T E A M.
It’s not for everybody. It’s not easy. Sometimes you don’t get your individual spotlight. Sometimes you don’t understand, especially from the outside looking in with blinders on.
But when it all comes together and the process plays out, the T E A M is what matters.
I dont do this often, but please keep my family, neighbors & community in your prayers. We lost everything w/ the tornado 2night, but we are all safe. Nothing can be salvaged, every vehicle is totaled & our house is entirely flattened, but I know my fam & we will get through this
Tornadoes suck. Diabetes sucks. Rummaging through debri from a tornado for tiny diabetes supplies sucks, too. Seeing the pure joy of a volunteers face in the middle of your yard with a $500 vial of insulin with your name on it doesn’t suck🙌🏽 truly appreciating the little things!
There’s not much left, but the essentials are safe... my favorite ISU shirt, my favorite game ball, my pupper & my family. Thankful 4 every little thing right about now❤️ thank u to everyone who’s reached out, donated, prayed & shown support of any kind, it means the world to us!
From a knee injury senior yr of HS that lead to zero D1 offers, to a year of playing juco, to committing to play at ur dream school.. & now to being a captain for ur Top 25 hometown team your senior year.. u never cease to amaze me. I’m so proud of ya. No one deserves this more❤️
Woke up missing this guy a lot this morning. The tornado & coronavirus threw a kink in our plans & I don’t know when I’ll see ya next, but I’ve never been more ready for a day of fishing & cruising around iowa more than I am now! You’re my rock, my best friend and so much more✊🏽
More than happy to say I’ve accepted a Graduate Assistant position at Murray State where I’ll be in charge of the pitching staff and earning my Master’s Degree at the same time. To say I’m excited for this next step & thrilled to be apart of
@RacersSoftball
is an understatement!
@TSSAA
it’s time to put high school softball state championships in a college stadium. The athletes have earned that stage, the fans are coming in droves, MTSU is right down the road— why not make the move. Wish TN would follow the lead that other states are taking!
Can’t say thank you enough to
@isuletterwinner
for sending me a replacement letterman jacket. The Nashville tornado may have gotten the best of my original jacket from the 2016 ceremony, but you best believe I’ll be holding onto this one extra tight!💛🌪❤️
#LoyalForeverTrue
It’s hard to explain how special Ames is until you’re a part of it & experience it first hand. These people & this place are as great as they come.💛❤️
Shop all day✅
Walk campus✅
Catch up w/ head football coach, Coach Campbell✅
Floor seats at ISU women’s basketball game✅
Another post is coming a different day when I have the right words, but for now… 2 rings in 2 days— not a shabby birthday weekend💍 travel season may have started today, but you best believe I’m gonna soak in all the moments Team 3 brought to life!
Get you someone who supports you with whatever you do, even if it is 13 hours away😊❤️ Josh surprised me by ordering Murray State Softball gear... guess he’s officially a Racer fan now🐎
🎥 » Senior
@SwagginSanders
has battled diabetes - on and off the field - throughout her Iowa State career.
With Saturday's Diabetes Awareness game approaching, Sanders talks about her journey, and how her Cyclone family has always had her back ⬇️
Me explaining to my diabetes doctor next week that while my numbers may be off the charts, it was for good reason.
40 straight wins = 40 nights of Taco Bell. I wish I was joking about the second part.
@tacobell
it’s time to sponsor
@GreenHillHighSB
IYKYK
Let’s goooooo,
#Team3
!💚🫶🏽
We play in the state championship tomorrow at 1:00 at Starplex, Field 2. Let’s pack this place green one last time for this special group!
#Team3
will play for a 💍! GH, behind a 10K shutout performance from Herrin and 2 HR’s from Legrand will advance to tomorrows State Championship final. Way to go ladies, Hill Yeah!
#BuildtheHill
#PaytoPark
#Legrandslam
My boy had me about ready to run through a brick wall on Saturday. I’m the girl version of
@JoshKnipfel
in the stands & I wouldnt have it any other way. I love cheering on this dude✊🏽👊🏽 PS: next time I wont wear ur jersey so no one can associate u w/ the crazy girl in the stands
"We have a coach that loves us, he's going to back us, he's going to fight for us. We're going to do the same for him." -
@SwagginSanders
on her journey at Iowa State and playing for
@CoachPinkerton
.
🗣️ It's about CULTURE
#P4M
|
#Cyclones
🌪️🥎🌪️
Thankful. Grateful. Blessed.
This crew was the best group to start my coaching career with. Hands down, no questions asked. Family forever now.
Started a brand new school.
85-10-2 the last 2 years.
131-34-2 career record.
State champions.
Showed what it means to be a TEAM.
131 wins…
back-to-back district, region, and sectional champions…
41 game win streak…
First Team State Championship…
All 6 playing college ball…
@GreenHillHighSB
c/o ‘24
#buildthehill
From all of us in 2-toned-green…
Ellie, CJ, Em, Maddie, Parker, Maw, & Lil
THANK YOU
I never found true happiness until I learned how to invest in others. I never found meaning until I found this.
