Situation opinions please

[SoftSocDad]

Defense was playing at a standard depth with 3rd in a bit. Batter popped it up to third baseman for a double play.

The coach had confidence in the batter to execute the bunt in that situation and she wasn't able to get it done.

I'm not a coach, but probably would've let her swing especially if I noticed that 3B was cheating in a bit anticipating the possible bunt. While I agree with you, you have to take my limited perspective into consideration, as the coaches here pointed up that your coach may have been trying to accomplish something else in that moment.

 

[Coach JV]

DP was due to poor execution at the plate. Next time push the bunt
toward 1st base and you will score at least 1

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

thanks for the insight. It has been a while since I coached and I completely disagree with coaches decision on the squeeze. I still do, but understand that hindsight is 20/20 and will let it go.

Thanks again.

 

[lawdawg]

When a player on our team puts down a sac bunt, its like they just hit a homerun the way her teammates act.

That's great to hear. We need to spend more time reinforcing sacrificing for the team. At nationals this year we were visitors, down by 2, 4 minutes left in game time, 2 outs and a weaker (not weak) batter at plate. I told her to strike out swinging at 1st 3 pitches no matter where they were and NOT to make contact. She did - the crowd (including her parents) was going crazy until they realized what I was doing. We started new inning tied game at next at bat and won in international tie breaker in extra innings. SHE WAS HERO OF GAME for striking out - complete with game ball and a cheer!

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

That's great to hear. We need to spend more time reinforcing sacrificing for the team. At nationals this year we were visitors, down by 2, 4 minutes left in game time, 2 outs and a weaker (not weak) batter at plate. I told her to strike out swinging at 1st 3 pitches no matter where they were and NOT to make contact. She did - the crowd (including her parents) was going crazy until they realized what I was doing. We started new inning tied game at next at bat and won in international tie breaker in extra innings. SHE WAS HERO OF GAME for striking out - complete with game ball and a cheer!

Maybe I am in the minority here, but I have always thought that there is something fundamentally wrong with purposely having your players get out, whether its by striking out on purpose, crossing home plate during an at-bat, leaving the base early, etc. It may be "good" clock management, but I think the spirit and integrity of the game gets lowered every time a coach asks his player to do that. Just doesn't sit well with me.

 

[lawdawg]

Maybe I am in the minority here, but I have always thought that there is something fundamentally wrong with purposely having your players get out, whether its by striking out on purpose, crossing home plate during an at-bat, leaving the base early, etc. It may be "good" clock management, but I think the spirit and integrity of the game gets lowered every time a coach asks his player to do that. Just doesn't sit well with me.

1) What about an intentional walk to hot hitter with 1b open?
2) What about a mound conference or telling your pitcher to work slow to kill time when the clock is running and your ahead?
3) What about having your runner on 1st get in run down between 1st and 2nd in order to score runner on 3rd - knowing that the runner on 1st will be tagged out 9/10 times?
4) What about having your baserunner step off early to give an out when your up 15-0?

We will have to agree to disagree. No offense intended but all are a part of the game.

 

[alexander58]

You are down 2 runs. You need contact to get a run home. You put the ball feet away from home , giving the defense a good chance of getting a force at home, thereby not scoring. A girl swings and hits the ball farther away from home, giving you a better opportunity to score. She could hit a one hopper or a screaming line drive, but I'll take the ball put in play further from home.

 

[SnocatzDad]

1) What about an intentional walk to hot hitter with 1b open?
2) What about a mound conference or telling your pitcher to work slow to kill time when the clock is running and your ahead?
3) What about having your runner on 1st get in run down between 1st and 2nd in order to score runner on 3rd - knowing that the runner on 1st will be tagged out 9/10 times?
4) What about having your baserunner step off early to give an out when your up 15-0?

We will have to agree to disagree. No offense intended but all are a part of the game.

1,3 are risk/reward decisions not really in the same category as asking a kid to strike out. #4 should be reserved for extreme cases.

2) What about a mound conference or telling your pitcher to work slow to kill time when the clock is running and your ahead?
This is in the same category as asking a kid to strike out intentionally. People tend to fall into two main categories on this,

#1 Anything that helps you win and is legal is fair game.
#2 Anything that would help you win in a game without a time limit is fair game, everything else is bush league and bad Karma (extra conferences, pitching changes, striking out on purpose, batter delays, pitcher delays)

What your goals are and what age your at can put you squarely in one camp or the other. IMO there isn't right and wrong here, just progression. If your #1 goal is to get as deep every weekend as possible in every tournament then you should play that way. If your looking to make it deep at a National tournament at the end of the year, managing the clock well isn't going to help you, and you better learn how to keep a lead late in a game before you get there. People in camp #2 tend to feel that although there are many games played under a clock rule, 99% of them are meaningless and every important game you will ever play will be full length or played at a time limit designed to complete most games (i.e. 90 minutes). That applies to Nationals and many qualifiers for Nationals. Playing full games prepares the kids for not only Nationals but, HS and College where they don't keep time.

 

[RulesMeister]

I hate the timed games. On some rare occasions, a tournament director will give the umpire leeway to extend the time limit if they detect a coach trying to secure a win by means such as an extra mound conference etc. Like stoppage time in soccer, the umpires should always be given this leeway. Part of the beauty of the games of baseball and softball is that it ain't over til it's over. The original design had nothing to do with time limits and the spirit of the game should be played that way.
On the squeeze play, either way can be argued and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. There are so many factors that come into play there's not one good answer. Same with all the other decisions the manager has to make, either in a quick moment, or even setting the lineup. Factors like how the players have done in practices all year, or even in the last week, player confidence or attitude, who's available on the bench, etc. All these factors can come into play and they are usually overlooked when a fellow coach or parent questions the decisions of the manager.
I've made some unorthodox decisions over time and been questioned after the fact, (usually only when they are successful) and sometimes the reason comes up as: "I don't know, it just felt right" and the softball Gods smiled down on us that day.
In the scenario described, I might lean towards hitting away, but that lean is in the 51/49 percent and that means that 49 times out of a hundred, for us, the squeeze would be on.
The beauty of the game.

 

[PAcoach]

As i read back over this, it occured to me, it seems the coach had confidence in the batter, but the batter didn't have confidence in her self. You know darn well as soon as that coach gave the squeeze sign, her heart probably started racing in this pressure packed situation. Had she ever laid down a squeeze bunt before? I would say our team squeezes often, in pool games on Saturdays as well as Championship Sunday's. Because of that, as a coach, i am very confident of our batters and they as well are very confident. When we are on D and i think its a squeeze situation, we have taught our girls to watch the face of the batter, often, not always, the batter gives it away by her facial expressions.