Episode #92: Gina Oaks Garcia

From Player to Program Builder: Gina Oaks Garcia’s Journey Through Every Level of College Softball

In this episode of The Significant Coaching Podcast, Matt Rogers welcomes Gina Oaks Garcia, Head Softball Coach at NCAA Division I Cal State Fullerton. A two-time All-American and former professional athlete, Gina has coached at every level of college softball—NAIA, Division III, Division II, and now D1—bringing a unique and powerful perspective on leadership, team culture, and athlete development.  Being back home has suited her as she was named The Big West Conference Coach of the Year in just Year One of her return to lead her alma mater!

Gina shares how her experiences shaped her approach to coaching, what it means to return home to Fullerton, and why D1 programs are increasingly looking to hire coaches from lower divisions. If you're a softball coach, player, or parent, this is a must-listen conversation full of insight and inspiration.

🎯 And if you're here for recruiting help—don’t miss two game-changing tools available at coachmattrogers.com/books:

• Significant Recruiting: The Playbook for Prospective College Athletes – a practical guide to help student-athletes take ownership of their recruiting journey.
• The Softball Recruit’s Journal – the sport-specific tracker, planner, and weekly reflection tool every serious softball recruit needs.

You can also subscribe to the This Week in Significant Coaching newsletter, take the Significant Recruiting Launchpad virtual course, or schedule a 1-on-1 strategy session with Matt directly on the site.

📲 Like, subscribe, and share—this episode was made for the softball community.

Transcript

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I think early on it was always like, I need really high energy People just like me, always super driven and this and that. Then it's that's not life. Not everybody is like that. And you gotta be consistent with who you are, authentic to who you are. Welcome back to The Significant Coaching Podcast. I'm your host, Matt Rogers. This week's guest is someone who embodies what this show is all about, coaching with conviction, connection, and perspective. My guest is Coach Gina Oaks Garcia, the head softball coach at Division one, Cal State Fullerton. Gina is more than just a Titan legend. She's a two time all American. Former Big West Player of the Year and a professional athlete with the Arizona Heat, but it's what she's done since her playing days that makes this conversation so impactful. Gina has coached across every level of college softball, NCAA Division two and three NI. And now back to where she grew up as a player at the NCAA division one level, all while being named the Big West Conference Coach of the Year in her first year leading her alma mater. That journey has shaped her view of leadership, athlete development, and the recruiting process in a way few others can match. In today's episode, we dive into how she builds trust and standards with her team, what it means to return to coach at the same school where she once wore the jersey. And why? More Division one programs are hiring coaches from the D three ranks. Whether you're a coach, parent, or just someone who loves learning from strong leaders, you'll walk away with insights from a coach who has earned every step of her path. And before we dive in, a quick reminder to check out coach matt rogers.com, where you'll find both of my books, including significant recruiting, the Playbook for prospective college athletes, and my newest book, the Softball Recruits Journal. You can also enroll in the significant Recruiting Launchpad, my self-paced course to help families navigate the college recruiting process. And if you want personalized guidance, you can schedule one-on-one strategy sessions with me right on the site. Now let's get to it. Here's my conversation with the fabulous coach, Gina Oaks Garcia. Coach G, thanks for being on the show. So great to see you and so excited for this new adventure for you. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me. I'm really excited to be on and have a chat. I, what I love about your background is you've coached at every level, D three, D two, D one, you've, you played at a high level, you played overseas. Which is so rare, for anybody, let alone a softball player. So I really wanted to talk to you about this great experience. And we have that shared experience in the SC A as well. Yes. Awesome. Yeah. Crazy, right? Yeah. I just want you to know also NAI before That's right. NAA turned to D two. It was NAI. Yeah, it's good. I love coaches that have done it all. Because you have such a perspective that not all coaches have, a lot of coaches at the D one level were assistants or played at the D one and they've stayed there. So you took the long road back to Fullerton. You've played their coach there. You're now leading the program. What unfinished business brought you home? I just I really. Loved the coaching at all the different levels, but I think really, when this position came about and Coach Ford, wanted to hire me as an assistant, earlier on actually. For me I have three kids. They were young at the time, it just wasn't the right time. But then, two years ago when she I brought my daughter to a softball camp at Cal State Fullerton, and next thing a position was open and. I showed a little glimmer of hope to her and she sat her chair right down beside me and was like, what's