Montana Fouts still remembers waking up before sunrise to travel 11 hours for a chance to meet one of her softball idols, Jennie Finch.
Years later, the exact pitching drills have faded from memory, but the overall experience remains.
“I don’t even remember what we worked on pitching or what any of those drills were like, but I just remember how she made me feel, what the experience was like, and it motivated me,” Fouts recalled. “So that encourages me to keep going and teach the best I can…To give the girls the best experience I can because I was fortunate enough to have that.”
Now, Fouts is becoming that same figure for a new generation of softball players.
It’s a comparison that her Utah Talons teammate and catcher, Sharlize Palacios, has noticed firsthand.
“We get pulled over at the airport all the time. They’re like, ‘Are you Montana Fouts?’” Palacios said. “I think it’s so cool just because she’s becoming like what, when I grew up, was like Jennie Finch.”
The commanding presence Fouts developed at Alabama has carried into her professional career, where she has helped the Talons capture back-to-back Athletes Unlimited Softball League Championships.
Now, just three years into her professional softball career, Fouts is laying the foundation for a legacy that extends beyond her accomplishments in the pitcher’s circle.
Through youth clinics, individual instruction and a growing online platform, Fouts is creating opportunities to share her knowledge and experiences with the next generation.
For Fouts, that commitment isn’t new.
“I was running smaller events in high school and I did them throughout college when we had time,” Fouts said. “But I just really love the idea of getting to pass on whatever I’m learning to younger generations, and every time that I’m in a new event, new space, I’m learning more.”
This fall, Fouts has traveled across the country hosting pitching and catching clinics with the help of her husband, Drew Williamson, a former Alabama baseball player who helps organize the events. She’s also brought fellow professionals along to share their knowledge and experience, including Palacios and Portland Cascade pitcher Sam Landry.
During an October stop in Pennsylvania, Fouts explained that the clinics were intentionally capped to allow more individualized attention. Her coaching philosophy centers on recognizing that no two athletes are exactly alike. While pitching mechanics remain a priority, she hopes participants leave with something that extends beyond the field.
“Truly, I just think with hard work and the right perspective and discipline, you can do anything that you want to do,” Fouts said. “So I really hope that’s what they get when they leave here.”
Through YouTube videos and social media, Fouts shares workouts, pitching instruction and conversations about confidence, failure and the mental challenges of competing. She makes a point of discussing lessons she’s still learning herself.
Fouts said her own understanding of the mental side of softball developed toward the end of her collegiate career and in the years that followed.
“I mean, honestly, I think that you can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t have it mentally, then it’s really hard to gain any ground or really see or feel your own potential,” Fouts said.
Her commitment to teaching also grew out of a period of uncertainty following college. Fouts recalled questioning her direction and praying about her purpose before deciding to devote herself fully to developing as an athlete and helping others.
She doesn’t approach the clinics as a responsibility separate from her playing career. Instead, Fouts sees the two as complementary pursuits, and describes her passion for developing young athletes as equal to her passion for competing.
“She’s my pitcher, obviously. I’m very biased, but she’s just such a great role model for this sport and someone that I think can really push it forward, especially for the generation that’s watching us,” Palacios said.
Landry has experienced Fouts’ influence from a different perspective. While helping instruct younger pitchers at the clinics, she has also continued learning from Fouts herself.
“I pick up on a lot that Montana does, and I love to be able to put it into my play as well,” Landry said. “I feel like I did that this summer, and I was able to pick up some new cues from her that she likes to use when she’s pitching.”
Fouts’ efforts come at a significant moment for professional softball. As the AUSL continues to develop and the sport prepares for its Olympic return at Los Angeles 2028, young athletes can envision a future in softball beyond college.
Fouts, who is part of the U.S. national team player pool, is still pursuing those opportunities herself.
“I get to honestly tell these girls that I’m about to work with, ‘Hey, pro softball is on the rise and this can be your actual career,’” she explained. “It’s cool to see both sides of the coin.”
Recently, a conversation with a young catcher at an Arizona clinic reminded Fouts of why that access matters. The camper approached her with questions about faith and started a personal conversation that left them both emotional.
The pitcher who once traveled across state lines to meet her idol now hopes to offer that same encouragement to the young athletes looking up to her.
“I hope they know that I love them. I hope they know that I see them. I know exactly where they’re at, and I truly believe in them,” Fouts said.
That lesson has stayed with her since that early morning trip to meet Finch. Long after the drills are forgotten, she knows how an athlete makes a young player feel can leave a lasting impact.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.