned here I think you could almost go old school, new school in a way, right? Like I said, I came through when when the coaches didn't care about your feelings, and which in this in in the sense that like on the field, because you're in, you know, everything was related to kind of like battle, right? And you could be short, direct, abrupt, you know, gruff, um, and you could create you you didn't have to explain the emotion. We I think we allowed for our coaches to have the emotions that they needed as well, we f, you know, um back then. Um so I think a lot of too the communications between players is just the type of player you're dealing with, right? Um, I was one of those players that, you know, like I had a coach once, he came up to me, he was great. I love him. He took, he grabbed me by the chest protector once got in my face, you know, and then benched me, but then he puts me back in the game because he knew that he knew that would fire me up, right? He knew that I could handle that. So again, I think communication is based on who's your athlete and can they handle it? I think there was, you know, there was a hockey team out of um one of the northern states, and it was a group of women, and they were they were saying they wanted that tough coach. They wanted to be tough um coached in a manner that was going to get the best out of them and push them towards those limits that they couldn't reach on their own. And um they, you know, so I think I think it just really depends on the athlete. It doesn't have to be baseball, softball. However, you know, uh what one of the things that I've learned is young men appreciate the directness. Don't sugarcoat it. Talk to me honestly, talk to me truthfully, and talk to me directly, you know, and if even and and sometimes with that that gruffness that sometimes comes about, right, they they need that. They desire that, right? It's we saw an example of that in the World Series, you know, in Toronto, going out to the on one of the mountain visits, right? It gets heated and it gets raw and it gets, you know, it so I think it just depends on you know your understanding of of um communication, right? Was it wrong? No. It was right for the moment.

SPEAKER_04 19:45

So, you know, that that type of coaching style, uh some people think that that's that's wrong, you know, to get in people's face and and yell at them and you know, kind of some people would like, uh, you know, that's belittling to the player. That's uh that's uh disrespecting them. Are are the were there any players on your team that didn't r like they didn't respond to that in in in the way that they should have?

SPEAKER_00 20:15

Ooh, you know, I can't speak for my I you know, I I try not to speak for other people, right? Like it's that then you bring in the drama and the gossip. However, I can speak for myself, you know, there's times when there's times when, you know, I've been in those situations with a coach, or I've been in that situ, you know, for either as a player to coach or a coach to player or even player to player, right? So I think in times you need those moments. I think that if we try to over control everything, right, then I think we lose a lot of our our our our raw competitiveness. But at the same time, we want to make sure that we're not loot operating in a set state of being out of control, right? Discipline is a very important piece in executing the game. I will have to tell you, even in those moments where you might you might be emotionally charged, I always tried to put those emotions in my back pocket, allow them to fuel me, but allow for you know the discipline to be in focus and and actually try to operate in peace, um, to be, you know, at the forefront, right? Because the when you kind of if a competitor can get you unfocused or or get you to flinch or get you to to to to to um hold back, right? The or the moment to hold you hold you back than they won.

SPEAKER_03 21:35

And right. Getting like you said, getting over those emotions, but you know, I'm more about you know the old school type teaching. I I think that was the best versus you know newer, because it seems like they're taking all the feelings and everything into perspective and stuff like that, right? I'm more of the old school I like the old school teaching where they're getting in your face and things like that.

SPEAKER_04 21:54

So um But like there's a line.

SPEAKER_03 21:58

Sorry.

South Carolina, SEC Rise, And Staying Put

SPEAKER_00 21:59

I'm I I'm very grateful for the coaches I had. Yes, we do we definitely don't want there is a line. There are boundaries, and that's why I say you have to understand where you have to understand, you know, the athlete dependent, you know, who can handle a little bit more direct talk or volume or whatever. I had I remember my dad. Um my dad is a retired uh military man, right? And I think he he thought he had his training a Navy SEAL. I honestly like I remember going on a run with my my dad. This will give you a little insight to my training. No, and a lot of people may not understand that relationship, but I love my dad. We had it, we have a great relationship, and unfortunately now he's he's recovering from a stroke. But um, I'm so grateful for what he taught me because it it translated into how tough life is in general. But um we went for a run once. This is when I was training for cross-country, and these two dogs, these two Dobermans came busting out of the this this house. They came actually through the door. And he was driving alongside he he he was driving alongside of me in the car, right? And um he didn't run with you, he was driving. He's driving because he's master chief, you know, level, so he can drive, right? And I'm jogging it and it's at night, and these two Dobermans came at me and and the window was down, and my first instinct was just to dive into the car. And he looked at me, he goes, You know what happens? He goes, the next time that happens, I want you, and this is gonna get a little graphic, but he says, the next time this happens, I want you to drive your your fist right down their throat, and you're gonna choke them from the inside out. You understand me?

