Wow - got to see the side of the coach we'd been warned about!

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Apr 26, 2015
704
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DD is a freshman. She attends a HS that is known for their softball program. They have won state multiple times and always have a good team. They had 12 returning juniors and 6 returning seniors. Coach carries 13 on her HS Varsity roster. DD was originally told she would play JV and swing up occasionally to run. As she was getting off the bus at the first game the coach told her to go with varsity - she ran that game and then started varsity LF for the next 7 games. All the upper classman are finally healthy so for the past 3 games DD has only been hitting for the pitcher. Which is FINE! She is the only freshman who bats, and there is only one other freshman who occasionally runs.

So...last night DD's team was up 13-0 against a pretty weak team. DD is on 2nd, runner on 1st. Batter hits a pop-up about 5 feet behind 3rd base - very close to the foul line. DD has a bit of a lead but waits to see if she needs to tag up or run. The LF'er tips the ball in fair territory and it drops in foul forcing DD to run. She was out at 3rd. The coach is pissed. Said DD doesn't know how to run bases. (This is partly true as her coach never worked on base running until she changed teams last year...so she is a little conservative...) Coach yells at her for a good long time before letting her return to the dugout. but in this situation there was no right answer! Even the seniors were reassuring her that she was damned if she ran and damned if she didn't.

So then...next inning. DD was batting in the 2 hole - 1st AB she hit a laser to CF for a hit, 2nd AB she laid down a perfect bunt which scored a run and got her on base. 3rd AB DD was given the squeeze sign (who squeezes when you are up 13 runs anyway???). She steps in the box and the catcher asks for a time out. DD steps out of the box. As she is stepping back in the box the coach yells at her "hit the ball to RF". Pitch comes in and hits dirt about 2 feet in front of the plate. DD was starting to bunt but had not fully committed. Ball gets past the catcher and the runner on 3rd scores anyway. The coach loses her mind. She screams at DD to get her a$$ to the dugout (keep in mind this is MID AT BAT) and she pulls someone else in! Then she proceeds to yell at DD "I put you in the 2 hole because I thought you were a good player...I guess I was wrong". It was unbelievable. The stands were silent, the dugout was silent. The coach just kept yelling at DD. Over a flipping missed squeeze when they were up 13-0.
 
Jul 16, 2018
120
18
My sons baseball coach is like that. Well he'll pull kids out of the field but never mid AB. He's VERY tough on HS kids. Right, wrong or indifferen - Im sure there is a method to the coaches madness. I dont agree with how he goes about everything but man does he know his stuff. I've even started taking my DD to him for hitting/catching.

My advice to my daughter if in the same boat is "Coach is trying to push you and is figuring out what works and what doesnt" If the players are giving her the reassurance then Im sure everything is fine. Again dont necessarily agree with the method
 
Jul 3, 2013
438
43
First two years of HS my DD thought her HC hated her. She even considered quitting just before her sophomore year. She kept playing (and working hard), eventually gained HC's trust and HC backed off. Lots of praise was heaped on to DD at the end of season banquet senior year.

I think it takes a while to get used to or get on the same page as some coaches.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 
May 1, 2018
659
63
Yeah I'm not a fan of coaches like that. Everyone tightens up usually. Most likely the coach is hard on her cause she is young. Once she is an established player that goes away....at least in my experience with coaches like that.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
Then she proceeds to yell at DD "I put you in the 2 hole because I thought you were a good player...I guess I was wrong". It was unbelievable. The stands were silent, the dugout was silent. The coach just kept yelling at DD. Over a flipping missed squeeze when they were up 13-0.

As a coach and a father there is no way my child would be playing for someone like that. There should be an apology from the coach to the player in front of the team. If not my daughter is no longer playing for that coach. This has nothing to do with being soft...coach your kids hard but there are boundaries and I would not enable this coach.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
Continue to be really sick of coaches who think that somehow they are 'being tough on their players' or 'teaching them life lessons' when in reality they are just total A$$holes.

And I am amazed by how many parents still think this is somehow OK and justify by 'knowing the game' or 'having lots of success or wins'. 'Being an a$$' is not part of 'knowing the game' or 'being a good coach'

There is a right way to do this - and there is no end of resources out there to make you a better coach an teach you more and more how to get the most out of ALL players. The people who don't avail themselves of these resources don't deserve to coach.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
If your DD's coach is at all receptive to questions from players, it might be worth having your DD ask a few things...

"On a fly ball that looks like it might get caught, do you want me to just run in hopes that it isn't caught, immediately tag up in expectation that it will get caught, or wait to see what happens before committing one way or another?"
"Can you help me with bunting pitches in the dirt?"

Okay, so I'm joking...

...or not.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
So...last night DD's team was up 13-0 against a pretty weak team. DD is on 2nd, runner on 1st. Batter hits a pop-up about 5 feet behind 3rd base - very close to the foul line. DD has a bit of a lead but waits to see if she needs to tag up or run. The LF'er tips the ball in fair territory and it drops in foul forcing DD to run. .

I am more interested in why a LF was able to get to a ball 5 feet in back of 3rd base..was this 10U? :cool:

Oh and the coach sounds like a peach..I had a few of those in my day..it typically ended poorly for me. Coaches need
to know what kids respond to screaming and yelling (if they choose to act that way..not saying they should) and which ones
don't. If a kid is already screaming and yelling at herself/himself (e.g. me) yelling at them typically is not going to help..
 
Last edited:
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
I really hate the way coaches like this deliver the message. It's not OK to berate a player like this in public

With that said DD needs to consider the message he was giving.

On a suicide squeeze you need to go after it no matter what. You might miss, but you simply can't just pull back (if that's what she did). I doubt she could hit it but at least put the bat down and try. It doesn't matter if it's 13-0 or if they missed it.

On the base running have her consider what she might have done different. If the LF just drops a routing ball it's one thing, but if you aren't sure you need to move as far as you can and still get back if she catches it while being ready to go if she doesn't. Sometimes you are just dead either way, but often you can hedge your bets.

In the end you have to determine if you want to play for an rear like this HC or not.
 
Oct 1, 2014
2,218
113
USA
I was getting pissed off just reading that...and then more pissed off at the way some folks think it's ok and that's just how some coaches are. Send the coach a cake and card as winner of the "Greatest Sportsmanship Award".... have it delivered to the School administrative offices for the AD, the Principal and the team to celebrate. Pffftt
 

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