UCLA beats OU...a lesson in "picking the pitcher"...or "picking the coach".

[sluggers]

The Tuatalufua homer is the giveaway. The replay shows her moving back in the box during the windup. IMHO, she was getting a signal from Fernandez about the pitch.

Attached is a picture of Tautalafua hitting the bomb. Look at her position in the box. She moved (during the windup) to be in a perfect position to hit the inside high pitch.

Fernandez and Michelle Smith played in a whole different era...when teams were trying to get one or two runs. Back in the day, people were much more aware of picking pitches.

Is this cheating? Not at the collegiate level, the HS level, the 18U or the 16U-A level. I think 40YOA men stealing signs from 12YOA players is pretty stupid.

 

[justanotherguy]

I said it here before, my daughter was at a camp and getting instruction from a JMU coach for the catchers. She was teaching them how to block their signs. She said it's her #1 job in games to steal the other team's signs. She said she's gone as far as seeing the striations on the arm of a catcher to know what fingers she was putting down.

 

[djcarter1966]

I think OUs problem was as much pitch selection and location as anything else. At this level any pitch that is mid thigh to just above the belt over the middle half of the plate with very little movement (and only horizontal if any) is just asking to get crushed.

 

[Ken Krause]

There is another possible explanation to Tuatalufua moving on the pitch. She may have purposely set up inside to bait OU into calling the curve, then adjusted once the pitch was on the way. Pitch calling 101 is to throw inside on a hitter who is too close to the plate.

I don't know that that happened. But it's possible. I actually teach my advanced hitters to do that if they know a pitcher (or a coach) likes a certain location. You basically slide the back foot in or out as-needed when you go to load. It's great when it works. Not so much if they don't take the bait.

 

[Rick M]

I'm going with Juarez tipping her pitches. Absolutely something Fernandez would have noticed and shared with her hitters.

A few weeks ago, DD played a team where the first base coach was yelling 'good eye' while the ball was in flight. They were an unnaturally patient bunch, every at-bat going to a full count. I told our first base coach what was happening, and she was incredulous. She's a recent P5 player, and assured me that despite all the chatter from base coaches, hitters don't hear a word when they're focusing on the pitcher.

I'd also agree with those who questioned the pitch selection. A touch of redemption after a rough year for Melyssa Lombardi?

 

[mmeece]

The Tuatalufua homer is the giveaway. The replay shows her moving back in the box during the windup. IMHO, she was getting a signal from Fernandez about the pitch.

Attached is a picture of Tautalafua hitting the bomb. Look at her position in the box. She moved (during the windup) to be in a perfect position to hit the inside high pitch.

Fernandez and Michelle Smith played in a whole different era...when teams were trying to get one or two runs. Back in the day, people were much more aware of picking pitches.

Is this cheating? Not at the collegiate level, the HS level, the 18U or the 16U-A level. I think 40YOA men stealing signs from 12YOA players is pretty stupid.

I could agree if they had also pounded the off-speed stuff from Juarez. If they had picked signs or she had a tell on the curve then they would have also known when she was throwing the off-speed because she rarely threw much besides those 2. I think the batter just baited an inside curve here. The main issues I saw were that Juarez just didn't hit spots well and had been thoroughly scouted. UCLA took great approaches at the plate in those games.