Do you really only need 1 pitcher in High School?

[MightyMO]

Our varsity tends to carry 2-3 pitchers depending on the year. If they carry 3, the third pitcher starts somewhere else on defense and is only called upon to pitch when really needed.

The problem I've seen is miss-management of pitching by high school coaches more so than overuse. A couple of years ago we had a senior pitcher who was number 2 as a junior (girl in front of her graduated). We also had a stud freshman coming in. The freshman deserved to be the number 1 starter but the senior thought she should be since she had been there and held the backup spot. The coach felt like the freshman needed experience so he started her in every game including those we knew we would win handily. What happened? The senior quit a few games into the season because she had only pitched an inning or two and it ended up killing us by the time we got to districts. If it had been handled better up front the senior could have been given quite a few innings early without sacrificing wins and we would have had two pitchers all year.

 

[smddad]

Lots of schools ride one pitcher all year and if they go deep into the season with county and state tournaments they often over use those pitchers. I know of a couple of that were pretty much used up the first month of travel ball due to the over use in HS.

That is exactly what happened to my DD last year. She is no longer a viable pitcher due to a shoulder injury that was worsened because of pitching. She will not pitch any more.

 

[schwabach]

That is exactly what happened to my DD last year. She is no longer a viable pitcher due to a shoulder injury that was worsened because of pitching. She will not pitch any more.

This^.

If the coach has more than one pitcher, then both pitchers should be used. Even pitchers who seem like machines can be overused and might not speak up until they are really injured.

I am also a little surprised by coaches who play for the best record as opposed to the best post-season record. Obviously the regular season record is important for post-season seeding, but you can usually afford to put a game or two at risk in interests of balancing the load on your pitching staff.

 

[carvergear]

Unfortunately this is the way our dd's high school team is run. There are three very good pitchers, but only one sees about 90% of the action. A total waste of talent if you ask me.

 

[Rocketech1]

Unfortunately this is the way our dd's high school team is run. There are three very good pitchers, but only one sees about 90% of the action. A total waste of talent if you ask me.

When you say "waste of talent", what do you mean? I think most HS players also play on competitive travel ball teams where they will get most of the reps, and likely against better overall talented batters.

In some ways, I hope my DD makes Varsity in her secondary position, outfield, so she can get a balanced softball experience and if she has to ultimately give up her pitching cleats one day, has other position options. The other issue is the HS softball season is relatively short here (March - end of May or early June) whereas TB is mid-August to end of July and they will play over 100 games throughout the year.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

The other issue is the HS softball season is relatively short here (March - end of May or early June) whereas TB is mid-August to end of July and they will play over 100 games throughout the year.

The "season" varies greatly by HS program. The regular season usually runs last weekend in Feb thru mid-May and playoffs end first weekend in June. Most HS teams play some scrimmages before the regular season begins (usually Feb) and some play in a fall league.

TB players can't play in any TB games here during HS season, so it's a lot harder to rack up 100+ TB games once they hit HS.

 

[Rocketech1]

The "season" varies greatly by HS program. The regular season usually runs last weekend in Feb thru mid-May and playoffs end first weekend in June. Most HS teams play some scrimmages before the regular season begins (usually Feb) and some play in a fall league.

TB players can't play in any TB games here during HS season, so it's a lot harder to rack up 100+ TB games once they hit HS.

Thanks for the information. We are in L.A. County and while TB teams go "dark" during high school, I thought they could play a limited practice/scrimmage schedule during this time? Correct me if I am wrong.

This season DD's TB team is scheduled to play 10 tournaments (conservatively 5 games each average?) = 50 games plus 1 to 2 times per month friendlies (4 -6 games? per month) x 8 months = 32 or 48. Total between 82 - 98 games. In HS, I doubt she plays more than 25 games unless they make the CIF playoffs? My point is the players will get 3x as much pitching opportunity than they will in HS.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Thanks for the information. We are in L.A. County and while TB teams go "dark" during high school, I thought they could play a limited practice/scrimmage schedule during this time? Correct me if I am wrong.

Is her HS in LA City Section or Southern Section? LA City Section was run by LAUSD until 2013 and doesn't include all of LA County. Their rules are fairly similar. Both allow practicing and bar playing games/scrimmages during HS season. LA City's 2016 schedule started Feb 12 and playoffs ran May 10-21.

This season DD's TB team is scheduled to play 10 tournaments (conservatively 5 games each average?) = 50 games plus 1 to 2 times per month friendlies (4 -6 games? per month) x 8 months = 32 or 48. Total between 82 - 98 games. In HS, I doubt she plays more than 25 games unless they make the CIF playoffs? My point is the players will get 3x as much pitching opportunity than they will in HS.

You won't get 8 full months of TB games, more like 6-7. 3x the number of games is plausible, however the pitching opportunities vary by staff - TB could be higher than 3x this year and lower in future years if she's HS #1.