it gonna take? And, I just had missed I think just being at that level and the resources that we have and the facilities and maintaining, and although I loved the different divisions, it was, you wore a lot of hat. You did the field Mainten maintenance did a lot of the fundraising. You maybe taught classes. And as much as I loved that, because it was a HIIT class and it kept me in shape, it was just, there was a lot going on. And to get back into the D one realm and also. So to be back at my alma mater where, you know, I just really grew as a person. I had just amazing mentors and coaches, leading up to my college experience, but also just Coach Gram Mackey coach Ford actually was even one of my coaches there. And being recruited by Judy Garmin, but just being within that space of those legendary coaches and now being there myself has just been just. A, a dream come true. It's a full circle moment. All of this stuff that you would say, it really is that, and it's just, I'm just happy to be back. That's so cool. I went to college in Iowa and to move my family back to Iowa I think would ruin my marriage. I think she would just, we'd, it'd be the divorce the next day. So I love when coaches get to go home and you get to be a part of your alma mater, even though there's so many challenges that I'm sure you're facing because you're an alumni. But being able to be home is pretty cool. I wish I would've had that opportunity as a coach, or I wish my family would've been okay with that opportunity. So that's really cool. Before we get into Fullton, I wanna talk a little bit about CMS Claremont, muds scripts.'cause you had such a, you did such great work there and it's such a hard place to recruit to because you don't have the huge pool to recruit from and you don't have any scholarships there. What. What did that experience do to shape how you go about your business now? Do you feel like when you don't have scholarships and you have to recruit really elite academic kids, did that change how you go about your business and building a program? I really enjoyed my time at CMS. When people say, Hey, did you face some challenges? I really didn't look at it like that. I looked at it as Hey listen, give me your recruiting sheets. I need the four point ohs or higher. I need the kids that bring their books to the games and I need to know that they have some skill.'cause I know that, whether it was me and my staff, we can coach them up. So there was a definitely a specific kid. I think, the headfirst. Company and camp that I always went to. I always found like a good core group of that. And then really just, building relationships with those kids throughout the summer and just you know that's really how you gotta do it, right? They gotta get to know you. They gotta know obvious. Claremont Mud Scripts, very high academic as the facilities there are really good for the D three level. I happen to go, the year, a year or two after the, or after they built Roberts Pavilion, which is a$75 million building. And so when you can bring a recruit on campus and this diamond in the rough. So to speak it to me, I felt like it was very eye-opening to a lot of people once I got them there. And you can't beat the education, obviously it's a little bit costly to go there, but also the extensive networks and alumni and the internships that they would get in the summertime, a lot of my athletes right out of. High school or right out of college, they were getting these really awesome jobs because of the prior work they were doing in the previous summers, so I thought it was, it, it was really cool to build there. And obviously it was during the COVID times, which was a little challenging. But we did a lot of really cool things there and it was a very special time and place for me. And I still connect with some of the athletes, which has been awesome. I'm sure they miss you, so that's great. Yeah. I miss them. We're seeing a growing trend, and I love this by the way, of presidents and athletic directors at the division one level hiring D three coaches that have had success. Where do you think that comes from? Why do you think that is? I wanna say, I think it's because, on our resume we can put that, we've done a lot of the different things, right? We were able to, fundraise, maybe we were able to help with games management. Maybe we were able to help with the grounds and see, you need fill a need if, if that resonates. I think that's a big deal. And when you have somebody that is passionate about the sport and willing to do all of that, to me I have a page that I run called Go-Getter, go-getter, softball. And I just, I've always been that type of person that, I want. I wanna do good, I wanna make it happen. I have the plan a mindset. There's no plan B, there's a plan A, and if that's what you know, I'm shooting for, I'm gonna execute it and figure it out. So I think that, shows when, maybe D three coaches are being interviewed. I'm hoping that's what showed in mind.'cause I got the job, yeah. Yeah, that's my mindset with that. I love it.'cause I've worked at every level, coached at most of the levels and was in AD as well. So I love when an institution at the division one level scholarship level, high intensity, great athletes, goes after a D three coach.'cause I think it speaks to what we want college sports to be. We want it to be balanced between academics and athletics. We want somebody that cares about the kids beyond winning