scorekeeping

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May 6, 2015
2,397
113
I am curious as to how various teams/organizations keep score

electronic (ie Gamechanger, iScore, ???) vs paper, both

who keeps score (HC, AC, parent, etc.)? do they consult with anyone else (HC, other scorekeeper, etc.) when deciding on how to score something (ie ROE vs Hit, who gets error, PB vs WP)
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
We might be required to keep score on paper, some unlucky parent usually gets sucked into it. I am not sure it matters too much but they do pay attention.

Last year HC made the players keep score, little arbitrary but they all can keep score now.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
We have done it several different ways over the years...

2018 high school ball --- coach asked me to be scorekeeper. I suggested using GameChanger. She preferred I use a traditional paper book, which i did. But then I transferred each game into GameChanger and sent her updated stats each week. I think she is planning to switch exclusively to GameChanger next year.

Travel ball -- We traditionally had an assistant coach handle the book. He enjoyed doing it, and was very good at it. He wasn't available this year due to health reasons. We were playing 23u with a roster full of college players, so we just picked one of the players to handle the book each game. It was typically a pitcher that may not have been playing that game. It was actually fun to watch. We have 5 pitchers (3 that pitched in college and 2 that were just starting their freshman year in college). Whichever one was keeping the book was constantly talking to the active pitcher and catcher in between innings. Going over pitch progressions, hitter weaknesses, etc. It was great to see how invested they were in helping each other.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
We are a bit overboard. Our official book is a parent keeping a paper book, which is official for the umpires. She and I sit together to discuss how plays should be scored and I keep score unofficially in iScore. Coach uses iScore numbers for stats. We also have a parent keeping a very unofficial Game Changer, mostly for the family and friends at home who want to watch. I would keep Game Changer and let iScore go if it weren't SO MUCH BETTER than Game Changer. I just can't let it go.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
(14U TB) We run GC for all of our games - tournaments and friendlies. In tournaments that require a paper book, and we are the home team, we run both GC and paper simultaneously.

In the past, I have used exclusively paper, paper transferred to GC, and GC. There are things I like about each, but overall, I prefer GC.

I have yet to see scorekeepers from opposite sides confer on hit/error/FC.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
This was a few years ago with DD's new coach, let me know if I can help you in anyway. Can you run the scorebook for me, No. Will you coach 1st, sure.

Batting order gets out of whack or disagreement on score, doesn't happen very often. Only time I have seen scorekeepers get together. Otherwise they are in their own world.
 
May 4, 2016
70
18
East Coast
We're 1st year 14U and 95% of the teams we see use GC. Sometimes a paper book in addition to the phone/tablet, but almost always GC. Once you've done it a few times, it's no issue using GC (or Iscore) as the official book and keeping up with the game.

We usually have one parent as the designated GC operator and a second one as the backup. Coach is the third Admin, but honestly, GC is more for the parents and folks at home than for the Coach. If the Coach doesn't already know who the best hitters and best fielders are, then they aren't really paying much attention at practice. :)

Key thing is that the two parents have to be the non-gossipy, non-rock the boat types. They and only they should have access to the team stats. No one else should ever be able to see stats for more than their own kid. Just putting that out there now as a suggestion to nip the 9U and 10U Dad from the "All Stars" movie that lives inside all of us.
 

JohnnyO

Began this habit in 1980
May 13, 2015
270
18
Midwest
I keep it all on paper, including numbering each pitch to keep track of first pitch strikes, line drives/HHB's, fly balls vs ground balls, spray charts and everything else I can think of. Then after the game I transfer it all to GC takes 30-40 minutes per game depending on pitches....


Now scoring higher level ball and may move to GC if i have a backup paper book. I tried to do both myself in fall ball but it got a bit crazy with all our substitutions, etc.

If I could find a way to track type of pitch (rise/change,curve,...) while doing a paper book it would be great as I want to know that my pitcher can hit her spot in a pinch with "x" pitch. Anyone got ideas on how to do that....

I wish GC would tell me what pitch was thrown on an 0-2 count.
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
In Rec ball, paper score book is really all you need. I was able to coach 3rd and do the book. TB, we use GC. The last couple of years wife of HC used iScore and a mom used GC for the parents. HS ball: I use the GC for any parents that want to follow. The players did it in the dugout last year and I followed them as well. My DD got a stand up double off the wall and advanced to 3rd on a throwing error. The players scored it as error.

I got permission from the coaches to load my GC stats to MaxPreps for the HS team since the coaches were clueless. On any questionable error/hit etc, I would confer with a parent close by to get their opinion as well. CYA. We only have 4 players that play TB. The rest of the parents don't have a clue either.
 
Jun 29, 2013
589
18
That would be me. I keep a paper book and do gamechanger at the same time. When one of the other parents is there (he has another DD who plays for a different team), he keeps the paper book. The trick is to do it in the book first and then update gamechanger. Mistakes are inevitable but they are a lot harder to fix on GC than in the book.
 

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