"I've made a huge mistake"

Anthony Vertuccio said:

Why do people let their daughters be the 3rd 4th or 5th pitcher when they can be a 1 or 2 pitcher and get lots of circle time with a different team.

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Especially in younger ages where they are not specialty pitchers you often have an 'A' level player but with 'C' pitching capabilities/experience. i.e. their batting/fielding is way ahead of where they are as a pitcher.

If they go to a team they are guaranteed to pitch, then the rest of their game is out of place and can suffers in terms of development and competition.

On the other hand, if they stay on their 'A' team then they wont get any pitching time. And they end up being #4 (which means no circle time) or #3 (which means minimal time or time against weaker teams only) for their team.

For these players it can be a hard call. Do you REALLY want to be a pitcher or not???

marriard said:

Especially in younger ages where they are not specialty pitchers you often have an 'A' level player but with 'C' pitching capabilities/experience. i.e. their batting/fielding is way ahead of where they are as a pitcher.

If they go to a team they are guaranteed to pitch, then the rest of their game is out of place and can suffers in terms of development and competition.

On the other hand, if they stay on their 'A' team then they wont get any pitching time. And they end up being #4 (which means no circle time) or #3 (which means minimal time or time against weaker teams only) for their team.

For these players it can be a hard call. Do you REALLY want to be a pitcher or not???

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My DD #3 is probably better at hitting and fielding than she is at pitching. That being said, when she is hot, she is the #1 pitcher for her TB team, and she was hot most of the last half of the summer. So, on a good tournament, she can get about half the circle time.

I talked with a girl who is on one of the 'A' teams. She could be a #1 pitcher for a local team, but is either #2 or #3 for her A level team. She says the #1 pitcher gets about half the innings, and the #2 and #3 pitchers split the rest. OTOH, not long ago her team was in a tournament where they went deep, and played 11 games. 25% of the circle time for that sort of tournament can be greater than 50% of the circle time for tournament where the team is out after 4 or 5 games.


But then, DD had a weird experience with rec ball spring/summer 2013. She was 10u, but played in 12u. Her hitting and fielding was definitely up to par. I was hoping she would get more circle time, since the 10u uses coach pitch the first half of the season, and no walks the second half, while the 12u has the bigger ball, and real pitching all season. Her 12u rec ball team had 7 pitchers, and she got about 7 innings the whole season. I think she got at least 4x the innings this past spring/summer in rec ball. (16 games including playoffs)

InsidePitch said:

I concur. The only time your kid will be in the circle is if she walks through it on her way to the OF. LOL, just kidding but not really. It's not even Sept. You probably only paid a deposit, ask for it back, tell him he doesn't want the aggravation of 5 pitchers and their parents.

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My DD went to play for a team once--it was an older team and she was the youngest along with the head coaches youngest DD. He said he only played to win, so only "THE NINE" would ever take the field. My DD he explained was to sit the bench to appease his youngest DD who he wouldn't let play, they were to be "bench buddies".

I went to the concession stand pre-game one tournament and actually saw her in the outfield. I yelled out, "HEY, HOW'D YOU GET TO BE A PART OF THE NINE!?" Yeah, we lasted about 3 tournaments on that team.

Jojo said:

... I yelled out, "HEY, HOW'D YOU GET TO BE A PART OF THE NINE!?" Yeah, we lasted about 3 tournaments on that team.

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It involves accepting a ring of power from Sauron, but typically doesn't end well.

guero_gordo said:

Coaches DD plays same position. Red Flag
Too many girls at your DD's position. Red Flag
Team has a pitching coach. Major Red Flag

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wow. sounds like my DD's former team. We ran and never looked back

And..... these red flags are prevalent in both TB and HS-ball

Out in Left Field said:

I don't know any teams where a parent is coaching their DD in HS. Next year, one JV coach in the next district will have her sister on the team, but the kid will probably go up to Varsity.

Wow we do hate HS. I know parents who move over the softball situation, or think of ways to get into magnet schools or write a letter to the school board. You should do something because it will kill your blood pressure as you are now.

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As mentioned in the other thread, two of the three HS head coaches in our immediate area have at least one daughter in the HS softball program. As I said, these red flags mentioned here are not just prevalent on TB teams, but can also be prevalent in HS softball. Just sayin'

I think OILF is right that parents coaching their kids in HS is the exception rather than the rule though I could be wrong about that.

HS coaching in all sports may have the problem of attracting qualified coaches and not just a teacher who needs the stipend that comes with the sport but daddy ball isn't usually one of the problems in most areas.

My dd is right now on a club team w either 4 or 5 pitchers. Since we just started practicing, I honestly do not know what number pitcher she is. We are playing w the #1 pitcher from last year who does push my daughter to practice harder. I kind of like the challenge!!! There are no daddy ball coaches this year and my dd is going to be totally accountable for herself! No mound time - practice harder. And if you do get a chance - pitch like you know how to!!! My dd is 13 and we are preparing ourselves to let go.

I'm also a big believer in we have 3 pitchers - who is on today??? Not who is #1 or #2. One team last year teed off on our #1 pitcher but couldn't hit my dd for the life of them. Does that make my dd better? No - it was just utilizing your pitchers against the right teams... Variety is good!!! IMHO

Sweet Lou said:

I think OILF is right that parents coaching their kids in HS is the exception rather than the rule though I could be wrong about that.

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Maybe overall it is the exception, but as I said, two of the three head coaches here in our immediate area are daddy coaches. I'm not saying that I completely oppose it. Sometimes the best people available for the job is a parent. That seems to be the case here.