SPEAKER_03 23:39

I thought he was gonna be like holding steak.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

I I could be like, I but but honestly, my dad knew me. He knew that I was a fighter, right? He knew that I would I'd be, you know, that that being an undersized player, you know, that that that that's how he had to talk to me because he had to take the fear out of my mind. He wanted me to think that that and know that if I was ever faced with that situation again, he was empowering me with a way to be able, because if if he's not there's the day, the reality was he wasn't always gonna be driving by my side. So the real what he was doing was he was giving me a way to fight. And I love that about my dad. So he's like, if you ever find yourself in that situation again, this is what you gotta do.

SPEAKER_02 24:23

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SPEAKER_04 26:10

You know, I I actually really like that story. You know, actually, what when I was a kid, I was chased by two dogs too. Of course you were. And like I like, I was right outside the gate riding my scooter. I like dropped the scooter and ran inside and shut the gate. And then my dad was like, Are you okay? Did you are you hurt? And then I was like, your dad was like, next time you need to fight those dogs. And then so, like, but I I there there's two different parenting styles. And a lot of people on social media now they they see things like that and they're like, oh, that's bad parenting. Like, oh, you don't care about your kids. And it's like, you know, because the the culture has become soft overall, the the way that the culture deems to be a good parent is to kind of pander to your kid in in in a lot of those situations and put a band-aid on their scraped knee instead of rubbing dirt on it.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

Like I said, I I played softball to the highest of levels in shorts.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

You know, like, you know, the the thing is like, you know, there's there's a lot of good things that have come out of so, you know, um how we've learned to coach people differently. But at the same time, I I I what I'm saying is I'm grateful for my upbringing. I'm grateful for the the leaders that I had because they they were the ones that laid the foundation for a lot of things and and they showed us how to fight and they showed us how you know to to win certain battles and stuff that were necessary for the time. Um that's amazing coaches, and and and I love my dad and my and and my mom for the for for the for the lessons that they taught me.

SPEAKER_02 27:56

Well, that's what makes this story so amazing, Chris. So let's go ahead and move forward. You've been taught grit, you've been taught how to fight through adversity, you've been taught to endure. Now that we've talked about the SEC world, we've talked about national titles. Let's move forward in your progression. Let's go into what happened when you became a fellow with the St. Louis Cardinals. How did you get to that particular place to where you can even get the interview? How did that happen?

Baseball vs Softball Culture And Depth

SPEAKER_00 28:23

You know, like um, gosh, you know, you're you're forwarding like a couple decades after college. So I I mean I'm I just turned 50 this year. So when back when in 2017, um, I was getting just really getting rebuilding a um I was rebuilding my private business. I had just gotten out of the collegiate industry. Um and I had had a cancer scare at that time. So I had to have uh my left ovary removed and was just, I was in a state where I was like, gosh, you know, Lord, like what what's next? Right. And just in full surrender to him, I was like, you know what, just expand my voice, expand this. You've given me these skills. You haven't taken me off the ball field, you've given me these skills to coach. What's next? And so he um he opened up the door to go coach with the British. And I was um coaching with the British as one of their national team coaches, working with pitchers and catchers, and then developed a position called the battery coach where we're working, you know, basically strategy and mental preparedness, you know. Um, because again, in the girls' world, the the at that time, the the we didn't have a pitching coach, catching coach, hitting coach, all of that. You had to be like all to your players. So I'm I was there and I'd also at that same time had um been online and I had connected with Kelly Ahrens through LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_05 29:46

