Two months ago, we announced that Reagan Eldred, a 6-foot-2 pitcher from the Houston, Texas area and member of Texas Blaze United 18U – Robertson, was the No. 1 player in the Line Drive Media 2028 HOT 100.

You can read more about her by clicking HERE in our article revealing the Top 5 players in the current junior class or go to this article titled: The 2028 Line Drive Media HOT 100 Player Rankings… At the Top 10 With #’s 5-to-1 (Sept. 7, 2026).

As noted in her bio:

“An important reminder is that this 16U-eligible pitcher (competed) against the top 18U teams and, at PGF Nationals, the only two losses by Reagan and the Blaze were to the two teams who made it to the championships game, the Georgia Impact Premier team (a 3-2 loss) and to the Arizona Rising – Appel squad (2-1).”

For more on why she was selected as the top player in the 2028 class, check out this article: No. 1 Spotlight: The Story of 2028 6-Foot-2 Pitcher Reagan Eldred & How She Skyrocketed to the Top of Her Class Seemingly Overnight (Sept. 11, 2026)

When it was time to finalize her college choice, Reagan narrowed it down to Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Tennessee before she chose the Vols.

You can read more about her decision in this article we published: Breaking News: Reagan Eldred, the 6-Foot-2 Pitcher Ranked No. 1 in the Line Drive Media HOT 100, Committed to Tennessee Today (Sept. 20, 2026)

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Move forward a month to early October and the Texas Blaze Jamboree where more than 50 teams form the club organization competed in Taylor, Texas.

I had the fun opportunity to interview Reagan and her club coach, Cory Robertson, during a break in the action (sorry about the wind!).

Here is that interview which had to be halted for a few seconds for a poignant reason… check it out and note what happens at the 4:50 mark:

What happened is the demonstration of the love and appreciation of a club coach for a player in a powerful and emotional moment showing the bond between Reagan and Eldred.

The head coach had to take a moment to collect himself and it was a beautiful display of how softball can unite folks.

Here’s the rest of that interview which lasts less than a minute:’

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And as a bonus—Coach Cory will kill me for this!—a fun “outtake” where he starts to introduce himself and, well, it ends before it begins.

… and check out the wonderful response by Reagan!

Overall, a fun and unexpectedly touching interview that I was privileged to be part of.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media