New coach...needs help with 8u batting lineup

Lobster Birch said:

The batting order for a 8U rec league team should be set so that each kid gets the same number of at bats throughout the season, assuming all kids are making all the games. That means sometimes batting your weakest batters at the top of the lineup.

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I started coaching rec at the 10u level since we do not have 8u here. We did however have 7 and 8 year olds on our 10u team. I tried to be "tricky" during my first season. Started the season by trying to model my lineup after pro-lineups; Speed at top, then power, etc. After a couple of weeks I switched to a structure similar to that shown on the link marriard posted. Unfortunately, it didn't work for us. By having the "weaker" batters scattered throughout the lineup, it always seemed as though we would have the bases loaded with 2 outs when one of those hitters came up - inning over... Our "left on base" numbers were huge. I kept playing around with it and never found a structure I liked.

Entering my second season (still at 10u but with more 8 and 9 year olds at that point), I switched to a structure similar to what Lobster Birch is suggesting. Prior to game 1 I created what I thought would be the best possible lineup with our players. I then kept track of who batted last in each game. The person on deck became my lead off hitter for the next game and I simply continued on with the same exact lineup. So basically a perpetual batting order that lasted 16 games. If I ever get back into the younger levels of rec ball, that is what I will go back to.

It's 8U rec ball, for crying out loud. I can guarantee you there is no more "competitive area" than where I coach, but 8U rec ball is still 8U rec ball here, too.

First, I'd take Rocketech1's advice on tons of quality hitting practice and making sure the coach is pitching a flat ball.

Then, I'd let the girls who strike out most rotate in the leadoff spot the rest of the season. The extra ABs should help, and you might be surprised at how knowing their coach believes in them just might help their confidence.

During the regular season I like to mix it up some... but always keeping my best hitters near the top. In tourney ball the best hitters are the top to get them the most at bats. Heck... with my 10U team right now baserunning is way more important than hitting because the other teams are walking so many. Leads off 3rd and stealing home are everything atm.

SoftballMomx2 said:

I was hoping maybe moving them around some would ease up some of the "massacres" of games with such big losses.

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Batting lineup is overrated. I wouldn't worry about it.

You'd do better to start a thread titled, ''How can I get my worst 3 batters to hit?''

Attach video if necessary.

Little Angels Softball said:

I can guarantee you there is no more "competitive area" than where I coach, but 8U rec ball is still 8U rec ball here, too.

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Really? Well if you are not having all KID pitch halfway through the rec season and 100% kid pitch in 8U all-stars than I would beg to differ. Baseball is even more competitive at that age. SoCal rec leagues vary greatly depending on what city you live in. IME, 8U coaches that randomly selected their line-up didn't last long in the league.

You must remember that the kids that are striking out today can become the awesome hitters of tomorrow, if you develop them!

Spread out the talent as evenly as poss. Keeping in mind that the first 3 or 4 in the lineup will usually get more at bats than the ones at the bottom...

Last year, I used the link marriard suggested with quite a bit of success. We also batted every single practice. Even our tiniest, youngest girls had great OBP. Part of it was also two AC's who can pitch to all of the batters. They know what kind of pitch each girl likes. I find that makes a huge difference in batting.

This year, we decided to dedicate one practice a week to going to the batting cages. We set up three stations and the girls rotate through. The least number of runs we have scored in a game so far this season is 10. It helps that 9 of our 11 players are 8. It's not a purposefully stacked team. I've had 9 of these girls since they were 6.

I realize I've gone off the OP question, but I wanted to add that this year we have been working on preparing the 8 y.o.'s to move up next year, so in practice they are exposed to faster pitches and are expected to be able to read strikes and balls on their own. The AC's pitch their ideal pitches to build up their confidence in games.

Rocketech1 said:

(BTW - I think its a shame that more leagues don't have kid pitch at 8U).

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This probably goes back to regional differences, but that sounds completely absurd to me. We don't have enough pitchers for 10U rec (we do modified coach pitch), it would be a total joke to try to have kid pitch at 8U.

As for the original topic, I agree with those who said to work on hitting and not worry about the lineup. The goal should be to get each player the same amount of at-bats over the season.

dbronstein said:

This probably goes back to regional differences, but that sounds completely absurd to me. We don't have enough pitchers for 10U rec (we do modified coach pitch), it would be a total joke to try to have kid pitch .

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No reason you can't develop 2 kids per team at 8u to start them learning how to pitch. We do it all the time. By the time they are second year 8u, they are fairly proficient. Challenge kids and you will be surprised what they can do. By enabling kids with coach pitch into 10u really dumbs down the game.