A new phase of life has given me so much. A platform, new perspective, grace, humility, accountability, ownership & the ability to be vulnerable.
Blessed & thankful.
Sending the best senior class out on top for their final home game on
#TheHill
is the cherry on top to making it back to the state tournament.
This crew was undefeated at home as upperclassmen & secured back to back 40+ win seasons. They’ve left their legacy. Proud of ‘em 🥲💚
Can’t explain how happy I am to be back in the same town together, even if it means a house divided on Friday nights🙂 safe to say my heart sure is full!💚
The calm after the storm! A week full of crazy forecasts & several tarp pulls. At the end of it all, every game was played on time with no delays or cancellations.
#Team3
not only put in work this week to make games happen, but also found a way to come out on top!
#TakesAVillage
Decided to do one last mowing pattern for
@GreenHillHighSB
this past week. New season starts now! Catch our first round District game this Thursday (May 5th) at 6 PM vs Lebanon on
#TheHill
. Let’s go hawks🥎🦅💚
Y’all know what pictures I always look for first? These ones.
The one’s that show connection, selflessness, joy, friendship, unconditional love, trust, loyalty, and reward. One’s that scream mudita.
When you invest in OTHERS, they invest in YOU.
I’m telling y’all,
#TheHill
is just built different! First year teacher, first year coach... no way I do it without these people helping me day in and day out! Coworkers on point💯
A quiet night under the lights, green grass, and a perfect sunset. Not sure I could think of a better place to call home! I sure am ready for this place to be rockin this spring.
Fully convinced every girl in this world deserves someone like Josh. My heart is so happy and I’m lucky to have a guy that makes every day feel so special❣️
Slowly but surely found a new hobby with field work over the last year.
Thankful to have a bunch of expert men willing to teach a young, female how to perfect their craft and playing surface! Our field is getting closer to being game ready after it’s latest cut!
#NoFilter
I can always count on my family being at EVERY single game and now
@JoshKnipfel
has the whole town of Hampton coming to our softball games, too. Grandma Knipfel even made it out to watch today’s games! Lucky to have so many people that treat me so good and as if I was there own.
It won’t stop me from doing what sets my soul on fire✊🏽 I’m unashamed of who I am and the things that make me, ME. Being different is a good thing. Embrace who you are, what you’ve been through and how far you’ve come.
#DiabetesAwarenessMonth
#ThisIsMe
#T1DLooksLikeMe
#Unashamed
The stands have been a sea of green the last couple weeks. Happy to see that a road game didn’t change that! It’s just different on
#TheHill
. Now let’s pack our place Friday night for
@GreenHillHighSB
’s substate game!💚
Going to bed knowing
@GreenHillHighSB
has our first outing as a team tomorrow has me feeling all the good vibes. Your time is now,
#Team3
, let’s DO THIS💪🏽🎉💚
I sure do love my flower planting, fish cleaning, cheesecake lovin best friend. You make every day a little bit better than the one before,
@joshknipfel
🙂❤️
I love my job and if you know me, you know I don’t take my role, my position or my ability lightly. I love the game of softball from every angle and every aspect. I love coaching this sport and I love to see kids share that same experience with the game that I used to have.
I’m fully convinced everyone really does deserve someone like Josh Knipfel in their life. He’s got the purest soul, biggest heart, unwavering loyalty and never fails to put a smile on my face. I’ve never met a better person & I really am so lucky to have found my one in infinity
There’s a lot of days I wake up feeling like I could run thru a brick wall if it meant I could put a uniform on & compete one last time. Today’s one of those days.
Ohhhweee playoff softball you have my HEART! Nothing beats post season competition! Thankful for this game!❤️🙌🏽
Sports guarantee that nothing ever comes easy & your character will always be tested. Choosing to stay true to yourself, trusting your own ability & letting the process play out is critical in finding middle ground and developing your craft. There’s always a way to find a way!
This is huge. It shouldnt cost a fortune 2 keep living. 2 many people are forced to chose b/w life or financial insecurity. This is our ONLY choice to keep going day in & day out. As if its not hard enough 2 live w/ Type 1 Diabetes, companies compile unnecessary expenses. WAKE UP
Colorado just became the first state to put a cap on the price of insulin with a new law that limits co-pays to $100/month.
Insulin can currently cost diabetes patients upwards of $450/month.
Nothing makes me more sad than knowing our apartment won’t be full anymore. Doing every day with yall has been the best part about college. I wouldn’t trade our memories or friendship for anything. Beyond thankful and much love. See ya soon, roomies❤️
Awesome turn out for our Winter Youth Camp on
#TheHill
! We had 50 campers who came out and worked hard, fine tuned their softball skills and even taught our players a few cheers and dance moves of their own!
