Do I Need to Tell Coach?

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Aug 17, 2015
7
0
I will try to condense my question as much as possible...

Daughters coach is same for middle school and select. This is our first year with this coach.

Coaches daughter is a pitcher, she's good. My daughter is also a pitcher, but less experienced. They are the only pitchers on the school team.

At the beginning of the school season I respectfully asked if my daughter needed to continue with pitching lessons. At the time I asked we had had around 6 games and she had seen 2 innings. (She did well during these innings.) I didn't want to waste time and money if he had no plans to use her. My daughter was losing confidence and interest. I was told to keep her in lessons because he would need her, he just hadn't been able to give her any time during practice. I did keep her in for a few more weeks, which was probably around 5 more games.

Now, we only have a few games left and he hasn't pitched her again since the last two innings. His daughter pitches EVERY GAME, EVERY INNING. It doesn't matter if it's 2 or 3 days in a row, she pitches. I have stopped lessons and practicing at home. My daughter knows that pitching is a lifestyle and she's not interested in it anymore. She lost confidence because she's not being developed. She understands it's her time to sit the bench and is willing to do that in order to learn/play other positions.

Do I need to tell the coach she's no longer interested in pitching? I am torn. I don't want him to all of the sudden throw her in a game and she hasn't pitched in a few weeks. But I also feel like why do I need to tell him? He is not interested in her for that position.
 
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
I would tell him exactly what you have shared with us, if for no other reason than to clear the air with him. I would also try to look for a different select team for your DD next season as he clearly is not interesting in developing other pitchers other than his own daughter.
 

CR1

May 8, 2016
13
0
Get her on another team as quickly as possible, which unfortunately may be the next season. If he won't even use her in practice that's ridiculous. Explain to your daughter that the coach is playing daddy ball to the extreme and she will get a chance with another team if she keeps working. I wouldn't stop with lessons. You can try talking to the coach, probably won't hurt, but from the sound of it he won't care or do anything about it. Sorry for your situation.
 
Mar 20, 2014
918
28
Northwest
My DD had a similar experience when she was 14U. She was primarily a catcher but wanted to pitch as well (she pitched in baseball for 4 years). Knowing what a hard road it was, especially since she caught so she wouldn't get any time at practice (head coaches daughter was the #1 pircher) she asked me to make her a pitching area in the back yard so she could practice on her own. Also had her work with another pitching coach to check her mechanics. Every day for an hour or more, her butt was out there throwing into her bownet. She never aspired to be a starter, but thought that she could maybe get some relief innings. Coach would never let her pitch at practice until finally one day I insisted that he let her throw (I was an assistant coach). She got on the rubber and threw - hard and fast without a lot of finesse but strikes. Radar speed of 52-54 mph. She was actually taught to throw IR (his daughter throws HE) so he started telling her that she was throwing completely wrong and she needed to change it if she wanted to pitch on the team. She respectfully told him that her pitching coach told her to throw that way. He went off and said that he refused to work with her if she wouldn't take his coaching.
She stopped asking to throw in practice and in games and then eventually stopped throwing in the backyard. Could she have been good? Who knows - Daddy ball ruined that for her.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
One of the few times I was mad was what you described.

DD did get shutdown but about a month later then it should have been.

Still mad about it. :) They know it too..

(DD was best P on Team, you want to pitch your DD fine. Just tell me and her she is done pitching. She is OK with that, the not knowing drove us nuts until we gave up)
 
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Aug 18, 2016
29
0
This post brings up a question I have as a travel coach who comes from a baseball background. I understand how the arm motion allows you to use a fastpitch pitcher much more often than a baseball pitcher. I coach an 8U team and my goal is to try to develop 3 pitchers by the time we are in our second year of 10U. Use the best two the majority of the time and the 3rd will get what innings are available. I would really love to have at least two who will take turns getting starts. Is this a crazy idea seeing how most teams use pitchers in fastpitch? Is it wishful thinking to hope I have two girls good enough to share pitching duties? Am I doomed to lose one of them if I have them both share time or is it something that would work? Any and all opinions appreciated.
 
Aug 17, 2015
7
0
My DD has been playing select for three years. Her team has always had 2-4 pitchers, her included. All four were used, but one saw the majority of the starts and she deserved them. My DD worked her way up to the #2 pitcher last season and saw her share of innings. I think as long as you are fair and open with the players you will be fine. My DD was never upset about not starting as often. She knew the #1 pitcher was better and wanted what was best for the team. It's different when one is not getting ANY time. And if a player not getting anytime then as a parent, I would say let the player know why.

Our select team this season will have 4 pitchers, her included if he decided to use her. However, based on what I have seen I don't know that anymore than 2 will be used. BUT this is not usually the case based on teams I've seen. We have seen teams that are 4 pitchers deep and will use them all depending on the game/tourney situation. In my experience, these are the teams that win.

I think it also depends on parents. Last season our #1 pitchers' parents would NOT let her pitch two games on the same day and would only occasionally let her pitch two days in row - coming in for relief. So the coaches had no choice but to develop other pitchers. This coach doesn't seem to care how many pitches per day/week his daughter throws. And he also doesn't seem worry about the general health of her arm or her getting injured. If she were to get hurt and not be able to play, our school team is screwed since my DD has no interest.
 
Last edited:
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
I’d use as many pitchers as possible at 8U. The only criteria would be that they need to be able to get it somewhat close to the plate so fielders aren’t standing around while girls are walked one after another. You’ll often hear “Girls need innings to get better”. True, but this is more often nothing more than justification by a coach or parent about why their daughter needs to pitch every game. Five games a weekend or two will have zero impact on her development. You never know who has potential to be great unless you give them a fair chance to try.
 

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