The riseball has been killed

[JJS]

GEORGIA:
Chelsea Wilkinson..............IP: 67 ABs: 244 HRs: 7
All other Georgia pitchers....IP: 90 ABs: 350 HRs: 4

JMU:
Jailyn Ford....................IP: 69 ABs: 246 HRs: 6
Megan Good..................IP: 84 ABs: 294 HRs: 4

OREGON:
Cheridian Hawkins..........IP: 58 ABs: 207 HRs: 9
Rest of Oregon Pitchers..IP: 93 ABs: 345 HRs: 0

These Aces are throwing to the better teams. Also, notice that the Ace is throwing almost as much as the entire rest of the staff. The more innings thrown the more looks a team gets. Many home runs happen the 2nd or 3rd time through a lineup, or even the 3rd game facing the team for the season. The more a batter sees a pitcher, the better the odds of a big hit.

 

[BobInMadison]

So great segue here => In WI I saw 2 "top-tier" pitchers in my DD's HS year and one lower. The more untouchable one, the riseballer, is at Drake and even though she's done "good" I think she is getting figured out. Meaning that everyone is starting to know what her dominant pitch is (the rise) and that it's better to just wait for the walk and make her throw other pitches for strikes. (allot of what has happened to my DD too). Now the other pitcher of note here is the freshman at Oregon right now. For years I have seen this girl pitch and pitch well but she did not throw the rise (in HS at least) and I don't think it's a part of her standard arsenal now. This girl is like a Chelsea Thomas (MO) fame where her pitch just screamed in dropping. A real stand-out in that regard but not a big K pitcher. And I see now she is tearing it up out there for Oregon (better stats than Hawkins).

The difference has got to be the better coaching on laying off the rise. I really have made a huge shift in my thinking as I used to think I would promote a youth as a riseballer (if it's natural) due to all it's "K-wow" in pre-college years but now if I had to do it all over again (maybe with a grand-DD some day) I think I would not...... Thanks to umpiring with zero upper zone.

I've mentioned in the past a few things about the girl at Drake, Ms. Newman. 6'1" as a freshman in HS, took an otherwise bad team to the finals of the state championship in the highest division.

She improved as a pitcher, and vastly improved as a hitter, while she was in HS. BUT, her record against the teams in her conference, the players who saw her twice a year, every year, got worse. DD 3's PC was HC of a TB team with girls from two other high schools in that conference. He spent a great deal of time teaching the girls how to hit a riseball, and those girls did very, very well against Ms. Newman, a monster riseballer. One of the HS teams, after a 3 year losing streak, beat Ms. Newman's team in a very close game. Great fielding, and they had learned to hit.

Interesting, that same PC recently taught my DD 3 the rise, saying my DD 3 might be a natural riseballer. PC says DD 3 will never have the heat of NN. He also made DD 3 promise not to throw the rise until she's in HS, I guess he doesn't want her to damage her arm until she has enough arm strength?


EDIT TO ADD: Ms. Newman did much BETTER against the schools that were less familiar with her pitching. She had several games in her senior year with 20 K, and at least one perfect game. I remember reading an article in the local newspaper about her pitching a 20 K perfect game. Which means, she saw 21 batters, and struck out 20 of them, and the other was out anyway.

 

[riseball]

These Aces are throwing to the better teams. Also, notice that the Ace is throwing almost as much as the entire rest of the staff. The more innings thrown the more looks a team gets. Many home runs happen the 2nd or 3rd time through a lineup, or even the 3rd game facing the team for the season. The more a batter sees a pitcher, the better the odds of a big hit.

Aside for the 2nd or 3rd look all it takes is one bad pitch. A rise is a double edged sword. It can be very effective, but it will also cost you if you hang it. My DD has given up 4 dingers this year and no surprise they were all on riseballs. FWIW - 2 of those were pitches well up in the zone where most players other than a Sierra Romero would never swing.

 

[JJS]

Aside for the 2nd or 3rd look all it takes is one bad pitch. A rise is a double edged sword. It can be very effective, but it will also cost you if you hang it. My DD has given up 4 dingers this year and no surprise they were all on riseballs. FWIW - 2 of those were pitches well up in the zone where most players other than a Sierra Romero would never swing.

Do you also think that pitchers, catchers and coaches fall in love with the pitch and call it too much? It is a great pitch, but it should be mixed in an arsenal of other pitches. If a pitcher threw 3 drop balls, or 3 change ups every at bat to every batter then we would think the person calling pitches was crazy. If a batter knows what is coming it is much easier to hit it. If every time the count is 1-2 a pitcher throws a riseball, then the batter can tee off on it(goes for any pitch actually).

 

[Sparky Guy]

FWIW - 2 of those were pitches well up in the zone where most players other than a Sierra Romero would never swing.

That's for sure. I've seen a couple of hitters tomahawk pitches over their head for dingers. Or the hitter who golf swings at a pitch at the ankles out of the park. Ya never know. All you can do is shake your head when it happens.

 

[riseball]

Do you also think that pitchers, catchers and coaches fall in love with the pitch and call it too much? It is a great pitch, but it should be mixed in an arsenal of other pitches. If a pitcher threw 3 drop balls, or 3 change ups every at bat to every batter then we would think the person calling pitches was crazy. If a batter knows what is coming it is much easier to hit it. If every time the count is 1-2 a pitcher throws a riseball, then the batter can tee off on it(goes for any pitch actually).

No doubt in my mind. Supposed to be your go-to secret weapon, not your bread and butter. If it is not working you do not keep pounding away with it. Remember that definition of insanity thing?

 

[ANNASDAD]

Aside for the 2nd or 3rd look all it takes is one bad pitch. A rise is a double edged sword. It can be very effective, but it will also cost you if you hang it. My DD has given up 4 dingers this year and no surprise they were all on riseballs. FWIW - 2 of those were pitches well up in the zone where most players other than a Sierra Romero would never swing.

My DD's pitching coach told her the longest home runs ever hit were off of a screwed up rise ball, no room for error !

 

[Rocketech1]

Agree that the lowering of the high strike zone several years ago has eliminated SOME of the effectiveness of the high riseball, but can still be an effective pitch that can be used as a compliment to the other movement pitches. The days of pitchers like Dallas Escobedo almost exclusively using her riseball, will become more and more difficult for "up" pitchers. How often at the college / Pro level do you see strikes called above the belly button? Not many...