Can't Figure Out the Coach

[Ariel116]

Yes, we refer to our girls as '04 not 2022 (or whatever it is, I don't feel like trying to figure it out). I don't think they will refer to them as grad yr until 14u maybe.

 

[riseball]

Ok my DD's were 86, 88, 94, and 95. Y'all reminding me that I am old as the clay and just as dusty.

 

[ArmyStrong]

Help me out here please, if you will.

Moved daughter up from 12U rec to 14U travel. Was not looking to put her on a travel team but her pitching coach thought it would be best for her to make the move. She had a year of 12U eligibility left. She was always the best pitcher in the league, played whole game, all-stars, etc.

Welcome to travel ball. I think she's learning a ton while on the bench. She's probably learning that she doesn't like sitting. She's probably learning what she's made of at this point.

If I were you, I'd focus on what you can control at this point.

First and most important question: Does your DD still want to play travel ball? Or is she playing travel ball because her pitching coach thinks it is best for her?
She needs to play for herself. If she truly wants to play travel ball, you and her need to go all in.

Second question: Is she willing to do whatever it takes to earn the playing time? It's get mad instead of being sad time. It's choosing to practice her pitching/hitting instead of practicing Netflix. It's choosing to spend money on lessons instead of popcorn at the movies. A travel ball pitcher should expect to go head to head with another pitcher who is getting her 450 pitches in a week. She should expect to face batters that get regular private lessons.

Third question: Is she willing to make the hard choices every day to get better? Or is she satisfied with being the best rec pitcher in town? It's making the right, difficult choices every day that will make her so good they cannot ignore her.

Just speculating, but I figure your HC picked her up because he thought she'd find her speed and be a solid lefty to complement the ace righty. Looking for that pitcher to come out of nowhere, but unfortunately didn't pan out. As a result, she didn't get circle time because he wanted to protect his team.

Who knows. Maybe I'm totally off base and assuming she could do more. Maybe your DD puts so much work in that you need to tell her to slow down. Maybe she makes all the right, tough decisions. If that were the case, I would be totally excited to see her play next year if I were you.

 

[dadofadirtlover]

Is she willing to do whatever it takes to earn the playing time? It's get mad instead of being sad time. It's choosing to practice her pitching/hitting instead of practicing Netflix. It's choosing to spend money on lessons instead of popcorn at the movies. A travel ball pitcher should expect to go head to head with another pitcher who is getting her 450 pitches in a week. She should expect to face batters that get regular private lessons.

When I read this, I heard it in Ray Lewis' voice and made me want to run to the dirt and play ball....oh wait....this is supposed to be my DD's thing. Sigh...back to scrolling the boards...

 

[Jr10234]

Coaches lie and change their minds, in no particular order. What you are told does not always match with reality, as you are learning, As you navigate the travel all waters, you will get to know teams, coaches, and parents which helps you in future decisions. Hopefully you find the right fit before too lont, sometimes picking up with an appropriate aged team will give you a better idea of where she belongs, or root out other teams,

 

[Cannonball]

I just had, "this kid" in a hitting lesson. Dad is beside himself and dd wants to quit. I gave her the complimentary first lesson for free and we had a long talk afterwards w/o dad. She hurts as much for him as for herself because he is always catching her and she feels like she has let him down by not being good enough. She wanted to go back to when, "softball was fun." The first thing I pointed out to her is that next year, she will be older and playing at her age level. Then, I asked her how much better she could be in a year if she kept working as hard as she does. She smiled some at that. She is not thinking about positives and instead is locked into that negative dark hole. She asked if I thought she would be a good hitter? I asked her if she is a good hitter now. She said yes when she gets a chance. I told her that won't change and, again, she will be playing her age while the better older pitchers will move up. IMO, this happens a lot. When we moved my dd up, this was a major concern for us but we were fortunate to move up with a guy who really kept his word and played her. I'd hate to be in the OP's spot. Good luck.

 

[JAD]

I would add that if they go with the birth year vs the grad year they are noobs to recruiting and most likely have many misconceptions. I am amazed how many coaches of alleged showcase teams that talk about their players being 02, 01, and 00's.

At the younger age groups we always referred to ours team by birth year...98 RedHawks, Team Georgia 98, ect. When we reached 16U and the recruiting process started we began referencing the team by the HC last name Worth Cobras - Green, and the girls by HS graduation date....she's a 2016, 2017, ect. The problem with softball is they go by the players age on Jan 1st, so players with late birthdays (Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec) end up playing with girls a year ahead of them in HS.

When my DD played AAU basketball she received an age exemptions for players with late birthdays allowing them to play with girls in their grade.

 

[JAD]

Moved daughter up from 12U rec to 14U travel. Was not looking to put her on a travel team but her pitching coach thought it would be best for her to make the move. She had a year of 12U eligibility left. She was always the best pitcher in the league, played whole game, all-stars, etc.

Not sure who recommended your DD transition from 12U REC directly to 14U TB, but you need to smack them upside the head....and since this was your first post on DFP, I know no one on here recommended it!

 

[spleen1015]

As a pitcher, she needs to pitch in games to get better. She needs to experience the highs and lows of being a pitcher.

I'm guessing this is not a high level A team, so she should be playing. There's no reason to have a player on the bench this much IMO. Even if winning is important, she can get some time in pool games at least.