Coach chooses to bat 9

[Orange Socks]

Gonna throw this one out there. I had dad friend of mine tell me that a D2 college pitcher played on his 16U team in a rinky dink 16U/18U State tourney over the weekend. Are you kidding me? I know who this pitcher is and she is outstanding. She won state in HS (Texas) last year. Playing on Nationally ranked D2 college team. I am sure there are some 14 yr old players in that tourney. That coach must be so proud of himself. Pathetic.

 

[_MIA_]

Nothing’s to be gained by saying something, but the decisions says a lot about him as a person, and that’s good info to have.

He's denying them playing time..not adequate nutrition.

 

[Towny9]

I’m not super old, but I can’t remember a time any team I was in batted more than 9 kids in the lineup. Now it is almost expected you bat 10, 11, etc...

this is not a judgement post just an observation. The game is meant to be played with 9 offensive players, funny how the expectation to bat more evolved. For the record, I batted all 11 at 10U bracket game this morning and took it on the chin

 

[_MIA_]

funny how the expectation to bat more evolved

$$$$
No different then with the price of college increasing every parent now expects their kid to get an A in my courses regardless of whether my 5 YO son knows more about the subject then they do..

 

[_MIA_]

I've mentioned to my DD's AC, and he agrees, about batting only 9 in bracket but the HC doesn't want to. Which is fine but what gets me is after they lose he talks to them for 30 minutes about not wanting it enough,etc,etc. when in reality there are a lot of decisions he makes (many of which limit any possible conflict with team parents..) which make winning a lot more difficult...Either winning is important, or it isn't, cannot have it both ways...

Edit: and before somebody says if my kid were the one to be sitting I would think differently...well you don't know me very well..heck she was hitting like garbage in last years nationals and I messaged him and told him to sit her (which may be just as bad as bitching about your kid not playing..not sure)

 

[whiporee]

He's denying them playing time..not adequate nutrition.

No, but he is denying them the chance at some sort of payoff for the work they've put In.

 

[_MIA_]

No, but he is denying them the chance at some sort of payoff for the work they've put In.

Right but I am not sure that is enough to question his integrity. 8U,10U and maybe 12U I can see everybody batting in bracket but everybody is quick to mention the life lessons learned by playing sports..well one of those is that sometimes people are just better at you at something and those people reap the benefits of being better...

Edit: In life the only thing hard work guarantees is that you have no regrets...

 

[BigSkyHi]

Coaching styles can be very different. My DGD’s team has kids playing multiple positions during the course of a single game except for the P & C. It is normal for my DGD to play three different positions in a game. Awfully tough on the adults but the kids have bought in.

The batting order and who is in it varies game to game. They will either bat 9 or 10 on Sunday.

Listing for kids and their positions:

• SS 2B LF RF
• 3B SS LF CF RF
• P SS LF RF
• CF 1B RF
• C RF CF
• 3B LF RF
• RF CF LF
• P 1B RF LF
• IB LF RF
• C LF RF
• 2B LF RF

 

[Eric F]

I’ve heard that for years, and in my experience it never really happens. At the level of nationals, the difference between a solid girl and a great one are negotiable, and breaking through an established hierarchy is nearly impossible. Girls never become undeniable and they rarely overcome a coach’s First impression/assignment. If the kid starts playing well in practice it becomes a “more comfortable in games” type response. Coaches are human and they have their favorites and that factors into their game day decisions.

This hasn't been my experience - especially not at 12U. 12U is generally a time of significant development, and I saw a number of players (generally those who were newer to TB at the start of the season) become undeniable as the season went on. Some parent feathers got ruffled along the way- LOL.

As for the OP, the only thing I’d say to the coach is thanks for the opportunity while you look for a new team. Because if a coach has the option of batting more of his team and he chooses not to, then his priorities are a bit askew and your DD will be better off somewhere else. His whole bench practices; his whole bench tries, and he intentionally negates their efforts by choosing to not give them a chance to play the game. Nothing’s to be gained by saying something, but the decisions says a lot about him as a person, and that’s good info to have.

In a bracket game at Nationals, I fully expect the the coach is playing to win, which means putting the best players on the field. If you're expecting equal field time for all players, maybe this level of play isn't the right fit.

It's also pretty common that tournament rules don't allow for batting the full roster in bracket play.

 

[whiporee]

This hasn't been my experience - especially not at 12U. 12U is generally a time of significant development, and I saw a number of players (generally those who were newer to TB at the start of the season) become undeniable as the season went on. Some parent feathers got ruffled along the way- LOL.



In a bracket game at Nationals, I fully expect the the coach is playing to win, which means putting the best players on the field. If you're expecting equal field time for all players, maybe this level of play isn't the right fit.

It's also pretty common that tournament rules don't allow for batting the full roster in bracket play.

the point in this was he could have chosen to bat 10, but chose to bat nine. It wasn’t a rules thing, it was a choice. And with that voice, he took away a girls chance to play at this kind of tourney to give his team a perceived better chance to win. You may think that makes him a fierce competitor; I think it shows he cares more about his personal record than he does about the players that make up his roster.