JR. High Pitch Sequence to Good Hitter

[SISOFTBALL]

I have a jr. high pitcher who throws 56 - 57 mph and has a change up, but hasn't developed any other pitches. What pitch sequence and position would you throw to a very good batter? What types of things do you look for to make decisions or where to position pitches? We are playing a team at state that we haven't seen before so everything is determined during game. If you had no prior info how would you pitch with what my pitcher has?

 

[SBFAMILY]

Fastpitch Softball Pitching Instruction

This might help.

 

[sluggers]

Your main challenge is going to be to for you and the pitcher to follow a plan rather than "going native" and trying to blow the ball past a good hitter. So, you have to tell her the plan, and then you and her have to follow the plan.

She has to use her change up early and often against the team. She has to make the other team aware that she has got it. She has to show a willingness to throw it at any time. And, she cannot show a pattern. E.g., she has to show that she will throw the change up on consecutive pitches or as the first pitch. She also has to not tip off that she is throwing the change-up.

After she establishes that she can throw the change-up, then she has to continue to throw it throughout the game...perhaps with less frequency than the beginning, but enough to remind the batters that she has it.

She and you have to accept that someone might pound a change-up.

Assuming you have convinced the good hitters that they might get a change-up at any time, then she pitches at the edge of the strike zone and looks for over-aggressiveness. Any attempt to follow a specific pitch sequence will lead to problems.

 

[sjsss]

I agree with sluggers re: use of the change up.

With what you have to work with, try to get ahead in the count by working hard inside. A middle school batter may look at an inside fastball first pitch, foul off the second or third pitch if thrown inside, then you are at 0-2 or 1-2 hopefully. Then you have the luxury of nibbling outside off the plate, especially with something soft. Late in the count if you can’t get them to bite outside, come back in hard inside. Either you will freeze them looking or you might get a foul to stay alive. You may be able to ride this general strategy the whole game before the other coach snaps on what you are doing. Normally there would be a danger of becoming too predictable, but at your level I doubt any adjustments will be made by the opposing coach. If they do adjust, then you adjust.

I coach a high school team in my old age and have used this same basic strategy using two very average pitchers, neither of which has much of a change up. Their combined ERA last year was under 1 and we had wins over 4 or 5 top ten teams in our 6A classification.

I didn’t make this up, it is basic baseball hard inside, control the inside half, off speed stuff away. For middle school or high school level ball, it generally works well. In high level travel ball or college, not as useful. If you are worried about the inside pitch getting turned on for a home run, I had I think two hit out off of inside pitches in over 50 games, both pitches were fat over the plate. Lots of foul balls.

If she can hit her inside spot and establish that with the umpire, you may get favorable outside calls as well with the way the umps set up inside.

 

[JC heir]

In my part of the country, a 57 mph FB is going to get you by 95% of the batters. I realize in other parts, girls are playing at a higher level, but I cant imagine that if her change is a good one that Slugger hasnt hit the nail on the head.

 

[CoachKevin]

I would make adjustments as the batters got into their stance. If they set up away from the plate looking for an inside pitch, I would stay outside for the most part but keep them honest with some high and tight pitches. If they set up close to the plate you better bet they will be hitting balls off the handle. I like using the change...not just at an 0-2 count. LOL I've been known to call 3 changes in a row, of course that batter wasn't going to see anything close to a strike!!! Then again if she is throwing that hard in Middle School, you probably don't have to worry too much either.

 

[SISOFTBALL]

Let me just say that today,

that I used all the advice on here and we won our first game at state beating the undefeated team that has won our state tourney 5 out of the last 7 years. Thanks for everyones advice.

 

[tmolina]

ttt

What advice specifically helped you, did you throw the changeup alot and with any pitch count? Did you work inside with fastballs and outside with offspeed. What was the most effective?

 

[CoachFP]

that I used all the advice on here and we won our first game at state beating the undefeated team that has won our state tourney 5 out of the last 7 years. Thanks for everyones advice.

You are joking, right? Here would be my advice for any situation. Throw strikes on the corners and the top and bottom of the strike zone. and change speeds. If you followed that you would be fine. No one here can give you specific advice on how to pitch a game for a pitcher they have never seen and hitters they know nothing about.

 

[jimginas]

I agree w/ CoachFP here.... IMHO, and I very humbly mean that (there are much better coaches that pitched for years that provide great advice)..... so IMHO, I believe you have to try and understand what each batter gives you and MOST importantly, LEARN their tendancies! Understand whether they have fast hands, where their hands set and does she drop them, upward swing, chopping down?? her alignment on the plate, etc.... For me.. Batters have tendancies, just like coaches do. Does she tend to take 1st pitch? (SOME Coaches insist their batters take the 1st pitch, which to me then is a fat changup, great advantage pitching after a 1st pitch changeup for a strike) Does she tend to be an aggresive batter and like to swing at one of the first 2 pitches? if so, make sure you pitch something off the plate to get either a weak hit ball or at least change her view drastically so you can setup the next pitch. (Junior high - you can't allow your pitchers to go 2-0 too many times though!)

Who is the ON-Deck batter and how many outs?

There are many variables that play into what pitches should be called, so without knowing the dynamics of your pitcher, the batters, the opposing coaches tendancies to bunt/slap/hit and the game situation, its difficult to talk specifics.

** In general, don't let your pitchers get to ball 3; 1st 3 pitches, especially at that age, should have 2 strikes; learn the changeup and another off-speed pitch (off-speed is not as difficult to learn as the traditional 15 mph differnce of softball changeups - often just a grip change to a fastball). ** Make them understand goals for each inning prior to going out and have GAME goals for the first 4 innings and last 3 innings.... (some young pitchers tend to tire if not properly conditioned and batters have seen her 2X already).
*** I see that pitchers are NOT learning to THINK on their own and rely SOLELY on the coach. KNOW who the next batters are when you start the inning, tell them the batters tendancies and what your plan is to get them out.. (1st pitch swingers; 1st pitch lookers; weak hitter-going after her and NOT wasting pitches; maybe pitch very good hitters low-away to hope for a right-side groundball; maybe plan is to pitch the bunter high-in or high-away depending on your corners to get the pop-up, etc, whatever your plan is BUT PITCHERS should NOT go from the bench (yakking with her friends) to the mound without a plan before EVERY INNING!
** Take your young pitchers and catchers out with the coaches to lunch or slurpees or something sometimes so you are ALL on the same page and talk pitching and pitching strategies! you'll learn a lot and they will also, then you all will start to click and it becomes a lot more fun!