Bucketmom
Psycho for softball!
Other than accuracy and speed what do high school and college coaches look for in a pitcher?
Any High school or college coaches ?
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I'm not a HS or college coach, but I'll offer my opinion based on family pitching experience. HS you'll be able to get by with only a few of these traits, that will give you a few years to complete and build your list for college.
No particular order:
Grades ( even being the best pitcher in the country doesnt help a coach if you're ineligible to play )
Control
Command ( its different than control )
Decent speed
At least one off speed and/or change up pitch
At least one breaking pitch
Can you still manufacture outs when your best stuff isn't working
Low walks
Composer when you get in a jam
Working ahead in counts
Attitude ( individual and with the teammates )
Leadership
Don't fall apart when pulled
Be ready to go in ( relief )
Neatness ( don't go on the field with your shirt half way tucked in )
Pre game routine ( serious / horse playing )
Communication and listening skills
Mechanics ( legal / illegal / safe )
Coach-ability
No particular order:
Grades ( even being the best pitcher in the country doesnt help a coach if you're ineligible to play )
Control
Command ( its different than control )
Decent speed
At least one off speed and/or change up pitch
At least one breaking pitch
Can you still manufacture outs when your best stuff isn't working
Low walks
Composer when you get in a jam
Working ahead in counts
Attitude ( individual and with the teammates )
Leadership
Don't fall apart when pulled
Be ready to go in ( relief )
Neatness ( don't go on the field with your shirt half way tucked in )
Pre game routine ( serious / horse playing )
Communication and listening skills
Mechanics ( legal / illegal / safe )
Coach-ability
There are different levels of high school ball. Some high school coaches would just like to have a pitcher who can throw strikes, while other coaches have a multiple A-level TB pitchers on their teams. Good high school programs are usually blessed with TB players who play year round, not necessarily because the coach is great.....
- Apr 11, 2012
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that is quite a list and very accurrate.....all of it's true for college bound pitchers, well unless a girl can run it up 65+ and has one other pitch....if that's the case those college coaches will go all Colonel Jessup on them and will "train the lasses" for some of the listed characteristics....for HS pitchers, obviously there would be some compromise for half those traits / skills listed....
my big thing is "are they gamers?".....
Bucketmom
Psycho for softball!
What do you mean by "are they gamers"?
Also, other than covering HP does the pitcher need to run all over the field to cover all the other bases?
Also, other than covering HP does the pitcher need to run all over the field to cover all the other bases?
Our pitcher covers home on a passed ball with a runner on 3rd, and covers 3B on a bunt that the 3B fields with a runner on 1B. Those are the only scenarios where the pitcher covers a base - our pitchers never cover 1B or 2B.
Gamers: Some pitchers have great stuff in terms of skill but are mentally not pitchers. Great pitchers find a way to get outs and win games even when there pitches are not working - they understand how to get a batter out as much as they know how to pitch. They also don't let being hit effect how they pitch mentally - or a fielders error effect how they approach the game.
To me, all these things are part of being a gamer from Goingdeep's list:
Can you still manufacture outs when your best stuff isn't working
Composure when you get in a jam
Attitude ( individual and with the teammates )
Leadership
Don't fall apart when pulled
Be ready to go in ( relief )
Neatness ( don't go on the field with your shirt half way tucked in )
Pre game routine ( serious / horse playing )
Communication and listening skills
Some level of decent speed and solid accuracy/location are a given for any pitcher going into college. You see the CWS and think everyone is throwing 65+ and it just isn't the case. Outside the top 20 programs or so and in the lower divisions there are lots of pitchers who are sub-60mph. For every 2.00 ERA pitcher there are pitchers giving up 4.00+. Check out the big ten stats for last season: BIG TEN CONFERENCE Official Athletic Site - Softball An interesting read.
My DD's Pitching Coach coached D1 for 12 years. She said she wants to see from a pitcher:
- An elite 'goto' non-fastpall pitch. Basically an 'out' pitch (note: not necessarily a strikeout pitch)
- At least one non-fastball pitches which routinely helps set up the 'goto' pitch
- Mental attitude/gamer/whatever you call it. Basically 'presence'
- More than one plan if plan 'A' isn't working to get batters out (no one-trick ponies).
- and good speed, location control and low walks...
A 4.0 and high SAT will at least get your name put in the right pile.
My DD coaches HS. She said she looks for a skill set that includes:
(1) Speed
(2) Movement
(3) Ability to change speeds.
(4) Location.
She also says she pays a lot of attention to the pitcher when the pitcher is throwing batting practice. She is looking for the pitcher's reaction to being hit. The deck is stacked against the pitcher in batting practice, so the pitcher will almost certainly get hit hard. Does the pitcher "mope"? Does the pitcher give up or does the pitcher try to find another way to get the batter to swing and miss? Is the pitcher mentally engaged in pitching? Or is she just along for the ride?
The gamer mentality GD is speaking of is that the pitcher enjoys the pitching game and she realizes that her job is to get the batter out. She does not like losing, but accepts that she will lose sometimes. She isn't going to go nuts when she loses. When she is knocked down six times, she gets up seven.
(1) Speed
(2) Movement
(3) Ability to change speeds.
(4) Location.
She also says she pays a lot of attention to the pitcher when the pitcher is throwing batting practice. She is looking for the pitcher's reaction to being hit. The deck is stacked against the pitcher in batting practice, so the pitcher will almost certainly get hit hard. Does the pitcher "mope"? Does the pitcher give up or does the pitcher try to find another way to get the batter to swing and miss? Is the pitcher mentally engaged in pitching? Or is she just along for the ride?
The gamer mentality GD is speaking of is that the pitcher enjoys the pitching game and she realizes that her job is to get the batter out. She does not like losing, but accepts that she will lose sometimes. She isn't going to go nuts when she loses. When she is knocked down six times, she gets up seven.
I am only a MS and TB coach, but one biggie for me is that she have a strong work ethic.
