- Apr 25, 2019
- 289
- 63
And let me tell you.....it went over like a lead balloon.
Here's the situation, my DD is a 2025 catcher for her 5A varsity team. She catches the majority of the time, especially when their ace is pitching. So she is young and still getting to know the ways her coach works. This weekend, our team was down 2-0 in a game with their team going through the line up for a second time. Their 3 hole batter was set up in the middle of the box, in the middle of the plate and they were able to get her to hit a weak grounder with an outside curve ball for the out. Well, the second time through the line up she was still in the middle of the box but was now crowding the plate and looking for that outside pitch. First pitch was a ball, second pitch was an outside curve ball that got fouled off (which my DD tried gesturing to the coach that she was set up close to the plate), third pitch was a change up for a strike. The count is now 1-2 and the coach calls the outside curve ball again. My DD shakes it off and again gestures that the girl is set up close to the plate. The coach calls the same pitch and the pitcher tells the coach "She is crowding the plate, coach." Just trying to back up my DD. Well, the coach loses her sh*%. Throwing clipboards and telling my DD and the pitcher to call their own pitches while she storms off. This was in the 3rd inning. My DD calls the rest of the game and they still end up losing but she called a good game. After the game, my DD and the pitcher get called know-it-all princesses and she rants for a while to the whole team. Ends up calling the pitcher a bad influence, even though it was my DD that shook off the pitch.
My DD has a great softball IQ. She has been shaking off pitches since 12u and up to this weekend, no one has ever had an issue with it. I mean, it makes sense, right? She is the one who can see what is working and what is not.
Any way.....that all happened on a Friday night. Saturday morning rolls around and my DD assumes that she is being benched so she talks with the other catcher on the team and tells her to get it done and have a good game. Before game time, the HC pulls my DD aside and tells her that the general consensus with the other coaches is that the catcher is the ONLY person that can shake off a pitch. My DD says, "yes ma'am" and catches the final 2 games of the weekend. My DD actually called the entire game on Saturday morning and her team ended up winning 9-0. It was fun to watch.
I say all that to ask this, what are your thoughts on a catcher shaking off a pitch? Do you take it personal? Or do you trust your catcher?
Here's the situation, my DD is a 2025 catcher for her 5A varsity team. She catches the majority of the time, especially when their ace is pitching. So she is young and still getting to know the ways her coach works. This weekend, our team was down 2-0 in a game with their team going through the line up for a second time. Their 3 hole batter was set up in the middle of the box, in the middle of the plate and they were able to get her to hit a weak grounder with an outside curve ball for the out. Well, the second time through the line up she was still in the middle of the box but was now crowding the plate and looking for that outside pitch. First pitch was a ball, second pitch was an outside curve ball that got fouled off (which my DD tried gesturing to the coach that she was set up close to the plate), third pitch was a change up for a strike. The count is now 1-2 and the coach calls the outside curve ball again. My DD shakes it off and again gestures that the girl is set up close to the plate. The coach calls the same pitch and the pitcher tells the coach "She is crowding the plate, coach." Just trying to back up my DD. Well, the coach loses her sh*%. Throwing clipboards and telling my DD and the pitcher to call their own pitches while she storms off. This was in the 3rd inning. My DD calls the rest of the game and they still end up losing but she called a good game. After the game, my DD and the pitcher get called know-it-all princesses and she rants for a while to the whole team. Ends up calling the pitcher a bad influence, even though it was my DD that shook off the pitch.
My DD has a great softball IQ. She has been shaking off pitches since 12u and up to this weekend, no one has ever had an issue with it. I mean, it makes sense, right? She is the one who can see what is working and what is not.
Any way.....that all happened on a Friday night. Saturday morning rolls around and my DD assumes that she is being benched so she talks with the other catcher on the team and tells her to get it done and have a good game. Before game time, the HC pulls my DD aside and tells her that the general consensus with the other coaches is that the catcher is the ONLY person that can shake off a pitch. My DD says, "yes ma'am" and catches the final 2 games of the weekend. My DD actually called the entire game on Saturday morning and her team ended up winning 9-0. It was fun to watch.
I say all that to ask this, what are your thoughts on a catcher shaking off a pitch? Do you take it personal? Or do you trust your catcher?