championships. And if you have to be that person at the division lit three level, you're gonna go crazy. Yeah. 100%. Absolutely. So I wanna roll into softball because you were a dominant pitcher, this is a big thing for me with coaching.'cause I wasn't a great basketball player in terms of shooter. I, you didn't want me shooting 20 times a game as a basketball player, but I was a lockdown defender. I was, I had a great work ethic. I loved working, I loved preparing. So when I got, when I started coaching at the high school and then the college level. I struggled a little bit because not all kids had the work ethic I had. Not all kids had the drive that I had. They had the talent. Well, a lot of'em were more talented than me, but they didn't have the drive. When we talk about you coaching pitchers how is that for you and developing a pitcher, getting them comfortable in the circle and being who they're supposed to be and maybe not maybe doing it a little differently than you do it. Is that a challenge for you? Yeah, I think, just coaching in general is challenging, right? It's getting to know your athletes and knowing what makes them, tick and thrive and go all out for that specific, especially position, right? We're the true leaders between the pitcher and the catcher on the field. And so I think it starts with, again, getting to know'em, building that. To building that trust. I think, it, it does help that obviously I was able to play, at Fullerton and play beyond and play on our USA team and stuff and have the accolades, if you will. But really it's not about me, it's about them and how, I could help coach them to the best, that they can be. And, designing the programs that I think is best for that. Specific athlete I think is huge and just I do this really cool thing that I've always wanted to do and I, I finally implemented it. It's just this sticker tracking and they have these buckets and it just monitors, stuff that, you know, we. The athletes have to buy into, right? So what are we trying to do? How are we gonna effectively keep our team in positions to win? And it's that's just, keeping our pitch count low. We're trying to get out of an inning and 10 pitches or less. If we get an out on a changeup, we're gonna earn a sticker. And so each thing, they can earn these. Stickers. And then after the weekend we have this sticker party and we put it on the buckets to see, where we're at. And I just think it's just a fun way, I like to think I'm a player's coach and I want them to feel that there's more to it than just the softball side. But at the end of the day, that's the hardest position on the field. But let's make it as fun as we can. It would be a good. Cool. But also know how to push them, right? Competing is fun. Winning is fun. And that's why I'm here at Cal State Fullerton. We're here to win championships and build them up to be able to do that. And the connection in the bullpen is fun. We smile a lot. We sometimes cry sometimes if need be. And then we get back at it, so it's been a lot of fun out there. I love the achievement ladder, however you wanna frame it. Because I think as an athlete, that's how most of us think is, okay, I've done this. What's next? What's next? And I love that approach with the stickers, the bucket the celebration of, Hey, we, we did this. We and I also love the significance of things like the low pitch count, because now I have to think as a pitcher, I'm not doing this by myself. I have to have faith in, I have to have faith in the seven women behind me, so all of that is fantastic. You need to write a book about that at some point. Yeah, that would be cool. I'd be good because that is such a cool, I, and you call me, I'll help you with it. But that is such a, that is such a cool thing for coaches just to think with that mentality. You're keeping it fun, you're keeping it joyful. You're keeping it aggressive, so that's great. Thank you. Let's talk about, you've had a great run. You've had kids that have thrown no hitters, kids that have thrown perfect games. And I apologize to all your players. I'm calling you kids, or if I say girls, you can throw tomatoes at me. I know you're women and I know you're professionals. I know you're awesome. So know that, hey, that could be a good team building day. I'll bring you out. No, I'm just yes. I need all that. I, I've got players now that are in their mid forties and have children and, I still call'em my kids and my boys and my girls. Yes. Don't hold that against me. You've had these great performances. Is there a secret sauce in building a confident pitcher, or is it, or sometimes it's just getting outta their way. I think it's a little of both, right? I've had pictures in the past where I could just tell they're already so internal themselves, so why would I want to go and instill so many other things in their mind that's already gonna make them go whoa, like I'm just overloaded. Or I can tell when they're looking at me like, coach, please help me. What's happening? So again, it's just tracking their energy. What are they giving me? Are they ready to receive information? Are they not really looking at me? So that's probably cute that they're like trying to figure it out themselves. There's a lot of little things that I've learned over the years that there's a way to and way not to. And so I'm not saying that I have it figured out, but I feel like I know when they want my coaching. And sometimes it's Hey, just sit back there