Wednesday March 27th, 2024
TEXT_SIZE

An interview with Monster/Combat pitcher Earle McWright

Earle McWright

USSSA Playing History

GoSoftball.com Player Page

Who are you playing with in 2012?
A newly formed 'C' team out of Washington called "Monster/Combat".  I REALLY enjoyed the B level last year, pitching for KTI, but not enough venues to play and hard to get nationally tested playing local B.
        
Why do you like the game of softball?
The attention hound in me stumbled onto pitching 15 years ago, and never looked back lol…
        
Who is the best softball player you have ever seen play?
I'm going to bypass the easy answers (Helmer, Purcell, etc) and name the current All-Washington State Team (IMO).  I also think this would be a great question for future interviews with players around the nation.
        
All WASHINGTON Team
Battery — Brendt Newbill, Chad Munger,
OF — Ryan Barabe, Joe Yusko, Kaeo Rubin
IF — Seth Stephens, Pat Paschal, Jared Goetz, Shawn Bagley, Chris Breer
Hitter — Charles Cunningham
        
What is your nickname in softball?
Scooter J. McDonkey …. I've been known to be somewhat of a jackass, and I think it grew from there !!
        
Where do you call home?
Parkland, Washington … The 253 !!
        
What do you do for a living?
High School Math Teacher, basketball and tennis coach
        
Did you play sports in High School / College / Pro?
Basketball and Tennis in HS, Tennis at a 2-yr school in Texas.  Now I coach at the HS level and our tennis team is the reigning State Champions !! (Washington HS)
        
How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
My Uncle Don had a work team that was short one day, so I went out as a 19-year old with no plan, and got hooked …
        
What position do you play?
Pitcher  …. but I like to remind people that I was the starting Left-fielder in the 2003 WA 'B' State Championship Game … LOL
        
What batting grip do you use?
sometimes I hang a pinkie, sometimes all fingers are on the grip. I'm open to suggestions !!
        
What ounce bat do you use?
28 oz for a decade, but I've been dabbling with a 27 recently.
        
What do you do in the offseason to prepare for the next softball season?
I used to "Pyramid Lift" (low weight, med, high, and a max) … Now I'm trying to get 40 reps in 5 sets or less at low weights and I've been going up every time I succeed at a certain weight.
        
Also, the school I teach at has an indoor cage, so I try to pitch as much as possible and take cuts when I can.
        
What is your favorite sports team?
Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Seattle Mariners, UW Mens Hoops
        
What is your favorite sport other than softball?

Basketball, Pickleball. Is Omaha Hi/Lo a sport? LOL
        
Do you have any superstitions and if so, what are they?
I brush my teeth between games, and I've been wearing the same undershirt since 1992 <–it's in ROUGH shape !!
        
What is your most memorable softball moment?
My first year playing 'C' in 2000, I was having a rough year at the plate, but I hit a walkoff HR in the 'C' State Championship Game.  It was the era of double wall bats, but I used an Easton Redline and I screamed "SINGLEWALL" as I ran the bases … LOL
        
What is the best improvement upper level softball could make?
No Courtesy Foul (ever)
Regionalize the Post-Season
        
What is your favorite non-World tournament?
Strojan Kennison(Doerflinger/Combat) does a great job with a tournament in WA called "King of the NW" — 50+ teams from as far as Hawaii at a turf complex so weather is never a problem

What is the funniest thing you have ever seen on a softball field?
2002 'C' Worlds in Texas.  Our game was delayed because a skunk ran on the field … no one knew what to do, but a few minutes later, my MOM ran on the field and chased the skunk away … < — true story !!
        
Favorite Bat Ever Swung — 1st batch TPS Catalyst — it took 5000 cuts to get hot, but I've got a couple in the garage that are like rocket launchers now !!
        
Favorite Complex — Sterling Heights  — lots of fields at one complex and they treat you like rock stars

 


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.