Help from the experts, please

[Rubicon]

My dd, 1st year 12u, pitched yesterday in a friendly... starting against one of the best teams in the state. During the inning several runs scored and she was pulled. My dd felt like the coach inferred she did really poorly and now my dd feels really bad.

I have full video of the whole thing as i taped it with my gopro and linkspyder. But before posting that link, and taking up 12 minutes if anyone's time... my question is this:

Is it even POSSIBLE for a pitcher to have a bad inning (especially against a very good team) when she gives up nothing but ground balls? No, she did not have any strike outs. But there was only ONE line drive against her and it was a pitch perfectly in the low outside corner where the hitter did an amazing job. Every other hit was a ground ball... several of them little squibs (she's not a speed demon but revfire says she avgs 19-21 rps)

Now my daughter feels horrible and I need someone that knows more than this bucket dad and someone that is more objective.

I will post a link to the video if anyone can spare the 12 minutes to maybe give this girl some peace of mind.

Thanks in advance.

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[Eric F]

Is this a new coach/team, or a team/coach she's been with for a while?

Either way, it's pretty likely that this one inning's performance is not panic-worthy.

 

[Rocketech1]

Sorry to hear that she got pulled and upset. With that said, pitchers need to have thick skin. This won't be the last time she is pulled during an inning. Coaches do all kinds of crazy things that outside observers (e.g. parents in the stands) are baffled by. If she is comfortable, she can ask the coach in a nice way why she was pulled so she can learn from the experience. Maybe the coach felt she wasn't hitting her spots; he wanted to get in another pitcher since it was a practice (scrimmage); he wanted to try something different; etc. One of my favorite sports phrases is "don't get bitter, get better". The great thing about softball is that there is always another game right around the corner and getting pulled will be a distant memory..

 

[grcsftbll]

I've noticed sometimes, a team just has the pitcher's number that day. She's not necessarily not pitching well, they're just hitting off her. I swear sometimes it's just momentum. My DH always says hitting is contagious and it sure seems to be. You swap out pitchers and it throws off the momentum. Not only do they have to adjust to a new pitching style, they have to stand around and wait while she throws her warm-up pitches. I really think sometimes it's not even that the other pitcher is pitching better that day, it's just that you stomped on their momentum. My DD is probably the #1 on our team but juuuust barely. The girl who's pitched the 2nd most innings is right behind her. This weekend, she pitched probably twice as many innings as my DD. Sometimes they're on, sometimes they're off, and sometimes it's just a mix of her pitching that day with the opposing team's hitting.

 

[Rubicon]

I guess I stated my question poorly. What I am after is.... are runs always a pitcher's fault? I was always taught that a pitcher forcing ground balls is good. Maybe softball is different.

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[Rocketech1]

I guess I stated my question poorly. What I am after is.... are runs always a pitcher's fault? I was always taught that a pitcher forcing ground balls is good. Maybe softball is different.

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No, runs are not always the pitchers fault but they have to take the good with the bad and to me the question is pretty meaningless. The better question is: "is the pitcher effective when she is in the circle (e.g. are runs scored when she is pitching, are there hard hit balls, does the defense make many errors when she pitches, etc.)?"

IMO, the first goal for a pitcher is to get strikeouts while limiting walks/hit batters/passed balls. If she can't get strikeouts, then weak ground balls or routine pop flys are the next best thing. The issue I have with lots of ground balls is they eventually start finding holes in the infield and it puts lots of pressure on 12U players to make outs. If I am calling pitches, the less balls put in play (especially the younger ages), the better. Just my .02, others may disagree....

 

[YOCOACH]

From a team coach's viewpoint, it depends. Are the ground balls being roped right up the middle or in the 5-6 gap for singles or are they errors in fielding? If they're errors then no. If they're hard hit grounders in which the fielders have no chance at them, then yes. IMO the objective of a pitcher is to put the ball in such a spot that it will result in a strike or a weak hit grounder/pop-up for a routine out while limiting walks. Of course, this does not include "waste" pitches in the efforts to get the batter fishing and swinging at a close ball out of the umpires strike zone.

 

[sluggers]

Is it even POSSIBLE for a pitcher to have a bad inning (especially against a very good team) when she gives up nothing but ground balls?

Sure. According to the score keeping rules, ground balls that result in a runner on base are her "fault" unless there was an error. That is the rules.

What I am after is.... are runs always a pitcher's fault?

Depends. We need to see the video.

...

Generally, your DD has decided to stand in the middle of the circle and pitch. She is at the center of the universe during the game. She will get blamed for things out of her control. She will be credited with success which she doesn't deserve. That is part of being a pitcher. If she doesn't like it, she should find a different position to play...because it only gets worse.

As a side note, it does not help her to make excuses for her.

You said, "But there was only ONE line drive against her and it was a pitch perfectly in the low outside corner..." It wasn't a perfect pitch. Either (a) the pitch sequence was bad or (b) she left the pitch fat. In either situation, it was her fault.

 

[Eric F]

I guess I stated my question poorly. What I am after is.... are runs always a pitcher's fault? I was always taught that a pitcher forcing ground balls is good. Maybe softball is different.

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As the father of a catcher, I can tell you that runs are DEFINITELY not always the pitcher's fault. My DD has been personally responsible for more runs than I can recall - some of them have cost her team the win. It's part of the learning process for a young player. Learning how to deal with failure is one of the great life lessons of this sport.

 

[javasource]

Great players are made out of great competition. If the team is as good as you say, then this experience can lead to one of two outcomes...

1) She pulls a Michael Jordan... using this off-season and this experience to get better.

2) She develops a defense mechanism... looking outward for answers to these types of problems... rather than looking inward for the solution.

Hate to sound all "life lesson" on you... but it's these experiences that develop character.

At 12u... we cannot accept that a team is better. We cannot accept pitching to contact. As Sluggers said, any pitch that resulted in a hit... is a hit. Hits lead to baserunners, baserunners lead to runs.

I remember watching Florida last year... and being blown away by the quality of pitch selection. I said it then, and will say it again... when you marry physical talent to mental talent... you win... and not just games. Watch Ocasio throw... you will see spin, a mixture of speeds, and a champion. Although I'm not a huge SEC fan... it's evident that the pitch caller (Jen) is on top of this game. Schools like that... are not looking for an excuse, they are looking for results.

I'd recommend that you watch that video over and over... and explain to her what you both can work on... Furthermore, the next time she faces them... she better know their names, their tendencies, and overall... how to be better.

We can't run away from these challenges... we must recognize that "they" are there to make us better... and "they" will never go away.