Coach's pitch -- 'Be your best'

Melissa Dowling was never allowed to be satisfied. 

No matter how many wins she racked up, strikeouts she recorded or records she broke, she had room for improvement. 

Dowling could throw faster. She could improve her mechanics or work on her control. 

“My parents (Joe and Rae Dowling) never allowed me to believe that I was the best,” Dowling said. “It was never good enough. Not that they weren’t proud of me, but in the sense of never being satisfied because you can always get better.” 

That tough love approach only fueled Dowling's desire to get better. It taught her perseverance and prompted her to continue fighting for everything she wanted. 

She approached every day with a purpose, to be the best she could be. 

It’s a motto that carried the former Lakewood Ranch pitcher into the collegiate and professional ranks and one the Braden River first-year head coach continues to use every day in practice. 

“She’s told me how much she believes in me and that it’s up to me to show people why they should do the same,” junior pitcher Lexie Phelps said. “Only I can control how I do, and she’s helped to give me the confidence and experience to have faith in myself and my pitching.” 

Since joining the Pirates coaching staff as an assistant coach three years ago, under Erin Spivey, Dowling has brought a level of consistency to Braden River’s softball legacy. When Spivey landed the head coaching job, the first call she made was to Dowling. The two had played for some of the same coaches and coached together in the past, so it only made sense to bring her good friend on board. 

When Spivey made the decision to step down as head coach following last season to spend time with her family, the Braden River physical education teacher was quick to recommend Dowling for the job. 

“Her confidence in the game is reassuring and unwavering,” Spivey said. "She and I have watched so many games together, and it's awesome to have a coaching staff that can finish each others sentences and thoughts. My role as far as coaching has changed, but out friendship will not." 

Softball is in Dowling’s blood. Her father, Joe Dowling, who coached at Lakewood Ranch from 2008 to 2011, was her first coach. He also introduced her to pitching coach Amy Nye, who was an assistant at Sarasota High at the time also worked with players at Miss Sarasota Softball. 

Now the head softball coach at Sarasota High, Nye helped develop Dowling into the area’s most dominant pitcher. 

Under Nye’s watchful eye, Dowling tossed her first pitch when she was 10 years old. 

“She was something else,” Nye said. “I remember thinking ‘OK. We’ve got a little bit of work to do.’” 

Dowling and Nye got down to business and spent the next six months focusing on what Nye describes as Dowling’s chicken wing issue. Before long, Dowling had developed a solid fastball with proper mechanics. 

The two believed in each other and spent four days a week together working. As Dowling grew and matured, Nye sat back and watched her mow down batter after batter. 

Dowling became an integral part of the 2005 Lakewood Ranch team that was ranked No. 1 in the state and 14th in the nation, posting a 23-0 regular season record. Her name is synonymous with pitching excellence. Dowling is the best pitcher to come out of Lakewood and she continues to hold the school's pitching records. 

She eventually played for the State College of Florida for a year before transferring to Jacksonville State in Alabama. Nye was the first person Dowling called when she went off to play professionally for two years in Italy and Holland. 

While Nye developed her physical skills, Dowling learned other aspects of the game. 

“That’s why she can give back now because she developed the mental aspect and the physical mechanics to be a great pitcher. It’s up to them to listen to what she can give them.

“I look at someone I had a hand in helping and I’ve never been so proud,” Nye said. “She’s watched me mature as a coach and become better for it, and she better have fun, too. I want her to love it as much as I love it right now.”

In her first season at the helm, Dowling has coached Braden River to a 5-0 mark, including a 5-2 victory versus Nye's Sailors Feb. 10 — the first of three meetings this season between to two rivals. 

It’s a testament to her desire to work her players to the best of their ability. She’s taught them to take responsibility whether it’s on the mound or at the plate. 

“She always tells me to stay within myself,” junior pitcher Ali Yawn said. “Know my capabilities and know that I’m better than who I’m facing, and I can overpower any obstacle.” 

She pushes them to get better every day and have confidence in their ability. Dowling’s the first person to let the girls know what they are doing wrong, but she’s also their biggest cheerleader. 

“I know she will do whatever it takes to win, and I know I want to be a part of that success,” Phelps said. “I also know she does believe in me, but it’s only me who can get the job done.” 

If her players feel that way, Dowling knows she is doing her job.

“This is what I’m supposed to be doing," she said. "I would rather teach young kids not only how to play hard but how to play the right way."