and maybe video and say, Hey, if you want. See it, here it is. Or, I just I definitely want them to figure some things out because look at, after this, they have to figure out life. And it's not always where they're gonna have somebody on their shoulder every step of the way. Just as long as they have, feel like they have the guidance and people they can go to. That's really what I try to do. But yeah, I think it's just, again knowing them that's all you can do. And just putting it out there when you feel like they need it. What's changed? Changed, when you first started from when you were playing to what you're seeing now and these kids are, is there something that, are you seeing little things that have changed? C COVID changed so much for all these young people. And how they go about their business, how they communicate, where their fears are. Have you seen a difference in the last 10 years and how you coach and what all these young athletes need? Yeah, I definitely have seen the change and just the evolvement of everything. And I think the biggest thing is the coach the athletes now they really want to know the why behind things. They want to know, why is this relating to what we're doing? Or, so I like to give that, I think that's a good thing. Back in the day it was. Hey, we're doing this. No ifs, ands, or buts about it and this is how it is. And that is how it was during that time. And I don't think there was a wrong way or right way. I felt like I really grew in that way. But I feel like, sometimes there are athletes that. Will come up to me and we'll say stuff like, Hey, tell me, like it is, be direct. And I have no problem doing that. And then, but I would say the majority of the athletes are really just wanting to know the reasoning behind things, and that's okay too. So I just, coach predominantly that way because I think the understanding as we're, sitting there in a group and I can see there. They're nodding their head, they're engaged and they understand. Then they're more bought into what it is that we're doing, right? So I feel like that's a big thing that I've noticed over the last 10 years and I'm here for it and I like it and I'm, one that always wants to strive and be better personally myself. And so if I can engage and serve other people in a way that is relating to them, then I feel like I'm doing my job if I am connecting more that way. I think that's the biggest change for me is how important empowerment is for these young people we're coaching. And there is that sense. They wanna know the why. I just, I don't wanna just do it. I wanna understand why I'm doing it. And I love that. I wish I would've been coached that way because it was about 99% do as the way I tell you. And 1% on a good day we'd have a conversation about it. So I love that component. Are you finding you're enjoying coaching more because of that? I just, I love softball. I love this sport. I can't see myself doing anything else. I've done it for so long. It brings so much joy to my life. I'm just ecstatic that my daughter seems like she likes it. And so what did I ask her the other day? Oh, last night a friend was over and I was just like, oh, okay. Do you wanna maybe do cheerleading in, in high school?'cause her and her little girlfriend were doing a dance and stuff, and she goes. Mom softball and my heart was like, it was pitter pattering. I just, that's so great. I love it. I just think our family is a sports family. That's how I was raised. And I just love that, God knew that I needed kids just like that. And so here we are. And it just, it brings me a lot of joy to, to get to coach these athletes. I love it. And it's there, there really isn't anything better. I miss it so much. I coach a little bit in high school and I trained some kids, but I, I miss that being my calling every day. So it's such a special thing when you get to be on that field, day in and day out, even when you're not on the field. You've got those young women coming into your office and want to talk, want to ask those questions. Let's talk a little bit about that to the parents that are listening. I wanna start with the fact that you've coached at every level, break down a little bit. About how a parent should think about college for their child, about helping them find that best fit, no matter the division level. Yeah, it just comes down to having a clear conversation with their child first and foremost. Like what are they looking for? What, obviously academically the size of this. School, the location of the school.'cause I'll be honest when I was going through the process I just, I can't really pitch in the cold weather right now. There's those heat warmers and all this stuff. Yeah. I think there's a lot of things where, you know, doing the camps, going to the actual facility and ex. Experiencing the weather and the humidity or whatever. And just having those conversations first and foremost with your child. And then from there, what kind of coach are you looking for? Are you looking for mama bear, papa bear? Are you looking for like straight discipline? Like my where that, like you, there's still coaches out there like that. So I think it's just figuring out what makes your kid thrive. And finding those coaches and those, schools academically that fit that. And I would say camps are a big thing, right? Every institution does camps. I feel some people are like why would I send my kid all these camps? I think it's, you get to meet