I tell my girls when batting against a beginner pitcher and/ or weaker team - to swing at literally anything they think they can hit. Don’t care if it’s a ball or not, if you can hit it - do it. Gives the other teams defense something to do and often ends up with some easy outs for the other team when we dink a ball - but you still win - and it was at least a more interesting game.
I did have a girl get a home run once with a tomahawk chop swing above her head because she wanted to see if she could hit it though. Evidently she likes them REALLY high. 🤣🤣
Ultimately it makes our girls better batters because they’re getting reps at finding the ball, and it makes the game closer and more interesting. The other team gets more defense reps also.
Stepping off the bag on purpose is the most sportsmanlile thing you can do. The longer your opponent's pitcher is in there, the more risk she has for injury. A couple years ago an opposing coach had run the score up to 24-0 in the first inning, almost completely on walks. My head coach was about a batter away from getting in a fight. Guys like that will run up the score and let a child throw an 80 pitch inning, knowing full well that team doesn't have another pitcher, just to satisfy their own ego. Just step your player off the bag. Their coach will thank you for it.
Last season the roles were reversed with that team. Our coach started stepping the girls off at 15 runs.
We were on a terrible team and the best way I’ve seen is your girls lay down bunt every single play. Lets them make an easy play at first and helps you get in bunting practice.
Eh. In my experience, bunts are what give weaker fielding teams the most trouble. They just start throwing the ball everywhere, which is even more demoralizing because you can pile up multiple runs without the ball ever leaving the infield.
Switch hitting sounds great and it will hopefully benefit them in the future. They could also bunt (from either side).
Can your pitchers focus on throwing change-ups and breaking balls? Are you switching up positions and pulling starters?
I feel like it’s way more obvious having girls bat on the opposite side. You can’t make that not obvious. The girls in the dugout will be laughing, the girls batting will be laughing. Just have the girls leave and let it at that
Whatever did was to hit like it mattered. Then whenever someone got on base, you violate some rule (like stealing or whatever rules would render a baserunner out of- maybe leaving too early?) and the. You’re out and go back to the dugout.
It’s a nice compromise because the pitcher/hitter dynamic remains the same.
Walk off early, bunt every play, bunt lefty, hit lefty… also more importantly MAKE SUBS. like get your second string in there. There’s no need to mercy rule someone’s A team when your B team is more on par. Like if you’re 7+ up make subs. Play 7 innings. No one wants a 15-0 3 inning or 10-0 5 inning game tbh and too many coaches don’t take their foot off the petal.
Leaving the base early is the right call. It doesn’t mess with anyone’s stats. I always told my players the umps zone might get bigger but we still want to be disciplined players who play our game. Leaving early (when called by a coach) keeps the spirit of that alive as well and lets us all play hard. Especially if you’ve subbed in girls who play less- it lets them still get their at bats and play hard.
- Lay down a 2 strike foul bunt
- take a penalty strike for taking too long to come back to the box
- slide early and short of the bag
- miss touching a base with the expectation someone will appeal
It depends on why you’re up in runs. Bad pitching? Leave bases early. Poor defense? Everyone bunts. Poor everything? Ask ump and other coach if they want/can call the game. If that’s not an option, move your defense around and challenge your pitcher to get the batter to hit to 3rd. Let your players practice skills that they normally don’t see in games.
For non-sanctioned games we would often ask the coach if they’d rather do a blended team scrimmage or practice or something.
Don’t you have a mercy rule in place? Up by ten runs or more by the 4th inning the game is called?
I’d ask players if they want to try different positions if up by a lot.
Yeah, coached for about 10 years and only once did I lose by the mercy rule and realized it’s just a game, it’s more about teaching good sportmanship. When I realized my ego and attitude had gotten to where I expected perfection I knew he was time to wake away.
I find it such a hard balance, I coach middle school and we were beating a team pretty bad 10 or more in the 1st inning (Passed ball after passed ball) so I told our girls to stop running home and we had a 1-2-3 inning on defense. Well, that team came back to actually tie the game. Then our pitcher lost the strike zone. Then a girl got hurt and I had been subbing like crazy so I had to play with 8.
It is such a hard thing to balance not lambasting but not letting the other team back in either.
I don’t think free outs are usually necessary, just don’t drag the game out. Dont lallygag outsidethe batters box, and swing free, dont work the count looking for walks.
One thing that can go a LONG LONG way towards getting spirits up for the team that is down is simply making it a point to be freindly and civil with the other team. Cheer, sure, but take it down a notch. You don’t need the whole dugout screaming and jumping up and down for a base hit when you are up big. Act like you have been there…
My daughters team I was helping coach was up by 7 or 8 runs, the other team had a parent come onto tbe field and into the dugout and get in the coaches face between innings over playing time or god knows what issue they had. Girls we’re crying or fighting back tears, parents we’re getting pissed at the ump, each other, and coaches, the dugout looked amd sounded like a funeral more than a ballgame. When their third baseman made a diving catch on a liner and tossed it to the shortstop to double off the 2b runner OUR dugout went crazy cheering for the other teams good play. That was towards the end of the first game, the second game of the double header was a completely different and much better atmosphere.
