We’ve profiled teams and players from all over the country, but this is a first—we go into a state where we haven’t done much: Utah!

The Attitude Roadrunners 16U team is starting to make some waves at the 16U level and Coach Roland Esparza’s organization isn’t big, but it’s finishing high in tournaments.

It’s great to cover new teams and see how it’s done across the nation… you’ll enjoy this read which includes the history and philosophies of the Roadrunners and we finish by meeting the team!

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FullCountSoftball.com: Why did the team/program start and how/why did it come to be?
Roland Esparza: I was a basketball referee working for the NCAA and one day my daughter, Stephanie, came to me and said she wanted to play softball. I thought, “What will this little girl remember me for, this guy working basketball on national TV?” so I made the choice to give up my career as an NCAA basketball referee and coach softball.

I started out as an assistant with the Fury softball team for one fall season and decided with my wife (Debbie) it was time to start my own team called Utah Attitude now called Attitude Roadrunners.

One of the best reasons to move on was the head coach and I had different philosophies which is normal. I believed in the small game because they’ll always be a pitcher out there you can’t hit and he did not.

The big reason for staying in the comp world was when a parent came to me after taking 3rd place in the 18’s at the State Tournament. I had never placed that high before and if it wasn’t for a dropped third out in the last inning we would have been playing in the State Championship. I figured it was time to call it quits, all my kids were moving on and seven out of 10 players on that team were going on to play collegiately but the parent had to ask me a question I couldn’t answer, he asked “Hey, Roland, are you are great coach or do you just have great talent?” I looked at him for a moment and said, “Good question… I don’t know.” So I decided to put a 12U team together, I figured in order to know if I could really coach I would start younger again and find out, talent would not fall in my lap, it would have to be molded.

FCS.com: Where are you based? Where do your athletes come from?
RE: Our home base is Clinton, Utah. Our athletes come from all over, Salem and Springville, Utah (two each) about a one and half hours, three from Idaho Falls, Idaho which is three and a half hours away, one from Brigham City, Utah about 45 minutes away, one player from Tooele, Utah an hour away with the rest being closer.

FCS.com: What was the purpose of creating the team (showcase players, win titles, develop skills, etc.)?
RE: The original purpose was to teach my daughter the game and put a team around her. I did realize being new to Utah and originally from San Antonio, Texas that this was going to be a challenge. The toughest part was putting a team together from nothing with just your daughter and convincing parents and their kids this was the place to come play. I knew that once I was able to get kids to play here I needed to be a good coach to keep them here; well… after that first spring/summer season we were pretty horrible and I was no better as a coach. I knew I knew the game I just needed to convey it over to the kids, it took three years of losing and several kids later when I started to get the hang of it.

I knew in order to attract kids to my program I needed to do four things: 1) coach fundamentals, 2) teach them the game from a broader prospective, 3) be more innovative then everyone else, do things different on the field, create offense rather than wait for it to happen, and 4) win games. All those things started to happen, next thing I knew I was one of the teams to play for due in part that we always in the top three or four in tournaments.

FCS.com: What have been some of your successes in terms of winning or placing at events?
RE: My first defining moment was when I cut three .400 hitters because they created too much drama in our dugout. I thought we were starting to turn the corner in our third year but something kept holding us back. Cutting those kids from the team was a tough thing to do but what was strange is how our team came together with more role players than stars and we went to our first championship game.

We lost that hard fought game in the last inning, but it’s what finally put our name out there as a legitimate team to come play for. In our existence we took 5th in the Oregon NFPSA  Summer Nationals in 2006, 3rd in the AFA Western Nationals in 2007, took 18th, 22nd, 25, 28, and 33rd in the Triple Crown World Series in a normal field of 90 to 100 teams, playing in Lake Tahoe in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, we took 2nd, 2nd, 1st, and 3rd, in Las Vegas – where I had always had trouble winning – we took 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 1st from 2009 to 2014.

Utah area softball has never been regarded as a top-notch area to play softball, but there are many good coaches out in this area who are now starting to emerge and bring that competitive edge that Utah needs to at least be considered a threat to California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado teams.

