5th Place USA B Western Nationals

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Jan 22, 2011
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I can't be prouder of my DD's team this year. 6-2 record at 12u B Western Nationals, tied for 5th place. Beat the #1 and #2 finishing teams from So Cal States. They were literally one bad bounce away from finishing higher.

15-3 overall record against SoCal teams, including a 2nd place finish at the PYL tournament and a championship at the La Habra tournament.

Overall summer record was 49-3, with all three losses coming against Southern California teams.

Undefeated in USSSA play.

Record for entire year was 71-9-1, with the 6 losses not against So Cal teams coming in PGF tournaments.

I had the honor of being added to the coaching staff at the beginning of May. I was the only coach with a daughter who pitched, but she was still the P4.

I am very proud of my daughter. She barely got to pitch this year, but was fine with that, because she knew the other 3 pitchers were better than her. She played less than 6 innings at her best position, 1B, but understood her team needed her in the outfield, and needed to hide a bat at 1B. The last month or so of the season, she only caught as a bullpen and practice catcher, but she put her teams needs ahead of her desires.

She worked hard on her hitting and was the #3 hitter from father's day on.

This team truly was a 'Band of Sisters', and my life is richer for having been their assistant coach, even if only for 3 months.
 
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Nov 29, 2009
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Congrats to your DD. However, it sounds like the team was done a disservice by the HC. With that record it looks like they have the talent to play A level ball and compete at that level.
 
Jan 22, 2011
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This team is a home grown team from a Northern California rec league of about 170 girls, with 4 teams per age division, 6u-12u. Only two girls didn't play for them last summer. My daughter, and a 2006 from the league. They lost two players from their team last summer to A ball.

We attempted to play more PGF events, but a couple got rained out this spring. We traveled to Orange County twice to play SoCal 12u-B tournaments. We attempted to schedule scrimmages against 6 Northern California 12u-A teams, but they didn't want to play us. We played 3 USSSA tournaments against teams that called themselves A teams, and went undefeated.

In a tournament against the best rec league all-star teams in Southern California, we finished 5th. Should we have tried to schedule one or two tougher tournaments? Yes.

They followed USA softball rules to form a rec league based B team in Northern California. Our 2nd 12u team got bumped from C to B two weeks before the Nor Cal championships, and made it to the championship game to lose against us. The league and coaches had a vision to convince girls to stay with their rec league through 2nd 12u to compete for their town at Western Nationals. It's unfortunate that most other Nor Cal leagues didn't have that vision and commitment, and lost more of their stronger players to so-called A teams. Their HC was able to convince his 3 good pitchers from the 2017 team to put off going to A ball for one more year. Most other leagues lost their 2005 P1s to A ball.
 
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May 24, 2013
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So Cal
The league and coaches had a vision to convince girls to stay with their rec league through 2nd 12u to compete for their town at Western Nationals. It's unfortunate that most other Nor Cal leagues didn't have that vision and commitment, and lost more of their stronger players to so-called A teams.

There was a time when I had an attitude similar to this about our rec league. I thought more should be done to keep the talented players, and the league should put more focus on supporting the development of those players. I was irritated that the league didn't want to take that approach. After we made the move to TB, I realized how wrong I was. Rec leagues are for learning the game, having fun with friends, and learning some good lessons from playing on a team sport. For the majority of rec players, that's all it needs to be, and the league should focus on making that experience as positive as possible. Good players will rise up, and there will be a time for them to move on to where they can continue to develop among players of a similar level. (IMO, YMMV)
 
Feb 7, 2013
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Congrats! I think you beat our 12U team from my DD's old rec league by scoring 5 runs in the 7th and winning in extra innings? Great comeback but lots of heartbreak for the losing team. That's softball. Nationals is a great experience, some years ago we made it to the 10U championship game, was a lot of fun and a magical season.
 
Jan 22, 2011
1,610
113
There was a time when I had an attitude similar to this about our rec league. I thought more should be done to keep the talented players, and the league should put more focus on supporting the development of those players. I was irritated that the league didn't want to take that approach. After we made the move to TB, I realized how wrong I was. Rec leagues are for learning the game, having fun with friends, and learning some good lessons from playing on a team sport. For the majority of rec players, that's all it needs to be, and the league should focus on making that experience as positive as possible. Good players will rise up, and there will be a time for them to move on to where they can continue to develop among players of a similar level. (IMO, YMMV)
Eric,

I have a long, philosophical reply in my head, but I just got back from Camarillo a couple hours ago and am dealing with some fall ball issues with the rec league I left last fall because of some 2005 parents being nasty to my daughter because they were jealous of her abilities. Now that those folks have aged out, I've foolishly agreed to come back on the board, even though my daughter is definitely going to A ball this fall.