Kelly, let's go.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

So I had so I'm coaching with the British. I had connected with Kelly on because he was, he was some of his testing stuff was online. I was like, what is this about? Right. Well, I had noticed that on my other social media account. Account that my the guy that I'd caught bull pens for also knew him. So on another social media, they were connected. And then I was like, wait a minute. And I was like, so I called my my my friend Steve up. I'm like, hey, Steve, tell me about this Kelly Errens guy. And he's telling me all about his system of testing and all of this and how how good it was. And it's and it was familiar to me because it honestly was, I had done some testing in my collegiate time as a head coach. And I was like, this, this is very important because it brings validity to what you're doing and it shows progress and so forth and helps helps in developing um athleticism and asymmetry and all of that. Well, and he goes, you need to reach out to well. When I when I went back to the LinkedIn just to find out where he was at, I realized he was actually in my backyard of South Carolina. And I was like, here I am talking to Steve in California and Kelly's here in South Carolina. And so he's like, you need to get you need to get in touch with him. So I called him up and I was like, hey, you know, we have a shared colleague in the industry, and he's telling me that you're really good at what you do. And so we set up a meeting and um just sat down and talked ball. He had a chance to meet his lovely family and then just talk about the intricacies, intricacies of of development and coaching in today's world, um, coaching athletes today, and just how like his system also not only does it work in development, but it brings about accountability in a couple different areas for coaches, to where in today's world of coaching, you can you have proof of, hey, we implemented this. This is gonna help your son or daughter get better, but we also know that this is also gonna help prevent injury, right? So that's the other thing is in a time of overuse, um, we can help eliminate injury, you know, um, or at least minimize it um based on the different techniques that he had. So we met, he's like, hey, would you like to coach? And I'm like, sure. So we got a softball team going. But then one day it's just he goes, Would you like to coach baseball? I need a coach. I'm like, you know what? That's where my roots are. Let's do it. And he let me coach um a weekend with his 12-under team, and then it just led to more and more coaching opportunities. And here I am doing the, I'd go away for a few months and coach, coach with the British, and I'd come back and he'd have a whole new uh thing revamped for his testing system, and I'd have to relearn it. And then one day he says, Hey, Major League Baseball is looking to bring women into the game. He's like, Well, would you be interested in that? And I said, Yeah. And he sent me, he sent me this thing. Well, it was all for interns. It was all for the young college girls. And I'm like, Kelly, I'm 47 years old. I guess they want these young college girls. And uh, or or and he goes, So he goes, Well, let's just see. Well, several months later, I got a call um from Tyrone Brooks with Major League Baseball.

SPEAKER_02 32:45

Tyrone Brooks, I know who that is.

Communication Styles: Coaching Men And Women

SPEAKER_00 32:47

He's an outstanding, he's done a fantastic job with diversity and inclusion for Major League Baseball. And he he says, Hey, are you interested? Where, you know, we've read your resume. And and I'm and I told him, I said, I have to pray about this. I'm currently focused on going to the world games with the British team. Can I call you when I get back from Japan? Because I that was the other thing. I wanted to remain focused for the girls that that I was working with and see what we could do there. And when I got back, I was majorly jet lagged and I said, Tyrone, baseball is a lot bigger than softball. You know, um, I'm realizing that. And I said, I don't even know what questions to ask, but you know what? I've prayed about this, and and yes, I would like to go back into baseball. And um I at that same time I had met a gentleman by the name of Charles Peterson, who was a veteran scout of the Cardinals, and him and I were working out of a facility um in South Carolina. And he just started putting, he just give started giving me some, as we would talk, he realized that I understood the sport um from the perspective of the details, right? From taking a look at a player and being able to understand what the difference is from a stock 93 guy and the guy that's got stuff, the guy that has has is a pros has prospectability. And so what he did, he's like, listen, I'm right now, I've just got a new title of special assistant scout, and they've given me the shortstops. I gotta, I gotta find us a shortstop. And you know, we're in South Carolina, we're in Columbia, South Carolina, home of the game cocks. They're three-time national champions, right? We've got some of the best baseball coming through my backyard, right? Our backyard, right? And um, so he would, he would let me go to Clemson, he'd go to I'd go to Georgia, I'd go to uh South Carolina, and I'd go scout. And so um I learned, I I I that was one of the things I was convicted of is if I was gonna do this major career change, I was gonna learn it and learn it and earn it from the ground up. I would I had no ego involved in regards to like, hey, I've done this in the girls' world, I do deserve that. I knew that if I wanted to do my job well, that I had to start at the beginning and start, and I'd already started at the youth level. Now it was like, okay, with the amateurs, let's let's see what we can do. And and it worked. It worked. Um, unfortunately, COVID hit. Um, and my contract was put on hold with the St. Louis Cardinals. And unfortunately, I lost Charles. He he passed away of COVID during that um that time. Right. Great man. And um, however, I stay in touch with his wife. Um, you know, I just think that's important because I've walked those shoes of widowhood. So so to stay in touch with her and just I always remind her you are loved. And I think that's one of the biggest things that I've that I've taken out of this this crazy journey in life is just that people need to be reminded that they're loved. And and and as as people have asked me, why baseball? What what what what did God tell you? Uh what was your why? It was that it was just that our young men, I raised two boys on my own, that young men need to hear an encouraging voice. And that doesn't mean that it's not stern, that it's not firm, that's not direct, and it doesn't have heated emotion behind it, but they they need encouragement.