The things that prevent some of these kids from being major college players is money, money to go out of state, go to major recruiting tournaments etc. Coming from Texas, parents never seem to worry much about that; they did was needed to get their kids to the next level. Don’t get me wrong I had a player play for Snow College, Utah Valley University, and go onto play for one summer with the USA team (Kylie Flanary).  Let’s move on to how I kept doing this: I was at the 18U level for six years, saw 50 of my kids get signed with 11 going to Div. I schools like Utah, Utah State, BYU, Wyoming and Idaho and 39 more to JC/NAIA programs. Recently, we had three girls sign on the same night (Thursday Jan 14, 2015) to College of Southern Idaho, Colby Community College in Kansas and Lamar in Colorado. We also have a verbal commitment  to play at Dixie College in St. George.

FCS.com: What makes the organization unique?
RE: I don’t know exactly what makes us unique, maybe it’s because some of the good Organizations in Utah have come and gone and we’re still here, us ally some parent will put a team together, it blossoms into an Organization and once there daughter gets there’s the whole thing disappears overnight, I’ve seen it many times heading in to my 15 season. If there’s a uniqueness about my program, it’s that I don’t have a daughter playing on my team any longer, so now when I do this I do it for everyone’s daughter. I did not break up the Organization because my daughter got her scholarship to York College in Nebraska, I’m here to coach everyone’s daughter to the next level. I believe I’ve proven that over time, whether they gone to Big time program or a small time program, at least these kid continue to play the game they love and at the same time continue their education.

FCS.com: What’s your softball background and how did you get to the point of leading the team?
RE: I really didn’t have a softball background, I played basketball, football, ran track, and played baseball in high school. I later had the chance to play for the Linterna Verde A’s, it was considered AA baseball, but I walked away after three years with a lifetime batting avg. of .323.

My best asset in leading the team was figuring out to how to convey the knowledge that I had and translate it over to the players. You can be a great player but a terrible coach, sometimes we know the game like the back of our hand and yet we can’t tell kids how to do things the right way. I started realizing that since I knew very little about the softball game I would sit and watch all the good teams and see how these coaches coached the game, learn from them indirectly and ask questions in hopes they’ll give me an answer. A lot of times coaches didn’t see me as a threat so they would be willing to give me a little insight to the game. Over time I started putting this knowledge together like a puzzle and incorporating this with what I knew and eventually it started becoming my plan for success.

FCS.com: How many teams are in the organization overall?
RE: Currently two, we have a 14U team that will be playing up in 16’s and my 16U team that will be playing up in 18’s. We use to have as many as four teams but other coaches don’t always want to conform to your philosophies therefore they move on. I want our teams to learn and grow under the same mindset that we have put out there for them, a lot of these parent coaches want to run a team under your umbrella only to use your name so they can put a team together otherwise they couldn’t do it by themselves. They get their team usually with the idea they’ll move on after one year and they do… I call it stealing, it’s happened twice and in both instances those teams lasted one full year and fall apart.

I currently have Rick Schriever running the 14U team and he has been highly successful with that group, he has won many tournaments and teaches the same skills I do, right now having only two teams in the organization is fine with me. When Jimmy Johnson coached the Cowboys it was his way, when he went to the Dolphins, again… his way. I admit all good coaches have a little arrogance to them, it’s our egos but it’s our ego that makes us the coaches we are.

FCS.com: Has there been a key moment or defining experience in the team’s history?
RE: What defined me was when I went back to the younger age groups (12U) and would decide if I really could coach. I ran several ads in the paper and internet and when I finally put that team together I thought, “Wow… I’ve got my work cut out for me.” Well, to make a long story short that team won their very first game and that same year won the State Championship.

I put together another 12U team which started 0-7 and took a horrible beating in Las Vegas. I was now beginning to wonder if I could work miracles again. I was having trouble with my infield, so I decided that since most of the hits were in the infield I would put all of my athletes there, and, all of a sudden, we won seven championships in a row and went 36-2 in that span. Our record overall that year was 117-14.

