Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

Husband, #GirlDad, Uncle, Brother, Friend . Fan of the Steelers, the Fighting Illini, WHS BeeBees/Bullets, and America . AGTG . FOE

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@KPatten2027 @C_ott_7 @ExtraInningSB @DiamondAddicts I'm so sorry this is happening to you guys. It isn't right. But God has a plan. He put this obstacle in your path for something even better! I know it. You'll both land on your feet with a better opportunity!

[The Hype Mom @softballhype]

Before you head to the Sparkler 🎇, do your homework.

Coaches aren’t wandering the fields hoping to discover the next superstar. Most are there with a list of athletes they already plan to watch because those athletes reached out first.

Be intentional. Email coaches. Share your schedule. Follow up. Give them a reason to stop at your field.

Work diligently, then trust God with the outcome.

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” — Proverbs 16:3

[The Hype Mom @softballhype]

Summer recruiting can feel like a race.

Tournaments.
Showcases.
Camps.
Travel.
Emails.
Pressure.

But athletes, hear me:

Rest is not laziness.
Rest is preparation.

Your body needs recovery.
Your mind needs peace.
Your joy needs room to breathe.

Even God modeled rest.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Sometimes the next best step forward is slowing down first.

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@OleTimeHardball Mike Easler

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@S_U_Network Either Chuck Cunningham or Carmine Ragusa

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@HOHBigPhil @S_U_Network Dude!! Great choice! I started buying Suzi Quatro vinyl just because she was Leather. Lol!

[Marleigh Locke @MarleighLocke]

Summer Turf Bash in Bradley, IL last weekend. First time back together with my girls in 8 months! Started out slow but bounced back to finish 2-3. Proud of our fight! My arm is strong, but my bat is not where I want it to be at the moment. Lots of work still to do. Found a minor flaw in my swing that I'm working on to get ready for the Slugger Summer Slugfest in Peoria, IL this weekend! The grind continues...💪🥎🦏

#Backtowork #2028grad
@rhino_softball @IndWesSoftball @KelseyKooistra @joliegroeneveld @softballhype @fastpitchunite @BradyVernon @Get2CollegAth @gatorjack72 @playsbigger @EastonFastpitch @RIPITSports @fastpitchwatch @USASoftballWNT @SoftbalAmerica @LegacyLegendsS1

[Marleigh Locke @MarleighLocke]

Another 3rd place finish for Central IL @rhino_softball this weekend at the Summer Slugger Slugfest in Peoria, IL. Proud of my team for gritting out our wins and for taking the #2 team in the nation to extra innings (lost on a walk-off blooper). Some extra work on my swing this week paid off. These are my stats from this weekend!!

Hitting:
• AVG. (.636)
• SLG. (0.818)
• HITS (7)
• 1B (6)
• 3B (1)
• RBI (7)
• SB (2)
• BB (0)
• K (1)
• FPCT (1000%)
💪🥎🦏

#Backtowork #2028grad
@rhino_softball @IndWesSoftball @KelseyKooistra @joliegroeneveld @softballhype @fastpitchunite @BradyVernon @Get2CollegAth @gatorjack72 @playsbigger @EastonFastpitch @RIPITSports @fastpitchwatch @USASoftballWNT @SoftbalAmerica @LegacyLegendsS1

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@Reecedavoice Closest Illini would be Auggie at 1,023. Deon and Kofi had somewhere in the 860's or 870's I think.

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@BretBielema The name of Jesus!

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@DPetsrillo Happy belated birthday, Dory!! Hope you had a great day!!

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@Hall_J_4 Amazing! Congrats and welcome home, Coach!! I-L-L! 🔶️🔷️🥎

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@jenn7997 Poor kid is the Mikey Dudek of college basketball.

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@softballhype Whoa! That is EXACTLY how this journey feels. Thanks for sharing this!

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

👇 THIS! This guy just said all the things in my head out loud. 🗣

[William Payne @TweetsbyCoachP]

Parents are NOT the enemy.

One of the most overlooked pressures in youth sports doesn’t fall on the athlete. Or the coach on the sideline. It falls on the parent standing next to them.

For many families, the recruiting process arrives long before anyone feels ready for it.

There’s no manual. No orientation. No one sits parents down and explains how rankings work, what coaches are actually looking for, or what a “verbal commitment” really means.

Parents are simply expected to figure it out…..often while holding down multiple jobs, raising other kids, and trying not to let their own hopes get tangled up with their child’s.

Like coaches and officials, parents are operating in real time, with limited information, making decisions that feel like they matter forever.

Should my kid play up an age group? Specialize in one sport or stay multi-sport? Pay for private training? Travel for exposure events? Reach out to coaches directly, or wait to be noticed?

Every answer seems to come with a contradiction. Every other parent on the sideline seems to know something you don’t.

Social media doesn’t help. It’s easy to see other families’ commitment posts and wonder if your child is falling behind, even when “behind” isn’t a real thing at twelve, fourteen, or even sixteen years old.

What gets lost in all of this is that most parents aren’t chasing a scholarship or a headline. They’re trying to support a kid who has a dream, without accidentally getting in the way of it.

That’s a harder balance than it sounds.

Push too hard, and the joy disappears. Step back too far, and a kid might miss opportunities they didn’t know existed. Ask too many questions, and you risk becoming “that parent.” Ask too few, and you risk missing something important.

Most parents are simply trying to do right by their child, with no real roadmap and no shortage of people ready to offer (often conflicting) advice.

None of this means parents shouldn’t be informed, involved, or thoughtful about the process. They should be.

But it does mean grace matters here too.

Because behind every recruiting question, every late-night Google search, and every awkward conversation with a coach, is usually just a parent trying to help their kid chase something meaningful…..while hoping they don’t get it wrong.

They’re not asking for a perfect playbook.

They’re asking for a little patience, a little honesty, and maybe a reminder that they don’t have to have it all figured out to be doing a good job.

[Holy Bible @Holy__Bible1]

Amen

[Marleigh Locke @MarleighLocke]

Last practice before our summer season begins!! First tournament this weekend in Bourbonnais, IL. I'm so excited to start back up again! 🥎💪 #Softball #Uncommitted #2028grad #CentralIllinoisRhinos

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@DPetsrillo @saniyafatma1278 😂

[Mike Locke 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 @Locke_4]

@wcusd15sports @wvillesoftball *Torey Sorensen