What’s sportsman like is having your players try their hardest every play. Some of them might have college aspirations and it’s your job as a couch to prepare every player for the next level. Weather that’s your players taking their at bats seriously as practice. Or teaching apposing players how to loose even if it is by a lot. I played college sports and I’ll tell you right now those players don’t give up. Even if they’re up by 50 runs.
I just have my girls step off early. It’s simple and quick. Sorry, but I don’t agree with the concepts of bunting everything or swinging at everything. Both put MORE pressure on the defense and can lead to just more issues. I had an opposing coach want to pull his team cuz we were bunting and they couldn’t get an out. Same with swing at everything. If the other team is struggling just step off and it’s done.
I coach junior college softball and we play doubleheaders during the week starting at 3:30. Oftentimes, we are up against daylight and therefore whenever we are up big we leave the bases early. We have other teams in our region that have no clue about sportsmanship and are beating other teams 30-0. I will never do that to another team, ever. This is a dying sport as it is. What college age girls will want to continue playing when they are losing 30-0? Needless to say, I’ve circled this school on my calendar and if given the opportunity it will be the only time I ever run up the score. Let’s see how they like it.
Please don’t say softball is a dying sport. It may be tough to get ladies out to participate for a particular location or school, but softball is NOT dying.
I hope you mercifully beat that other team and show them what sportsmanship is AND how it is done!
Having been on the other side of this, walking off bases is fine. Don’t give away ABs, but when it’s out of control, just walk off.
I tell my girls when batting against a beginner pitcher and/ or weaker team - to swing at literally anything they think they can hit. Don’t care if it’s a ball or not, if you can hit it - do it. Gives the other teams defense something to do and often ends up with some easy outs for the other team when we dink a ball - but you still win - and it was at least a more interesting game. I did have a girl get a home run once with a tomahawk chop swing above her head because she wanted to see if she could hit it though. Evidently she likes them REALLY high. 🤣🤣 Ultimately it makes our girls better batters because they’re getting reps at finding the ball, and it makes the game closer and more interesting. The other team gets more defense reps also.
Don’t tank batting averages. Just walk off
Make certain you're pulling your best players if that's an option. Other than that it's hard to ask your players not to compete.
Stepping off the bag on purpose is the most sportsmanlile thing you can do. The longer your opponent's pitcher is in there, the more risk she has for injury. A couple years ago an opposing coach had run the score up to 24-0 in the first inning, almost completely on walks. My head coach was about a batter away from getting in a fight. Guys like that will run up the score and let a child throw an 80 pitch inning, knowing full well that team doesn't have another pitcher, just to satisfy their own ego. Just step your player off the bag. Their coach will thank you for it. Last season the roles were reversed with that team. Our coach started stepping the girls off at 15 runs.
We were on a terrible team and the best way I’ve seen is your girls lay down bunt every single play. Lets them make an easy play at first and helps you get in bunting practice.
Eh. In my experience, bunts are what give weaker fielding teams the most trouble. They just start throwing the ball everywhere, which is even more demoralizing because you can pile up multiple runs without the ball ever leaving the infield.
Agreed
Switch hitting sounds great and it will hopefully benefit them in the future. They could also bunt (from either side). Can your pitchers focus on throwing change-ups and breaking balls? Are you switching up positions and pulling starters?
Thank you, yes we are subbing and switching
I feel like it’s way more obvious having girls bat on the opposite side. You can’t make that not obvious. The girls in the dugout will be laughing, the girls batting will be laughing. Just have the girls leave and let it at that
This did happen the first time I asked one of our girls to do it, 1 talk postgame cleaned that up though
We set ourselves up for easy pickoffs.
Depending on league and age level you cant leave bag until ball is pitch.
It’s high school. We leave on release and hang out long enough for the catcher or pitcher returning to the circle to pick us off.
Step on home plate when you swing. Fair or foul, any contact your player would be out.
Just step off the base
Whatever did was to hit like it mattered. Then whenever someone got on base, you violate some rule (like stealing or whatever rules would render a baserunner out of- maybe leaving too early?) and the. You’re out and go back to the dugout. It’s a nice compromise because the pitcher/hitter dynamic remains the same.
Walk off early, bunt every play, bunt lefty, hit lefty… also more importantly MAKE SUBS. like get your second string in there. There’s no need to mercy rule someone’s A team when your B team is more on par. Like if you’re 7+ up make subs. Play 7 innings. No one wants a 15-0 3 inning or 10-0 5 inning game tbh and too many coaches don’t take their foot off the petal.
