Top Contenders for the State Championship

F.Y.I.
Mr Threatt's first name is Rodney. So I don't believe that is him.

 

TCR

I would consider TC Roberson after this week in 3A because they just beat North Buncombe AND Enka in 1-0 games. They have a solid defence that keeps hits and errors to a minimum. Both of those games were error free.

 

Fastpitch_Hitter

We did,and do, play different girls in most of our non-conf. games. How else do you find out what you have and what you need to work on?
It is also a great way to prepare the under classmen for there chance as starters.
My name is Ray McCrodden, and who would you be? If you dont want to put it on this board I understand. You can e-mail or pm me. or just come over and say hi at one of our games.
Good luck to all the HS teams here on TBR. Playoffs are only a couple of weeks away.

 

Yes, I've noticed many times that players arent in the right positions.

I think it's rediculous how much the players are ran. Soccer..which consists of more running than softball by far, is SUPPOSED to run more than softball. But in the past few years, Butler runs softball players more than even the womens soccer team. I'd like to see Coach Lloyd and the others run that much and see how grand they feel after. And.. how can you not supervise people when working on lifting weights? That's how Smith broke in between her chest. No adults were helping her, and she ending up injuring herself. Yet she still gets a spot on the team EVEN though she would be out the whole season? Yeah right..give me a break. :rolls eyes:

Butler definetely doesn't have the ideal work out method. Running players to death doesn't accomplish anything. I find it extremely disturbing when a senior player with severe asthma had to run "poles" and ending up falling on the ground gasping for air, even threw up. Some athletes DO have medical problems.. yet nobody seemed to care. Everybody knows that the whole team consists of Mint Hill softball players. Thats why they made the team..because they all played together. If you played for two or three certain coaches, of course you made it. After hearing from a player or two on varsity, it amazes me how much people adore little Kristen Bowen. Most of the teamates were on a team in which she pitched for this past summer..just so BOWEN could get a dern scholarship! "Wow..let's all play our hardest just to make sure the pitcher (who gets all the attention anyways) gets a scholarship!" Why do you think the Wagoner twins didn't play their senior year? All the focus was on Bowen and her pitching. They made a good decision not to play..because I see how much the team is focused on her. She talks badly about her other teammates behind their back. It's a shame that her father seems to play the role of head varsity coach. Why doesn't he just sit down on the bench instead of running the whole team?

And isn't it a state law that all people working out at the beginning of the school year who are going to tryout MUST have a current physical? Well isn't that weird how one of the senior players..a few days BEFORE tryouts..just finnally got her physical? That means she was illegally working out and playing softball at the beginning of the year. I think its particulary rude and cruel to pull people who didn't make the team, aside from the others and tell them they were cut from the team. You DONT do that..no matter how nice you are about it. Do you know how emotionally embrassing and hurtful that is? The coaches brainwash people trying out at the beginning of the year, and through tryouts, that they're going to make it. All the coaches talk about at the beginning of the year is about players from the past and how great they are...WHO CARES? GET OVER IT..They're gone...try connectign with new players. It's no wonder why so many people dislike Butler and their coaching skills. They just prefer skinny players instead of bigger girls Butler once had like Kristen Kimball. Players like Kimball are the players with the real power who can hit it straight out in the field.

It's true Butler is loosing some good players like O'Malley, Hanigan, Cochran, Barrett and Poplin. Even from words of a freshman trying out, one of the seniors who I won't name, didn't show up at tryouts one day because she felt she didn't have to b/c "she already knew she made the team". It doesn't matter if you know you've made the team and are the best player, you still put forth 110% effort towards practice. Which unfortunaly, I haven't seen many of the seniors doing. Too much to say...I won't go on. :shakehead: :shakehead:

 

WOW!!!

Fastpitch hitter:

Hope that felt good to get all that hate off your chest! Sounds like you may have a daughter that didn't get to play or you didn't get to play. But you just created a major problem within the team and hurt alot of people.
You should just pat yourself on the back and feel good about yourself. Remember that these players are just teenage girls that are probably not as mature as you. They don't know you keep some things to yourself like you do!! As for Butler, I have no knowledge of the school or team except how high they are ranked and a contender for the state big show. Must be doing something right. Any pain, agony, or sickness is forgotten when you win games especially the big one .... right girls! Hope this blows over without alot of hard feelings.

 

I have been reading this board for months now...It's great! But nothing has compelled me to post until now. Running is an extremely important part of the fastpitch game. Distance running is important for endurance, and sprinting is important for baserunning. Both types should be included in a fp players work out. I played college softball. We were required to run at 6 AM at least 3 times a week. We would run approx. 3 miles. Then we would practice in the afternoons and work on baserunning and speed drills. We also were required to lift weights, where we also did quickness drills. I don't know anything about the Butler softball program...but I think the amount of running they do sounds about right. It is going to prepare them to go to the next level of softball. Besides, what does running hurt? It doesn't seem that their program is struggling...They won a state championship a couple of years ago. They are consistently ranked in the sweet 16 and now they are #1 in the ihigh poll. If you look at state championship caliber ball teams, they all have speed. Take West Rowan for instance...they won a state championship with their speed. They forced errors with excellent bunting and excellent baserunning. You don't have to be a big girl to hit either. Lyndsey Gay (WR) is probably as small as they come, but she'll put one over an outfielder's head in a heartbeat, and she has the speed to turn a single in to a double or a triple.

It sounds to me that you are a bitter parent, and getting on here and slamming the Butler softball program isn't going to help make your daughter a better softball player. Putting down the young ladies on the Butler team isn't right either. These are high school girls who have work hard to get where they are at. I'm sure that Kristen B. has work countless hours on her pitching and deserves every ounce of playing time she got. I have seen her pitch, and she is excellent.

Hispeed is exactly right...all the hardwork and pain will pay off in the end...and the Butler players should appreciate their coaches for being tough on them...Because they are winning ball games.

 

NPC_FAN12
Welcome to TBR,
Thanks for the post, It tells it like it is. Running and overall conditioning are two of the most important aspects of our game,
and those High school girls from Butler that were talented enough to have made it to the college level will be the first to tell you that even what we try to do at Butler is nothing compared to what is done at that level.

As for all this silly talk being something that will hurt our program.
I can tell you now that it will not happen. I just hope that Fastpitch_hitter can put whatever happened to upset her behind her and get on with her life. FP_H, If there is anything I can do to help with that please let me know.
Thanks
Ray

 

i've noticed some of the box scores lately ... and there does not appear to be that much difference between all these teams. many of these pitchers are evenly matched ... so winning and losing may come down to an error or a well placed bunt.

the observer listed a recent game where the olympic high school pitcher threw a no-hit game but lost a 1-0 game to myers park. could a similar thing happen to one of the top schools in a given game? i would think that it could.

 

75gitane
I agree with you. It seems that this year the pitching has leveled out, and is ahead of the hitting. That seems to change from time to time as the hitters get better. But for this season There sure seems to be a hugh amount of low scoring games and many won in extra innings by 1-0 or 2-1 scores.
With that being the case, it sure makes for some enjoyable games for the fans and Nail biting moments for the coaches.
It also leaves the playoffs wide open for some big upsets in the first three rounds, as they are only single elimination.
Could be anyone in the final four at Walnut Creek this year.

 

1A----North Brunswick, N.Moore, Maiden, Cherryville or East Surry

2A----East Rutherford, West Stanly, Forbush, West Stokes or
South Granville

3A----South Alamance, West Rowan, North Bumcombe, St
Stephens or Harnett Central

4A----Butler, CC, Hopewell, West Forsyth, Lumberton


Just my opinion and the West normally does well in Raleigh!