Momo'sDad: I agree that the coach should use the "eyeball test" too, and not just stats.
Screwball: I also agree that you shouldn't yank a player after one or even a few errors. However, I am basing my question on the entire last year of softball. #1-4 did not change for the entire season, regardless of slumps or bad attitudes. Our #4 hitter is powerful, but if she strikes out, she stomps off the field and cries. But that's a whole other discussion!!!
And Mad Hornet -- you are echoing what I told my spouse -- our coach says the the spots on the field have to be earned; I think the spots in the batting lineup should be earned too. Like I said above, I am basing my question about this on our entire last season: #1-4 NEVER changed throughout the season, regardless of how they were hitting. So...that means that if there was another girl who suddenly started killing the ball, there was no chance of her moving up past the #5 slot. It was like a glass ceiling.
Our leadoff had a slight muscle injury in her leg that last 3 months of our season. She struggled to hit the ball. It affected her stance, and her running. Granted, at the beginning of the season, she could hit homeruns, or at least get on base. But even at the end, she never got moved out of that lead-off spot, and there were games where we needed someone on base right from the get-go. I'm not a coach and that's why I asked for the input. My dd got moved around a lot because she can bunt better than anyone on the team. And that's okay. She made some big plays for us because she can bunt. But there were a couple of girls who really started killing the ball midway thru the summer, and they were still 7th or 8th in the lineup. Sometimes by the time you get to that point in the lineup, it's too late.
Thanks for the input.
Screwball: I also agree that you shouldn't yank a player after one or even a few errors. However, I am basing my question on the entire last year of softball. #1-4 did not change for the entire season, regardless of slumps or bad attitudes. Our #4 hitter is powerful, but if she strikes out, she stomps off the field and cries. But that's a whole other discussion!!!
And Mad Hornet -- you are echoing what I told my spouse -- our coach says the the spots on the field have to be earned; I think the spots in the batting lineup should be earned too. Like I said above, I am basing my question about this on our entire last season: #1-4 NEVER changed throughout the season, regardless of how they were hitting. So...that means that if there was another girl who suddenly started killing the ball, there was no chance of her moving up past the #5 slot. It was like a glass ceiling.
Our leadoff had a slight muscle injury in her leg that last 3 months of our season. She struggled to hit the ball. It affected her stance, and her running. Granted, at the beginning of the season, she could hit homeruns, or at least get on base. But even at the end, she never got moved out of that lead-off spot, and there were games where we needed someone on base right from the get-go. I'm not a coach and that's why I asked for the input. My dd got moved around a lot because she can bunt better than anyone on the team. And that's okay. She made some big plays for us because she can bunt. But there were a couple of girls who really started killing the ball midway thru the summer, and they were still 7th or 8th in the lineup. Sometimes by the time you get to that point in the lineup, it's too late.
Thanks for the input.
