Just quit HS team

I've seen Varsity team take catchers only to warm up pitchers. Thats right. They were called "warm up catchers". That was their only roll on the team.....

BobInMadison said:

I didn't say it. DD 3 does believe she is the best pitcher in that HS. I have seen all of the pitchers pitch, and she may or may not be correct.

They have enough pitching in varsity that she might not pitch at all, and certainly would not wear out her arm.

I've seen some girls stuck onto the JV team as sophomores to pitch or catch, when they were better players than many on Varsity. All of them quit pitching or catching by the end of their HS career anyway.

DD 3 would've been happy to play in the OF, or the IF. She is a great utility player. In fall ball, where they used coaches not hired by the HS, the coaches would often take out one of the Varsity starters and put DD 3 in their place to reduce the number of errors.

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Thanks for clearing that up...it's always a hard decision and I have seen HS decisions made on who the kids parents are versus actual talent or just coaches personalities, it is sad but does happen. Just always hard decision my DD really was just a average player on JV for several years but then had the opportunity to play varsity as a senior and just for whatever reason decided against it, mostly conflict with coach (but because of talent coach would have taken her regardless)..but she looks back on it and regrets it now.

BobInMadison said:

I have no idea what makes this particular coach favor one player over another.

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I was staying away from this thread, this made me laugh. No idea, let me know if you figure it out.

gamommax3 said:

If she wore out her arm last year as JV, I am sure they would do it again this year. Honestly, sounds like they needed a pitcher on JV so they put her there.

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This is probably the root cause. We hear a lot on DFP this time of year about HS cuts and who the coach's favorites are. I'm sure some of that goes on, but experienced teachers (my dad was a teacher and a coach for 30 years) tend not to get that emotionally invested. Every player is just passing through.

More often than not, they're making practical decisions like the one described above -- Varsity has three pitchers, JV is weak, we need to field a team at JV that won't drive next year's players out of the game. Practical decisions can also mean that a Senior who has been a part of the program for four years is going to get that starting spot, even when there is a better sophomore available. Why? Because it might be the Senior's last chance to play and being involved in your school as a Senior is more important than winning a few softball games.

Travel is the place where there is a true meritocracy, and it's also (not coincidentally) where the best players get recruited to play in college. BobInMadison's DD3 probably made the right call, insofar as she would be expected to bear too much of the load at JV. If she's good enough for Varsity, and didn't burn any bridges, I would suspect that there's a place for her as an upperclassman.

..............................................

BobInMadison said:

I already got an email from the coach inviting DD 3 to try out for varsity next year, saying skipping this year won't be held against her. Whether that is true or not, and whether DD 3 will stick around to find out, is another matter.

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That's great to hear, hopefully she'll get to play with her school friends next year. Don't lose sight of what djcarter1966 just posted:

djcarter1966 said:

..but she looks back on it and regrets it now.

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Time for DD to dominate in travel ball. I'd like to see the look on the Varsity Coach's face when your DD signs her letter of intent.

ArmyStrong said:

Time for DD to dominate in travel ball. I'd like to see the look on the Varsity Coach's face when your DD signs her letter of intent.

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Don't be so sure there will be any change in that coach's expression (face).

Doug Romrell said:

Don't be so sure there will be any change in that coach's expression (face).

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Em's (DD's) HS team had a Junior pitcher that was much better, in everyone's opinion, than the Senior Pitcher, other than the newly minted HC and her father who happened to be the SB Booster club President. Towards the end of the year, after riding the Senior all year long and watching her go from the high 50's with good movement down to the low 50's and no movement, she went to the HC and asked for a start or even a couple of innings to give the Senior a break and to work with my DD (starting catcher) in game situations. She was told, "You're not good enough to ever be the starting pitcher on this team."

Since then, she transferred HS and went on to sign her NLI at a mid-major D1 as a pitcher, set the HR record for her conference as well as setting the strikeout record in it. They also had a field of 8 Senior TB players and could have made a real run at States.

Meanwhile, the Senior pitcher never got one offer from a college and they were stuck with a Freshman rec-ball pitcher that had no business being in a V HS circle. The team went 2-26 last season. Thankfully, DD decided not to play last year.

Do you think the HS HC batted an eye? Nope.

YOCOACH said:

Em's (DD's) HS team had a Junior pitcher that was much better, in everyone's opinion, than the Senior Pitcher, other than the newly minted HC and her father who happened to be the SB Booster club President. Towards the end of the year, after riding the Senior all year long and watching her go from the high 50's with good movement down to the low 50's and no movement, she went to the HC and asked for a start or even a couple of innings to give the Senior a break and to work with my DD (starting catcher) in game situations. She was told, "You're not good enough to ever be the starting pitcher on this team."

Since then, she transferred HS and went on to sign her NLI at a mid-major D1 as a pitcher, set the HR record for her conference as well as setting the strikeout record in it. They also had a field of 8 Senior TB players and could have made a real run at States.

Meanwhile, the Senior pitcher never got one offer from a college and they were stuck with a Freshman rec-ball pitcher that had no business being in a V HS circle. The team went 2-26 last season. Thankfully, DD decided not to play last year.

Do you think the HS HC batted an eye? Nope.

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YOCOACH that’s just insane!


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