SPEAKER_03 36:00

And given that, I you know, I did a little dig in and stuff like that, and I saw that you got a degree in psychology. How did that help with uh coaching men, you know, men who who are making millions of dollars, right? In in the MLB uh setting.

SPEAKER_00 36:17

Yeah. You know, um I I do have a degree in psychology and I have one in teaching. Um psychology's given me a great foundation of just understanding things from you know the mind and all of that. Um and then just you know, having great friends who are in sports psychology and things like that, understand a network of friends that that have that as a background. I think if you play a sport um to the highest of levels, um, because I was fortunate to play to represent our country and play professional, and when you do that, or if life has just tested you enormously, you learn the power of just psychological um um the advantage of being psychologically sound, right? The to be a being tough. So do it really if you're gonna make it as a psychologist, usually you have to go get your master's and your and your doctorate and things like that. I I didn't do that, I didn't pursue it that way. I I use it in a basic level of just um from a kind of non-certified perspective. You know, I have more of a counts more from just a like a counseling perspective. So does it help? Absolutely. I'm not motivated by money. So I think in working with an athlete that makes millions of dollars, I can see them as no different than than the athlete. I can see them as the athlete they were before they made millions. And I think that's a huge advantage because I think a lot of times people see them just as the the dollar sign, and all of a sudden there's something different. Whereas I can see them, I can see them um as that person. I I have that understanding of what it was like to be a professional athlete myself. And so I can see it from that aspect, right? Like your money doesn't mean anything to me. What means something to me is what it took for you to get here, the sacrifice, the blood, sweat, tears it took for you to get to where you are now. That means something to me. And I don't want you to lose sight of that because you're part of the two percenters in the world trying to achieve a dream that most people think is glamorous when it's really not. It started you're it started when you were a child and you were you were learning learning your purpose of what you were gonna be and what how you a platform was being prepared for you to take the stage.

SPEAKER_02 38:28

I I absolutely love that narrative, and honestly, I've gotta spin that back onto you, Christina, because you can understand and relate to everything you just said wholeheartedly since you were a little girl. So now you're in an arena with a bunch of guys that are worth millions, and you're kind of a brand new face to this arena. It's a man's world, and you're a woman, right?

SPEAKER_03 38:52

Sorry to throw that in, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:54

So with that in with that in mind, what was that experience like? What was the respect like? Did you have to earn your respect when it came to these players getting to know you as an individual and then respecting your information, your knowledge, and your grit?

Father’s Tough Love And Grit Stories

SPEAKER_00 39:08

You know, I think in some ways that was that was part of the foundation that's still being laid, not just from from myself, but the other women in the industry, right? Um realizing, and you gotta understand we're in it with the Cardinals organization, we were just transitioning into the analytics part of the game. So they were they had kind of two transitions there's women's coming into the game and also um the analytics part of the game. So there was, you know, it's like, okay, do these things really work and how are they gonna apply? Like learning those kinds of things still. So um, as far as earning, there's the the players were fantastic. Um you know, it was nice to every now and then get a player that will, you know, walk up to you and say, What do you see? or or or what do you think? And you you just like, hey, like, look, you're an undersized player, and um, right now you're gonna have to focus on being the most technically sound that you can be. Don't try to overdo things and you know, focus on the things that got you here and be consistent with that, right? And those that you'll start to refine those other skills that'll take you to the next level, you know. Um I think keeping it simple, you know, I think it's it's really it's really uh people think that as you as you get to the higher levels that it gets more complex, but it really doesn't. It actually gets simpler because the game is gonna move a little bit faster. And so this when you can keep keep it to a simple adjustment or a simple perspective, you know, something as simple as, hey, like you just gotta make sure that your feet are grounded, like you know, like you want to be able to use the ground force, you know, and so your feet have to move in this simple way, right? Um, running things like running technique, breathing technique, simple things, right? Um, but as far as respect, yeah, I think I've always approached things that if if I'm a respectful person and I can feel good at about things at the end of the day, because I have been respectful. And usually when you're respectful, you're gonna get respect in return. And I had lots of moments like that where that was the case.

