On this episode of Foul Pole to Foul Pole, we sit down with The Alliance Fastpitch, Chief Executive Officer Jami Lobpries. Jami Lobpries grew up a multi-sport athlete in a small town, Wharton, TX. When Jami got to high school, she moved from baseball to softball. She missed her entire sophomore season after suffering an ACL injury in basketball and that’s when she realized her passion for softball was the strongest. After graduating as Valedictorian of her high school, Jami signed to play softball at Texas A&M.
During her career at Texas A&M from 2005 to 2008, the Aggies won two Big 12 Championships, one Big 12 Championship Tournament, three NCAA Regionals, and two Super Regionals. She appeared in two Women’s College World Series. In her senior year, the Aggies lost the National Championship Series to Arizona State and Lobpries was named to the 2008 WCWS Team. Jami was a three-time Academic Big 12 performer and a First Team Big 12 Outfielder in 2008. She graduated as the Distinguished Honor Graduate in the School of Education for Sport Management and went on to get her master’s degree the following year.
Lobpries played four professional seasons in the National Pro Fastpitch League and coached collegiately for two seasons at Monmouth University. A passion for growing the sport led Lobpries back to Texas A&M to pursue her Ph.D. in Sport Management. She taught Sport Management at the University of Tampa before accepting a position with USSSA to get back in the game. Jami spent five years at USSSA with the last two as the National Director of Fastpitch. She oversaw 30+ State Directors while leading national programming and events for 30,000+ youth teams and integrating professional players from the USSSA Pride into their grassroots programs.
The Alliance Fastpitch was officially founded in the Summer of 2020, but the story began as a shared desire for change amongst leaders in youth fastpitch two years prior. The vision for collaboration, enhanced competition, and athlete-centric decisions fueled the idea of The Alliance Fastpitch. Alliance Member Leagues create a clear pathway to national championships for member teams through our Alliance Rating System and National Championship Qualification.
All Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series (AFCS) berths must be earned through Member League play. Our Qualification Process levels the playing field allowing all teams the same opportunity to qualify for the AFCS.
Off the field, the Alliance Fastpitch provides individual members -- athletes and coaches -- with exclusive benefits, access, and discounts with our partners. The Alliance Fastpitch acts on behalf of our members to bring the best resources and expertise needed in their competitive journey. We level the playing field for our members by giving access to all individuals despite the team she plays on or the region she is from. By bringing the teams together under one umbrella, the Alliance Fastpitch has the unique ability to leverage our volume for sponsors and brands looking to invest in softball. We created an ecosystem of athletes, coaches, and teams in fastpitch softball.
​​The Alliance Fastpitch is a national co-opetition of fastpitch teams and stakeholders working together to grow our sport. Alliance Fastpitch represents the team's voice and puts the athlete first in our decision-making. The leaders of the Alliance Fastpitch saw a need for change in the softball industry and believed the key to change was to merge our efforts in athlete development and programming.
The Alliance Fastpitch is a membership-based organization. Our membership includes Regional Leagues, teams, coaches, and athletes. Our leagues embody the spirit of collaboration and competition, where ‘rival’ clubs work together to meet the needs of their region and act as spokesmen for their area on a National level.
As Jami explains, the Alliance has a mission to enhance competition across the country, develop athletic opportunities on and off the field, identify top athletes in each age division, and collaborate among industry leaders.