Speaking as a pitcher's dad. I love to see those Ks. But as a coach I would rather see 3 easy outs, regardless of how they come. 3 pitches and 3 outs I will take over 3ks. It keeps her fresh for the later innings, maybe she might have to pitch in game 2 of a doubleheader. Or pitch in 2 more games that day. One of the most important numbers (in my opinion) to track on a pitcher is average pitches per inning. Those fast easy innings bring that number down and make a pitcher more efficient. The team goal is outs, not Ks.
I agree. I'd rather have three pitches with weak grounders/throw outs than 9 pitches for K's.