"Coach Ali is new to head coaching and Division I. While there are a few areas of concern, I expect that as she gains experience, maturity, and confidence in her position she will become a great coach. This would be a good fit for players who are looking to help build up a newer D1 program and are comfortable communicating openly with the coaching staff, even when that means initiating tough conversations. Some positive points: - She knows the game well and her coaching is strategic. - She cares about grades and life outside of softball and wants to make sure that her players have a well rounded experience. - She makes sure to work in time for fun and friendly competition at practice. - She wants open communication from players so that the team can learn and grow together. - She implements more individualized practice time to try to work on each players strengths and weaknesses and is available for additional one on one time outside practice for players who want it. Some places for improvement: - Her organization beyond the field is not ideal. She struggled a bit with things like providing meals when traveling, especially for players with dietary restrictions. She would benefit from delegating these responsibilities to assistant coaches or gaining access to more supportive resources through the athletic department. - As much as she values open communication from her players, she is not always the best at direct communication and is sometimes ambiguous seemingly to avoid hurting feelings. She expects players to come to her rather than initiating conversations on her end. - She can sometimes come across as if she does not care when players are injured or as if she is urging them to play through injuries, but that is not the case. She does care, but if players say they are fine she will believe them even if it is clear that they are not. This is another reason that it is important to communicate openly and honestly. She relies on players to take the initiative to tell her when they are injured or cannot perform and will not make that judgment on her own. "