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Game On! Sports Girl Talk interviews Pro Softball Player
Rachel Folden
Team: Chicago Bandits
Position: Catcher

Can you give us a brief glance at your softball playing years, including when and how you started?

I played baseball until I was 12 years old. After that, I was done and only wanted to focus on basketball. I actually swore to my dad that I would never play softball, because I thought it was a weak version of baseball. My basketball coach, Mark Booth, asked me to play for his rec. softball team when I was about 13 or so. I couldn’t afford it and I had to sell extra candy to play in that league. I ended up loving the sport, and I was good at it, and I played for Mark until I went to college.

Can you offer a short description of a couple of your most memorable moments as a pro softball player?

Winning the championship in 2008 is the greatest feeling I’ve ever had as a softball player. I felt we were the best team in the world. I’d have put us up against the Olympic team that year. We had great team chemistry, and there was a different hero every night. Jumping into the river in our uniforms right after winning was also a pleasant bonus 

What is your favorite part of playing the game?

I like knowing that I’m helping build something. Winning is important, we all want to win, but playing in the NPF, it’s more important to try to build a future for young ladies who want to be a pro when they grow up. We are playing for a cause, and that is my favorite part. When this league booms, I will get to say I had a part in that. Stacy May said it best “if you want your daughters to have the same opportunities as your sons, then support the NPF” which is what we’re all trying to do.

At what age did you play softball to the exclusion of all other sports?

When I was 16 years old I stopped playing varsity basketball and focused solely on softball. This happened after I had committed to Marshall University and I didn’t want to get injured. However, if I could go back, I would have kept playing basketball so that I would have been in better shape when I got to college.

What are the specific personality characteristics you strive to demonstrate in order to be a good role model for young athletic girls?
I try to be a good teammate. I try to help my girls out in any way that I can. I also try to do everything with a smile. Not too long ago, I would get so upset when I’d strike out, make an error, or get beat, but now, I just remember that I love this game. Win, lose, or draw, I love playing softball at a high level and it makes it a lot easier to get over the slumps or losses. I always try to smile.

What does your workout schedule consist of during the offseason?

Right now I’m doing P90X, but mostly I do a combination of cardio and a very intensive weight training program. Usually I take two weeks to a month off after the season, and then focus on cardio to get back into training shape again. After a month or so of that, I pick it up and add weights to my regimen. The weights get heavier and then I back off right before season so I peak at the right time. I try to be in the best catching shape that I can so that I don’t get burned out towards the end of the season like most catchers do. I’m still learning how to keep my body in shape better and I’m always open to trying new things.

What do you hope to achieve in the future? After your pro softball playing years come to an end, what does your career path look like?

I want to coach for the rest of my life. I get a much bigger thrill when I see my players succeed than I ever do as a player. I hope to coach forever, and I don’t care what level either. Winning is winning and its fun no matter who is playing.

What do you want young girls to remember most about you?

I just want them to remember me as someone who cared about them. Once again, I try to do everything with a smile and I want them to keep coming back because “that catcher with the crazy hair was so nice to me.” I want them to see me as a representation of the NPF, so they assume every NPF player is kind and courteous, and they want to come to as many games as possible.

If you were not a professional softball player what would you be?

I’d be a coach. That’s the beauty of my job, I get to do both at the same time 

Is there one individual who has impacted you the most throughout your playing career? If so, who and how?

My entire family was an inspiration. My older brother Russ and my dad taught me to be competitive. My mom taught me to love what I’m doing, or get out. And my older brother Leo taught me to not let success go to my head. My coach Mark Booth also provided an avenue for me to play the game that I loved, something that I wouldn’t have had without him. I try to learn something from every coach that I’ve played for. We’re never too old or too cool to stop learning.

What are the characteristics of the ideal coach?

An ideal coach is someone who is passionate about the impact that sports can have on a person’s life. They are also someone who puts the team’s best interest before anything else.

At what stage of your life did you realize you wanted to be a professional softball player and how did you prepare?

My sophomore year in college, two of my Marshall teammates got drafted by the Chicago Bandits and at that point I knew I could play in that league, and wanted to play in that league.

What is the single most important piece of advice you can offer to young female softball players today?

Be appreciative of every opportunity that you get. If you come to practice, work hard because you appreciate the time your coaches, parents, and friends are putting into making you better. If you can just be appreciative of all your opportunities, it will go a long way into making you a better player and a better teammate. Always say thank you, even if your coach just made you do a super hard workout, or even if you and your parents had a fight on the way to practice. BE APPRECIATIVE.

A GLANCE AT FOLDEN’S CAREER:

Pro Experience: 3rd Season

College Experience: Marshall University

Bats: L

Throws: R

Resides: Valparaiso, Ind.

Biography:

Professional

2010: Named Worth Offensive Player of the Year in NPF and Co-Winner of Wilson Home Run Trophy … Named All-NPF Team catcher … Finished second in NPF in batting average (.316), tied for first in home runs (12) and first in RBIs (32) … FInished campaign with a .692 slugging percentage, 12 home runs, 32 RBIs and 42 hits in 133 at-bats.

2009: Was named to the All-NPF Team for a second consecutive season after hitting .308 on the season and driving in 22 runs…Walked just 12 times in 2009 after walking 31 times during the previous season…Finished t-5th in the league with her 22 RBIs and was one of only eight players throughout the league to hit above .300 for the season…She finished the year with a .308 average.

2008: Drafted by the Bandits with the 7th overall selection in the NPF College Senior Draft…Named to the All-NPF Team and was named the 2008 Nokona American Glove Rookie of the Year…Finished in the top six in the league in RBI’s (6th – 32), homeruns (5th – 11) and batting average (6th – .311)…Was the Bandits team leader in on-base percentage and walks.

College:

Marshall (2005-08)
One of the greatest players to ever play for Marshall…Finished her senior season (2008) as the Conference USA leader in slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walks…Ranked second in several other categories, including batting average and home runs with 17…Named first team Conference USA as a junior, as well as second team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American…Was the Conference USA Player of the Year in 2006, as well as the Triple Crown winner…Folden led C-USA in batting average, home runs and RBI’s…As a freshman, drove in 60 runs and had a .406 batting average to lead the Herd.

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