First Game Jitters, Seckman 12, Webster 1

Friday night boxes may show up later than other nights because, well, they're on Friday. 

If I were to pick one team that we regularly play to NOT open up against, it would be Seckman. For any number of reasons we have not matched up well against them for, well, as long as I've been coaching the JV. Last year was a moral victory as we actually batted in the 7th inning.

We made it through the first at 0-0, offering some hope, but a 7-run second inning, abetted by three errors, followed by more four errors and five more runs in the third guaranteed a short game.

We're still trying to configure out best offensive and defensive lineups after losing Brittany Hartung to the varsity (and based on her performance at that level, I doubt we'll see any more of her except at practice; but that's what we want for our players, to get them ready to perform well at the next level).

Heat shortened and indoor practices, absences and injuries have conspired to lots of moving parts and not enough defensive repetitions. Unfortunately, it will be Thursday before we can apply our (and in the case of tonight's game, painful) lessons in practice.

We travel to Hazelwood West on Tuesday and host Cor Jesu on Wednesday. Neither will be a cakewalk. Coach Poe and Ro (hmmm, perhaps a string duo?) did a nice job keeping us up to date using GameChanger, for those who followed along.

Grace Behrle had our only two hits and drove in our lone run. Alina Castro sparkled in left field, not only with a tremendous shoe string catch but also in being active backing up and hustling. 

    This is a young team that will mature as the season goes along and become more comfortable in their roles. There were definite positives and this is just the first step in a learning process that will make this a successful season. We will be better, individually and as team, by the time the tournaments roll around in September and October.

Nerinx Game Off (for now)

I took advantage of the (temporary, I hope) cancellation of the JV game to practice using GameChanger at the varsity tilt (won by the Statesmen, 10-0, behind excellent pitching, defense, and base running).

I carefully plugged in my wife's iPad to make sure it had a full charge, then left without it. But it was fully charged. Anyway, I used my iPhone (an iPod will also work) and was surprised how easy it was to keep score. Substitutions can get a little complicated, advancing base runners a little tricky, at first, but Coach Poe was following at home, pitch by pitch, and enjoyed it. It would appear that to get the full benefit you'll want to subscribe as a premium follower ($7.99/month; $40 for a whole year). Given our short season, assuming a month is 30 days, not a calendar month, two months would do it. Not that I care.

I'll be posting box scores and my own unique brand of commentary for the JV anyway. WGHS Softball gets no financial benefit from this, so please consider this kind of a bonus thing. And, unless someone wants to jump up and volunteer to actually DO the scoring on an iPad, iPod, or iPhone, there won't be that much to follow. I'll be keeping my own stats on the JV games. Still, I hope that some of you received the announcements today as the game status changed from hour to hour and that you found it helpful.

Here's a screen shot of what appears if you're just a follower:

I'm hopeful we'll get the Nerinx game made up on Thursday (because that's what NH suggested when both games were in doubt) but we'll see. For what it's worth, their varsity coach didn't get it either.

Under the Lights

Our delayed season opener is now tomorrow evening. Assuming we don't get pushed back an hour due to heat (not an unlikely possibility -- flexibility is apparently going to need to be one of watchwords for the season), both teams will see or throw their first pitch around 6 p.m. This side by side doubleheader against Nerinx has become a tradition, one that I think benefits both programs. Please feel free to share any game pictures you take and I’ll work to get them in the game summary and box score.

We're still awaiting clearance for one of the varsity players, and that will determine how many players the JV has available, and who will start in the circle, for this game. In any case, there will be at least three, and perhaps four, projected starters either ineligible or with the varsity. I don't expect to have Brittany Hartung with us for a while, at a minimum until Bree Schatz's ankle has healed and she can go full speed for a whole game or two.

JV teams are usually a house of cards, and it's a challenge to move one without impacting the whole structure. We are lucky this year to have players who can compete in several positions, but those are often the same ones Coach Gibson needs to fill his holes. 

Last year we defeated Nerinx 14-3 in 5 innings, but trying to predict results based on the previous season, especially on the JV level, is both foolish and impossible. I know because I've tried and failed, both taking wins for granted that didn't materialize and giving away wins because either subs played extremely well or a rival JV was experiencing a down year.

