10u PGF pitcher speed OMG

[Ksphenom]

DD actually played a season with Addi a couple years ago when she was just 8. She smoked everyone at 10s.

Mustangs 2013

 

[junkball]

Was out at PGF last week and saw the girl throwing 60. Two things:

1. Yes, it was a legit 60. Not every pitch, but probably half of them were.
2. It's amazing how much offense has evolved. This Power Surge team had a #1 throwing high 50s consistently, and a #2 throwing mid 50s. To my surprise, did not make it to the finals. Some of these 10u girls are able to hit it. I doubt I could.
3. At some point PGF, ASA, USSSA, etc...needs to look at the 35ft, 11" ball rule for 10u. Offense is getting so good, bats are as hot as the testing equipment will allow. I watched 10u for about 5 hours Wednesday and 4 hours Thursday and saw several shots up the middle that could have been devastating if they would have hit the pitcher. Maybe in rec or B ball it's not an issue, but in true A ball, 35ft away the pitcher is in danger if they throw a fat one down the middle. And 90% of 10u pitchers don't know what that means as when they come to PGF they have come from somewhere where batters were lucky to make contact. But at PGF you get the best of the best. I really wish they would move them back to 40ft, or move to a 12" ball that is harder to square up. That 11" ball jumps off the bat vs a 12" ball. Just scary how strong some of these 10u batters are.

All in all, I was there for 12u, we got knocked out on Thursday so had a chance to watch some other games. One of her friends was playing in 10u so we went and watched. Weather was phenomenal, talent gets better and better each year. Looking forward to going back next year if we can qualify as a first year 14u team.

PGF does it right except for the pay-to-stay...

 

[Rick Pauly]

How about mandatory facemasks and a softer core ball and lower exit speed bats as the fix. Moving 10U girls back to 40 ft. or up to a 12 inch ball will cause many to compromise their mechanics and now we will have an accelerating rate of pitchers needing help......some may be incurable .

Was out at PGF last week and saw the girl throwing 60. Two things:

1. Yes, it was a legit 60. Not every pitch, but probably half of them were.
2. It's amazing how much offense has evolved. This Power Surge team had a #1 throwing high 50s consistently, and a #2 throwing mid 50s. To my surprise, did not make it to the finals. Some of these 10u girls are able to hit it. I doubt I could.
3. At some point PGF, ASA, USSSA, etc...needs to look at the 35ft, 11" ball rule for 10u. Offense is getting so good, bats are as hot as the testing equipment will allow. I watched 10u for about 5 hours Wednesday and 4 hours Thursday and saw several shots up the middle that could have been devastating if they would have hit the pitcher. Maybe in rec or B ball it's not an issue, but in true A ball, 35ft away the pitcher is in danger if they throw a fat one down the middle. And 90% of 10u pitchers don't know what that means as when they come to PGF they have come from somewhere where batters were lucky to make contact. But at PGF you get the best of the best. I really wish they would move them back to 40ft, or move to a 12" ball that is harder to square up. That 11" ball jumps off the bat vs a 12" ball. Just scary how strong some of these 10u batters are.

All in all, I was there for 12u, we got knocked out on Thursday so had a chance to watch some other games. One of her friends was playing in 10u so we went and watched. Weather was phenomenal, talent gets better and better each year. Looking forward to going back next year if we can qualify as a first year 14u team.

PGF does it right except for the pay-to-stay...

 

[Gambler Bob]

Was out at PGF last week and saw the girl throwing 60. Two things:

3. At some point PGF, ASA, USSSA, etc...needs to look at the 35ft, 11" ball rule for 10u. Offense is getting so good, bats are as hot as the testing equipment will allow. I watched 10u for about 5 hours Wednesday and 4 hours Thursday and saw several shots up the middle that could have been devastating if they would have hit the pitcher. Maybe in rec or B ball it's not an issue, but in true A ball, 35ft away the pitcher is in danger if they throw a fat one down the middle. And 90% of 10u pitchers don't know what that means as when they come to PGF they have come from somewhere where batters were lucky to make contact. But at PGF you get the best of the best. I really wish they would move them back to 40ft, or move to a 12" ball that is harder to square up. That 11" ball jumps off the bat vs a 12" ball. Just scary how strong some of these 10u batters are.


PGF does it right except for the pay-to-stay...

I don't see them changing the 35' pitching distance or the 11" ball rule for 10u but you do make some very valid points.

I took my daughter to a 10u tryout for what most people would consider one of the top 5 teams in the nation last Friday. There was a girl there that was an absolutely amazing softball player/athlete. Part of the tryout was hitting front toss off of one of the coaches on the diamond ( the pitching machine was not working correctly so they had to improvise). This young child was absolutely crushing the ball. She hit 3 balls that one hopped the fence on a line drive, I have no doubt that this girl can hit a 11" ball 30' over a 200' fence if she had elevated the ball a little more. This girl was also the fastest girl at the tryout, had the best arm, and was the best hitter there. She was not by any means a girl that is 5'-8" 175 pounds, she was very fit.

From a 35' pitching distance this girl would be very dangerous to opposing pitchers when she squares that ball up.

 

[junkball]

How about mandatory facemasks and a softer core ball and lower exit speed bats as the fix. Moving 10U girls back to 40 ft. or up to a 12 inch ball will cause many to compromise their mechanics and now we will have an accelerating rate of pitchers needing help......some may be incurable .

If they want to keep the 35' distance, and 11" ball then yes - a softer core ball is needed. Some of these shots I saw last week...so glad my kids are done with 10u. Just in the 3 games I watched I saw 2 over the fence HRs. 6 years ago when ASA was all the rage, didn't see one in 10u nationals and I was at the complex all day every day, with games going on all around us, until we got knocked out, down to last 8 teams.

EDIT- Just realized I was replying to a pitching guru - most 10u girls don't know what it means to leave it fat. Most 10u pitchers can't throw it inside or outside on command, they are just trying to throw strikes and not walk batters. And they think they can blow it by everyone, like they did in their local area, until they get to PGF and see how the talent gap closes real real real quick.

 

[skychief]

My daughter took a line drive right in the lower left abdomen in a tournament a couple weeks ago. She tried to throw it inside and left it flat right down the middle. It came off the girls bat so fast she couldn't even react and it caught her right below the chest protector. Luckily she just ended up with a big bruise but it scared the hell out of both teams and parents!

 

[grcsftbll]

Those teams were not your normal 10U teams. For the vast majority of 10U players I think the 35' distance is fine.

 

[_MIA_]

To me, facemasks should be mandatory for pitchers and corner infielders. Around here most teams have all the girls wear facemasks. While not pleasant, and definitely scary, getting hit anywhere else
won't be life threatening..getting hit in the head would be.

 

[nixxy311]

We have a pitcher in 12U who doesn't wear a facemask and it drives me nuts. This is rec so while some of the girls aren't going to be hitting her hard, some of our girls *can* hit. Our all-star team didn't have problems hitting off her. Interestingly enough she's from a diff rec association but in our school district so she'll be playing MS with us - curious if our coach is going to require her to wear one.

 

[IR a Pitching Dad]

While the hitters get better, the bats get hotter and the pitchers learn the corners and the river imo I believe the strike zone needs to be addressed. My experience has been and is that blue continues to squeeze the pitcher not giving the corners or black to those who have the ability and control to touch them. So if a pitcher is forced to pitch in to a "mailbox" sized strike zone the batters are going to tee off and ultimately place the pitcher in danger. I have heard that umps are instructed to squeeze the zone to create a more offense oriented showcase. C'mon blue, the corners aren't round!