RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
Last Friday, in the latest round of the Extra Elite 100 Club Coach Rankings, we finished our week-long look at the Top 50 travel ball leaders concluding with #’s 10-1.
Click HERE to see the Top 10 and the others who’ve previously been honored so far:
- Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 – #’s 50-41
- Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023 – #’s 40-31
- Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 – #’s 30-21
- Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023 – #’s 20-11
- Friday, Dec. 15, 2023 – #’s 10-1
- Monday, Dec. 18, 2023 – No. 1 ranked coach spotlight
- Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2023 – Coaches rankings revealed (51-100)
Today, we spotlight highly respected club coach Mike Stith who, for the second consecutive time in the club coach rankings, was selected by his peers as the No. 1 coach in travel ball.
Our write-up of Coach Stith last week included a very impressive stat:
“Extra Inning Softball reached out to over 300 travel ball coaches by email and phone to get their picks and insights into who is and are the most impressive leaders in the sport.”
“The numbers were astounding in that well over 90 percent had Mike Stith at No. 1 overall or in their Top 10… 90 percent plus.”
Here’s a closer look at what makes the one-time football coach such a highly revered leader in the fastpitch world…
*****
It’s Friday, 10 days before Christmas and Mike Stith, head coach of the national title-winning OC Batbusters 18U team is on a road trip, although this one has nothing to do with softball.
Coach Mike, his wife Deanna, and their dog, a retriever named Tucker, set out on a long winter’s drive—from 6 am PST to 11 pm MST counting stops for rest, gas and to let Tucker do his business.
Their journey starting in Chino Hills, Calif. and took them most of a day’s drive before they made it to the Boise, Idaho where the Stiths have a “home away from home,” a get-away place in the beautiful city of Eagle where the family will spend the holidays.
It’s a well-earned vacation for the coach and his wife who have raised their family in and around sports as two of their four daughters, Lindsay and Katie, are now successful high school coaches in their own right.
If all goes according to plan, the entire family will be celebrating Christmas together along with a grandson who is 10 and three grand daughters, ages 9, 5 and seven months.
When Mike and Deanna do have a second to catch their breathes, they try to get to Idaho as much as possible, but the coach acknowledges that his full-time residence is in Southern California and admits:
“I have a training facility there (SoCal) and plus I’m too competitive to retire right now. There are great kids here (Calif.) and I don’t think I’ll ever stop coaching so I don’t know where I’ll live down the road!”
And, if truth be told, Stith isn’t just competitive, he’s championship-winning coach, sure, but he also takes pride in building his young players into great people.
When told about the honor of being listed No 1 in the club coach rankings, Coach Mike says:
“It’s fulfilling to know that my fellow coaches think that of me. Tough often, we get caught up in the day-to-day stuff—playing games, winning and losing, who’s doing what—but it’s nice to know that people watching us appreciate what we do.”
So why not a warmer state to acquire a second home?
“I wanted to move to Texas or Florida,” the coach says, “but DeAnna didn’t want the heat, so we started looked in Idaho, where we had some ties. Katie and Kristin lived in Reno (Nev.) for a while and eventually Kristin moved to Star, Idaho, so we thought it would be a good place to settle.”
“People are friendly, the grass is green, there are local community meetings, and I could see myself getting involved up there. Everybody looks you in the eye, is friendly and says ‘hi.’”
The family sets out for Idaho in softball down times, in April, August and the two-weeks they’re currently enjoying over the December holidays into January. When possible, Deanna heads to Eagle with a grandbaby or two and continues to develop their home there.
But there’s the constant pull to do what he does so well: coaching.
“There are great kids here,” he explains of the legacy he’s established, “and it motivates you to do what you enjoy doing.”
What he enjoys doing is coaching and making a difference in others’ lives.
Another Top 10 club coach who also is a difference-maker is Kevin Shelton of the Texas Glory organization. He and Stith have battled between the lines more than a few times and Coach Shelton recognizes the contributions of his rival… and friend.
“Mike is, and has been, one of the best—if not the best—club coach in America for years,” Shelton beings. “His focus on attention to detail with respect to training and development of athletes has served him, his players, and many college coaches well.”
Shelton also appreciates how the California club coach welcomed him into the sport.
“From the day we met in 2006, Mike has been welcoming and open to share his experiences and all he knows. He is a winner who cultivates winning through a dedicated teaching approach that hones young raw players into polished champions.”
His players don’t hesitate when singing his praises, either.
Kai Minor, a talented 2025 outfielder committed to Oklahoma ranked in the Top 5 of her class in the Extra Elite 100, appreciates the unity she feels with her teammates under the leadership of Coach Stith.
“Coach Mike is very collaborative in the aspect of always wanting to understand what us, as players, are thinking and follows with his understanding,” Kai,
“This is so that we can all be on the same page at all times as well as pushing us to be better players and never be satisfied.”
The athlete’s father, Marshall Minor, has also had a great vantage point in seeing how Stith is not just a developer of softball talent, but excels in character-building too.
“From my perspective,” Mr. Minor begins, “Coach Stith is the gold standard of coaching. He is extremely meticulous in details and preparation. Besides the obvious of developing high-level softball skills and IQ, he has made Kai stronger mentally and emotionally.”
“This is what I am most proud of as Coach Stith as I am confident Kai will be able to succeed beyond the softball fields. She along with her teammates are constantly put under high-pressure situations, which makes them lock-in mentally and perform.”
“Kai wants to be a surgeon and being able to be calm and focused will help her greatly in her future. Coach Stith wants his players to be thinkers, leaders, and mature. He doesn’t train them to be good, not even just great, but to be champions and All-Americans.”
— Brentt Eads