That being said, we play away on Friday against Seckman and considered last year's home loss a moral victory because, for the first time in years, we got to bat in the 7th inning! 

I'm going to post the "Snack Schedule" here in the hopes that at least some parents will have notification before game day. We will have water at every game, but girls might want to also bring their own jugs. The team will provide snack options at our two tournaments.

I'm looking forward to getting to know each of you better as the season wears on and hoping that you'll be forgiving if I start to wear on you.

2014 Snack Schedule

August 25	H Love
August 29	Maggie
September 2	Grace
September 3	Becca
September 8	Ro
September 10	Greer
September 12	Claudia
September 15	Nieman
September 17	OW
September 22	Nicole
September 24	Caroline
September 25	Alina
September 30	Emma
October 1	Karlee
October 3	AC

Staggering to the Starting Gate

What with injuries, concussions and family travel we'll be starting this season with thin rosters. As I sit here Thursday morning we have only 21 eligible players for both rosters. Because varsity takes priority, JV will probably play Friday with only 10 players -- no courtesy runners, no DP, and one emergency sub if there’s an injury. Obviously, not the way we drew it up. 

There will, undoubtedly, be more changes and players moving between squads as the year progresses. We should have two more players meeting the 14-practice minimum on Monday, be back at full (JV) strength by next Friday. The ankle injury to senior Bree Schatz, an entrenched starter, makes the varsity thin, however, which means we’ll probably be loaning at least one of our starters to Coach Gibson for the foreseeable future.

You never want to see a game postponed, but not playing tomorrow due to heat might not be the worst thing to happen. With so few players and a stifling heat index, it will be essential for the girls to pre-hydrate (lots of water today and tomorrow) not only before the game but during the contest, as well. I’ll have three “cooling towels,” but if that’s something in your kit, feel free to pack it for the next couple weeks.

When I have a surer handle on our lineup for tomorrow, I’ll invite you to follow us on GameChanger™. You don’t have to wait for the invite, of course, but I think I have e-mail addresses for everyone and you can look for that this evening. You can, at least in theory, follow us on Twitter (@CoachBerndt) and via-e-mail by signing up in the area above the headline but below the header.

Looking forward to an “interesting” season, as in the Irish Curse, “May you live in interesting times.” I have been assured, however, that neither world peace nor local strife hangs in the balance. I plan to have fun, and hope you and your daughters will join in.

Orange and Black Game

Despite Thursday’s deluge, Webster’s field bounced back so that not only could we play the annual Orange-Black scrimmage, we used it for yesterday’s practice, and it was in stunningly good shape. Not sure why I should be surprised every time.

 I was generally pleased with what I saw from the JV (and varsity) today, and I’m excited for the season. For those who care about such things, the Black (Gold) won, 6-2. Live action, good pitching, those are key factors in evaluating your team. They also give a coaching staff an agenda on areas that need improvement. Overall, this team is solid on the fundamentals, although obviously individuals have holes in various areas. One of the things we’re going to do at practice on Monday is to ask each player to list a couple aspects of the game on which they want to focus in the next two weeks, before we open at Plymouth Field against Parkway Central on Friday, August 22.

Every team develops its own personality, as well, and I confess I’m not sure how this will play out with this group of girls. Who will lead, who will take charge? We are very young and will likely have only three sophomores on our 14-player roster; all the rest will be freshmen, albeit freshmen who are almost all well-schooled, competent players. But there’s a difference between competence and confidence. It is the latter that will bring out the leaders.

I’m not talking about confidence in softball skills, which helps, of course, but more about confidence in knowing how Webster plays, in knowing her role, and knowing what we expect from our players. I’ve had leaders on more than a couple teams who weren’t even starters or full-time players. Rarely is leadership a single player; last year our sophomores almost led by committee, led with their actions at least as much as their words, but there were 7 of them.

Team chemistry, personality, and dynamic isn’t exactly a concern, at least not at this point, more a curiosity. But that’s what I love about softball, especially at the JV level. Every year is different. “Normal year”? An oxymoron, just like in teaching. 

Play ball!