Looking for some advice on HS ball because this dad is driving the struggle bus (Sorry another HS topic)

[Rick M]

My Soph year we had a Senior who pitched at least 75% of the innings...and he did that the year before when I was on JV. I liked it since I played SS when he pitched and 2B when he didn't. Anyway he ended up getting drafted out of college but blew out his arm in the minors..go figure.

That stinks, but I think on the baseball side of things there has been some enlightenment about pitch counts and workloads. At least among the HS coaches that I’ve seen, there’s still the “underhand pitchers can throw all day long” mentality.


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[EC22]

Pitchers dad is AC? Only throwing her? They good with that much use? How many games have you played? Hard to imagine she won't get used. When she does, perform.

 

[AnotherSoftballDad]

Kind of wish my freshman kid was in your kids situation.

Her team has 2 other pitchers and there isn't really a catcher on the team.

My kid has caught every inning of every game

She is probably the best pitcher on the team but hasn't even had a chance to throw a single pitch in practice as she is always catching the other pitchers.

With the high school practice schedule and games my kid is basically not pitching at all. Games have conflicted with lessons.

She is going to suck at pitching when summer rolls around.

She has never been a catcher and has no aspirations of becoming one.

 

[cnardone]

I am saying this knowing that it is easy for me to say, and way harder to do for a young lady in HS. I can tell you that my dd, was in a HS activity situation, what I consider a better situation than your DD, and it was emotionally difficult for her. So again I do understand.

If she likes spending time playing with her friends, or if she thinks she will want to play with the team in the future; she needs to focus on the fun part and know she is not going to play much.

 

[jsoftballcoach]

Have you guys played a tournament yet? Or a double header? This may be a good opportunity to pitch.

I’ve heard of a HS team where the same 9 play every inning of every game, no matter what. Complete BS in my opinion.

DDs HS team has 2 senior pitchers, with a freshman who has yet to pitch. Why can’t the kid get a few innings? My DD would be happy to hand over some time. Blowouts either way are great opportunities. I don’t get it, let’s find out if the kid can get it done.

Sounds like a really tough situation and I wish your DD the best. The real season is right around the corner.


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[KrisHur]

New coaches - it is entirely possible they don't have last year's stats. HS ball can be a mess. If they are not giving her the opportunity to prove herself, she should say just that. IMO she should tell them that she has the skills to make a difference for the team (note her BA/OBP and top 5 RBI count from last year) and would like the opportunity to prove it by pitching/hitting in an upcoming game. In this instance I would be be bold and not go with the usual "what can I do to earn more time". But she needs to deliver when they put her in.

FWIW, be careful what you ask for. Unless I'm misreading it, it sounds like there is one pitcher they are using for every game, not good - the HS schedule is very demanding. You might want to be careful that DD doesn't come out as the better pitcher and winds up throwing every game. JMO

 

[MoJo]

No fun being on a team were you don't play and don't build skills. Staying with the current team is a waste and becoming detrimental to the well being of the student athlete.

1) Focus on Travel Ball and drop HS ball
2) New High-school

 

[Westwind]

“Coach, I’m a player not a pitching machine.”

”Coach, my daughter is a player, not a pitching machine.”

The situation is unacceptable.

 

[RichK]

First, disconnect YOURSELF emotionally from the situation. Second, help your daughter deal with her emotions about a situation that's mostly out of her control. I think you are doing both of these already, don't get me wrong, but understand that's the *real* first step. After that, as many have said, talk to her about solutions. She could pitch on JV. I realize some JV teams at some high schools are not really a good option, but it's a possibility. Second is to continue to talk to the coach about playing time NOW at P or at a position, work hard in practice and live with the results. The third is waiting to get more playing time as an upperclassmen. The fourth is not playing high school ball. It's a legitimate if disappointing option. Are there friends she really wants to play with in HS? Does playing HS ball really matter to her? If so, she'll have to find a way to move forward with it. If not, IMO quit and either a) find a spring ball team option or b) work on your own or with your travel or pitching coach or do 3 months of aggressive weight training or really anything that makes better use of her time than getting hosed by a head and assistant coach with a not completely honest agenda re: players and playing time. I've been through this, my DD quit her senior year after playing RF as an excellent travel 3B for two years on varsity. She went to prom and prom trip and didn't look back.

 

[Gwoab]

I know this thread is getting long but I have to sympathize with most of you as well. My DD lives for softball (travel) but is completely devastated by the quality of her HS team. She does get to play but she is constantly overlooked in practices and feels like a waste of time. My tack is to consistently remind her that softball is a game of failure and challenge, these "crap" times only increase the appreciation and fun of the "good" times so learn to deal, find the golden nuggets and revel in the opportunity to get in reps because if she stays positive and works hard great things will come! this is the life lessons that softball teaches!
On another note, is is ironic that the paid coaches are, in my experience so much worse than the volunteer travel coaches. What's up with that?