What makes a winning team?

[Cowdogz]

Pitching, defense, and three-run homers!

Now that I'm done channeling Earl Weaver, my real answer is depth and versatility. I like to have multiple kids who can play multiple positions competently on any given day.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

Perhaps, but I would take my chances with a team with heart and belief over those with out them every time.

You can have that team and I will take my team full of talent and lets see how that works out. Chemistry, heart, belief....all overrated.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Chemistry, heart, belief....all overrated.

They matter when all else is about equal. But in the land of travel softball, there's not a great deal of parity in the typical softball tournament. Most tournaments are fairly predictable, and they are being won by the teams w/ the most talent and skill. So I agree.

 

[Doug Romrell]

A main ingredient to having a winning team, and we struggle to have it, is SWAGGER!

Given my players fail to be hungry or ready enough on defense, I want them to learn to pace a bit prior to going into their ready positions. All too often, and particularly when we are behind, my players stand as if there's nothing to live for. Further, many of my players often struggle in the batters box. In their stance and when they swing (or don't swing) it is quite clear they aren't really all that hungry to HIT THE BALL. I want them to look like winners in the batters box. The pitcher should be able to tell prior to releasing the ball whether or not the batter WANTS IT (like "Pitch me the ball! I'm gonna knock it hard right back at you!"). I believe you've got to put on the look of winners before you can be winners. Swagger is often a hard thing to come by. I think it's a main thing that should be looked at in team tryouts.

 

[JBG]

I was watching the PA AA state final the other day on TV. What i noticed was very similiar for both teams...Although they had decent pitching, neither was overpowering. They both threw A LOT of change ups, so many so that i was like ????. What was similiar...both teams had STUD shortstops. Good catchers and BOTH teams could hit the crap out the ball!

 

[RichK]

When you recruit a group of great players to form a great team, talent trumps "belief" and swagger is built in.

When you are trying to move girls up in competition level (by working hard and improving their skill level), belief is huge and until they believe teams with built-in swagger and more raw talent will thomp them.

I read a great quote from female soccer player Alex Morgan that I've been sharing with our kids, who are now playing 18U top-level PGF ball (we had many of them since they were a very rough 10U team, a good USSSA team and now a college exposure squad):

"What gets you to the next level is truly believing you deserve to be where you are"

 

[SoAZDad]

A top-notch pitcher who shuts other teams down. If you don't have that, an excellent defense. If you don't have that, hitters all the way through the line up.

Joe Garagiola said, "It takes pitching, hitting and defense. Any two can win. All three make you unbeatable."

 

[CoogansBluff]

A top-notch pitcher who shuts other teams down. If you don't have that, an excellent defense. If you don't have that, hitters all the way through the line up.

I would think that's more the case in high school than in travel. In travel tournaments, you have groups of teams of similar ability, so a top-notch pitcher - while still very valuable - won't always be that much better than the second or third best pitcher in that particular tournament. But in high school, a conference of 8 teams might have a wide range of #1 pitchers. If you've got the best pitcher in the league, and you're playing a league schedule (ie, not playing multiple games in one day), then you're in business.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Joe Garagiola said, "It takes pitching, hitting and defense. Any two can win. All three make you unbeatable."

I also liked what Yogi Berra said: ''Good pitching will stop good hitting. And vice-versa.''

 

[riseball]

I would think that's more the case in high school than in travel. In travel tournaments, you have groups of teams of similar ability, so a top-notch pitcher - while still very valuable - won't always be that much better than the second or third best pitcher in that particular tournament. But in high school, a conference of 8 teams might have a wide range of #1 pitchers. If you've got the best pitcher in the league, and you're playing a league schedule (ie, not playing multiple games in one day), then you're in business.

Very valid point. In High School my DD averaged 14 k's per game, threw numerous no hitters, all conference, all this, all that, National High School Player of the Year, blah, blah, blah. That and a $1 got her a coke in TB and even less in college. If you are a truly dominant pitcher there may be 2 -3 TB players on a HS roster that have a chance of getting a hit. The others you can just blow the ball by them. What works in HS will get you rocked in true A level TB.