That was my defining moment, when I realized I could really coach. Later on my 14U team played in a Fall League with the 18U teams. We were an 8th seed in a field of 16 teams, we pulled our first upset over the highly touted Utah Thunder 2-1, we were now 2-0 in playoffs and had to face an old nemesis who I said I would see again and we defeated them in the semi-final game 5-4.

Lastly the 18U League Championship was won by a little 14U team 3-1 taking it all. This same team in their first year of 16U beat Western Nevada 4-3, Western Nebraska 5-3, and lost to CSI (College of Southern Idaho) 4-1 who had come in 2nd place the year before in Junior College.

FCS.com: What is your primary focus or goal with this team?
RE: The primary focus has always been the same, teach the game at a level that most do not, teach the players things that will give them the edge over normal conventional teachings, help them understand how the game is played, why we do what we do based on pitch count, situations, etc. We teach the outfielders how to react based on the swing and not the hit, know what pitch you’re getting based on the count before it’s ever thrown and so on.

The goal continues to be to teach the game at a highest level, promote team concepts, the philosophy of the game, build valuable lasting relationships over time, and everlasting core values. Building a winner comes from making the players believe in you as the coach, and in themselves. The rest will fall into place for your future. I once did this for my daughter who went on to play for York College out of Nebraska and now I do it for everyone’s daughter.

FCS.com: What do you think are the strengths of the team?
RE: I believe it’s the team’s ability to believe they can win no matter what the score is. The infield has only allowed one error per game and, on average per tournament, the infield made no more than three errors. Our small game is what everyone fears, I don’t always depend on the big hit. If I can nickel and dime you and widen the gap it makes it that much harder to come back and beat us. We work an hour on bunting and another hour on aggressive base running—those combined kill teams.

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Here’s a look at the Roadrunners team with comments on each player by Coach Esparza:

— P/UT Kylee Burnside (2015, Colby JC – Kan.)
“Kylee came to me all the way from Idaho Falls and, considering we’re based in Clinton, Utah which is 3 1/2 hours away, she has made the sacrifice to come play here and she’s been huge for us this year hitting 12 home runs including three in our last summer tournament. She has pitched big games for us this past summer and fall, with her fall record being 9-2 with three shutouts. Kylee is also our No. 3 hitter in the lineup and hits the ball with authority.”

— C/SS/UT Kelsee Bushell (2015, Lamar – Col.)
“Kelsee is another one of those players that is the best kept secret… she just signed with Lamar (Col.) and she can play anywhere on the field except pitch. Not many know she is a catcher as well but we have not used her there because of her skills and ability at shortstop. She is the prototypical shortstop and really knows the game. Kelsee is our No. 6 hitter and gives us those big hits when we need them. She’s hit four home runs in four tournaments. The best part of Kelsee is she’s a tremendous catcher and we didn’t even use her behind the plate this past fall, which goes to show you how deep we are at catcher!”

— MIF/C Jessica Clark (2017, uncommitted)
“Jessica has been with this team since I went back down to start at the 12U ranks, she went from not being a starter to outfielder to shortstop to third base now our starting second basemen. She’s been money at her position all year long; for every 10 games she’ll give you one just error. Jessica covers space well and anticipates where the ball is going. I have asked her to be the No. 2 batter for two reasons: she can drag bunt and can get on 50 percent of the time and if my leadoff hitter can’t get on she now becomes a dangerous hitter batting (.425) plus she’s very smart once on the bases. Jessica doesn’t have great speed, but does have great awareness giving the other team the illusion she’s fast.”

— 1B/P Courtney Hathaway (2016, uncommitted)
“Courtney is as important as anyone on the team, she’s our first basemen and she makes our infielders look good by making plays after the throw. She is probably the most improved player on the team, though early on she struggled as a hitter but has now come on to be as clutch as anyone on the team. Courtney batted .372 and you can always count on her to lay down a crucial suicide squeeze. She is also our No. 3 pitcher and our future down the road.”

