Any tips for surviving junior high school ball?

[fireball]

I need help!! It is way worse than I thought it would be. Daughter hasn't batted right handed in over a year, he wants her to bat right, no need to bat left handed. Got in trouble for taking 2nd base on a pitch in the dirt, could have got thrown out catcher caught it clean. She is not to go unless it is at the backstop or he gives her the steal sign. got in trouble for missing a fly ball she dove for running straight out to left, 10 feet in the grass. Yes, I was mad she missed it, it hit her glove, but she was playing 3rd up the line 10 - 15 feet, it wasn't her ball, but no one else was going for it. He doesn't give signals to pitchers or even have the catcher call the game, just throw a fast ball and throw strikes. Gotten lucky so far, we are 3-1, the area jh teams are weak around here.

So far I have managed to sit in the stands and be a good boy. Good thing her travel team has 2 tournaments scheduled to work her regression out before heading to Huston.

 

[absdad]

Any tips for surviving junior high school ball?

Hold your breath for two years. Then in high school it will get slightly better.

 

[EP Dad]

Run. Run like deer through forest.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Yes. Either ask her not to play, or go sit down the line and do work on your laptop.

 

[SoftSocDad]

Jr High schools play slow pitch around here, so it won't even be an issue. DD has already declared she isn't playing.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

I BARELY survived the 1st year of middle school ball and I am really dreading the start of the 2nd year. The team has some talent , but the two coaches are complete morons.

 

[Catchersmom]

Wow sounds like you are playing for one heck of a coach. Unfortunately it's the same kind of coach you see more often than not. Sounds like some of the others here have some sound advice, grin and bear it. There is no middle school ball in our county but across the river all the schools have it and from the rumblings of some of our friends who have DD's that play it the consensus is that its' purpose is to just pass the time between the end of TB season and the off season since there is kind of a void for fall ball there. Best of luck to you, we've had that same kind of coach and it's a losing battle on all fronts.

 

[fireball]

I am really proud of my daughter, she ran aggressively tonight, and pitched to a 19 - 2 win with 6k's and 3bb. She pitched her game without the catcher knowing what was comming, with my rules of no drop balls with runners on base. She took second on a walk, she took bases like she needed to. She stole home when the pitcher dropped the ball on a past ball after taking 3rd. After the game I asked her how much trouble she was in and she said none.
Apparently in practice before the game he told them he wanted a run rule win. She said that they needed to score more runs to do that, and he agreed. She then told him that he needed to turn her loose and let her run, and he let her. She still had to bat right handed though. Went 1-1 with a single in the right center gap. Walked the other 3 at bats.
Maybe, just maybe, he will come around and trust her by the end of the year.

 

[Michael N]

My DD played up on a 14u rec ball team this past spring , as a pick up player , that sounds like it was run the same way . She was the only girl on the team that knew how to bunt and was tiny compared to a lot of the teams they were playing . The coaches were reigning her in on base running even though she was the quickest girl on the team and LOVES to steal bases . They would also tell her to swing away never giving her the option to even show bunt when there was a player on first or third . Finally in their last game of the season my DD just quit listening to the coaches . She bunted to get on base twice and then stole her way all the way to home . After the game I overheard the coaches asking her where she learned to bunt

 

[Bishop]

I'm really glad that school ball in my area is nothing like what you all are describing. I'll have to remeber to thank our school coaches at the game tonight, if it isn't rained out. Bleh.