We are not hitting

And I don't understand why. We crush the ball in practice off of myself or the machine. We have only the used the machine twice so it isn't like they are used to that. I am standing at the 1st base coaches box wondering why we aren't hitting these pitchers that are throwing meatballs up there.

The girls are saying that I set the machine too fast and the pitchers are a lot slower so they can't hit it. I say BS.

It is really frustrating that we aren't hitting and taking ourselves out of games because of it.

What are they doing? Striking out swinging? Looking? Hitting them where they are instead of where they aren't? BBs?

Slappers said:

And I don't understand why. We crush the ball in practice off of myself or the machine. We have only the used the machine twice so it isn't like they are used to that. I am standing at the 1st base coaches box wondering why we aren't hitting these pitchers that are throwing meatballs up there.

The girls are saying that I set the machine too fast and the pitchers are a lot slower so they can't hit it. I say BS.

It is really frustrating that we aren't hitting and taking ourselves out of games because of it.

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I have seen a lot of girls struggle with slower pitching and do fine against faster pitching. What age is this? at 12s and 10s many girls will still have a shift and swing pattern and if they shift on the slow stuff they are front footed a lot. IN DDs 14U doubleheader on Saturday the opposing pitcher was throwing around 44-45 and we could simply not adjust. The girls are tuned to 53-55 and just could not stay back. We faced another girls in the 50s and we hit fine.

I'd almost lay $20 down and say it is because of poor pitch selection.

When the pitching is slower than what they're used to, inexperienced (and sometimes even experienced) players tend to think that everything they see is "hittable" because they have so much time to look at it. This leads to hitters swinging at marginal pitches early in the count. For example, a ball that is perhaps a couple of inches outside that may or may not be called a strike is swung at because it is coming slow enough that the batter thinks she can hit it. She can, but as with all pitches that are just a bit outside, she'll need to let that ball get a bit deeper before she explodes on it....and she doesn't have the patience to do that with the slower velocity so she is early and ends up hitting a weak grounder to the 2B off the end of the bat.

Or, a girl sees a chest-high pitch down the middle and pops it up because she is a bit on her front foot because she can't wait quite long enough.

You're probably also getting girls swinging at pitches that end up in the dirt.

I tell my girls that the strike zone is smaller for them (with less that two strikes) when we are facing slower pitching than usual. It has to be from the corners in, top of the knees to the waist. Nothing outside that zone with less than two strikes. Almost like a normal 2-0 or 3-1 count swing zone, if you will. Must be USDA Prime if you're going to take a hack at it. The extra selectiveness seems to slow them down a bit, too.

See if that helps.

BuckeyeGuy said:

What are they doing? Striking out swinging? Looking? Hitting them where they are instead of where they aren't? BBs?

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Not a whole of k's but definitely hitting them where they are. For instance, in Sundays bracket play, the opposing teams SS made darn near every play. A few line drives but mainly ground balls. Well hit, but right to her.

JJ-18u. These girls are not throwing gas by any stretch of the imagination. We do hit a little better against faster pitchers but not a lot.

We either hit ground balls to the left side or shallow pops to the right side.

Some of that is happening too Angels..

Slappers said:

Not a whole of k's but definitely hitting them where they are...We either hit ground balls to the left side or shallow pops to the right side.

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I'm with JJ and LAS: patience is needed by the batters. I know what I do to adjust to slower pitching, but I've never been able to coach it into my girls, so I won't offer advice on how to do that lol!

I see a LOT of talented younger players (8U-12U) struggle badly against "meatball" pitchers. They get so tuned up to facing fast pitching that they get lost when the pitcher is throwing slow, looping pitches that drop through the strike zone. Their timing is off, and they have trouble reading the location.

As for what to practice...practice it all. Have your girls take some at bats where you are tossing them meatballs, followed by some at bats where they are seeing a more typical pace. Teach them how to read a pitcher while they are on deck, and adapt their timing.

I have been unsuccessful at coaching it too...if I had any hair left I would be pulling it out.....I'm not bald, its a style since I choose to shave it right?

The should learn to resist so they aren't guessing with the timing.