Keeping Track of Stats?

A few years ago, when my daughter was in U10, I started keep track of very basic stats for each game and compiling them in a spreadsheet. I kept just a few key things like walks, strikeouts, hits (real hits) and at bats. I calculated specific stats for strikeouts/ab and on base percentage to get a feel for how the girls were improving.

This year, at the U12 level, I've moved keeping a full set of stats and it's giving me great insights into how my players are growing and learning. While it's obvious who is always striking out, it's interesting to see how they are trending, and who is simply hiding behind drawing a walk.

I've also added pitcher stats that include ERA (recalculated for 6 innings!), hits, walks, IP, starts, wins, losses and saves. Again, it's been really helpful to look back at each game, along with my notes.

I never show the girls the raw numbers, but I do use them to configure practices, batting orders and to help girls one on one to improve.

Do you keep stats?

Local Girl Goes Bigtime

Rachele Fico, a pitcher from a nearby town is practically a legend around CT. She's dominated at every level of softball since she was a kid and is now on her way to play college softball at recently defeated LSU who lost 2 in a row to Arizona State to advance to the College World Series. I was shocked and thrilled seeing her photo in the NY Times this weekend - way cool.

Something tells me Fico has the ability to turn that around for her new team... we'll all be watching and cheering her on from here in CT!

A few things jumped out me in the article including:

• Her career record for Masuk, from Monroe, is 97-2, and she has not lost a game in two years. Her earned run average is 0.06. She has struck out 1,723 batters. And she has pitched a national high school record 25 perfect games.
• Her quote speaks to her obvious passion for the game: “Softball’s a part of me, a part of who I am,” Fico said. “When I get time off from playing, after like a week or two, I start getting antsy. I can’t just sit back and watch anymore.”

Good luck at LSU!

Patience Young Padawan

We're 4 games into our U12 softball season and it's been an interesting ride already. In our first game, we struck out 11 times and had 1 hit. Granted, we walked 15 times, but we swung at way too many bad pitches. Somehow, we managed to score 12 runs and we slunk away with a win.

In game 2, we reduced our strikeouts from 11 to 9 which was better, but still way too many. Our 9 hits and 12 walks earned us another win - 10-6 over a very good team, but I had a feeling we had a ways to go.

Game 3 was a nightmare, I put some kids into spots where they didn't perform well, and we were flat all night. We took our first loss, a 17-16 walk fest where we drew 19 free passes against 4 strikeouts (yes!) but only managed 4 hits. We did win the last 3 innings 5-4 though - that's a great tip if you can use it to motivate and keep the team positive BTW (look at an inning or a few innings and declare victory).

At the beginning of game 4, I gave the girls a pep talk and told them to be patient at the plate. In fact, I told them, DO NOT swing at anything until you have a strike on you. I really wanted them to start to get comfortable at the plate and to start working the count and looking for what I am now calling their "dream pitch."

I told them, unless you have 2 strikes on you, get real picky - and only swing at that one pitch that you know you can smash. Game 4 started ugly, my 2 and 3 hitters popped out and grounded out weakly respectively, both swinging at first pitches! I was grinding my teeth and reiterated in my own "coach way" that they were now under strict orders of death (not really death) to not swing until they had a strike on them.

Immediately, things changed. The other team couldn't find the strike zone and because we were patient, we drew 19 walks in a 5 inning game. Additionally, we blasted 6 big hits (all of them solid including 3 into the outfield) and only had 1 strikeout on our way to a 17-6 blowout against the same team that beat us a week earlier.

Tell your kids to slow down. Be patient and to "pick out a good one and crush it!"

We're now 3-1 and I think on our way to a very solid season.

What Makes A Champion

I wasn't planning on writing this post, but during lunch, I was skimming the latest Time magazine issue, the "World's Most Influential People" issue. Serena Williams, writing about Rafa Nadal pointed out what makes him so good.

I think it's that he's the hardest worker. The last one to leave the court, the first to arrive. The one who falls asleep studying, the first to rise. It's not easy being a champion; you don't just wake up and - bam! - you're No 1. It takes work, effort, desire, dedication - all qualities that Rafa has. I could be wrong, but I don't think I'm far off.

Serena gives Rafa the greatest endorsement a champion can give another champion:

I want to be like him.

Her writing those words speaks as loudly for Rafa as it does for Serena heself. She's world class off the court too, apparently.