Randy and Carrie Patterson have two teenagers—Liam, a 17-year-old junior at Westlake High in Austin, Texas, and Caitlin, a 15-year-old sophomore at Westlake High who we know from her standout softball talents.

Caitlin is a standout pitcher and power hitter and was ranked No. 28 in the 2027 Line Drive HOT 100 player rankings which came out over the summer.

Thank You Line Drive Media!! Ranked alongside many amazing athletes. @LineDsoftball pic.twitter.com/iTWbKBEieF

— Caitlin Patterson (@caitlin_patt) August 17, 2024

Randy has made a strong case through words and photos of why softball is so important to him and his family… and it has to do with quality time and experiences off the field and the memories they get to make together.

Here is what he has beautifully written and shared with Line Drive Softball on how being together as a family is always a “win!”

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We live in Austin Texas, which means that even every “local” Texas tournament represents a two to three hour drive each way. In total, we likely spend 50-plus overnight stays a year on the road as a family for practices, tournaments, showcases, and college camps.

These drives (and flights) have not only served as a time to get to know each other, but it gives us time to decompress after a busy week, and then decompress again after an exciting softball weekend.

This positively impacts our mental health, even if this “decompression” takes a little longer on some weekends than others. The conversations we have had behind a windshield (from watching the sun rise to the field lights turning off Sunday night) are truly priceless. 

While traveling to play around the country is a commitment in your daughter’s development, it’s more importantly a priceless investment in the quality time you get to spend with your family experiencing new places and meeting new people, and without the interruption of technology or other distractions. 

Thanks to softball, we have seen so many wonderful places around the country, from California, to Florida, and everything in-between… (like College Station Texas). We started a pin map of places we’ve been together on our home wall and ran through the first 50 “city” pins very quickly!

Not only does softball prepare so many life skills, it’s also much needed time to reflect on the lessons learned and how to apply these to life outside and after softball. It also keeps us grounded and focused on the big picture versus any one day, one at-bat, or one pitch. 

While the game itself is full of successes and failures, the time spent together as a family is always a win. 

— Randy Patterson

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More Family Time Together (Photo Gallery)!

Dropping in at local Restore location in Houston for some on the go leg compression recovery.[/caption