Middle School Tryouts

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Nov 26, 2020
338
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Can any Middle School coaches share what their tryouts consist of? I have to prepare some girls and would like to get a head start. Thanks!
 
Mar 6, 2018
33
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Is this a 6th grade team or 6-8th?

If you can hit, you can play.

Typically you will see:
Base running timed
Fielding drills
Fly ball drills
Hitting front toss

Suggestions:
Have players hustle.
Be active when catching/throwing...I hate lazy warmups. Move your feet,

Work on fielding. Especially footwork.
Work on fly balls.
Make sure they are comfortable swinging a bat. Make sure they can bunt.
Base running technique
 
Nov 26, 2020
338
43
Thanks! This is a 6-8th grad team there is just an inordinate amount of travel kids coming into 6th grade. There I’ll be at minimum 12 talented players coming into 6th. How would you handle?
 
Oct 10, 2018
305
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With so much talent, if your girls are equally talented it will be the other things that help them stand out - bright colored shirt to draw the eye; hustle, hustle, hustle; good attitude--laugh off mistakes, show comradery with the other girls; be coachable-if the coach says he doesn't like your stride when you swing or wants you to do X, adjust to what he wants (at least for tryouts). Don't correct him/her if they say something silly like a delayed steal is when you leave the base while the pitcher has her ball at the top of her windmill (a school coach actually said this).
 
Last edited:
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
Thanks! This is a 6-8th grad team there is just an inordinate amount of travel kids coming into 6th grade. There I’ll be at minimum 12 talented players coming into 6th. How would you handle?

An embarrassment of riches, a good problem to have. Can you designate a practice squad? You don’t want to turn anyone off, but you’re going to have to make some cuts. DD’s MS team designated six players to be on the practice squad. They come to practices and are invited to the home games, and might get some playing time if the outcome of the game seems certain.

As far as the tryouts themselves, most will cover basics: hitting off a tee and front toss, fielding grounders and fly balls, pitchers and catchers doing a throwing session together. DD’s coach did a smart thing: he had the girls line up to play catch and replaced one girl at a time, so he could see first-hand how they throw and catch. I bet he made half his cuts in that 10 minutes.

The team dynamics might be a challenge. DD was with a big group of talented 6th graders in her first year of MS ball. They basically forced all of the returning 8th graders on to the bench. The older girls weren’t all that serious about softball (only 2 play on varsity now), so it wasn’t a big issue. But a brash group of 12U stars can definitely rub the established players the wrong way.


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