HS - Do you have your ace pitcher go for the K's or the easy gounders?

Curious to hear maybe more from coaches and maybe other pitcher parents out there in DFP-land on this topic.

I used to be just gung-ho on DD throwing for K's (freshman and sophomore years),....but then the rest of the defense sits there bored and falling asleep.

This year our hs pitch calling is driving much more "contact" inducing pitch calling. DD is throwing allot of in/out fb's and getting the off-center slow grounder. And now this year, although the infield is young (freshies and sophies) they are also talented and have just cleaned up every infield ball so far this year.

I am torn because I know DD could be getting so many more K's per game but I think I like this "team" winning strategy better (for now while no errors are occurring in the infield). On top of that DD gets out of games only having thrown maybe 60 pitches!

I guess it just simply boils down to the skill of your infield.

Thoughts?

I think it boils down to the skill of your infield and your competition. At younger ages DD got lots of Ks due to inexperienced hitters.

At her current level she gets 1-3 Ks a game and gets a ton of mishits. Theres no way shes going to K or even blow a pitch by the current competiton so she keeps hitters off balance and tries to force a mishit to a specific side of the field depending on runners positions.

"Relax, all right? Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic."
Crash Davis: ~Bull Durham

Depending on what side you are on those 3 pitch innings are great or the worse thing in the world.

The defense gets hyped up and the offense starts 2nd guessing themselves and start taking pitches and if the P is throwing strikes they get more annoyed.

Although I am cheerleader dad now, I tell DD the same thing I did as bucket dad - I don't care if you get zero Ks...the goal is to get outs. DD's HS coach always wants the K, which just continues to reinforce to me that she doesn't know anything about pitching.

DD is not Keilani Ricketts...although she has picked up speed, she relies most heavily on movement...and I'm am just as happy with a groundout or routine pop fly to the infield (although they're not always caught ) as I am with a K.

I have become a big fan of getting outs in as few pitches as possible. If that means letting batters put balls in play and putting your defense work, then so be it!

RubberBiscuit said:

Curious to hear maybe more from coaches and maybe other pitcher parents out there in DFP-land on this topic.

I used to be just gung-ho on DD throwing for K's (freshman and sophomore years),....but then the rest of the defense sits there bored and falling asleep.

This year our hs pitch calling is driving much more "contact" inducing pitch calling. DD is throwing allot of in/out fb's and getting the off-center slow grounder. And now this year, although the infield is young (freshies and sophies) they are also talented and have just cleaned up every infield ball so far this year.

I am torn because I know DD could be getting so many more K's per game but I think I like this "team" winning strategy better (for now while no errors are occurring in the infield). On top of that DD gets out of games only having thrown maybe 60 pitches!

I guess it just simply boils down to the skill of your infield.

Thoughts?

Click to expand...

This is a very good thing IMO. At some point, mere mortal pitchers must learn to pitch as most aren't going to set K records on the college level where every hitter was a #1-4 hitter in HS. The sooner they learn this the better! Even better when they know how to pitch AND also have that extra gear they can go to when they really need a K!

My dd's primary pitch is the drop. We work east and west with a heavy dose of change ups with an occasional rise ball. This produces a ton of easy grounders. Last summer on our way to a run rule win, she had literally only thrown approx. 20 pitches by the bottom of the third. She was soooo pumped that game!
Consider the field conditions as well. Hard vs soft vs wet etc...

It is all about getting outs. The K is the easiest out and the very best thing for the team. Nobody has to field a grounder (one opportunity for error), make a throw (second opportunity) or catch the thrown ball (third opportunity), thus the strikeout is the easier out for the team. Next is a pop-up, then a fly ball. The ground ball is harder to convert into an out than all the others. They sometimes find holes, as well, and give no opportunity for an out.

That being said, if the pitcher cannot strike out the hitters she's facing, then the ground ball is a great strategy for her if she learns how to pitch to that type of contact. Drop-ball specialists and off-speed specialists are perfect for this and can be wildly effective with a great infield. I am reminded of the 1998 WCWS final when Amanda Scott shut out the Arizona Wildcats (who were like 51-3 at that point) and beat Nancy Evans 1-0 in the final to win that year's title. I believe Scott only had three strikeouts, and her pitch selection was something like 80% peel drops. She completely dominated the game without a bunch of strikeouts....the 'Cats knew what was coming but could only manage weak ground balls most of the time.

Rise ball specialists are sometimes better off pitching for the fly ball or pop-up if they are unable to strike out opposing pitchers.

I suppose if a girl is inclined to get ground balls based on her pitching style, then it is a good strategy for her if she cannot strike out the girls she's facing. Do what works best but never forget that the strikeout is the easiest out there is and comes with the least amount of risk.

I love a high double digit K count. 15-19 in a game is something that really pumps you up, but...

When your team just had a good offensive inning, 8 batters or more and you scored a few runs. Nothing more demoralizing to an opponent for their team to go down on 3-5 pitches. You are back batting and they are back wondering if the run rule is coming this inning. Its a beautiful thing.

As much as I love the K, I would rather see a 1 pitch at bat that results in an out.