The University of Texas (Tyler)

"My name is Devin Sickles-Ferrante and I am an alumni of UTTyler. I played softball until I was 17, I started when I was 5 in our town Little League and also did travel ball from 8 years old. In 2009 I was 14 and my family were the host family for UTTyler and Coach Reed. We watched their practices, warm ups, and the games and I learned so much from listening and watching Coach Reed. My travel coach had my whole team come and watch UTTyler practice and play and meet the girls and talk with them to hear what it was like playing at the collegiate level. Our coach also listened to the girls and took many of the rules Coach Reed had and started with our team and myself and our teammates. These rules that our coach used taught us to become better teammates and instilled a bond between us. Many of my travel team teammates did continue playing in college and did very well, I wasn’t as lucky. Having scoliosis and being in a back brace limited my play time my last 2 years of high school but if I was healthy and strong enough I would have asked Coach Reed if I could have a tryout for UTTyler. His enthusiasm and passion for the game as well as his vision to get the team to the next level and to win a national championship. During my time at UTTyler I would go to cheer on the team but I always wished I could have been on that field playing for this amazing program and coach."

"Coach Reed is simply the best! It was a privilege to play for someone who was not only knowledgeable in softball, but also knowledgeable on how to coach and push players to be their very best. I have learned many life lessons from Coach Reed that I have used in my day to day life. He also cares about his players and their well being on and off the field. One day I was hit pretty hard with a ball during practice, and his sweet wife drove me to the hospital to get checked out because they didn’t want me to drive. I could name several examples, year after year, of how he treated players like family. Even after you graduate, you are still treated like family. "

"As a former player who decided to become a coach, I did not always understand or know exactly why we did some of the things that we did or why we had some of the rules and expectations that we had. But now after being in the business for so long I totally “get” every bit of it. Coach Reed was hard on all of us, but it’s because of that I am who I am today. Coach Reed prepared me for the real world and taught me what it meant to fight for the things you are passionate about. Our relationship has grown through the years and Coach Reed is someone that I know I can count on to be there whenever I may need him. Some coaches stop “coaching” when their players graduate, but not Mike Reed. He has been with me all through my career and it has meant the world to me to be able to make him proud of the strong women that I am today. As a coach you cannot and will not make everyone happy, that’s inevitable, but you can make an impact and that is exactly what Mike Reed has done. He is by far one of the best coaches in the nation and has built a prestigious program that I am extremely proud to be an alumni of! Thank you Coach Reed for all of your hard work and dedication to all of your players! "

"He is simply the best coach to play for, his record speaks for itself. As far as being on his team, there’s no better place to grow in resilience, become a leader, become life-long friends with teammates, and learn everything you need to know to be successful not only on the field winning titles but in life. "

"Current Alumni from the 2004-2007 seasons. Coach Reed is easily the best coach in the country. He prepared me on the field for like after the sport and I can honestly say, my successes today directly reflect him and his methodology. Would play for him all over again if given the chance."