Game With Gliddon
Built on Grit. Fueled by Joy. #FOE
Private softball instruction in Pine Mountain, Georgia — built by Coach Bill, named for Coach Alex, and run on the belief that the game is worth investing in.
Game With Gliddon is what coaching the game looks like when you can't help but do it. It's the work Coach Bill has been doing for years — private lessons, camp instruction, building athletes one rep at a time — and it's the foundation that everything else around it grew from.
This is also a tribute. Coach Alex Gliddon, Bill's late husband, was the one who pushed her to take coaching seriously. He saw what she could teach before she did. When her work got good enough that families wanted more from her, more often, with more structure — that's when Game With Gliddon became its own thing.
The brand carries his number, his hashtag, and his belief that the game is worth investing in.
More Than a Lesson
We're not just here to fix swings or clean up footwork. The work matters — we love the work. But the bigger goal is to develop better athletes and better people, and to do it without burning kids out, without shaming them when they fail, and without pretending the game is anything less than hard.
An athlete who trains with us gets honest feedback, real challenges, and the kind of relationship where they can ask hard questions and get straight answers. That's not a session. That's a coaching relationship.
Family Over Everything
#FOE isn't a slogan we picked. It's how we coach — Family Over Everything — and it's the standard every athlete here gets held to.
#32 was Alex's number. We carry that too. Together, #FOE and #32 are everywhere on what we do, because both of them belong here.
Every family who comes through Game With Gliddon gets treated like our own. Not because that's a marketing line, but because that's what the work demands. You can't teach someone the game properly if you don't actually care about who they're becoming away from it.
Family Over Everything. #FOE. And Coach Alex, #32.
From the Game I Always Loved
I never planned to build this.
I grew up playing in Richmond, Texas — shortstop, outfield, anywhere they'd put me. I went on to Trinity Valley Community College, was part of the first team in school history to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament, signed with West Texas A&M, and then walked away from college softball because the engineering path I'd chosen wouldn't let me do both.
The game came back through slow-pitch. That's also where I met Alex. We played constantly, built friendships, and lived a life around it.
I gave my first lesson because I needed the extra money. I kept giving lessons because it turned out I needed the girls and the work even more — the passion came back the moment I started teaching it.
That's how Game With Gliddon really started. The travel ball org came later. The mission stays the same: teach the game properly, treat every family like our own, and never let the game stop being a place where kids can fall in love with it.
— Coach Bill
Coach Bill
Founder · Head of Instruction #FOE
Known to her athletes as Coach Bill. Founder of Game With Gliddon and the coach behind every private lesson, every clinic, and every athlete who walks through the door.
Bio
Melissa Gliddon is the founder of West Georgia Nightmare Fastpitch and Game With Gliddon, where she has built her coaching career around developing athletes both on and off the field. Originally from Richmond, Texas, Melissa grew up with a deep love for softball and went on to play at a high level as a shortstop, outfielder, and utility player.
After graduating from William B. Travis High School, she continued her career at Trinity Valley Community College, where she was part of the first team in school history to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament and earned all-region and all-conference recognition. She later signed with West Texas A&M before stepping away from college softball due to the demands of her engineering path.
Even though her playing career changed directions, her passion for the game never did. Melissa turned that love into coaching and instruction, growing from part-time lessons into a respected program built on relationships, development, and high standards. With years of coaching experience across private lessons, team instruction, and travel ball, she is known for pouring into athletes with honesty, energy, and purpose.
Her coaching style blends accountability, confidence-building, softball IQ, strong fundamentals, and a genuine investment in each player as a person.
Coaching Philosophy
Melissa's philosophy is rooted in more than performance. She believes in building tough, smart, versatile athletes while also creating an environment where players feel supported, challenged, and genuinely cared for.
She is passionate about helping girls grow in their skills, their mindset, and their belief in what they are capable of accomplishing.
Coach Bill also runs West Georgia Nightmare Fastpitch — the travel ball program that grew out of the lessons practice you see here.
— #FOE