Umps calling strikes above batter's head

[CoachCeetar]

I'm at a loss here of what to tell the girl. This is 3rd/4th grade travel, the girl in question might not even be pushing 4 feet, but almost every umpire pretty much calls the strike zone basically as he sees it, which means pitches that he's looking down at are still over her head, and she's getting frustrated. (This happens to a few of the other shorter girls too, but she's the shortest)

I've though about moving her back, hoping at least pitches with some arc come down into her zone at least, but then she won't be able to hit the ones that barely clear the plate.
I've thought about moving her up, in the hopes that it'll look even more glaringly over her head, but i don't think that'll matter.

Is there anything we can do? Or is it just a matter of staying positive and hoping you get a pitch, and hope next year both the pitching and umpiring are a little better (plus some growth?)

 

[_MIA_]

I'm at a loss here of what to tell the girl. This is 3rd/4th grade travel, the girl in question might not even be pushing 4 feet, but almost every umpire pretty much calls the strike zone basically as he sees it, which means pitches that he's looking down at are still over her head, and she's getting frustrated. (This happens to a few of the other shorter girls too, but she's the shortest)

I've though about moving her back, hoping at least pitches with some arc come down into her zone at least, but then she won't be able to hit the ones that barely clear the plate.
I've thought about moving her up, in the hopes that it'll look even more glaringly over her head, but i don't think that'll matter.

Is there anything we can do? Or is it just a matter of staying positive and hoping you get a pitch, and hope next year both the pitching and umpiring are a little better (plus some growth?)

Have you tried going up to the plate and covering it with dirt and then telling the ump he would do a better job with it that way?

If you tried that and it didn’t help then maybe be a 6 month course of HGH?

Or you could explain to her that Mickey Mantle struck out 1710 times (but then you would probably need to explain to her who Mickey Mantle was..might want to leave out the alcoholism and womanizing part). Now if the kid is sharp she might tell you players strike out that much in two seasons now in which case you might want to see if she can call pitches for you guys.

That’s all I got..good luck.

 

[_MIA_]

That was my way agreeing with your last sentence

 

[CoachCeetar]

That was my way agreeing with your last sentence.

figured. Just frustrating. had a girl in rec half-convinced the ump was out to get her.

trying to figure out if there's a robot ump plug-in for gamechanger.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Why is any player in 3rd or 4th grade or any rec program even paying any mind to the umpire? I am really moving to the position that more games need to be played without umpires.

Somewhere in there I am sure she had a few pitches that were hittable. I'm not saying "were strikes" -- I am saying were hittable. Teach her to hit them. Have fun. Then figure out what flavor of ice cream is best after the game.

 

[_MIA_]

Why is any player in 3rd or 4th grade or any rec program even paying any mind to the umpire? I am really moving to the position that more games need to be played without umpires.

At tournaments I see siblings in the 5-10 YO range playing unsupervised games (and I know you didn’t mean completely unsupervised) on empty fields all the time. It’s great. Kid’s still have the ability do that..

 

[CoachCeetar]

Why is any player in 3rd or 4th grade or any rec program even paying any mind to the umpire? I am really moving to the position that more games need to be played without umpires.

Somewhere in there I am sure she had a few pitches that were hittable. I'm not saying "were strikes" -- I am saying were hittable. Teach her to hit them. Have fun. Then figure out what flavor of ice cream is best after the game.

they gotta start at some level right? We play 1-2 much more casually (and rec is coach pitch after 2 walks, so there's less of this) and I find the jumps in intensity are already tough. Nothing to do but roll with it, and all kids take it differently, but I'm trying to help ease that.

In the most recent example last night that prompted me to post this, there was not a hittable pitch, she reached for and fouled one that probably wasn't hittable, and took two called strikes that weren't hittable. I'm actually proud of her for NOT swinging at those, because she was jumping at some of them sometimes, but it was a big moment and she knew it.

Season's almost over, and she'll be fine. I just see the frustration and am grasping at anything to do to address it, strategically/mechanically.

 

[RADcatcher]

Somewhere in there I am sure she had a few pitches that were hittable. I'm not saying "were strikes" -- I am saying were hittable. Teach her to hit them.

there was not a hittable pitch,

she reached for and fouled one

This complain about the umpire Strike Zone situation continues at every level.
Since you can make contact...
try again!

 

[GIMNEPIWO]

All joking aside, are they calling a slow pitch or fast pitch strike zone ?

 

[CoachCeetar]

it's a fast pitch game. It's supposed to be basically the same strike zone as NJ high school.