SPEAKER_04 41:17

You know, um, I had a question for you. So um I was when I was doing some research on you while you were getting your degree or uh after um you played uh professional for one year, and um so being in that arena and and playing at that at that level and then going into coaching how were how did that trans how did the coach playing transition uh translate to the coaching transition, uh coaching world?

SPEAKER_00 41:48

Well, you know, the interesting thing is I had um several years off. I had about eight years off from like from like taking the helm as a head coach. Um I did private lessons and things like that. But during those times as a young coach, you're just learning. You're you're learning. And the more you teach, the more you learn. You learned how to articulate um the things you want to say skill-wise. You learn how to articulate that. However, we've got a language in the in the in the industry that's changed a lot because of the analytics and because of the technology and and just I think overall, just how professionalism in the sport has changed, right? Um so you you have to learn to to grow with the game as it progresses. But um, the biggest thing I think is um you run into sometimes those players or parents that are like, oh, well, you were once a good player, that doesn't make you a good coach. And you know, that's one of the things that that I ran into sometimes. And I it's like, well, I I guess if you want to take that perspective, you know, that's okay. But how about it we do this? You and I don't talk player to play or player to coach, we talk player to player. See, I can talk to you as a veteran player. That's gonna be a little bit harder because as a veteran player, my expectations are a little different. So, because I've been there and done that, and I and I did it in shorts. Um, so I so so some you know, you run into those little things. But I think the biggest thing too, as um to bring this on to a serious note is this that that you can't assume. As a coach, as a head coach, or even as a private instructor, you cannot assume that your athletes have been taught something. So you have to always be willing to reteach, right? And be able to reteach the uh a skill in in in a couple different manners, right? That way then um you can accommodate an athlete who might have been taught differently, or this they just hadn't been taught at all. Um, I remember working with a young assistant of mine, he was getting a little frustrated once, and then he's like, they should already know this. I'm like, I understand that, but my biggest advice for you right now is don't assume. Don't assume that if they've been taught this, don't be assumed that they know this. So you've got to be willing to teach. That's called coaching.

SPEAKER_02 44:08

That's absolutely incredible. And with that in mind, we are going to cap this episode because we're gonna have a part dose on this with Miss Christina Whitlock, which means it's time for Trivia. Trivial. Trivia.

SPEAKER_04 44:23

All right.

SPEAKER_02 44:24

Well, let's do it!

SPEAKER_04 44:25

All right. Uh, first question. This is softball or baseball related, uh, specifically to um the 2025 World Series.

SPEAKER_02 44:35

You sound so boring right now.

SPEAKER_04 44:38

Specifically to the 2025 World Series. All right. Okay, how many home runs? All right, all right. How many home runs has Vladi Guerrero Jr. hit in the 2025 World Series so far?

SPEAKER_00 44:54

I think I heard it was a I gotta ask the question first.

SPEAKER_05 45:00

I gotta get the answer.

SPEAKER_04 45:01

I gotta ask the options. What are the options? All right, all right. All right. Is it A one 138, B 147, C 191?

SPEAKER_00 45:16

Okay, so this you said home runs.

SPEAKER_04 45:19

Yeah, how many how many home runs has he hit in the 2025 World Series so far?

SPEAKER_02 45:24

This has gotta be career home runs. It's gotta be.

SPEAKER_00 45:26

Yeah, those are numbers aren't correct at all. Okay. What are you talking about, Samuel?

SPEAKER_04 45:31

Okay, okay. Yeah, then uh I think they are career home runs then. Okay, it's gotta be career home.

SPEAKER_03 45:37

All right, career home runs. I was gonna say, because he's the best player in baseball right now. I've hitting all these numbers in one game in one series.

SPEAKER_00 45:45

I thought for the series it was somewhere between five and eight the last time. Somewhere between the I had heard something between.

