High School Ball

[justwannaplay]

Hello All:

I am interested to learn about High School Softball. My daughter plays for a HS coach who is borderline insane.
My kid is a travel player who plays on a top level team. She is a mid infielder that hits between .400-.450avg a season in travel.
But its been a frustrating high school season where she barely hit .400 after 20 games played . Seems in high school she hits the ball hard but gets unlucky and either hits the ball right at them or they make an unbelievable catch etc...

The coach bats her ninth & after 20 games she only has 16 RBI'S .360avg


Is it possible to have more pressure in High School ball than travel ? How do we make sense of this ???

Need some input please ...

JWP

 

[Amy in AZ.]

My DD batted 9th a lot. The coach liked for her to be on base, when the top of the order was coming up. I don't think it matters, where she bats.

If your DD wants to talk to the coach, that would be fine.

Other than that, she could run track next year. It might help her more, in TB.

 

[Slappers]

I think school ball has more pressure than travel. Every game counts. But why is the coach borderline insane?

 

[InsidePitch]

I thought DD would do much better in HS ball than she has. Kids with much worse swings who don't play TB are hitting 50-75 pts higher than her yet she still bats in the number 2 spot. Her OBP is very high with more Ws than hits. She scores over 60% of the time so while I'd like her to hit better, she is contributing. The kid has also hit into more infield errors. At least one or two per game. I can't make the 4pm HS games so I wonder if whoever is scoring isn't being a little harsh.

I do think there is a different mindset for HS ball vs TB where it's a new season every weekend.

 

[marriard]

Hello All:

I am interested to learn about High School Softball. My daughter plays for a HS coach who is borderline insane.
My kid is a travel player who plays on a top level team. She is a mid infielder that hits between .400-.450avg a season in travel.
But its been a frustrating high school season where she barely hit .400 after 20 games played . Seems in high school she hits the ball hard but gets unlucky and either hits the ball right at them or they make an unbelievable catch etc...

The coach bats her ninth & after 20 games she only has 16 RBI'S .360avg


Is it possible to have more pressure in High School ball than travel ? How do we make sense of this ???

Need some more info... is she a Freshman, a Senior or inbetween? Some coaches favor their upperclassman over younger players. How is the competition - maybe playing against some 'older' focused teams? While generally TB is a higher level of competition for the most part, there are occasionally divisions which are just tough.

Are they winning??? If they are winning it might be as simple as the coach doesn't feel the need to change anything with the batting order because it isn't broken.

Also as others have said - you don't have a day to get in rhythm - you play one game and that is it - no game to back it up. Also you almost ALWAYS get the #1 pitcher in high school. There is no third game/#3 pitcher starting to feast on.

Sometimes it can be as simple as being unlucky for a few games - or playing more under lights (or in evening in uneven shadows).

And a .360 average is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

You are definitely not alone.

I am convinced with my DD it's that she gets overwhelmed with the mediocrity and the "participation-trophy" nature of HS. In HS she will have the highest of highs (when she can just plays her game, when she's fresh, and shows her next-level dominance) but then can look terrible on those days where she has to pitch her 5th or 6th game of the week and knows she has to be perfect to carry the team. This is just a bad mix for DD, call it a shortcoming or whatever..... Cuz I know that some rare TB girls will thrive on leading a bunch of HS sports-misfits.

But when she gets into the mindset of TB, where she is surrounded by other like-minded players that put it out there and expect a team win each and every game it's like she transforms.....

 

[justwannaplay]

Thanka all for the responses:

She has gotten over the fact that she is the nine batter thats not the issue . Rubberbiscuit you Said it correctly TB transformers my DD into a different player for reasons I dont understand.
.Marriard, Yes the team is winning a lot I just seems that my kid is the most unlucky in at least the last seven games she has hit balls that definitely should not have been caught but players made the catch of there lives. Those shots alone would have put her avg over .400
She is a 2015 who is going to play softball in college. Its like the most unlucky season every for her..

I do agree about the comment previously that HS doesnt let you get your rhythm. . She has faced some div1 pitchers and some mediocre pitchers in HS seems to have fared better against div 1..

One real positive I must say is my DD came up big for the team in County Play, she made three clutch hits with alot of media around to help her team win the championship.Maybe when atmosphere is like that it makes her better ???

Slappers: The coach is borderline insane because she is a screamer and rules with iron fist.

JWP

 

[JAD]

If your DD plays high level TB, that is where she will be recruited, just relax and have fun with HS softball. A lot of players who bat well in TB struggle making the adjustment to the slower pitching they will see in HS ball.

 

[Slappers]

I don't like screaming coaches, but I do like the iron fist. Well, maybe a softer metal fist.

I don't know where you are Biscuit but around here, HS ball has some serious rivalries. And now that they changed up the district alignments, the rivalries are that much better. There have been some great games played and some great plays made. Been fun to watch.

 

[Mylil32]

Don't take HS ball too seriously. If I could come up with a valid reason, mine wouldn't even play. I'm afraid the college coaches are going to ask why she didn't and when we say "the coach is nuts and the girls are mean", it's not going to fly. We are kicking around the idea of running track and using that excuse, or saying she is concerned about over use injuries. However, I'm hearing from here and other places that college coaches don't care or even ask if you played HS, so who knows.