Follow up with coach after injury

We're at a showcase this past weekend. Coach has seen DD play several times over the summer and fall. Pitched and hit well, plus plays outfield and made some nice catches when they were watching. Went to their fall camp and discussed inviting DD for visit to attend football game and hang with the team. Saturday afternoon had freak accident where DD rolled her ankle on uneven surface. Sunday the college coach showed up and her performance wasn't as good as it has been...had hard time pitching as it was her plant foot when pitching, velocity was down and not as effective pitching. Did good hitting but had hard time running.

So my question is how to to follow up with the college coach. What do we tell them? Not looking for excuses to tell coach, just want to be honest with them. Saturday pitched well, hit well including home run.

IMO the player and parents should say nothing about the rolled ankle to the college coach. If your dd had a hard time running it was probably obvious. Does the college coach talk to the TB coach? If so it was probably brought up in their conversation if the college coach asked what was wrong with your dd. You do not want to give the impression that your dd has an excuse for her play. College softball is a grind. Many players play throughout the season with some form of slight to semi-moderate injury, and playing through an injury shows your dd's grit to the college coach.

Why in the world did she attempt to play? What was accomplished? I would have her follow up with the coach in the course of her regular communication.

Hindsight being 20/20 might have did some different things. TB coach gave her the choice to pitch. She looked good during warm ups and she said she was good to go. Think she was favoring it'd urging the game. She emails the college coach on a regular basis and calls her occasionally. She was going to do her normal weekly recap email and then call the coach later in the week. Like I mentioned above, she had done well at all their previous camps and tournaments when coach was watching. I'm hoping they just recognized she was favoring it and put "2 & 2" together so to speak. Can't go back and change anything so can mark this up as "lesson learned". Appreciate the feedback.

I have found that players that are all in and have that something special will always tell you they are just fine right up to the time they pass out from blood loss.

DiamondDad316 said:

Hindsight being 20/20 might have did some different things. TB coach gave her the choice to pitch. She looked good during warm ups and she said she was good to go. Think she was favoring it'd urging the game. She emails the college coach on a regular basis and calls her occasionally. She was going to do her normal weekly recap email and then call the coach later in the week. Like I mentioned above, she had done well at all their previous camps and tournaments when coach was watching. I'm hoping they just recognized she was favoring it and put "2 & 2" together so to speak. Can't go back and change anything so can mark this up as "lesson learned". Appreciate the feedback.

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This whole journey if anything like ours will be chocked full of lessons learned! My DD had good weekends and BAD weekends. The best advice she got from her pitching coach on emails after a bad weekend is no excuses just like you said. Be factual like Saturday I pitched x innings, gave up x hits and x earned runs etc. and then Sunday I did xxxx. And then show that she is thinking about adjustments especially after a bad weekend. Something like I was unable to locate my riseball so I will be working on adjustments this week with my PC and I look forward to next week! I will be playing in xxxxx and here is my schedule.

You are showing she is honest. Not just getting emails after good weekends. That she recognizes what was causing the issue and that she will work on it and she is already focused on her next games. In our experience and it took me a while to understand this, the college coaches are as interested in how your DD deals with adversity as much as her great weekends. Hope that makes sense and good luck!

You said she pitched well so you just say that...along with stats. If she is hitting HRs with a bum ankle it can't be all bad.

If the TB coach has any dialogue with college coach, that would be the person to provide an input like..."Suzy really came through for us, even with a tapped up ankle recovering from slight sprain she was solid in the circle and helped her cause with a HR." If the coach does not ever talk to college coach don't have him send something like this only if it is something he normally does.