SPEAKER_04 45:51

Yeah, I'm sorry. I I was looking up the wrong statistics.

SPEAKER_00 45:55

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 45:57

That's why you can't always trust the numbers. That is a straight law. Hey, dad, you better drop a wall right there.

unknown 46:06

Alright.

SPEAKER_04 46:08

All right, then uh yeah, it's uh it's uh it's career home runs then. So what were what were the numbers again? All right, it's A183, B 147, C191.

SPEAKER_00 46:23

I'm gonna say A.

SPEAKER_03 46:25

Alright.

SPEAKER_02 46:25

What you got, A Town?

SPEAKER_03 46:27

I was going A because that's a smack dab in the middle, so I was going A as well.

SPEAKER_02 46:31

You know, I can't go against Whitlock because she's Whitlock. And that would make me uncomfortable. We're all going A.

SPEAKER_04 46:40

Yeah, that's right. Let's go!

SPEAKER_02 46:43

At least it got that right. Pin drop. Pin drop, because we got Chris on that. Okay, now, Chris, we got a really weird question for you.

SPEAKER_04 46:55

This one I know is right.

SPEAKER_02 46:56

Of course he does, because it's the weird question.

Sponsor Message: True Victory Apparel

SPEAKER_04 46:58

All right. How many people have through hiked the Appalachian Trail? Uh so is it A, two, uh, 20,000 people, B, 10,000 people, four, 40,000 people.

SPEAKER_02 47:13

Did you say A, B, and then for?

SPEAKER_04 47:15

Wait, wait. Yeah, C, 40, uh, C 40,000 people.

SPEAKER_02 47:22

What's going on in life right now? I can't take it.

SPEAKER_03 47:25

So A is 20K, B is 10K, and C is 40K.

SPEAKER_00 47:29

Yes, which one you got, Chris? I I believe it's a pretty popular um um hiking path. So I'm gonna go with 40,000. Okay. A town.

SPEAKER_03 47:44

A20.

SPEAKER_02 47:46

Hmm. Now, T Might don't necessarily know, but what we're gonna, I'm gonna go B. B.

SPEAKER_04 47:54

Yeah. It is one of the most uh one of the most popular trails in North America. So uh it's actually 20,000.

SPEAKER_02 48:01

What the matter was that? A okay. You gotta give yourself a date. And that's just awkward. That's just absolutely awkward. And now we are moving on to local Tampa Bay Eateries, a town. Drop that music in the background. Boom! And on today's episode, we are representing Herschel's Scratch Kitchen. This is in Port Ritchie, Florida, opening in 2020. Herschel's Scratch Kitchen combines the traditional European brasairs with the relaxed flair of American entrees. Chef Chris Muller offers American classics with subtile southern influences for breakfast and lunch, ideal for both quick bites and a leisurely meal. Herschel serves simple, hearty food and drink at affordable prices in a vibrant, friendly atmosphere right in the heart of Port Richie, Florida. So if you want to visit Herschel's and have an amazing time, enjoying some amazing food, all you need to do is get to 5749 Main Street in Newport Richie. That is in downtown Port Richie. 5749 Main Street in Newport Richie. That is Herschel's Scratch Kitchen. Switch the music up again. We hitting Jinpung. Last question for Miss Christina Whitlock and your amazing story. Chris, you have given us so many amazing examples of perseverance, endurance, grit. And as a young woman, all the way into the maneuvering of professional sports, you've experienced so much. We need you to give other young ladies that are looking to pursue maybe the exact same route that you have some inspiration in regards to moving forward. What would you say to a young lady that wants to move the way you have?

SPEAKER_00 50:00

I think that you've got to be willing to do the things that others are not, right? There's a lot of times when um the job requires you to do just a little bit more or go do this, the grunt work of things, right? And um you gotta be willing to do the things that others are not.

SPEAKER_02 50:21

That is the best advice we could possibly imagine. We can't wait for episode two because this has been another amazing episode of the No Shot Podcast. And it was brought to you by Radio Influence. That's your boy Jay Floyd. We got A Town in the background, and it's been brought to you by our sponsor, and that's the brand. Yeah, true victory apparel. Christina Whitlock, next level pro game, all the above, send us out.

SPEAKER_04 50:51

This has been the No Shot Podcast. Go check out the brand at TrueVictory.com and then go support the task by rating us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!