- Aug 3, 2019
- 159
- 28
What are your best stories of coach/team behavior in terms of playing down?
Most Egregious Case of Trophy Hunting
- Thread starter RedeemerKing
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
- Oct 10, 2018
- 305
- 63
When DD played in Rec there was a "Travel Team" that would drop in to play in their summer "rec travel" that was just local county-wide travel (all games within an hour) to "gain confidence". They would destroy the rec teams, it wasn't even close to fair. Still hate to see "B" teams at tourneys with D1 bound pitchers, and see it all too often.
- Aug 3, 2019
- 159
- 28
In PA we see teams pull this move:
When they move up an age level, namely from 10-12, they don’t register with USSSA during their first year at the new age. That way they can avoid the returning players rule and register the following year at B level as a 2nd year team and dominate.
The end result is you have first year 12u teams who played .700+ ball vs B level teams avoiding USSSA for a season, returning 10 players and reappearing with USSSA the following season as a 2nd year team and registering as B.
What usually happens is they start to fade out by 14u because they never challenged themselves and developed, but at least they can boast a .900 winning percentage and some shiny trophies as a second-year 12u B team.
When they move up an age level, namely from 10-12, they don’t register with USSSA during their first year at the new age. That way they can avoid the returning players rule and register the following year at B level as a 2nd year team and dominate.
The end result is you have first year 12u teams who played .700+ ball vs B level teams avoiding USSSA for a season, returning 10 players and reappearing with USSSA the following season as a 2nd year team and registering as B.
What usually happens is they start to fade out by 14u because they never challenged themselves and developed, but at least they can boast a .900 winning percentage and some shiny trophies as a second-year 12u B team.
Org / competitive teams joining the local Rec league. Unlike the regular rec league teams, they choose all their players. Even if they play up an age bracket, their pitchers are still far better than the usually novice rec team pitcher. They use the league for a punching bag to get ready for the weekend. Perhaps the most irritating thing I ran into in youth softball.
A few years back in So. Cal there was a travel ball team that played down to 12U and they were trophy chasers, that team should already be playing up but didn't. Also the coaches would steal signs and the pitchers and infielders would make fun and taunt our girls. But anyways they were killing the competition. As for my DD's team it was our first season playing travel as we were made up of mostly our rec ball all-star team. We were the only team to give them good competition and actually won against them and when we lose it was by 1 run. Actually one of the parents from that team came up to me after the game and ask me what age our girls were told them mostly 05 and that this was our first season playing travel. The guy just couldn't believe it because their team was 03 and 02s and we were able to give them some good competition. Found out later the next season they moved up and had trouble winning games.
At 12s we were with a travel org that had 2 12u teams. We were on the older of the two and both played mostly USSSA tournaments. We entered as a B team and the other team was a C team.
Our team played just over .500 ball playing in mostly As and the occasional B tournament while the other team cleaned up trophy after trophy playing C tournaments but they got cocky quickly and began to toss around their 35-4 record all over social media etc. UTrip director moved them to up and they were forced to compete in mostly A tournaments and they got waxed. They begged to go back to C level but it was too late. Probably should have started as a B team and grinded but the trophies and accolades as a C team where too great. A bunch of experienced travel players beating rec team was fun I guess.
Our team played just over .500 ball playing in mostly As and the occasional B tournament while the other team cleaned up trophy after trophy playing C tournaments but they got cocky quickly and began to toss around their 35-4 record all over social media etc. UTrip director moved them to up and they were forced to compete in mostly A tournaments and they got waxed. They begged to go back to C level but it was too late. Probably should have started as a B team and grinded but the trophies and accolades as a C team where too great. A bunch of experienced travel players beating rec team was fun I guess.
Always tough to balance the need for affirmation vs challenge. We had a team up the coast that always played well. A team full of really talented players. They played local/regionally at Utrip B venues and did well. Parents walked about like Bantam roosters. They decided to go south for their culmination experience one year and word from a dad was they got smoked, 0 and whatever. Coaches did the players a developmental disservice by not challenging the team more often. Perhaps they would have trained harder or differently. Or perhaps players would have sought out new training venues to push themselves. After that the team split up with players going to different orgs.
Last edited:
- May 27, 2013
- 2,386
- 113
I recall one time at the very beginning of our first-year 16U season when dd was with her old team we played against a team we faced numerous times at 14U before. It was an 18U tourney but had a decent mix of 16/18U teams. We were playing a non-sanctioned tournament so some teams would typically bring in a ringer or two to help out. This particular team had brought an unfamiliar pitcher. I remember this girl throwing her 5 warm-up pitches from the rubber and we were like, yeah, we’ve got this. Well, low and behold, this girl starts throwing for real against our first batter and the other asst coach and I were like WTF??? Our head coach kept saying to our girls, “Why can’t you hit this girl - she’s throwing it right down the middle of the plate?!!
I casually go behind the backstop and this girl had amazing spin and movement, plus threw low to mid 60’s. I look this girl up - D1 commit who played for another team. Totally explained it. Can‘t take anything away from her though, she really was a great pitcher, I believe she led the NCAA last year in ERA before the shut down. She had flawless mechanics and just made pitching look so effortless. I think our team was thrilled they could even hit a foul ball off her.
But back to the main point - this team brought her in (totally not the girl’s fault) just to win a trophy. Sad they felt the need to do it did it against mostly B-level teams.
I casually go behind the backstop and this girl had amazing spin and movement, plus threw low to mid 60’s. I look this girl up - D1 commit who played for another team. Totally explained it. Can‘t take anything away from her though, she really was a great pitcher, I believe she led the NCAA last year in ERA before the shut down. She had flawless mechanics and just made pitching look so effortless. I think our team was thrilled they could even hit a foul ball off her.
But back to the main point - this team brought her in (totally not the girl’s fault) just to win a trophy. Sad they felt the need to do it did it against mostly B-level teams.
Last edited:
It’s the state of travel softball. Few people actually want to compete. A new kid on the team plays your dd’s position better. Find a new team.
Teams beating you in your tourneys, play in weaker tourneys.
Move up in the fall, nope let’s play this years age not next.
And you wonder why college softball players are quitting after year 1. Softball isn’t nearly as much fun when you have to work for everything.
Teams beating you in your tourneys, play in weaker tourneys.
Move up in the fall, nope let’s play this years age not next.
And you wonder why college softball players are quitting after year 1. Softball isn’t nearly as much fun when you have to work for everything.
Let me ask you something brother......Say the new kid took your DD's position, and your DD worked and worked and worked and worked to get it back, yet the other player was just better. Would you tell her "well, you did your best, sit on the bench and enjoy"
And as for your last point, Softball isn't nearly as much fun when you're not playing it.