the coaches. Close and personal. They are, going through all the drills, they're, coaching you up how they would do an everyday practice. And that's big too. Stepping foot on campus, walking around, like getting the vibe, with other people there. I just think there's a lot to it. Although, this is not as much anymore where you see people stay at a school for four years. It's definitely different these days. But you're hoping that, you're hoping that you have that culture and that loyalty to a program that sometimes isn't there in this day and age, but. Why not? Why? Like, why can't we really try to strive for that and get back to that? Because I feel like there's so much growth when you can, really build and when things get tough, like they're tough anywhere, they're not gonna always be good. The grass is not always greener on the other side. You hear that all the time. And it's true because then you have to build a relationship with more and more people and instead of just getting to work like I'm a big advocate on. If something is said to you and it really maybe bothers you, maybe it, it really was for you and you just have to really dig deep. And those are the kind of kids that I want them to be able to look at the whole scope of things to know okay, how can I. Learn from that. And if I have, need clarity from that, I wanna go to my coach and I wanna feel like I have the open door for them to feel that they can come in. And I have good snacks in my office, so that really does help. And then Jamie, my assistant, has a little baby and so they're always coming up to see our team, baby Gemma. But it just, all of the coaches do a great job. Tricia Senio, Georgia Raho with just like having athletes come in and out of our offices and I want them to feel like we are. Approachable, they can come to us and not just with softball. And and I feel like we do a really good job with that because we constantly have'em up there. So we are doing stuff right in that department. And so I think that is all big when you are looking at schools and universities to just make sure that your kid is gonna have, good structure.'Cause after the four years. There, there has to be growth, right? There is going to be growth. And I think that's the biggest compliment as a coach you can get is if they, you're the parents see you and they go, wow. Like I'm seeing a really transformative experiences with my daughter, and it's really cool to see. Thank you for that. And I've gotten not a ton of them, but I've definitely gotten those and I'm just like, wow. Because you're. As much as you'd like to say, I'm gonna impact everybody that I coach. It's just, some people are gonna connect and some aren't. And if you could be a small, just glimpse into somebody's transformative years, like that is so powerful and it just, why keep doing it? And, you get the thank you cards or the texts or whatever and it's just wow, I'm really in a cool profession to be able to do that. Yeah. It's there again. There's nothing like it. So I love your approach and how you're thinking about it. I wanna use kinda your daughter as a, an example let's say in four years she's got offers to play at the division one level, but she may have to sit a year or two and that maybe she learns better in a smaller environment, needs a smaller campus. What advice do you give a family that has a kid that maybe needs that 14 to 15 kids in a classroom or that smaller campus?'cause they're a little shy, they're a little introverted, but they've got a big arm or a big bat, and they can play at a higher level, but maybe their overall person needs something different. How? How do we advise families on that? I think it, for me personally, it's just probably connecting more with the parents and telling them and asking them questions. As far as, obviously you know your child the best, it looks as though it seems like they might be a little overwhelmed or too stimulated in this kind of a setting. And I go back to actually, Jenny Topping who was on staff last year. She's now just. Got the position at Oregon State and she started out at Washington and transferred to Fullerton during the time I played there. So I was lucky enough to have her as my catcher and Olympic gold medalist and just phenomenal person. But she literally will say, I just, I went to Washington and I just. Felt just so overwhelmed. It wasn't for me. There was too many people there and I just wish I would've been advised a little differently that there's other things out there. And I would definitely share, that story and just say, if this seems like that would be your daughter, like you gotta do some research on some other schools that are out there, that can still be a power. Powerful softball school just like we are, and we're mid-major and have that, and you know what, we are the primary sports on our campus, right? Between baseball and softball and I would say the soccer school, teams and stuff like that and other sports on campus. But we are almost like our football, right? That's what we're looked at as. And so I think, you can fall, find those smaller settings and just be really happy, and just talk to them more through that process. I love it. I wanna talk a little bit about your staff.'cause it's such a, it's such an advantage when you go from D three to D one when you can take care of people that work for you. Yes. And there's so much more that you can get done and there's so much more that you can save your