| BSB/SB 🥎 Fouts and her struggles this season.

[Tidexc1]

At some point, Prothro should do a better job with Fouts. She's become really predictable this season.

Without ever developing an off speed pitch it is easy to predict the speed. Sometimes it takes a while to catch up to the speed but good teams make the adjustment.

As a travel ball coach, I worry way more about pitchers that can throw a change up for a strike at any point in the count than I do about a girl throwing gas all the time. The girl throwing gas may beat us the first time through but eventually we catch up to it. A pitcher that keeps you off balance makes things way more difficult.

 

[TerryP]

Without ever developing an off speed pitch it is easy to predict the speed. Sometimes it takes a while to catch up to the speed but good teams make the adjustment.

That's a good observation and one that's not lost on SVBP or Murph. Or Fouts for that matter.

I've seen a few this season but no more than a handful a game, if that. Last year they worked on getting that pitch in her repertoire but she struggled there as well. Several of the HR's that came off of her last year were from off-speed pitches. She/they gave up on trying to integrate it in her game last year.

I'm of the opinion it's a bigger skill set than a lot realize.

 

[Tidexc1]

That's a good observation and one that's not lost on SVBP or Murph. Or Fouts for that matter.

I've seen a few this season but no more than a handful a game, if that. Last year they worked on getting that pitch in her repertoire but she struggled there as well. Several of the HR's that came off of her last year were from off-speed pitches. She/they gave up on trying to integrate it in her game last year.

I'm of the opinion it's a bigger skill set than a lot realize.

It is the 2nd pitch girls learn after the fastball. Obviously some are better at it than others but I find it odd she never developed it at a much, much younger age. My guess is she struck everyone out in travel ball and high school ball based on her speed and her rise ball so coaches didn't press her to learn it. Those coaches got their Ws but failed a kid in the process. They were more worried about the short term success of the team/kid than her long term success.

Honestly if I have a kid that can't throw a change up for a strike, I still make them throw it just to make the other team see it and give them something to think about. Having said all that, Fouts is still amazing and glad she is on our team! She is a fantastic pitcher and an even better ambassador for the school and the sport.

 

[Rsedge72]

That's a good observation and one that's not lost on SVBP or Murph. Or Fouts for that matter.

I've seen a few this season but no more than a handful a game, if that. Last year they worked on getting that pitch in her repertoire but she struggled there as well. Several of the HR's that came off of her last year were from off-speed pitches. She/they gave up on trying to integrate it in her game last year.

I'm of the opinion it's a bigger skill set than a lot realize.

She has a change of pace, it is just telegraphed bad. It’s not a bad pitch but the hitters in todays game see it coming. My niece (16) is an 18u pitcher with the lady dukes organization. We’ve discussed is very thing several times.

 

[TerryP]

Without ever developing an off speed pitch it is easy to predict the speed. Sometimes it takes a while to catch up to the speed but good teams make the adjustment.

In the post season of her sophomore year I remember hearing a coach talk about her speed and their adjustments. She summed it up by basically saying they increased the speed on their pitching machine in order to prepare for Tana. I've looked over the schedule and still can't remember which team or which coach made the comment. I'm fairly certain it was in the post season and I want to say it was in the SECT.

 

[Davestwin]

Not having an off speed pitch is certainly a problem but she didn’t have it last season or the two before that either. I think what’s different this season is opposing batters are making a concerted effort to not chase her best pitch. And that pitch is her rising fastball that starts out in the strike zone but is a ball by the time it reaches the plate. That has been her go to pitch and without it she’s not able to dominate the opposing lineups. So, batters are taking them for balls and sitting on a fastball in whatever zone they like best. I bet if you looked at all of her strikeouts last season the vast majority would be due to that pitch … the one opposing batters aren’t chasing this season.

 

[TerryP]

Unrelated to the thread, but ...