14u Rec pitching problems

[miker]

I'm coaching a 14u rec team this year. Good group of girls if you're able to look beyond the usual social issues, etc, etc (I'm getting better at that).

Our league has lost quite a few girls to travel, other sports, etc and we're down to 2 teams in 14u. The division is pretty much devoid of pitching. The other team's pitcher is a girl new to the league and she's basically a lobber that throws quite a few strikes but gets hammered regularly. My pitcher is a girl I've coached before a few times and she's a great athlete but has never taken the time to practice pitching, thus she's been given a few chances over the years but since she hasn't ever committed to it, most teams she has been on have moved on to other pitching candidates after a short try. I don't really have that luxury this year. I tried one other good athlete that pitched some a few years ago but the result was the same, a walk-fest.

We're 0-3 at this point, having lost 8-3 (to the other team from our league), 14-8 and 17-13. Walks have been the biggest problem with defense the second biggest, mostly I think because the girls are back on their heels because of all the walks. I can see the confidence and excitement to play evaporating before my eyes and would really like to make an effort to salvage the season before it gets away from us.

What are my options? One of my coaches is pressuring me to try a girl, again a good athlete, that has never pitched before. I'm reluctant to throw somebody out there to try it for the first time at 14. On the other hand, what do I have to lose? This girl is my starting catcher and a good one, so it would weaken the team there as well. Or do I just stick with the "#1" pitcher and hope the reps will start to do good at some point. I don't think getting her to pitch at home will happen, she's a very busy girl, both parents work, 1 sibling that's very busy, etc, etc....I think I will keep going to the other girl, we'll call her "#2" at this point, at least a little, she's very raw but at least she's done it before.

Help!

 

[Goobie]

IMO you definitely should start working a #2 pitcher. You never know when your #1 is going to be sick or injured. Also riding a single pitcher all season is tough on her. Having someone else pitch every now and then will give your #1 a chance to play another positition and possibly have fun. I can imagine she really isn't enjoying walking batters.

That being said if the pitcher can't / won't practice at home I would recommend setting aside time in your practice for your #1 pitcher to practice. Pull her and a catcher aside and let them practice while the rest of the team is working on drills, etc. If possible, she and the catcher could show up 30 minutes early or stay 30 minutes late and get in at least 30 minutes of work twice a week plus games. Not the best practice routine, but it is Rec ball and given the level of committment from her and her parents it may be the best option you have.

 

[Coach JV]

We had 5 teams in 16U rec with one pitcher each. When that #1 pitcher was not
at the games things were not pretty. We had a 2-1 game one week and a 17-1
game a couple weeks later against the same team minus the pitcher

 

[miker]

another 15 BB in 4 innings for "#1". I've got no choice but to move on, not sure to who. Going to try my dd, she pitched in 10u and 1 year in 12u before a mechanical breakdown and shoulder injury. We'll see how that goes. Having practice on Sunday, going to give everybody a shot, I guess. Not sure what else to do.

 

[Wookie]

I tell our rec players' parents that if DD shows any interest in pitching, they should encourage it and try to get help - with lessons, internet, what ever - since you never know when they'll be needed. I also tell all the parents that team practice time is exactly that - TEAM practice. The girls need to get better on their own, away from TEAM activities. I don't have the time to teach each one individually how to throw, catch, field and hit.

To prove this to them, all they needed to see was what DD did over the winter from fall ball. She just started to pitch then but was not very good - actually, she was awful. We got a PC, practiced 3-4 times/week all winter at the Y and now she throws around 45 mph, and has 24 K's in 9 innings. I now have a rec team that is very sound in fundamentals and don't need to be reminded of things like 'step with your left foot when throwing". Many of the parents can see the difference from just 10-15 min/day playing catch makes.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Miker, As far as the defensive problem goes, have you seen Howard Kobota's DVDs. They are well worth the investment.

Could you possibly teach your weak pitchers to sling shot? We talk about it some here on this site.

I wish I was there, I would show it to you, if you don't know how. My son lives in Hyde Park and I am a Cubs fan. Ha.

 

[miker]

thanks everybody for all the replies. As I mentioned, my daughter is going to give it a try. She pitched for probably a year and half, took lessons, etc, but stopped after developing arm circle problems and shoulder pain. Her shoulder still clicks when she rotates it. She's tried it here and there over the last couple years and says it doesn't hurt, who knows? She's the only one I can have direct influence on practicing at home, so...if I could get an inning or two out of her, that would help a lot.

I just can't keep up with the walk fests, it brings the whole team down.

 

[Ken Krause]

I agree with Amy. Skip the windmill and have them slingshot it in. It's going to help you cut down on walks. The ball will get put in play more than with a good windmiller, most likely, so shore up your D while you're at it.

If your daughter has problems rotating her shoulder, she shouldn't be doing it. It's not worth a lifetime of pain to be more competitive in a softball league. Restrict her to a slingshot. You might also look at her mechanics to see if maybe there's a better, more natural/comfortable way to throw.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Does your daughter have a diagnosis on the clicking shoulder? My DD had that, after pitching for many years, and it was called an impingement. Her doctor said that she should never throw another pitch.

I did asked her to change to the sling shot, but she was 16 and refused.

 

[miker]

Does your daughter have a diagnosis on the clicking shoulder? My DD had that, after pitching for many years, and it was called an impingement. Her doctor said that she should never throw another pitch.

I did asked her to change to the sling shot, but she was 16 and refused.

we've only had it looked at by a GP and no imaging was done or anything. He described it as a tendon rolling over bone or something similar. His advice was as long as it didn't hurt, it was no big deal. She hasn't pitched in probably close to 2 years now and it still does it.

Regarding the slingshot, is it legal per NSA? I know the local league doesn't have anything specific other than NSA fast pitch regulations shall apply...

eta: I just looked at the NSA rules, nothing about it having to be a windmill...