own sanity. When you know that you've got one or two, three people that are with you full time that are doing this with you, what role do you want your staff to play when it comes to building relationships with your women and building that culture that you want? Yeah, I feel like we, we did a good, really good job this past year, right? To be able to win the Big West regular season outright and just have so many, athletes receive accolades through the Big West was awesome. Record breaking for Ava rc, actually surpassing Jenny Topping, who I was just talking about. But amazing. So I really feel like I'm a big energy person, right? And so to have somebody like Georgia Raho where we just. Can connect and have, phenomenal conversations and the way he treats his athletes that I've seen, even prior to me being, on staff with Coach Ford in the years before, he just really connects well. And I think it's really cool to have, both female and males on staff because they just bring different perspectives and different balances in that. To some of the coaches or the student athletes and, hopefully this is not gonna ruffle his feathers, but we'll call him papa, right? Yeah. And so it's cool to just have that knowledge and experience and wisdom is that he brings. And you know what, Jamie Jamie Juarez, right? High level athlete, played at Ohio. State just has the accolades as well, and is one of those kid players that was just, didn't really, she wasn't flashy, but just always was able to get it done and just has this cool, calm and collective demeanor and that relates to many of our players. And you have. Tricia seo, who I was actually, I brought over from Whittier and a side story there. We were when I was coaching at CMS, I just remember one time walking over there as I greeted her as before we played, and I just said, Hey, would you ever have any interest if I were to ever get back into the D one world to potentially assist with me or coach with me? And she was like, of course I would entertain it. And so the fact that, when the position opened and I, wanted to. See if it would be a fit for her in the fact that she took it. I just, she is very much a go-getter. She is very organized, way more organized than I am, so that is very helpful. And she just and you're getting us in our mom era, right? Jamie's a mom, especially as a mom. I'm a mom. George is a father. It's just, we have so many stories. It's just a very cool vibe, I feel like, for our student athletes. And it's just been. So fun. Like I, I love going to work. There's, they always say, if you feel like you can go to lunch or dinner after a long day of work and still have a good time that is exactly how I feel with my staff, and I just feel very blessed to be alongside them. That is so cool. And it's so important for the team to understand that, some coaches don't like the phrase surrogate parent. But it's a family. Yeah. And they look at you as that surrogate parent, whether you want it or not. So it's it's so much fun when you're surrounded by people that have that same approach and see these young people with that same mindset of love and compassion and want to challenge them to their potential. And it's a great combination. How important going back though to, to what you were saying as well, I'd be remiss to not say that We even have a director of operations here with Pat Cortez and we have student managers like this. Everybody that loves to help Cal State Fullerton, Titan softball be around. I couldn't do it without her as well. And sometimes when that question is asked, as far as the coaching staff, she is very much a part of it as well because she is. Getting in the trenches with them, getting all the information in there. So I wanted to make sure I give her a shout out because honestly, she is my right hand gal. Kat, that was for you, babe. So important. Yeah. That, that, that DOO role is so valuable in so many ways. Absolutely. It takes so much pressure off of a head coach when you don't have to worry about travel and the communication and when the bus is coming and what plane we're gonna be on. It's huge. It's just you. You can't put enough value on it. Absolutely. What would advice would you give to a coach who's building a coaching staff in terms of hiring people different than you? Yeah, I would say the advice I'd give is just understanding, their upbringing, where they played, their experiences that they've had, how you felt, that shaped them. And just I think it's good to have different perspectives, right? The more collaborative ideas you have, the stronger, you can connect with different people on your team. There's so many different personalities, from 22 to, I think our my, my first year with Coach Ford here still, we had up to 30, players on the roster. And although that's, changing, it's just there, it's good to have different perspectives and it's not a bad thing. You don't wanna necessarily, have. Staff where you feel like they're exactly the same and be okay with that. I think early on it was always like, I need really high energy People just like me, always super driven and this and that. But then it's that's not life. Not everybody is like that. And you gotta be consistent with who you are, authentic to who you are. And at the end of the day, yes, we all have to have the same goals and visions for the team, but how we get there can be other ways and that's. That's very helpful, for student athletes as well, because some may be