top 12u pitchers ???

[crystlemc]

Sorry but I've been coaching 12U softball for a long time. Been to several 12U National championships. I have never seen a 12U pitcher throwing anywhere near 60 mph. Maybe 55 tops.
If the midwest-eastcoast has all these dominant pitchers at 12u why don't they win more at ASA "A"nationals?
The top 5 teams from last years ASA Nationals are from my area and NONE of those pitchers are/were throwing 60 mph.

Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA)

My DD as a senior in high school throws 59-60. I catch for her. I think I have a pretty good idea of what a 60mph fastball looks like.
At 12U she was at 45-48mph just like the charts predict.
She developed at about the same pace as the charts posted as most "elite" pitchers do.

If there is 12 YO hitting 60 mph consistently please post a video of it. I would love to take a look at it. That would be one special kid.

Just because a team has a stud pitcher doesn't mean the rest of the team is quite up to snuff. And unless you get baserunners, you aren't going to win everything. If a pitcher could win games by herself, why do we need the other 8 players?

Oh, and I would never post a video of someone else's child. It certainly isn't my dd throwing that hard. She cruises around 52.

 

[coachdan]

At PONY Nationals in North Carolina (which is really more like an eastern regional than a true National) the fastest 12u pitchers were throwing in the upper 50's and near 60. They still have to locate because the better 12U batters can hit a straight fastball. I'd say the best 12U pitchers were around 55-58mph with location and movement.

I was at Pony Nationals last summer in Cary , NC and my team made it to the championship round in 14u (not 12u) and we did not see a pitcher that hit 60 mph. Our pitcher (my daughter) just turned 14 and she throw 56-57 mph but hit location and has change and offspeed drop. Defense wins championships!

12u throwing 60 mph is VERY VERY RARE!!!! and is the exception and not the rule. I'm sure there are a few out there but not many. If they are throwing 60 mph why are they playing 12u ?

 

[joemcq51]

I would bet there are not nearly as many pitchers throwing 60mph at 12u as we are hearing about. I'd bet on single digit numbers of girls hitting 60 at that age. Went to a tournament 2 weeks ago with 12u, 14u, and HS girls all playing at same complex. Guy had a gun there all weekend. Didn't see one pitch that started with a 6. There were teams there from all age groups that placed very well in different national tournaments. USSSA, NSA, ASA, ISA, etc....60mph is a head turner when you see it. Makes me wonder if where you aim the gun has an impact on the readings. Out of the hand vs cross the plate? Distance from the pitcher? Angle of the reading? Behind the plate or behind the pitcher? There are so many reports of girls throwing 60mph, that there must be something to it.

 

[BB875]

I would bet there are not nearly as many pitchers throwing 60mph at 12u as we are hearing about. I'd bet on single digit numbers of girls hitting 60 at that age. Went to a tournament 2 weeks ago with 12u, 14u, and HS girls all playing at same complex. Guy had a gun there all weekend. Didn't see one pitch that started with a 6. There were teams there from all age groups that placed very well in different national tournaments. USSSA, NSA, ASA, ISA, etc....60mph is a head turner when you see it. Makes me wonder if where you aim the gun has an impact on the readings. Out of the hand vs cross the plate? Distance from the pitcher? Angle of the reading? Behind the plate or behind the pitcher? There are so many reports of girls throwing 60mph, that there must be something to it.

Thats awesome to hear. I will pass that info onto my pitcher's parents.

 

[Coachmom]

It's hard to believe because I have never seen it.
I've heard folks talk about the illustrious 60 mph 12YO pitcher.
Then I go take a look and there is yet another big, intimidating LOOKING 12yo kid throwing 50-54 mph.

60mph is hard to hit for ANYONE let alone a 12YO.

