NFHS Intentional Walk

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Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
Lol! Nah, the Coach weenie thing is for the sake of internet fun. And sometimes if you don’t stir people up, you don’t get responses or discussion. Now we are getting down to nuts and bolts.

So if that player hit 2 hr’s on you and it was still a close game, why not cut your losses and put her on every time? Did she graduate? What will you do this year? Why would you let a player that dangerous ever have a swing? Especially in small school softball where one player can truly make an impact.... She should never get to swing the bat because after all she might beat you. That, my friend, is not competition. But it is a statistically sound strategy. Maybe even if you walk in a run. And really, state high school home run records should be safe from this point forward. How exciting.

Is it good that a coach can arbitrarily decide what players get a chance to compete for the win? Maybe you coaches could get together at the beginning of the year and decide if you are going to allow certain players to hit or pitch. Maybe certain players should only get to hit two times a game. After all, “as long as there’s a rule”.....

Lets go back to basketball. Would a rule that a coach could concede a point or two to a three point shooter with a hot hand or maybe let their shoot three free throws instead of letting her have the chance to drain a three be a good rule? Might help a coach win a game but is it good for competition?

And if it’s a good rule, why doesn’t NCAA or USA softball use it?

After all, in USA softball, timed games are common. They actually have an interest in making the game move along. NCAA games are being televised. Certainly they want to move the game along, right?

So tell me again, why are we doing this? For the coaches? For the spectators? To prevent the problem of a seven inning game game being longer than an hour and a half? Because why we are doing it certainly isn’t for the players.
 
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Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
Just to save anyone from having to go look for it, it appears that in international play ibb can be issued with out throwing the pitches.

So they must think there is value.
 
Oct 5, 2017
214
43
Western Indiana
I am doing it to give our team the best chance to win. If you notice a pattern in my examples I made the decision to do it in the 7th inning each time. The first example of my reply the player was up four times that game. HR long 1B HR and IW so yeah it was a "coaching decision" but isn't that part of them game? Strategy, just like tweaking your line up to match the opponents? If we are to "just let the kids play" then every kid should get to play the same amount of innings and get a trophy at the end. Coaches are part of the game. And I promise you I do not try to micro manage or over coach a game. I do not give a lot of signals trying to fool every one but in a close game there are decisions to be made.

I know I am "just a HS coach" in many eyes here but I do study the game and if you changed a rule that helps my team I will use it.

On a side note- about the Coach WEENIE thing. I enjoy fun banter and I am willing to discuss our difference in opinion with out taking it personal. I am enjoying the dialog and appreciate a fun debate. Better than politics right now.
 
Feb 17, 2014
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I have watched a lot of baseball in my life and quite a bit of softball over that last 10 years or so. In all of the games I have watched I have only ever seen a batter hit a pitch that was thrown for an IBB once.

I get what you are saying though Westwind. Last year in the state playoffs I watched a coach IBB walk a girl because she's a good hitter. Then the next hitter hit the first pitch for a 3-run HR. That HR ended up being the difference in the game.

The next day, that team is losing 3-1 in the bot of the 6th. The girl who hit the HR the day before comes up with a runner on 1st with 2 outs. For whatever reason, the coach has the runner steal second. So, as soon as she's safe, I'm thinking this is a bad coaching decision. With first open, I thought the hitter would get walked. You have 2 outs. It makes sense to me. Instead they let her hit and on the next pitch she ties the game.

I wonder how much they let her hit this year in the playoffs. There's a good chance they see her again.
 
Jan 27, 2019
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WestWind
I have no problem with the sarcasm and snarkiness and I agree that debate drives innovation. The game has gotten better and brighter as we discuss and it is excellent to see the changes. I watched at least 7 different decent college softball games between Thursday and Friday and after I finish my mechanics training workshop this afternoon I intend to watch more.

You did say, "Just turn on the lights..." Here in WV that is most often not an option. I coached for 8 years and officiated for another 8 and the number of softball fields with lights I have seen you can count on one hand. Baseball most often has lights but we are left in the dark. I have to suspend a game or two each year because of darkness early in the season. This costs teams money because they have to pay umpires to come finish the games for them. It is confusing because rosters often change before the game is resumed due to injury and girls moving up from JV. In your world maybe rules that help speed up the game are not necessary. In mine, whatever we can do to avoid suspending games we like to do. No one wants to suspend. IBBs will help us avoid that. (I just assumed everyone struggled with being low enough in priority that you were the last sport to get money from administration.)

Spleen1015
Does it make you mad when they walk the girl even by throwing 4 pitches out of the strike zone? As I said, she can bounce the ball, or even illegal pitch the girl on base. An intentional walk is an intentional walk. Save time AND wear on the pitchers' arms. Call time and send her down to 1st.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
Yeah, that entitled thing didn’t sit well with me.

I really don't remember it. Or maybe I vaguely do. Not denying it, but just don't recall.

As far as the fall softball thing, who knows. Because of the tone of the other site, I don’t post there so I doubt it was anywhere but here. If you have never advocated for that change, it wasn’t you. Peace.

I did advocate for it here, but only under certain conditions. But I'm also reasonable and don't think the change should be made without taking other considerations into account.

We good now? Because I had no idea there was a thing between us in the first place.
 
Jan 27, 2019
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Consider this wrinkle to the rule that I had not considered until I took part one of the NFHS test this year for West Virginia.

Improper batter comes to the plate, defensive coach realizes it and gives her the intentional walk. Dead ball, runner goes to first. Now the coach can appeal the improper batter (batting out of order), proper batter is out, all on a dead ball play which does not allow the runners to advance. It's pretty sinister but legal. Thoughts on that one?
 

MTR

Jun 22, 2008
3,438
48
Point of an intentional walk is to avoid pitching to a specific batter. Everyone apparently believes that an automatic IBB is denying the batter a hit. You are talking about a pitcher who very likely can put the ball within a 24" space for a strike. A pitchout can be 3-5 feet off the plate. OTOH, they can also just keep it inside and that will piss off the same people.

Much ado about nothing, IMO
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
All I can say is where was this rule when I was coaching teams? I didn’t call IBBs often, but I remember one tournament when I did it twice and both times the pitcher threw one in the dirt that scored a runner fro third. Two different pitchers. And we actually practiced doing it from time to time.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
Point of an intentional walk is to avoid pitching to a specific batter. Everyone apparently believes that an automatic IBB is denying the batter a hit. You are talking about a pitcher who very likely can put the ball within a 24" space for a strike. A pitchout can be 3-5 feet off the plate. OTOH, they can also just keep it inside and that will piss off the same people.

Much ado about nothing, IMO



D7D98732-9E78-45FD-B355-E66F7974CAB9.jpg

Michigan vs. LSU last weekend. I can’t get the video to load. If ss wasn’t paying attention, this goes through 5-6 and would have scored two. If the hitter doesn’t hit around the ball, this ball possibly goes otf or in the gap for a double.

If the pitcher just keeps it inside, hitter has a chance to make an adjustment and hit the ball. The game gets played by the players. And about throwing inside, some dude named Ted said that history is made on the inside half of the plate, lol.

History isn’t made by anyone when the coach points at first. Boredom is made instead.

I still say this rule isn’t necessary and I say that this rule isn’t good for OUR game, which is softball, not baseball.
 
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