- Feb 22, 2013
- 206
- 18
I am an assistant coach on a travel ball team that my dd plays on. My dd likes it when her bucket dad calls the pitches. As a bucket dad, I know what pitches my dd is supposed to have and how well she should be able to locate her pitches. As a bucket dad and a pitch caller, it usually takes me one to two innings to see which pitches that my dd can throw effectively on that particular day. One tournament she threw a ball with no seams and everytime she tried to throw the high heat, it got belted. One tournament, her roll over drop was flatter than McDonald's pancakes, that pitch got belted when thrown. In the last 2 months, she has pitched in 4 states and thrown six different brands of softballs, all with different seems.
As a bucket dad and pitch caller, there are days when my dd has the great ability to set up batters and rack up the K's. There are also days that my dd couldn't get ahead of a hitter to save her life, where it is very difficult to call anything but low fastballs, in and out. I have found that the games where my dd gets ahead of the hitters early in the count are the days that she can throw her full repetoire of pitches and she is very effective as a pitcher. The days where she struggles with the strike zone are days where the pitch calling bucket dad/AC also struggles. It is extremely difficult to set up a hitter when the pitcher is behind in the count all day.
I'd be the first to admit that my dd throws too many unnecessary pitches when her bucket dad is calling the game. Waste pitches are called when runners get on base. Outside pitches and high pitches are called in bunting situations, where the bucket dad is trying to see if the batter is going to tip her hand in laying down a bunt or checking to see if the runner is going to steal. Waste pitches are called in 0-2, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2 counts which are used as set up pitches for the following pitch. As a bucket dad/AC, pitch selection is often decided because of the strengths of the left or right side of the defense, field conditions and where the sun is.
My dd will shake off pitches that she doesn't like in certain counts. When she shakes off a pitch, it is her responsibility to try to find a pitch that she believes that she can throw with the greatest chance for success.
I've watched my dd pitch as a pick-up pitcher for other teams where catchers have called the pitches. She has been quite successful with these catchers. I've watched her pitch at triple crown recruiting camps where she told the catcher to put the glove where she wants it and she'll hit the spot. She has been successful there also.
As a bucket dad, I catch my dd 3 to 5 times a week. No two days are ever alike. Some days, I think she has the greatest control I have ever seen. Other days, I would swear that she's never thrown a softball in her life and her ability to focus is non existent and I have the bruises to support that thinking. In the end, when my dd gets ahead in the count early and often, her success rate goes up exponentially, regardless of who is calling the pitches or how many pitches that she is able to throw on that particular day.
A few weekends ago, I watched my dd throw an uneventful, no power, no spin game at 9:00 a.m. in the morning to a team that we should have beat solidly and take a loss. Five to seven hours latter, she shut down convincingly a team in pool play that eventually went on to win the tournament. She had several K's and had very good power and spin. The pitch calling was very different in the second game because my dd was constantly ahead in the count and could throw different pitches, up and down, in and out and a very good off speed.
As a bucket dad and pitch caller, there are days when my dd has the great ability to set up batters and rack up the K's. There are also days that my dd couldn't get ahead of a hitter to save her life, where it is very difficult to call anything but low fastballs, in and out. I have found that the games where my dd gets ahead of the hitters early in the count are the days that she can throw her full repetoire of pitches and she is very effective as a pitcher. The days where she struggles with the strike zone are days where the pitch calling bucket dad/AC also struggles. It is extremely difficult to set up a hitter when the pitcher is behind in the count all day.
I'd be the first to admit that my dd throws too many unnecessary pitches when her bucket dad is calling the game. Waste pitches are called when runners get on base. Outside pitches and high pitches are called in bunting situations, where the bucket dad is trying to see if the batter is going to tip her hand in laying down a bunt or checking to see if the runner is going to steal. Waste pitches are called in 0-2, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2 counts which are used as set up pitches for the following pitch. As a bucket dad/AC, pitch selection is often decided because of the strengths of the left or right side of the defense, field conditions and where the sun is.
My dd will shake off pitches that she doesn't like in certain counts. When she shakes off a pitch, it is her responsibility to try to find a pitch that she believes that she can throw with the greatest chance for success.
I've watched my dd pitch as a pick-up pitcher for other teams where catchers have called the pitches. She has been quite successful with these catchers. I've watched her pitch at triple crown recruiting camps where she told the catcher to put the glove where she wants it and she'll hit the spot. She has been successful there also.
As a bucket dad, I catch my dd 3 to 5 times a week. No two days are ever alike. Some days, I think she has the greatest control I have ever seen. Other days, I would swear that she's never thrown a softball in her life and her ability to focus is non existent and I have the bruises to support that thinking. In the end, when my dd gets ahead in the count early and often, her success rate goes up exponentially, regardless of who is calling the pitches or how many pitches that she is able to throw on that particular day.
A few weekends ago, I watched my dd throw an uneventful, no power, no spin game at 9:00 a.m. in the morning to a team that we should have beat solidly and take a loss. Five to seven hours latter, she shut down convincingly a team in pool play that eventually went on to win the tournament. She had several K's and had very good power and spin. The pitch calling was very different in the second game because my dd was constantly ahead in the count and could throw different pitches, up and down, in and out and a very good off speed.
