LadyMavsFan

I haven't posted on here in quite a while but this thread on illegal pitches brought back bad memories! I coached for about 10 years, from 8 years old to high school. Rec Leagues, travel ball, a couple of state championships and a world series. My daughter was a pitcher. First, teaching a kid to be legal is NOT hard. There just aren't a whole lot of requirements. Any coach, whether it be the team coach or a pitching coach, that doesn't imediately correct an illegal pitching act is asking for trouble. Bad habits a really easy to learn. Second, most people don't really know what is legal or not legal. They see a pitcher tearing their team up and start looking for something "different." Umpires, rightly so, are very rarely going to call illegal pitches in a rec league. Unfortunately, these same umpires are at the select tournaments and are very used to not calling illegal pitches. When you jump up to the next level the players are better and there is a lot more scrutiny on pitchers, so yeah, your pitcher that has been pitching illegal for the entire season but has never been called for it suddenly is getting called every pitch. In four years of high school and two years of college, both including playoffs, I don't remember ONE illegal pitch being called. I'm not talking about my daughter, she was no longer pitching then. It infuriates me to watch an opposing pitcher that is illegal and not called for it. It's a disgrace to the game to allow a pitcher to just do whatever she wants, and even worse to realize that she was TAUGHT to pitch that way. Probably even paid for it! Pitching is a tough business. The pressure is immense. The practice is brutal. Teach the kids properly so that when the game is on the line, the season is on the line, she doesn't get the added pressure of trying to learn new mechanics on the fly in the middle of a championship game. Read the short section of the rules related to pitching and make sure your kid or player is doing things right. Correct it now.

That is IMPRESSIVE!

That is correct

Marshall at Whitehouse 7pm Fri Whitehouse at Marshall 11am Sat Game 3, if required, on Monday, location tbd

So is Whitehouse 1st? That's what I heard on radio but have no idea.

Marshall 10 Longview 0 Game called in 5th

Pine Tree 6 Marshall 3 At least I think that's right- I was pretty disgusted with Marshall's continual decline in performance so I'm not sure I kept up with the score.

Marshall @ PT, home vs. LV, @ Texas High

That game was played last Friday. Marshall won 7-0. Tonight: Hallsville 4, Marshall 2

Hallsville 4 Marshall 2 It was 4-2 Marshall in the 6th until the ump (at least he was dressed like one) decided that a clearly fair ball followed by 2 Hallsville throwing errors that scored 2 runs was called FOUL. Everybody on the field played it out, knowing he was wrong, but in the end, umpires are never wrong. But, it is what it is- all credit to Hallsville for scoring 2 in the 7th to win. The ump didn't help them do that and they certainly didn't contribute to our idiotic base running. I hope college ball is better!

Marshall is hosting Allen County, Kentucky this Friday night at 4:30 (JV) and 6 (V). Should be interesting to see how the Kentucky and Texas softball programs match up. There will be a meet and greet meal served at the field after the games. Thought I would post this for anyone interested in coming.

It depends on the hitters ability and also the defensive positioning and ability to play small ball. As a witness to a "power slapper" I'd have to say slap hitting is better than slap bunting, but there just aren't a lot of slappers that can hit it to the fence. I've always had a bit of a problem with slappers being "only slappers" when the situation requires straight up hitting. Bases loaded with 2 outs and here comes the slapper to quicky get the 3rd out! IMO if you are capable of hitting a ball while you're in motion then you can probably stand in and get a decent hit. I've seen excellent right handed batters converted to very average slappers. It would be nice to see slappers treated like other batters- when the #4 batter is asked to bunt, they stand in and bunt. Slappers can stand in and bunt to advance a runner, which they can execute much better stationary than in motion, but that never seems to cross the coaches mind. Same thing when there are runners on base. Sure, the slapper might beat out a dribbler, but the average runners get caught in a fielders choice, which gains you nothing. Slapping is good to get a base runner, not so much to get an RBI. Slapping takes a LOT of talent, so I'm not knocking anybody that can run, judge a pitch, and then hit it, all within a half second. One point you didn't mention about the batter moving straight to the pitcher- over and over I've seen slappers bail out toward 1st on a ball but with their bat on their shoulder rotate it throught the stirke zone for a called strike or an unintentionally fouled off pitch. Or even worse an unintentional hit!

Marshall 8 Mt Pleasant 2 Williams (5) and Robinson (1) homered Unofficially, and don't have scores: Hallsville over Sulphur Springs Texas High over Pine Tree That makes the standings as of 4/6 1. Hallsville 7-1 2. Marshall 5-3 3. Pine Tree 4-4 Sulphur Springs 4-4 5. Mount Pleasant 3-4 6. Texas High 3-5 7. Longview 1-6

SS 5 MHS 4 SS scored 3 in 6th to tie it 3-3. Marshall scored 1 in 7th to get the lead back but SS scored 2 in the bottom of the 7th to win.

Game delayed until 2pm Saturday unless the field gets wiped out tonight