$$$ Grant Equipment Buy

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Oct 9, 2019
23
3
I guess I should have went in to greater detail. It is a high school team. The school is an inner city school and many of the players have either never played softball or played with their middle school teams. Right now for sure we are getting the Junior Softball Hack Attack pitching machine.
 
Nov 18, 2015
1,585
113
Uniforms - including shoes.
Good practice balls.
Really good game balls.
Storage shed / equipment box to keep field maintenance equipment.

What’s the condition of the field? A used ATV/Gator should be less than 2k, and will make dragging the field SO much easier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
I guess I should have went in to greater detail. It is a high school team. The school is an inner city school and many of the players have either never played softball or played with their middle school teams. Right now for sure we are getting the Junior Softball Hack Attack pitching machine.

That is awesome! Congratulations!

I usually hate to see “organization” money go to “individual player needs”, but I am a big supporter of it in cases like this. That money can provide opportunities that may not have existed for these players. Still, the things you buy should typically be things that stay with the team and are used for multiple seasons. I say typically because I would not be averse to helping individuals (e.g., items such as gloves and cleats) if the situation is right.

In your case, you may need to buy bats and helmets which are things other schools or players would likely have on their own. Don’t cheap out, but don’t go hog wild buying top of the line either. Buy things that will last and are sufficient for the level of your team. They don’t need Ghosts (sorry Core!). You may reach out to other places (local businesses, equipment retailers, direct to vendors) to see if there are ways to stretch those dollars.

Same goes for uniforms. Don’t be cheap, these players need to know they matter! Be responsible though — this money should be the seed of your program’s future, not the bankroll!

Final thought: buy things you need not things you want. (I would question which one blowing half of it on a $3k pitching machine is.)

Of course, I say that not knowing the state of your program. I’m operating under the assumption that it is an underprivileged group of kids and this is essentially a start up (or redevelopment of a program nobody cared about before).
 
Last edited:
Jul 31, 2019
495
43
Go onto Craig’s List to by used items like pitching machines. You can find nice deals on bats and nets as well

like the poster above said, don’t go cheap on uniforms. They are typically returned at the end of the year and used year-over-year

score books or gamechanger
Line up cards
Rule book
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
The info about it being high school does change the equation.

I‘d still say that after you address your most desperate needs, you want to buy 4-5 buckets of balls and some pitching screens if you can. And a couple high quality tees like Tanner tees and nets to hit into. Our high school had the heavy duty Bownets eight years ago when my first dd started playing hs ball. They hold up very well.

If I was a high school coach I would seek out someone who can stand there and pitch front toss if I didn’t already have it.

I think I would sit down with a a legal pad and plan practices. Then you could get an idea what equipment needs you have with the coaches you have.
 
Oct 9, 2019
23
3
Uniforms - including shoes.
Good practice balls.
Really good game balls.
Storage shed / equipment box to keep field maintenance equipment.

What’s the condition of the field? A used ATV/Gator should be less than 2k, and will make dragging the field SO much easier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So we will definitely buy more softballs. We have a lot of limited flight synthetic cover balls that we use for batting practice, but we need more leather cover balls. As far as uniforms, the school provides these for both home and away with the girls buying their own pants and cleats. We have a shipping container already and we purchased rakes, shovels and the needed drags. We also have this beast to help drag...
 

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Oct 9, 2019
23
3
That is awesome! Congratulations!

I usually hate to see “organization” money go to “individual player needs”, but I am a big supporter of it in cases like this. That money can provide opportunities that may not have existed for these players. Still, the things you buy should typically be things that stay with the team and are used for multiple seasons. I say typically because I would not be averse to helping individuals (e.g., items such as gloves and cleats) if the situation is right.

In your case, you may need to buy bats and helmets which are things other schools or players would likely have on their own. Don’t cheap out, but don’t go hog wild buying top of the line either. Buy things that will last and are sufficient for the level of your team. They don’t need Ghosts (sorry Core!). You may reach out to other places (local businesses, equipment retailers, direct to vendors) to see if there are ways to stretch those dollars.

Same goes for uniforms. Don’t be cheap, these players need to know they matter! Be responsible though — this money should be the seed of your program’s future, not the bankroll!

Final thought: buy things you need not things you want. (I would question which one blowing half of it on a $3k pitching machine is.)

Of course, I say that not knowing the state of your program. I’m operating under the assumption that it is an underprivileged group of kids and this is essentially a start up (or redevelopment of a program nobody cared about before).

I totally agree with you. This money will be spent on items that will stay with the program. We already spent some district allocated funds ($9,000 this year and $6,000 last year) on buying Tanner tees, new helmets, new bats, new gloves and catching gear. It is a pretty new program and yes, many of the athletes do not have any type of equipment.

As far as these funds, the pitching machine is a big upgrade from the 2 Jugs machine we have now. They tear up the balls and almost make them unusable after a few sessions. The Hack Attck will allow us to use leather balls for hitting and infield/outfield practice and give us a fast pace in practice.
 
Mar 28, 2014
1,081
113
Some outside of the box thinking here for you. I would set aside some of those funds and pay a local travel ball pitcher to come pitch to your girls once or twice a week. Inexperienced girls need one thing above all others. Reps against live pitching. Pitching machines are ok but nothing can replicate live pitching like live pitching does.
 
Mar 12, 2016
47
18
Left Coast
A few seasons back I tried a dozen TCBs (Total Control Balls). I have since replaced all my wiffle balls with another couple dozen TCBs to pitch pregame warmups.
The girls like them because, unlike a wiffle, they track like a real ball, they are a challenge to square up, and they provide immediate feedback when they aren't squared up. I like them because, unlike wiffles, they fly a very short distance no matter how hard they are hit so I no longer get tattooed with line drives.
 
Jan 8, 2019
664
93
A few seasons back I tried a dozen TCBs (Total Control Balls). I have since replaced all my wiffle balls with another couple dozen TCBs to pitch pregame warmups.
The girls like them because, unlike a wiffle, they track like a real ball, they are a challenge to square up, and they provide immediate feedback when they aren't squared up. I like them because, unlike wiffles, they fly a very short distance no matter how hard they are hit so I no longer get tattooed with line drives.
I love these. Good discount on Amazon for a dozen, too. Mine have lasted well for a few years.
 

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