How Allie got started.

Three seasons ago, I signed my two sons up for tee-ball here in our hometown of Edinburg, Texas. During their first season, I wasn't able to help coach as much as I would have liked. Our youngest was still little at the time, and it made being involved on the field a little more difficult.

By their second and third seasons, I was able to get more involved. At first, my goal was simple: I wanted to help my sons improve their skills and become more confident players.

But once I started working with the team, I began thinking about all of the kids.

During practices, I would watch them and ask myself, “How can we help every child improve while still keeping this fun?”

One of the techniques we were already using was teaching the kids to “chomp” the baseball when fielding—bringing both hands together like an alligator closing its mouth. It was simple, visual, and something the kids could remember. Seeing how well an idea like that connected with them made me wonder how much more of the game we could teach the same way.

I also started noticing that sometimes the drills and instructions we were using were a little too advanced for where many of the kids were. We knew what we wanted them to do, but we weren't always explaining it in a way that made sense to a five- or six-year-old.

I wanted to find a way to slow things down, simplify the fundamentals, and make learning baseball feel like play.

Then, after talking with friends who had young children, I realized this wasn't just something I was experiencing. A lot of parents want to help their kids practice, but they may not know much about baseball themselves. And many volunteer coaches are parents too—they're trying their best but may not know the easiest way to teach a young child a particular skill.

That's when the idea for Allie the Alligator really started to take shape.

I wanted to create a children's series that could teach kids the basics of tee-ball through stories, characters, and simple ideas they could remember. Then, as the series grows, Allie can break individual skills down into kid-friendly steps—while also giving parents and coaches a simple guide for practicing those same skills at home.

And I wanted it to be realistic for busy families.

You shouldn't need an hour-long practice to help your child improve. Sometimes, 10 focused minutes a day is enough to start building a skill and, more importantly, their confidence.

That's what I hope Allie becomes: a fun way for children to learn the game and a simple resource that helps parents and coaches say, “Okay, I can teach this.”

Allie started with me wanting to help my own kids.

The series grew from wanting to help every kid get that same opportunity.