Pitcher who is our only catcher

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NBECoach

Learning everyday
Aug 9, 2018
408
63
Our HS season begins in the spring but we did get a preview of many of the incoming Freshmen in Fall Ball who will comprise the JV next year. We will have 2 pitchers that are decent but not dominant. The ball will be in play. The issue is the #2 pitcher is also the #1 and only experienced catcher on the team as the JV catchers from last year are moving to Varsity. So unless there was an incoming catcher we were unaware of who did not play fall ball, somehow we need to draft/convince/ask for a volunteer to try catching.

However the rules prohibit sport specific contact (no instruction) between HS coaches and players out of season once school starts. I was thinking of contacting the 3 TB coaches whose players will comprise most of the team and see if they aware of another catcher who is an incoming freshman to our HS.

We get 1 week of practices prior to playing our first HS game and will need that to develop a catcher if there is no alternative. And obviously the #2 pitcher will need to pitch during the season. So I ask you coaches what would you do in this situation?
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
Is there a #3 pitcher?
As a freshman DD pitched 21 of 23 games and her catcher caught all 23. Together they took the team to semis of states (6A top division in our state). #2 pitcher logged 7 innings.
HS is different than travel. Usually 1 pitcher carries the load.
 

Josh Greer

DFP Vendor
Jul 31, 2013
934
93
Central Missouri
...or a #2 SS who can learn to catch? I'm a big fan of "catchers". But sometimes you have to do with what you have. That often means using players who can catch.
 

NBECoach

Learning everyday
Aug 9, 2018
408
63
Is there a #3 pitcher?
As a freshman DD pitched 21 of 23 games and her catcher caught all 23. Together they took the team to semis of states (6A top division in our state). #2 pitcher logged 7 innings.
HS is different than travel. Usually 1 pitcher carries the load.

As far as I know there is not a viable #3 pitcher. There will be games where the #1 will get hit and will need to be taken out as she is still developing but is farther along then the #2 pitcher/#1 catcher. That's when the issue of a #2 catcher will come into play.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
As far as I know there is not a viable #3 pitcher. There will be games where the #1 will get hit and will need to be taken out as she is still developing but is farther along then the #2 pitcher/#1 catcher. That's when the issue of a #2 catcher will come into play.

If you only have developing pitchers then you will be able to to take one of your top athletes and put them at catcher. It is not like you are expecting them to frame the ball or throw out someone stealing regularly - you just need them to be reasonable at receiving and a decent athlete can do that - especially one that has been playing softball and seen what happens. It wont be like they have no idea what a catcher does. We have more pitchers than catchers on our HS squad, and the pitchers often warm up by pitching to each other.

Seems like you know pretty much who will be on the JV team and which travel teams they are on, so give them the heads up now. They might not get to catch in a game during travel but they can start by warming pitchers up, catching them in practices, etc.
 
This is why I have taught my dd to refuse to be a catcher. What will happen to your team is coach will pitch #1 until she is done while #2 pitcher catches. Then when #2 pitcher is worn out from catching he will put her in to pitch. She will be tired exhibit bad form and he will crawl her and tell her she can’t pitch. The only way it will work is to start the catcher at pitcher. Which you see where the season is going if she is not the best pitcher. My son got burned by this situation I refuse to let it happen to dd. Even if she would be the best catcher she wants to pitch.
 

JohnnyO

Began this habit in 1980
May 13, 2015
270
18
Midwest
You've got the winter to work on those JV catchers, get someone to take them thru the Catching Camps online videos. Take a section a time, receiving, blocking, throwing etc.... It' takes a kids that wants to be THE catcher to work at it thru the winter. In MN we can't work with our kids out of season either, BUT we do have local Travel ball teams that have experienced coaches and I have even helped the neighbor school and they helped us. They are a different division than us so we never play each other. We run several camps through out the year to try and help several players. Hitting clinics, catching clinics, pitching clinics,etc...
 
Apr 6, 2017
328
28
If a kid wants to be a catcher there’s time to work
on it without a team practice. My Dd is a pitcher. She’s terrible at catcher but if she heard
they needed her catching I’d be throwing balls at her all winter. Send a kid to a nearby
college. I was talking to a college kid last night. She said they all throw into nets because
nobody ever wants to catch them.
 

NBECoach

Learning everyday
Aug 9, 2018
408
63
You've got the winter to work on those JV catchers, get someone to take them thru the Catching Camps online videos. Take a section a time, receiving, blocking, throwing etc.... It' takes a kids that wants to be THE catcher to work at it thru the winter. In MN we can't work with our kids out of season either, BUT we do have local Travel ball teams that have experienced coaches and I have even helped the neighbor school and they helped us. They are a different division than us so we never play each other. We run several camps through out the year to try and help several players. Hitting clinics, catching clinics, pitching clinics,etc...

The kids I would consider athletic enough to be the #2 catcher are all involved in HS basketball which is a blessing and curse. Keeps them in shape but takes up almost all their spare time. Unfortunately the TB coaches in this age group are not always open to helping us out because their DD's attend our rival HS.
 
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
Knowing the girls who are going to be looking for a spot on the JV and future Varsity squad, is there a logjam at any of the other positions? If you can get word to a decent player that their best chance to start for the team is to learn to catch, you may find someone who is willing to put in the time if it means the difference between starting or being a backup. Especially if the current Varsity team called up all of the JV catchers -- there's an established opportunity there.

When DD was at the beginning of her softball journey, I encouraged her to be a catcher, because there's always a need behind the plate. She caught the pitching bug, so her gear is packed away now. Pitching requires too much work to keep up the skills necessary to be good at another high-skill position like catcher, so relying on your #2 pitcher to do both is unsustainable.

Someone who is a good 3B or SS but not good enough to displace the starter would be well-advised to tackle a new skill set, especially if there is an opening.
 

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