Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Pitching/Defense Survey

[brian514]

This question is for the coaches that have won some tournaments. My daughters team has 2 pitchers on it. We play in several tournaments that require us to play 3-4 games per day. Do you recommend sitting the pitcher that's not pitching to be able to get her ready if needed and avoid possible injury and going with a consistent defensive alignment or mixing your defense up because you would rather play your pitcher on defense somewhere? I know where I stand on this but I want thoughts and feedback from teams that have experienced some success. Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Hilliarddad3]

Only On Sunday if you think you're going far one would rest preferably number one unless a jam occurs. If she's a good hitter as most pitchers are, maybe she bats only...... Even split the game to show the opposition something else. No rule says ride one horse all day.

 

[cz fastpitch fan]

Another option is to share the circle time throughout the tourney, in both pool play and bracket play. It's an option, that keeps them from ever getting to that point of throwing a lot of pitches in one game.
Good luck this season.

 

[brian514]

We are a new select team this year and our defense struggles. I think having a consistent defense instead of mixing it up to make room for our pitchers to play when not pitching is hurting us. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and good luck to you as well this season.

 

[daboss]

Splitting time in the circle is finally an option being used across the country. Very effective. I would option to change out no later than the second time thru the line up.

 

[brian514]

We seem to do fine first time through the lineup but our pitchers just don't get enough strikeouts. Second time through the lineup we get hit pretty hard. Thanks for your input.

 

[coachtomv]

Not sure what age you are, but couple thoughts.

2 pitchers is running thin, be good to have a third most likely. Be great to have three with different styles to change up and throw off offenses. We are blessed with that type rotation and its great when they are all throwing good stuff and we can pitch the different looks if needed. Our pitchers are very receptive to the changes and comfortable as a "staff" and not a #1, #2, etc. We are fortunate to have three that could be number ones on alot of travel teams.

Also, coaches never feel they get enough strikeouts, lol, but its not the pitchers job to strike everyone out. Be great if you were in that rare case where you have a dominate pitcher like that, but even so as they get older the bats will catch up. Pitchers job is to place the ball where it can be fielded for the easiest defensive stop and keep the batter off balance and uncomfortable. My dd is a pitcher and does not have a high number of strikeouts necessarily, but a high winning percentage and low ERA. She keeps it low with a ton of spin and most of the time she gets batters to hit into the dirt, rarely getting hit hard consistently.

As far as playing a defensive spot. Thats obviously depends on your depth. This year we have 3 pitchers who all contribute on defense and batting, and one is also our starting SS. On Sundays we try and keep two of them fresh and focused on pitching only where possible and it seems to be working so far.

Keep in mind we are 13u.

Good luck!

 

[brian514]

Great input coachtomv! I really appreciate you sharing. First off, we are a 12u team. Our 2 pitchers are very similar in speeds and I don't feel like their control is all that great. They are both decent but they get hit hard. I don't want to say anything negative about either of them but I feel like if they aren't pitching they should be sitting since we are thin at the pitching position. Our coach highly disagrees with this. We are an injury away from having just 1 average pitcher to pitch 3-4 games in a single day.

Thanks again for your perspective.

 

[Fairman]

2 pitchers is one to few to make any serious run on a Sunday.

An average pitcher shouldn't be pitching 3-4 games a day at 12U in any case, in fact no pitcher should do that. You risk repetitive stress injuries that are not recoverable. Since your defense is weak these kids are pitching 150+ pitch games. You will injure your pitchers. This is a statement of fact. If you are a coach or a dad its time to step up and protect these kids.

I'd recommend finding a third pitcher that can eat some pool play innings and give your main horses a game off during pool play.

Also pay attention to your catcher, she too is in danger of injury from her overhand throws; every underhand pitch results in an overhand throw. I hope you have two catchers. If not start training another.

 

[wow]

I think a lot of this depends on what type of turneys you are playing and how many games you play. Keeping track of pitch count is critical. 150+ pitches is a LONG game, especially at 12U. Pitching efficiency matters. There are much bigger concerns if you are seeing this many during a timed pool game. At 12U you really need three, as the above poster states, however if you have low pitch counts you can and should be able to be fine with two. The key is high quality pitches and not throwing 8,9,10 pitches to a batter. The other piece is being strategic with things like split time in a game and more importantly prognosticating an adjustment PRIOR to things going too far south. Too many times coaches " let a kid work out of a jam" only to see the game slip away. Knowing the difference between getting out of a jam, and having the mentality fortitude to do so is the key.

In your situation it really depends on when your pitchers are not pitching does the defense suffer if they are resting? Meaning are they above average in the field? If they can add value back to the game I don't think you want to sit them. However if they are below average fielders then maybe it does make sense.

 

[Fairman]

I think the poster already thinks the defense is weak and the pitching average at best which translates into a lot of pitches even in a timed game.

Most summer tournaments are at least 5 game guarantees so I would be completely resting a pitcher for at least one pool game on Saturday (and a catcher) so there is some gas left in their tanks on Sunday. This works much better with three pitchers one on the mound, one in the hole and one completely resting. Maybe your third pitcher does't rest on Saturday but your ace(s) need to get off their feet.