Some bullet points-
1) On the drive up 101 this morning, I talked with my coaching mentor buddy, the guy who got me coaching in 2005. We coach not to win softball games, that is a nice side effect of what we do, when it happens. We coach and volunteer to be board members of leagues to teach girls how to win at life, from lessons they learn as we teach them to play softball.

2) In general, most rec league board members are parents of highly enthusiastic players, who tend to be strong players. If most of them leave after 2nd year 10u, who runs the rec leagues to give an opportunity for the next generation of 6u and 8u players? At least 4, if not 5, parents on my DD's team this year were board members of the league. If they had moved on to A ball last year, who would run the league?

3) I may be crazy for volunteering to be VP after how my daughter was treated and has now aged out, but almost half of the local AYSO league's board was composed of people whose daughters have aged out, the last time I checked.

More thoughts later.
 
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Jan 22, 2011
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WAGS? Good team. We beat them 5-2, my DD struggled against them, but got a hit her last at bat to get on base to be scored to pull ahead 4-2. Our leadoff hitter is my ideal leadoff, I call them shock and awe hitters. Great speed, great baserunning IQ, can bunt, and can hit for power. She hit one over the center field fence to tie it when we were down 0-2.

This was my DD's first trip to Western Nationals, but 4th trip for this team. Our coaches have the utmost respect for PYL, WAGS, and Bonita Valley.

Congrats! I think you beat our 12U team from my DD's old rec league by scoring 5 runs in the 7th and winning in extra innings? Great comeback but lots of heartbreak for the losing team. That's softball. Nationals is a great experience, some years ago we made it to the 10U championship game, was a lot of fun and a magical season.
 
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
WAGS? Good team. We beat them 5-2, my DD struggled against them, but got a hit her last at bat to get on base to be scored to pull ahead 4-2. Our leadoff hitter is my ideal leadoff, I call them shock and awe hitters. Great speed, great baserunning IQ, can bunt, and can hit for power. She hit one over the center field fence to tie it when we were down 0-2.

This was my DD's first trip to Western Nationals, but 4th trip for this team. Our coaches have the utmost respect for PYL, WAGS, and Bonita Valley.

Nope, West Walley. It was NorCal Spirit that beat them in extra innings. You beat WV 4-2 in early brackey play. Great job. The 12U champions from Rancho Trabuco always have strong teams.
 
Jan 22, 2011
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Nope, West Walley. It was NorCal Spirit that beat them in extra innings. You beat WV 4-2 in early brackey play. Great job. The 12U champions from Rancho Trabuco always have strong teams.

We beat Rancho in pool play, so that is a small consolation to coming in 5th, since they won it all. My DD got three of their pins. She wasn't amused when I told her last night they would be a collector's item.

Ah.... Heard a lot all year about how tough West Valley was going to be when we played them. DD did better against West Valley. Laid down a beautiful bunt her first at bat, but the ball rolled into the bat where she dropped it, so she was out. 2nd at bat she got a single to left field. Our #5 hitter got a single so my DD scored the first run. 3rd at bat the LF made a beautiful catch on a ball that should of dropped in front of her... caught the ball with her glove on the ground.

My DD got star of the game and our HC gave the LF star of the game.

Morgan Hill Spirit Elite is our Nor Cal nemesis we have a mostly friendly rivalry with, my DD since 8u. One of our only losses this year was a pool play game in our first (PGF) tournament of the year where my DD went in to pitch the last two innings in a 0-0 game and we lost 2-1 to them. In Nor Cal championships 2017 my DD pitched the game which knocked them out of Nor Cals.
 
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Jan 22, 2011
1,610
113
There was a time when I had an attitude similar to this about our rec league. I thought more should be done to keep the talented players, and the league should put more focus on supporting the development of those players. I was irritated that the league didn't want to take that approach. After we made the move to TB, I realized how wrong I was. Rec leagues are for learning the game, having fun with friends, and learning some good lessons from playing on a team sport. For the majority of rec players, that's all it needs to be, and the league should focus on making that experience as positive as possible. Good players will rise up, and there will be a time for them to move on to where they can continue to develop among players of a similar level. (IMO, YMMV)

Eric,

I think I'm starting to come around to your point of view. Run the best player development program we can for the rec girls and run the best All-Star program we can from the girls that stick around, but when they are ready to move on to A ball, wish them the best and be proud we did the best we could to prepare them for A-ball. But I want to be able to give the parents good information so they can make informed decisions about what teams are good matches for their DDs.

We never got a chance to go out for tacos and beers when I was down there the first week in June. Southwest is having a sale again. Maybe once my DD's schedule is out for the fall, I can fly down for the day to the closest airport to where Maddie is playing and Double L has the weekend off. That way we can have more than a 5 minute conversation when I am suppose to be the dugout coach. I owe you a lot of tacos.

Will send you an email.
 
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