#GrowingUpGreen
Said it since the beginning,
#Team3
is special. Returners, young guns and transfers all coming together to play as one. When nobody is above the team, special things happen. Good things come to people who work hard, great things come to people who work together.🫶🏽💚
The one thing that Im sure of, is that I’ve never been apart of anything better than my travel ball team. We dont see each other 4 yrs @ a time, but these friendships mean the 🌏to me. Its bein bigger than urself. Thank you
@RedDevils16U
4 givin me more than just an opportunity✊🏽
What Josh didn’t realize when he moved to Tennessee last week was that he’d get to spend his entire spring break helping me pressure wash the bleachers at the softball field. Back for round 2 tomorrow😎
I couldn’t imagine starting a program or spending my first year as a head coach with any other senior leaders besides these three. What a special group that’s going to keep succeeding in everything they do! Proud of you and more than happy you spent your last year of HS in green!
2023 you were almost too good to be true🙌🏽
State Champions💍
Josh moved to TN, which meant no more long distance after 3 years of living in different states and 6 years together🫶🏽
Aunt life💚
Hoping 2024 is half the year 2023 was!
Good luck to my lady bears! It was a privilege getting to play for a high school that cared so much about sports and had top notch facilities. I wouldn’t be where I am without this place✊🏽🐻
Not a bad day
Officially passed my edTPA licensure portfolio✅
Got to watch Team 2
#LightItUp
4 our last regular season district game.
@GreenHillHighSB
moves to 23-6 on the year & continues to grow every game. Future is bright on
#TheHill
. Wouldn’t trade this team 4 anything!
Lots of projects going on can only mean one thing— season is right around the corner!
#Team4
is working hard and using every day to improve.
Dirt is down✅
Grass is green✅
Seniors learning hands on life skills✅
The best AD in the world✅
3 years ago.. time flies🤯
Thankful my unordinary & unpredictable path was blessed w/ great support, friends & coaches along the way who truly made 13 hours away from home feel like a hop, skip and jump away.
My tribe was my why. When you find good people, you don’t let ‘em go!
🎥 » Senior
@SwagginSanders
has battled diabetes - on and off the field - throughout her Iowa State career.
With Saturday's Diabetes Awareness game approaching, Sanders talks about her journey, and how her Cyclone family has always had her back ⬇️
Might be my favorite coaching memory yet & it didn’t even involve softball. Rolled up to the gas station on a Sunday to find one of the upperclassman teaching an underclassmen how to pump gas. Lucky to have some really great people be a part of what we’re building!
#HappyHeart
Lucky that I get to maintain one of the nicest softball facilities in the state! Said it once or twice and I’ll say it a couple hundred more times, it’s just different on
#TheHill
.
Literally have the worlds best boyfriend. Im 11 hours away & we’ve been talkin about goin 2 the fair when I randomly get these snaps where he won me a stuffed animal @ his county fair even when I couldnt be there. He still finds a way to do little things to make my day, EVERY day
A morning well spent! Our team had a blast giving back to our 4 legged friends at Mt. Juliet Animal Care & Control. If you’re looking for a special friend, we found one or two that would love to have a home for the holidays!💚❤️
#AirJarrett
with the all out effort in CF tonight! Watching our girls do stuff like this in big games, then come up with the biggest smile on their face hits a little different.
Hawks close out the visiting Red Raiders from Coffee County behind a 10 strikeout 1 hit shutout from the junior Sophia Waters. A great game between 2 of the states best.
#Team3
#Buildthehill
Everyone in this world deserves to have their own version of a Josh Knipfel because it truly doesn’t get any better than him. No one has ever made my heart feel so full day in and day out. I’m too lucky💓
Seems like just yesterday
@RedDevils16U
was helping me find my new home playing D1 softball, now I’m one of the many college coaches getting to talk to him from this side of the game. Still as thankful 4 u as ever. So many fun memories. So fun catching up. Much love, Coach Jack!
First day of practice and first day of grad school came with a little extra surprise from my favorite guy. Lucky to have someone that makes my day, every day, even from 9 hours away😊❤️ I’ve got a keeper.
#AirJarrett
with the all out effort in CF tonight! Watching our girls do stuff like this in big games, then come up with the biggest smile on their face hits a little different.
Words can’t even begin to explain how awesome Josh is and just how proud I am of him and all that he stands for. I’ve never met anyone with a better heart and I’m so lucky that he has all of mine! You’re the best
@JoshKnipfel
❤️💪🏽💘
Proud coach! A senior that took a chance on a brand new school that came with a lot of unknowns, turning every opportunity into a positive one. Players like this are exactly who we need to help
#BuildTheHill
🦅🥎 I’d take 100 more!
There’s always one positive you’re gonna get out of a trip to Cookeville and it’s seeing these two in the stands! Makes my coaching heart happy to see them want to come back to a place where they laid the foundation. Definition of left it better than they found it🤘🏽💚
No words can even begin to explain just how proud I am of this guy & how lucky I am to call him mine. What u stand for, ur work ethic, your dedication to be the best version of urself & the way you lift up everyone you’re surrounded by is unbelievable❤️
Day 1 in the books! Brand new team with no scrimmages and limited practices, but that didn’t stop them from going 2-1 on our first day of fall ball. They made the decision to start coaching travel ball feel like an easy yes. Now onto championship Sunday!🏆
#FearlessElite