Pitch Session

The 2025 Pitchies are here! Andrew and Kirstin are joined by an all-star cast to announce the winners of our 2025 year-end awards. Rachel from The Maxi Pod joins the show to help hand out the hardware. This year’s Pitchies welcomed Pitchie Winners Elizabeth Edmonston of Cal and Iñako Puzo onto the show. Other Pitchie winners to make special appearances include Syracuse D Bo van Kempen, Northwestern D Ilse Tromp, and Ohio coach Ali Johnstone.   Brett Snyder of The Air Show hands out the inaugural MPSF MVP, Rachel and Kirstin give their Destiny’s Challenge for the season, Rachel gives her twist on the DIII short corner and they all put a bow -- not a Bo -- on the 2025 season.   2025 Pitchies handed out in today’s episode: 1.) Best Defending Attacker (3:15) 2.) Best Attacking Defender (4:45) 3.) Best Drag Flicker (8:30) 4.) Coach of the Year (11:49) 5.) Goal of the Year (28:30) 6.) Story of the Year (34:36) 7.) MPSF MVP (58:20) 8.) Upset of the Year (73:35) 9.) Game of the Year (82:40) 10.) Player of the Year (83:45)

Northwestern is the national champion again, and Andrew and Kirstin are back to wrap up the season and the NCAA Tournament in style. They’re joined first by three-time national champion Northwestern assistant coaches Georgia Holland and Will Byrne (7:10) to break down this year’s Wildcats, their run to a second straight title, and to give Georgia the floor for what can only be described as the observation of the year (31:24).  Next, the crew welcomes the 2025 Bracket Spectacular presented by Wrappit Wrappit champion, Wellesley (MA) freshman goalkeeper Bridget Young (36:50), to talk through her winning bracket, her field hockey season, how she got her unique nickname, and what it’s like to take home the crown. Andrew and Kirstin then put a bow on the Division II and III tournaments (48:15) and Andrew takes a look at a very curious Daily Tar Heel recap of Friday’s national semifinal. Finally, they close the show with three-time national champion, 2025 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and U.S. national team midfielder Maddie Zimmer, (63:10) who walks through her unforgettable championship weekend, including back-to-back overtime wins and her jaw-dropping play to set up the game winner against UNC.

Andrew and Kirstin are on location in Durham, NC for the 2025 Final Four and report back on the day's two games live from Pitch Session's Research Triangle Headquarters. They look back at the less-than-enthralling opener between Harvard and Princeton in which the Tigers emerged with a 2-0 win, and then breakdown the thriller in the nightcap that saw Northwestern come back from a two goal deficit to upset North Carolina 4-3 in overtime. They also provide an update in the Bracket Spectacular presented by Wrappit Wrappit -- spoiler: we're down to two possible winners. Andrew comes with a hot take on counting penalty corners and checks in on the D2 tournament while Kirstin's D3 Short Corner recaps the semifinal action in that tournament.

It's Final Four time and Andrew and Kirstin are joined by the head coaches of all four teams competing in this weekend's Final Four. First, they look back on the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament, provide an update on the Bracket Challenge Spectacular presented by Wrappit Wrappit, and lament the amount of video reviews that seemed to dominate the first and second rounds of the tournament. They're then joined by Tracey Fuchs of Northwestern (26:30), Carla Tagliente of Princeton (36:44), Tjerk van Herwaarden of Harvard (55:35), and Erin Matson (68:17) of North Carolina. All four head coaches reflect back on the road that led them to this weekend's national semifinals, look ahead to their respective matchups and what it means to be back on NCAA field hockey's biggest stage. Following the four chats, Andrew breaks down the D2 bracket with overwhelming expertise, Kirstin gives us an update on the final four in her D3 short corner and they make their picks for Friday's two games.    

Andrew and Kirstin are joined by two-time All-American, two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and two-time Patriot League tournament MVP Christine Fingerhuth to look back at last weekend's conference tournaments and breakdown the NCAA Tournament bracket. They look at all 10 conferences with AQs to the field of 18 and the 11th -- the inaugural championship of the MPSF. A D3 corner includes a breakdown of the D3 bracket, there's a bonus D2 corner, and every game this weekend is a Game to Watch (tm) as the tournament gets underway. There's still time to join the bracket spectacular presented by Wrappit Wrappit! officepoolstop.com League ID: 86450 Password: 'pitch25" 

The postseason has arrived and Andrew and Kirstin are ready to take a look at each of the 10 conference tournaments taking place this week along with the MPSF Championship Game that we've been waiting all year for. Kirstin picks a winner for each conference and makes an early guess at what eight teams will earn at-large selections to the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced this Sunday night.   The 2025 Bracket Spectacular is open for signups!  Thank you to this year's sponsor of the bracket spectacular, Wrappit Wrappit custom chamois grips for field hockey. The winner of this year's bracket spectacular, in addition to joining the pod, will be able to donate an entire team's worth of grips from Wrappit Wrappit to the high school or college team of their choice.   To join the league password-free, please follow this link. Also signup by going to officepoolstop.com and entering our league ID: 86450 and our password: pitch25.  

Andrew and Kirstin are joined by US Women's National Team athlete and Northwestern Wildcat Ashley Sessa to chat about her big weekend last week that helped propel the Wildcats to the Big Ten Regular Season title.   They also preview where each conference stands going into the final weekend of the regular season, look at Kirstin's DIII Corner, her Games to Watch (tm), and have a vital update for our pollsters for next week.

Andrew and Kirstin do double duty this week, welcoming the Pitch Session National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week to the pod. First, Kirstin speaks with Indiana Sophomore Goalkeeper Sadie Canelli, and then they're both joined by UNC Junior Forward Charly Bruder.  With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, they break down both polls, Kirstin presents her DIII Short Corner and Games to Watch (TM).

It's a super packed Pitch Session as Andrew and Kirstin welcome UC Davis Head Coach Austin Pile to the show. They explore all things MPSF including how the powerhouse conference came to be, plans for future members, and a preview of the inaugural championship game taking place next month. They also look at the NFHCA Coaches Poll and its inner-workings, while also chatting about UC Davis' 2025 season, what life is like as an almost-independent being a whole country away from most of your opponents, challenges from their time in the America East, and just what Austin does with all those frequent flier points he earns. Andrew and Kirstin also take a look at this week's polls, both from the coaches and the people. They discuss a couple of big upsets from last weekend (on both coasts!),  look to clear the good name of Salisbury University Field Hockey, put teams on chutes and ladders, and Kirstin gives her DIII corner and Games to Watch (tm) for this weekend,

The 2025 season has reached the second half and Andrew and Kirstin are joined by USA Women's National Team members, podcast hosts, and roommates, Jenny Rizzo and Jillian Wolgemuth. The pair are the hosts of their podcast, No Advice Possible, and come on this pod to discuss what's happening with the national team as it begins to ramp up for next summer's World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.  Kirstin, Jenny, and Jillian discuss the chutes and ladders in NCAA action, share their red cards including Kirstin being stranded in the middle of nowhere for days at end, and learn Jenny's brilliant new variation of field hockey.   Kirstin does her DIII short corner, they break down the People's Poll for week seven and look at this weekend's Games to Watch (tm).