Varsity Roster..cutting girls

[FPMark]

IMO during the regular season every kid on the Varsity bench that isn't fufilling an every day role is a liability. Now the every day role could be CR, DP, pinch hitter, pinch runner so I might want 2-3 kids more than the minimum 9. Any kid that sits an entire game without contributing is going to be bitter, no one gets into sports to watch, and if they are good enough to be your next best player, they should be playing JV every game to get better, not watching other girls play.

We play JV simultaneously as Varsity and at the same sites. So any kid you need as a "sub" for Varsity is 100 feet away starting on the JV team if you need them in case of injury or because someone isn't performing that day. Not uncommon to see a kid yanked(even in the middle of an at bat) from a JV game to go over to sub into a Varsity game when needed.

So if you had 16 Junior and senior players, like JBG, you would cut 6 or 7 of them (possibly more, depending on freshman and sophmore talent)?

 

[SnocatzDad]

I am not a HS coach but if it were up to me.... If they are seniors that can't start or fill a role (DH, CR, etc..) yes I would cut them. If they are juniors and they look like they could contribute the following year but can't start this year, I would put on JV, if they are juniors and aren't good enough to start on JV then I would cut. Fresh and Sophs that can't start go to JV or below depending on where they fit as starters, in general playing above your grade level is only meaningful if your a starter. We have 10th grade and freshman teams here. My best guess for this year based on knowledge of the HS coach and kids, we will start three seniors, two juniors, one sophomore, three freshman and one eigth grader with two of the freshman bouncing between LF and CR. 5 of those kids were starters for Varsity last year and only 1 of the 10 (LF/CR freshman) was not on at least JV by the end of the season, so it seems to be a relatively stable system where you replace 3-4 graduating seniors every year with 3-4 kids that played at least JV the year before and maybe 1 wildcard that makes it directly to Varsity without playing JV first.

 

[BB875]

I believe too many kids in the dug out is a cancer to the team. They serve little purpose if they never get in the game. I don't care if they are Juniors or Seniors. Positions should be earned. So, if I coached HS I would have 13 and no more. I would always like to get a few young ones that are hungry to push the starters.

I coach TB and I have 11 on my team. That's it. Any more is an issue. If I run into injuries or conflicts, I can draw from other teams in our organization or contact a kid or two and consider it a mid-season try out. Get a kid on board as a fill-in player a few times and maybe she will get a full time spot next season. If you are proactive, it works out. IMHO.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

I believe too many kids in the dug out is a cancer to the team. They serve little purpose if they never get in the game. I don't care if they are Juniors or Seniors. Positions should be earned. So, if I coached HS I would have 13 and no more. I would always like to get a few young ones that are hungry to push the starters.

Jv and varsity should be a separate entity. 13 is way too short. If you are in a competitive HS area you want a fresh varsity team to take the field. Not one that just faced a poor jv pitcher and played an hour or more in the heat in a game that has no meaning towards playoffs and state.

 

[BB875]

In our area varsity and JV are two entirely separate teams.

 

[bbmarie]

You cut kids to teach them life lessons. As an adult, if you really want a job and you try really hard at it but you just aren't any good at it should you be able to keep that job? The answer is NO! Keeping kids that just aren't up to the skill level necessary to be an active part of the team only punishes every one out on the field. Having those extra 10 or so girls takes away so much time from the rest of the girls during practice. The coaches aren't going to ignore them, so it just takes up their precious practice time. Its also doing a disservice to the girls that shouldn't be on the team because it is occupying their time with something they aren't successful in rather than give them that free time to figure out something else that they like and actually excel in.

Not to mention the fact that you have to buy uniforms for all of those girls! Bottom line, life doesn't give you hand outs....we shouldn't be teaching our kids that it does.

I carry 12-15 on Varsity and 12-15 on JV. If you have a lot more girls that are trying out then you start a "C" team.

 

[PEPPERS]

In the past I felt you should cut to the bare minimum to devote more time to the ones that will be playing the games.

There is a HS team up the road with a terrific female coach who cuts no one and they are state champs the past 2 years and finished second the 3 years before; they lost one game in the past 2 years a close game to the AAAA state champions. They also have a b-team who could beat most varsity teams. I don't know the numbers, but they have a large bench.

It is a small A school with less than a 100 seniors.

 

[rowdy]

Most colleges carry no less than 20 players and many of them will never see the field. You need more to have a good practice than you do play a game so if you have a uniform you might as well give it to some one.

 

[coachtucc]

I agree with you to some extent...but the problem i see is those older girls who are seniors, who have no chance of playing are usually those with the parents that grumble because they think their DD should be playing just because they are seniors. When younger players are clearly better already and have more potential to become even better with more playing time.

Those parents that often fill the stands are the ones complaining about the coaches and muttering about how these younger kids (including my DD and others) shouldnt be playing. To me this doesnt create a very good supportive "team atmosphere". Often i hear the coaches complaining about such parents after those parents tried to talk to the coaches.

I had a senior that was a starter her Junior Year ( I wasn't the the coach). I started her for 10 games. After those 10 games she was hitting 150 with 2 walks and a contact percentage of 325. I sat her and told her why and played a sophomore. Her father, after the game, said.."Coach you know she is a senior and should start over an underclassman" I told him that she wasn't hitting and that I needed to play someone else. I showed him his daughter's stats. His reply was.."But she is a senior"!!

 

[RayR]

Same story for me....had a SR batting 150 and just plain mailed it in.....especially on defense....played a freshman in her place and we started winning games....senior quit and the parents went on a witch hunt.....all the senior had to do was put in an honest effort and I would have stuck with her....long story short is that I will never be a head coach at a HS again....the politics are out of control....parents are totally unrealistic wrt their daughter's ability and work ethic....and don't mind making phone calls and writing letters....lol

I had a senior that was a starter her Junior Year ( I wasn't the the coach). I started her for 10 games. After those 10 games she was hitting 150 with 2 walks and a contact percentage of 325. I sat her and told her why and played a sophomore. Her father, after the game, said.."Coach you know she is a senior and should start over an underclassman" I told him that she wasn't hitting and that I needed to play someone else. I showed him his daughter's stats. His reply was.."But she is a senior"!!