The name Pauly has a certain level of prominence in the fastpitch softball world.
Rick Pauly is a former men’s major fastpitch All-American. He was a college pitching coach, including at Georgia, and was a member of the 2015-16 U.S. National team coaching pool.
Rick’s daughter Sarah is a former NCAA and ASA All-American and eight-time National Pro Fastpitch All-Pro. She is the only pitcher in NPF history with more than 100 career wins.
Saturday, the Paulys were in Columbus to share their expertise with pitchers from near and far at their PaulyGirl Fastpitch Clinics. Along with plenty of local talent, pitchers came from as far away as Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Illinois to take part in the Mechanics of Elite Pitchers Clinic for beginner and intermediate pitchers in the morning and The Advance Movement Pitching Mechanics Clinic for advanced pitchers in the afternoon at Ceraland.
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“Rick held a clinic in Richmond, Indiana, six years ago, and we’ve always wanted to bring him into Columbus,” Columbus North softball coach Ron McDonald said. “But I wasn’t coaching there at North at the time, so when I did get in there, one of our goals was to be able to bring him in on a seminar because he’s famous throughout the country because of what all he’s done and what all his daughter has done. I was so impressed with him.”
McDonald’s son Ron McDonald Jr. works with some of the top pitchers from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky and recently became a certified instructor in the Pauly program. All the schooling and lessons Ron Jr. gives are patterned after Rick Pauly.
Twenty-three pitchers participated in the morning session for beginners and intermediates. About 30 mostly high school girls took part in afternoon session for advanced pitchers.
“I learned how to throw the right kind of dropball and how to grip the ball to make it do what it’s supposed to do with the spin,” North sophomore Peri Foust said.
“I learned how to throw a dropball a little bit better, to practice on my spin and how to throw a fastball with different spins and how to make it move better and how to make my riseball move a little bit better,” North freshman Maddi Rutan added.
Rick Pauly did almost all of the teaching Saturday, while Sarah did some demonstration pitching.
“Seeing her pitch has just been a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Rutan said. “It’s been amazing just having them come here. I’m super happy I got to do it.”
“It’s been a lot of fun,” North junior Meghan Waggoner added. “He’s going in more depth about the things we learn at Ron’s, so it’s helping a lot.”
North sophomore Rachel Cowan and her sister, North freshman Kaylee Cowan, learned how to grip the ball better and throw better and breaking dropballs.
“It’s been really great,” Rachel Cowan said. “I think it’s been a good learning opportunity.”
Hauser junior Dani Steward, who move in this year from Indianapolis Lutheran, got to practice throwing a lot of riseballs.
“It’d great because we’re literally working with celebrities,” Steward said. “The girls are in awe, like ‘Wow, I get to talk to (Sarah).’”
Sarah, who played at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, retired from the NPF a couple years ago. She played professionally in Australia, Italy and New Zealand last year, and is headed to Japan in two weeks to play there.
“The game can really take you some really neat places,” Rick Pauly said.
Rick said that through his video-based online education and training center, parents can go online and teach their kids how to pitch. All of the instructors, like Ron McDonald Jr., have gone through the program and achieved elite-level certification.
“We’re trying to take what’s taught to our younger kids and make it safe and efficient because there’s an awful lot of not-safe-and-efficient instruction going out there,” Rick said. “We have a lot of people buying in, and the best thing you can do is get them when they’re young.”
