15 on a roster?

[YOCOACH]

You want input? Okay, here it goes. I have had everything from 11 to 17 players on my old rec teams. No matter the number, I always got them in to play for a minimum of 3 innings no matter what that meant. What it comes down to is rec ball, even at the all-star level is about individual player time, player development, and most of all, fun. If parents have a problem with losing, have their kids play TB and when they can't compete and play at that level, maybe they'll shut their pie holes because even the best TB teams lose every once in awhile and the lesser ones lose more than many rec ball teams. Sometimes some parents just need a high-five....in the face.

Edit to Add: Sorry....As many on here know, I don't handle stupidity very well. It's not the OP, it's the parents that are ignorant about the situations IMO.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

I was asking for opinions and input. I have never had a team with 15 and some here have. I wanted to gauge whether it was worth talking the the HC about releasing to B team or just leave it alone.

How many are on the B team? You can't drop 4 players to that team if they're at 11-12. In your OP, you said "He left our B team without enough talent to do much or make it worth playing." I'd try to identify candidates that would fill B team needs.

In the end, if he doesn't want input then that's his choice. Just looking for some shared experience.

We had 12 on our 10U team and we went 19-6 in 5 tourneys with 1 1st, 2 2nd and 2 3rd place finishes while almost always batting the entire roster. I kept the stats and can pretty much reconstruct our batting order by listing the players in descending order of their PAs - leadoff had 75 and the bottom of the order had 55.

IME you should be able to give a significant number of PAs to all the players and still be competitive. I'd strive to give everyone with a good attitude and effort around half what the top players get. You should be able to do that between pool games and easier first round games. It would be a lot easier to do if you can get down to 12-13 players.

 

[Red504]

How many are on the B team? You can't drop 4 players to that team if they're at 11-12. In your OP, you said "He left our B team without enough talent to do much or make it worth playing." I'd try to identify candidates that would fill B team needs.


We had 12 on our 10U team and we went 19-6 in 5 tourneys with 1 1st, 2 2nd and 2 3rd place finishes while almost always batting the entire roster. I kept the stats and can pretty much reconstruct our batting order by listing the players in descending order of their PAs - leadoff had 75 and the bottom of the order had 55.

IME you should be able to give a significant number of PAs to all the players and still be competitive. I'd strive to give everyone with a good attitude and effort around half what the top players get. You should be able to do that between pool games and easier first round games. It would be a lot easier to do if you can get down to 12-13 players.

B team doesn't have enough for a team at this point. They have about 6 from what I heard. I am just gonna stick to my role as a coach and hope these girls have a good summer. If nothing else they will have fun playing softball with their friends and that's what it's about anyways.

 

[Red504]

You want input? Okay, here it goes. I have had everything from 11 to 17 players on my old rec teams. No matter the number, I always got them in to play for a minimum of 3 innings no matter what that meant. What it comes down to is rec ball, even at the all-star level is about individual player time, player development, and most of all, fun. If parents have a problem with losing, have their kids play TB and when they can't compete and play at that level, maybe they'll shut their pie holes because even the best TB teams lose every once in awhile and the lesser ones lose more than many rec ball teams. Sometimes some parents just need a high-five....in the face.

Edit to Add: Sorry....As many on here know, I don't handle stupidity very well. It's not the OP, it's the parents that are ignorant about the situations IMO.

I agree on the crazy parents part. I have seen people lose their mind because their kid made an error that was scored as an error. That's what they do at this age. As far as travel, some of these girls play that also. Our team from past two years can hand a few of these travel teams around here their butt. Of course we are not talking top level travel teams. The level of some of our rec all star teams would probably surprise you.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

We have 5 tournaments (4-5 days long).

You are going to lose some families, who aren't really into spending this much time and money, at tournaments. It is going to be a wake up call for the parents. I would guess at 10U, you will need 3 catchers and 4 pitchers, for a schedule like that.

So, maybe the coach is crazy like a fox. He may be thinking "take everyone and let them weed themselves out."

 

[Red504]

Yeah and I'm sure some have vacations planned. Looks like one dropped on her own to go to the B team already. 4 pitchers and two catchers are gonna be needed. The core group is was committed. We will see how it goes. Hard playing in 110 degree heat also, so maybe he figures he will keep some of them fresh for subs.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Are you sure you're playing 5 tournaments that are 4-5 days apiece? How many games are you guaranteed in each of those?

I agree with some of the wisdom shared with you so far, but disagree with other advice that's been presented. It's good to hear you're down to 14 now and if you're lucky, you'll be down to 12 by Monday. It's hard to manage 14, but it's doable. Our local league rosters 14 as well, because the main tournament for them (not counting Nationals) has a 12-player mandate and all must play. The assumption is that 1-2 may be injured or have family commitments, etc that may keep them from playing. It normally works out well.

I disagree with those who are suggesting that playing time ought to be relatively equal in 10u All-stars. Equal playing time is what the rec season is for. Learning to compete for more playing time is what All-stars is for.

If your top 5 batters are clearly better hitters than the remaining 9, then they should pretty much always be in the lineup. Exceptions would be games that are clearly out of reach in either direction. Rotate the other 9 as best you can.

I like the idea of giving every kid a full game in pool play, but that's not something every coach agrees with. I think it goes a long way to building team chemistry as well as making sure player development is a part of your program. Regardless of age, development has to be a primary goal and players need field time to get it.

 

[Red504]

Yeah they are all 4-5 day tournaments. Usually pool play Thursday/Friday and brackets Saturday into Sunday morning. Championship is Sunday afternoon. Some have even started Wednesday or have Championship on Monday night.