like coach coach G is just a little too much for me. I'm gonna go over to Coach J Plays is a little bit more calm, little bit more cool. And you need that, and I'm okay with that. That's it, right? My kids know to come to me because I'm a sucker and say yes, where dad is absolutely not. So that's all part of it. Yeah. Okay. It's Parenting 1 0 1. Yes. In so many ways. That's great. Yeah. Coach, this is awesome. I wanna do a little rapid fire with you. I wanna do some fun stuff with you, your background and getting to play at the levels that you got to play. I want, I wanna get some thoughts on it. All right. I know you're a pitcher, but if you're playing today, what's your walkup song as a hitter? Oh, my walkup song as a hitter. Oh, goodness. This would have to be, oh, I would say. Oh, are you ready? By, oh my gosh. This is like literally my daughter's one. This summer by, why am I blanking? What was Hazel's walkup song? Are you ready? By who? My husband just walked in. Sorry. I know what you're talking about and I can't think of the artist. Is it Metallica? Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Okay, corn, are you ready? Yes. Okay. All right. I love it. Pitching or hitting. What gave you the biggest adrenaline rush? Pitching? 100%. That's easy. Absolutely. I felt in control. I was like, I'm gonna lead this team to a victory right here. It's all about mindset, baby. I love it. One teammate from your playing days you'd love to coach with? Ooh, I would love to coach with, I would say my roommate in college, Jody Cox. Awesome. Most intimidating hitter you ever faced. Oh goodness. My most intimidating hitter would probably be Jenny Topping two pretty good answers right there. Yeah. Dream vacation spot after the season ends, if you go anywhere. Funny enough, we just booked a little trip for our 13th wedding anniversary to M Lawn, so I'll go with that. I love M Lawn. Yeah. Spent a week there a long time ago. Good choice. Yeah. Yeah. Best advice another coach ever gave you or an ad? It didn't have to be a coach per. Yeah, I think the biggest advice that I just still have to remind myself that I've heard is just, you have this. This massive to-do this to-do list all the time, and sometimes you just don't get to it. And it's okay to put stuff down, have the balance, you have other things. You're not defined by this job. You're not defined by the sport. You are a good person. You are a good human. You treat other people the way you wanted to be treated and. So I think I have to remind myself honestly on a daily basis to just be okay with sometimes you're not gonna get it all done and it's okay to just take a breath and know that you have tomorrow and just take it day by day because it's just those daily disciplines will add up, but sometimes they're not always gonna be checked off, and that's okay. It's great advice. I wish somebody would've gave it to me at 26 when I started coaching. Last one. If your players described you in one word. What do you hope they would say? Oh man, I'd hope they'd say I'm gonna, they're gonna laugh at this, but I have this it's actually two words. It's this acronym. I just say one mode. I have one mode. And when I really, I when they think of me, I want them to know, like I'm just in it. I'm like engaged. I'm in it. I'm consistent. I want to be that person for them whenever they need to text or call. I may not have all the advice or the answers, but I'll be there for them. And I just have one mode and that's just to, to be all in and do it outta love and lead with love and yeah, be the best version of myself and help them do the same for them. The best advice I ever give parents is to use the phrase, I got your back. And that's you got your children's back, you got your players back, you got your coaches' back, and it's just so important that when families are looking for schools you find that person that can genuinely say, I got your back. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. So I love that about you, coach, and I'm so thankful we got to talk, so thankful. We got to know each other. We have mutual friends, so I hope I, you don't mind if I call you a friend? Yeah, 100%. For anybody that's listening, come back on Monday'cause we're gonna talk recruiting with coach G. Thanks, coach. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. That's a wrap on this week's episode. I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Coach Gina Oaks Garcia. As much as I did her journey through every level of college softball and back to where it all began at Cal State Fullerton, it's a happy reminder that you can go home again. And Coach G has proven in just one year that is exactly where she's supposed to be. If today's episode challenged or encouraged you, take a moment to like, share and subscribe to the Significant Coaching Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter@coachmattrogers.com. It's packed with insights for coaches, athletes, and parents who are looking for direction, motivation, and a practical approach to their goals. While you're there, you can grab a copy of significant Recruiting and the Softball Recruits Journal. Enroll in the significant Recruiting Launchpad classes, or schedule a one-on-one strategy session with me. Hey, thanks for listening, and make sure to come back next week. We've got another great guest lined up and more real conversations to help you lead with clarity, courage, and significance. We'll see you next time.