Coach Rick, Vortex Team Report

Coach Rick, Vortex, 10&U, Alabama

Pre-Season Report:

My daughter is 10 years old and has been taking pitching lessons from a local college pitcher all winter long.  Last year my daughter was just learning how to pitch and was throwing about 25 mph. She was slow but accurate! We went 18 - 6 last year and finished 4th place in the City out of 36 teams. I was just an assistant coach on that team and have decided to be a head coach this year. I will make a big prediction here....I'm hoping to finish in the top 4 or better again this year. The pitching lessons have really paid off. My daughter has two pitches (fastball&change) and her fastball placement is very accurate which tops out at 50 mph. Basically, I have the equivalent of a little Cat Osterman and high hopes.

Each team in our league has 12 girls and all 12 must play at least 2 innings. Basic rules: If a pitcher walks and/or hits 4 batters, the coach comes out and pitches to the girls. There is a 5 run limit and 4 innings makes a regulation game.

First Game Report:

We won 6 - 0. My daughter picthed a no hitter and struck out 12 batters. Everyone girl played and had fun; however, I really wasn't happy. Because my daughter pitched so good, none of the other girls really learned anything .....Not one ball has ever hit; therefore, no one girl on the field did anything but just stand there. Plus, we didn't hit well ! So, I went on the internet looking for help and stumbled onto your web page. I read all the tips for 8U and 10U and applied a variation of each to my team. The batter line up helped the most!

Second Game Report:

We won 14 3. I let a different girl pitch 2 innings and let my daughted close the game. The first 2 innings balls actually got hit and we fielded a few and made some outs. Most importantly, the RF came in very handy backing up 1B. All the tips have been very helpful, and I have started using stations as well. Something you might want to pass on is a drill that I have started using on the field during warmups. I line 6 girls up with their bats and I have my assistant/parent coaches toss about 2 handfuls of uncooked lima beans at them. The beans are about the size of a dime and it builds great eye & hand coordination with their swings. I tell every girl if they can hit a bean smaller than a dime they can hit that huge softball. Plus, this is a real fun drill for the kids. I'm convinced that a combination of this drill and the batter line-up tips improved our batting. Just look at the score above. I can't wait until our next game!

-Coach Rick

UPDATE

The Batting Line up tips are working like a charm! We're undefeated 5 - 0, and have beaten everyone in our division. We have 7 games left before we start our big city tournament. Oh! your team management tips for player preference, helped me out big time. At the last game, I had my first parent complaint about playing time. Luckily, I had already read your tips for responding to complaints and was prepared. Thanks a million! Attached are my midpoint stats/score card.

-Coach Rick

Coach Rick-

Thanks for submitting the report. It has been added to the site. Sounds like ya'll are off to a Great start.

Pitching lessons are CRITICAL if a girl really wants to develop as a pitcher. All she needs are two pitches for now. You may hear of other girls that throw 4 and 5 pitches at this age. DON'T be impressed. Concentrate on the Fastball and Change up and locating those pitches. When she is 12 or 13 she can start working on a drop curve.

With your daughter pitching this well, I would encourage you to get involved with tournament ball. Check out www.fastpitchsoftball.net for tournaments in your area.

Good Luck and keep me updated.

Coach Jim

Thanks go to you! Although, I do have a "Cat Osterman" like pitcher....I've been able to focus on the weaker players (i.e, their batting and it has been paying off ! ) Feel free to post the stats section of my score cards. It would be real cool to have a link for all your coachs reports. Maybe even a section on your web page that compares W-Ls and stats of like teams, batting averages, etc...Hey, how much are your T-Shirts ? I think you have some grip it and rip it shirts ?

Coach Rick-

Your daughter is tearing it up on the mound! 27K's, 5 BB's, and NO RUNS. Nothing makes coaching more fun than having a true ACE pitcher.

The batting averages look pretty good. Four hitters w/ an average of 400 or better and only one player that doesn't have a hit yet. When I review our team stats, my focus turns to the players that are struggling. I'm always thinking about what drills I should be running to develop the weaker hitters. Our motto in 12U was "10 to Win".

5-0 is great, but don't let up. If you finish the season 11-1 the game you will remember the most is the 1 loss.

Thanks for the update and keep me posted.

Coach

VORTEX MIDPOINT STATS

Louisville Slugger Ultimate Pitching Machine - Louisville Slugger Ultimate Pitching Machine No electricity required! The Ultimate Pitching Machine is capable of throwing many types of balls. The Ultimate Pitching Machine is accurate and c - Softball Hitting Aids -