— OF Lindsey Hodson (2017, uncommitted)
“Interesting story: I cut Lindsey when she first came to the team but had a change of heart and kept her. Since then she has made catches in the outfield that you normally see girls in the NCAA make, and her arm strength is one of the best, bar none. She also has great anticipation. The outfielders are taught by X-York College (Nebraska) coach Stephanie Akin, who teaches how to anticipate where the ball is going before the ball is ever hit giving the illusion our outfielders are quicker than they really are. Lindsey is very good at this plus she is just starting to hit the ball better (.323). Born in 1999, she is one of our youngest players.”

— P/1B Kaycie Jensen (2016, Dixie College)
“Kaycie is the most dominate pitcher that’s ever come out this program in the last 14 years. This summer and fall combine she had 32 shutouts out of 55 games pitched, plus she was a .475 hitter with four home runs. Kaycie is a force when she’s on the mound and was beating 18U teams when she was still a 14U player. If the game is close she finds a way with her signature pitch, the riseball, or she’ll jam you high and tight. Batters know it’s coming and still they just can’t hit it.”

— OF/1B Ashlee Kent (2016, uncommitted)
“Here’s a girl that left the team two years ago but came back and has already made an impact on our team. Ashlee is a great left-handed slapper/hitter who can slap to get on but she has tremendous power as a hitter too. In six games in Las Vegas she hit eight doubles including three in one game. Ashlee is another outfielder that made a big difference in our fall season. She’s a very good base runner as well.”

— C/UT Shina Parrish (2017, uncommitted)
Funny story, we just lost our catcher when I decided to put an Ad out for another catcher, she came to a winter tryout all the way from Salem which is an hour and half away, she looked good and I said “your in”, later I received a text that she wasn’t going to play and that she didn’t play on Sunday due to her religion, I text her mom telling her that her daughter would be our #1 catcher, she immediately texted “we’re in and will play on Sundays”, funny… She is one of our leaders on the team, has been everything I thought she’d be and more because she ended up being our leadoff hitter, very aggressive at the plate, usually she hits the first pitch of the game, not all that fast on the bases either but great awareness, she always knows what’s going on around her.”

— C/IF Sarah Phillips (2015, College of Southern Idaho)
“Sarah is probably the best pure hitter today. A No. 4 hitter, she came to us in our last summer tournament and to show us she was worthy, she hit a home run her first time playing with us and eventually hit three more in that same tournament. She has only played in five tournaments with us so far and has hit 15 home runs. Sarah is hitting them when it hurts the opponent the most: they are three run shots, two run shots and solo ones and she has single handedly won four games for us with her power abilities. Sarah is very quick at third with a fast release and is a very good catcher. She is intimidating and super quick on the draw and she is constantly talking throughout the game keeping everyone in it.”

Here’s video of Sarah in action!

— OF/UT McKenzie Schofield (2016)
“McKenzie is a very strong centerfielder who covers the gaps as good as any. Once she’s on the bases she is very dangerous and is probably our most reliable bunter of all. She has laid down 35 suicide squeeze bunts this year and got on base from those 20 times. Kenzie is still a work in progress, but she has become a great role player. She is definitely a great tea player.”

— P/C Ashlee Schriever (2018, uncommitted)
“Ashlee is a player who plays on the 2000 Roadrunner team as their main pitcher but because of her above-normal skills, she helps our team as a catcher, third basemen and outfielder. Her claim to fame had to be when I asked her to play in a college showcase game – at this point of the game we hadn’t gotten a hit, but in the fourth inning Ashlee hit a double to right center. She eventually scored the first run, and when we had only three hits at this point she hit another double over the left fielder’s head. This young 2000 player doesn’t seem too phased by the game and has won the respect of the older girls and an opportunity to play with some of the elite.”

— C/3B Anna Synder (2017, uncommitted)
“We just picked Anna up for the fall and in the little time she’s been with us she has already made her mark in several games for us. Whether it’s playing third base or catcher she has made it count. Anna has given us her share of hits (.417) and will continue to get better… she’s another future player for those that will eventually move on due to age.”