Great read! My DD does not pitch, but I feel for those young ladies who are out there front & center with (what they feel to be) the weight on their shoulders. I'm always proud of my DD when she runs over to that circle, gives her pitcher a smile & a bit of reassurance letting her know she's not alone. You win as a team & you lose as a team.
Could not agree more. My kid feeds off of her teamates and they seem to play hard for her, that chemistry is a 2 way street.
Pitchers need to not feel like they are all alone on an island, positive reassurance for a young pitcher is huge. As an example, when I am coaching I'll go out and talk to a young pitcher if she is in a rough patch before just yanking her out of a game. Give her a chance to battle through it with the confidence of her coach and teammates, then if it does not work out just tell her to go get them next time, we still believe in you. If we are not careful we give young pitchers the mindset that they have to be perfect or they will be pulled. I get especially irratated when a coach pulls a pitcher without taken a second to give her some positive reinforcement, especially if the hook is especially quick. "Sometimes your the dog, and sometimes your the tree....", go get em next time.
Its hard enough to be a developing pitcher without having to try and be perfect or look over your shoulder to be pulled. They are not made of glass, but they are also not little robots either. Respect goes both ways, believe in them and they'll believe in you, great things can happen.
My 2 cents.
