2006 STATE PLAYOFF DISCUSSION FORUM

Road to Raleigh

Congratulations to all teams competing in the NC High School playoff
games. Those of you that didn't quite make the trip, keep working hard and your time will come. There were teams this year that has never been in a playoff game before. Also teams are going to Raleigh for the first time this year. Hang in there! It can happen!

 

43 feet, Amen...

Well said, play it like they do in college!​

 

agree

yes, I agree with above quote.
& should go to 43' pitching distance; promote more offense.

 

Question

2A Playoff bracket shows Pisgah winning over Forbush 18 to 7 is this correct score?

 

I believe the 18-7 reference is Pisgah's record for the year.
The score of the Forbush/Pisgah game was 2-0.

 

I have been advocating moving the pitching rubber back to 43' but only in 18U
A and gold showcase tournaments...This would help College Coaches get a better feel for how the pitcher could perform at the next level. I do not believe that most pitchers in HS are ready to move the pitching rubber back to 43'. There are a few freshman pitchers (who are 1 year removed from Middle School) who could perform at that level but not enough to justify moving it back. Some of the pitchers that I have witnessed in HS are pitching because nobody else can and I think giving the hitters 3 more feet to look at the pitch would get more pitchers hurt than help. Again make it a requirement at the showcase tournaments for 18U only.

 

difficult for pitchers to do...

Good theory, but difficult to do because you'd be asking the pitchers who compete in different tournaments, etc to go back and forth. That is hard to coach, teach and them to do. They might suffer a little bit as a freshman with the change, i.e. get hit more, but it serves a better purpose in the long run. I saw a lot of pitchers take shots this year off of batters, it is going to happen no matter what distance they are at. High school, travel ball or college, pitchers take that risk. The pitcher is always entitled to wear a face guard if they choose, and I have seen some that wear mouth pieces too. There needs to be one standard regardless, and 43 feet would serve a better purpose for helping prepare the ones who want to move on to college. This will help on the college side for recruiting purposes as well. Consistency is the key to a successful "anything".

 

batters!!

The replies to this subject have been almost entirely on the pro's & con's for the pitcher and recruiting outlooks for college-bound hopefuls, which I respect. However my view focuses more on the batters. What about injecting more offense into the game?
43' should help the hitters!
At 40' with the big strides that some pitchers take in their delivery, many are actually releasing the ball from about 35' - 36'; & remember that the 40' is measured from the front of the pitcher plate to the rear apex of home plate.

I think that the more softball I watch , it becomes more & more apparent that softball is a totally different sport than baseball, that's a given. Hitting has improved , But we do see an awful lot of K's , no hitters, one hitters, perfect games, low scores, extra innings, etc.
I think that most girls that drop out of softball do so for lack of hitting success.

I'd be surprised if most games at the HS final 4's this weekend have more than 2-3 runs scored, & extra inning games. I love the fastpitch game, but would interest be increased even more if there were changes over time that would benefit the hitters?

 

Travel ball teams are usually elite teams made up of hopefully your best ball players...Just not the case in HS....I don't perceive the players in HS or travel to be fragile but I do understand age difference and athletic abilities. Just does not need to be part of the HS program. Unless you are going to restrict it to Juniors and Seniors only playing Varsity and thats totally crazy. Most of your top 18U teams play in only those types of tournaments to begin with and would not have to deal with moving back and forth. Now if you are a team that plays a lot of "B" tournaments and want to get in to a couple of showcases then thats what you would just have to adjust in exchange for the exposure being offered. Can't make it perfect but we can control how we change it.

 

Freshman pitcher; put her on JV!

Your argument doesn't hold water. Boys have move from 46' for 60' when they move from LL to middle school. Sure, there's a learning curve but they adapt. If the freshman girl is not ready to be effective @ 43' put her on JV to learn and let the Jr or Sr pitch. I've watched a number of girls make the transition to 43'. It took my DD about two workouts. But we started throwing fastballs @ 43' @ age 13 . . . everyone should. The toughest adjustment is for dropball specialists who don't have much velocity. Rise ballers do fine and curve/screw specialists may actually like it better!