SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (WAND) — Some families pass down heirlooms, holiday traditions, and old stories. But in Shelbyville, Illinois, Tony Moll is passing down something a little louder — and a lot more fun.
The sound of a glove popping. A ball hitting leather. A game of catch. That’s what bonds Tony Moll and his daughter, Grace.
“I always tell people… she was born with a ball in her hand,” Tony says, smiling.
From the time she was four, Grace could be found racing around softball fields, cheering on her dad during his men’s fastpitch games and handing him bubble gum between innings.
“I had a job!” Grace Blackburn (Moll) laughs. “I was four and running around like I owned the place!”
Tony wasn’t just her dad — he was her coach and personal trainer. Long after childhood tournaments and championship dreams, that relationship only deepened. In fact, on her wedding day, Grace and Tony took a few minutes to play one more game of catch.
“He knew how to push me to be the best player, and person, I could be,” Blackburn says.
Now, that legacy has grown into something even bigger with walls, nets and turf.
After Grace finished college, she had an idea. What if, together, they started a training facility?
Together, they built “The Building,” a one-of-a-kind softball training center that now draws more than 350 young athletes from across the Midwest. It’s become a home plate of its own — not just for their family, but for a whole new generation of players learning to love the game.
“I thought I was done,” Tony jokes. “Nope. That didn’t happen!”
Grace and Tony now run the business as full partners — sharing their passion, their coaching style, and their love of the sport.
“We’re not just father and daughter anymore,” Tony says. “We’re teacher and teacher.”
Amid the pop of fastballs and the laughter of young players, the bond between Tony and Grace lives on. A bond built on deep belly laughter, teamwork — and of course, softball.
“There’s no way I’d be brave enough to do this alone,” Grace says with tears in her eyes. “Without a doubt, I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”
This Father’s Day, they’ll probably celebrate the same way they always do: side by side, gloves on, playing catch.
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