My kid went to an elite pitching coach who had a radar in his cage with the mph up for all to see.
Many of the TOP pitchers in SO CAL go to this coach.
In the 2 years that we went there I saw 2-3 girls consistently hit speeds of 60+ mph. These were high school girls not 12YO kids.
These are some of the girls that go to this facility...
Nancy Bowling-pitching recruit to UofA
Royal pitcher way ahead of the curve » Ventura County Star

Ariana Erceg--Cal Berkley 2011 pitcher

Maddie Osias--recent 2012 Ole Miss recruit.
Madi Osias #5 2012 P Cruisers Lyn - YouTube

Michelle Floyd who is a recent UofA recruit was 6'2" tall as a freshman in high school.
Michelle Floyd - 2013 - Softball - Orange County, CA - SportsForce College Sports Recruiting Video - YouTube

Never once did I observe a 12YO hit 60 and I've seen a lot of kids go through that facility.

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Coachmom]

Is this the Pony "Nationals" tournament everyone is talking about?? From the looks of the teams entered it seems like a regional tournament to me. Not one team west of the Mississippi. No teams from Florida or Georgia?
2011 - PONY Girls Softball 10U/12U/14U
Is Pony a regional organization?

 

[Jojo]

Apparently there is a 12 or 13yr old throwing 60mph for a local league team around here.
The girls mother told one of my pitching parents that her daughter threw 60mph but wasn't sure if she had what it takes to play high school ball, especially since she's had no formal lessons.

My parent told her she thought at 60mph she had what it took to play college much less high school.

So she throws 60mph for a recreational team, with apparently a catcher that age that has no problem handling her.
I'm not calling her a liar, but I do think she's using one of those neighborhood radar signs as her speed source.

 

[tojo]

I recall a few years back, a girl from upstate SC that pitched for the 12U Little League in the National Championship on ESPN was throwing 60 according to the radar reading posted on the screen. Her mother was the volleyball coach at Clemson University. Other than that one instance, I don't know of any other 12U player that I have witnessed that is throwing 60. I attend a lot of Showcase tournaments and 60 mph is not all that common among 16 and 18U. I'm not from Missouri but you will have to "SHOW ME" all these 12U girls throwing 60. As someone stated earlier in their post "in his estimation" the girls were throwing near 60.

 

[Coachmom]

I'm not calling her a liar, but I do think she's using one of those neighborhood radar signs as her speed source.

LOL..I had a similar experience just this year. A friend of mine tells me that he heard a young freshman pitcher just entering my DD's high school is throwing consistently 68mph. I had to laugh. I wondered what 8th grade catcher was catching her last year? Turns out she is about 6'1" and a legit 59-60mph, not 68mph.
My DD and I attend the Palm Springs Classic tournament every year to watch the elite college players. When you sit behind the plate and see the pitchers throwing 60-70 mph pitches consistently you have something to measure it with.

Palm Springs Classic 2011

Yes. That's it. PONY Nationals is more a regional tournament that calls itself a National. ASA West coast teams would probably kill most teams in it. PONY is another one of the ABC organizations. I imagine they are trying to branch out west... but its more Northeast based. Some of the better 10/12U/14u teams in the Northeast region play in it (MD/VA/PA/CT/NY/NJ). Probably because its within driving distance. Its weaker at 16u/18U since everyone good goes to ASA. Even the better 14u teams start playing ASA also so while its still good competition (relative for the region) the best eventually go to ASA.

Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure what PONY was.

 

[Jojo]

LOL..I had a similar experience just this year. A friend of mine tells me that he heard a young freshman pitcher just entering my DD's high school is throwing consistently 68mph. I had to laugh. I wondered what 8th grade catcher was catching her last year? Turns out she is about 6'1" and a legit 59-60mph, not 68mph.
My DD and I attend the Palm Springs Classic tournament every year to watch the elite college players. When you sit behind the plate and see the pitchers throwing 60-70 mph pitches consistently you have something to measure it with.

Yeah it is fun to get to see some true speeds at some these qualifiers and nationals.
We got to face Monica Abbott at a 16u scouting tournament one year.
I took a picture of her whenever I saw her and knew she was going somewhere when I watched her pitch.

We were no pushover team and had great bats!, but Abbott threw a 1-hitter against us!