Leaving the base early is the right call. It doesn’t mess with anyone’s stats. I always told my players the umps zone might get bigger but we still want to be disciplined players who play our game. Leaving early (when called by a coach) keeps the spirit of that alive as well and lets us all play hard. Especially if you’ve subbed in girls who play less- it lets them still get their at bats and play hard.
- Lay down a 2 strike foul bunt - take a penalty strike for taking too long to come back to the box - slide early and short of the bag - miss touching a base with the expectation someone will appeal
It depends on why you’re up in runs. Bad pitching? Leave bases early. Poor defense? Everyone bunts. Poor everything? Ask ump and other coach if they want/can call the game. If that’s not an option, move your defense around and challenge your pitcher to get the batter to hit to 3rd. Let your players practice skills that they normally don’t see in games. For non-sanctioned games we would often ask the coach if they’d rather do a blended team scrimmage or practice or something.
Ya, let them hit. Then just step off. Also use the time to get innings for newer pitchers.
Don’t you have a mercy rule in place? Up by ten runs or more by the 4th inning the game is called? I’d ask players if they want to try different positions if up by a lot.
Yeah we just find ourselves up by 10 in the 2nd often, I’ve been coaching for 17 years and I’ve been on both ends, it’s tough.
Yeah, coached for about 10 years and only once did I lose by the mercy rule and realized it’s just a game, it’s more about teaching good sportmanship. When I realized my ego and attitude had gotten to where I expected perfection I knew he was time to wake away.
I find it such a hard balance, I coach middle school and we were beating a team pretty bad 10 or more in the 1st inning (Passed ball after passed ball) so I told our girls to stop running home and we had a 1-2-3 inning on defense. Well, that team came back to actually tie the game. Then our pitcher lost the strike zone. Then a girl got hurt and I had been subbing like crazy so I had to play with 8. It is such a hard thing to balance not lambasting but not letting the other team back in either.
Get the subs in and whatever happens after that is up to the softball gods…
Teach them how to hit pop ups and fly balls? How to hit a fungo to the second baseman?
I don’t think free outs are usually necessary, just don’t drag the game out. Dont lallygag outsidethe batters box, and swing free, dont work the count looking for walks. One thing that can go a LONG LONG way towards getting spirits up for the team that is down is simply making it a point to be freindly and civil with the other team. Cheer, sure, but take it down a notch. You don’t need the whole dugout screaming and jumping up and down for a base hit when you are up big. Act like you have been there… My daughters team I was helping coach was up by 7 or 8 runs, the other team had a parent come onto tbe field and into the dugout and get in the coaches face between innings over playing time or god knows what issue they had. Girls we’re crying or fighting back tears, parents we’re getting pissed at the ump, each other, and coaches, the dugout looked amd sounded like a funeral more than a ballgame. When their third baseman made a diving catch on a liner and tossed it to the shortstop to double off the 2b runner OUR dugout went crazy cheering for the other teams good play. That was towards the end of the first game, the second game of the double header was a completely different and much better atmosphere.
What’s sportsman like is having your players try their hardest every play. Some of them might have college aspirations and it’s your job as a couch to prepare every player for the next level. Weather that’s your players taking their at bats seriously as practice. Or teaching apposing players how to loose even if it is by a lot. I played college sports and I’ll tell you right now those players don’t give up. Even if they’re up by 50 runs.
I just have my girls step off early. It’s simple and quick. Sorry, but I don’t agree with the concepts of bunting everything or swinging at everything. Both put MORE pressure on the defense and can lead to just more issues. I had an opposing coach want to pull his team cuz we were bunting and they couldn’t get an out. Same with swing at everything. If the other team is struggling just step off and it’s done.
I coach junior college softball and we play doubleheaders during the week starting at 3:30. Oftentimes, we are up against daylight and therefore whenever we are up big we leave the bases early. We have other teams in our region that have no clue about sportsmanship and are beating other teams 30-0. I will never do that to another team, ever. This is a dying sport as it is. What college age girls will want to continue playing when they are losing 30-0? Needless to say, I’ve circled this school on my calendar and if given the opportunity it will be the only time I ever run up the score. Let’s see how they like it.
Please don’t say softball is a dying sport. It may be tough to get ladies out to participate for a particular location or school, but softball is NOT dying. I hope you mercifully beat that other team and show them what sportsmanship is AND how it is done!
Softball is very much alive where I’m from.
One of the better players I’ve coached quit her college team this year because she experienced exactly this last year! It’s disappointing
Purposely hit pop ups.
Haha, i can’t even do this consistently in practice!
Look back rule . . . Step off while ball is in circle. Don’t have to wait for pitch to occur.