Ready or Not -- 2018

After two weeks of practice, we have had to make all sorts of difficult decisions. Thankfully, one we did NOT have to make was whom to tell she won’t be playing softball. Oh, and apologies for not having updated the Blog Header. That is coming when I am permitted to sit without an elevated leg for more than 15-20 minutes!

But due to the efforts of Bryan Gibson, Don Sanders, and many others from the Feeder League, as well as the commitment from the girls themselves, we will be adding a third team so that all 40 girls who said they wanted to play softball for Webster High School will have the opportunity to do so. We welcome Ashley Pickett (a former player) as the coach of that team and Mike Sulve (a former Webster and collegiate baseball player) to the mix of coaches who will be working with the girls this season.

We haven’t had a third team in over a decade, when I returned to the program as the freshman coach. It is both exciting and a challenge as we juggle players, playing time, facilities, etc. Nevertheless, it is a challenge to which we are looking forward.

We will be adding softball-only shed in right field and moving our home dugout to the first base line. There are plans for more facility improvements, as well, and we’ll be doing some more  season-prep field work this Sunday morning (8/19), for those who would like to contribute their time and energy. 

While the varsity traveled to Fox for their annual preseason jamboree, We had our own intrasquad scrimmage today, and except for a coach forgetting how old he is and suffering an injury, it went well. Fortunately Coach Pickett, just out of sick bay herself, picked up the slack, so we were able to learn more about our players and their various  skill sets.

We have a few pictures of our day, thanks to Mrs. Sammon. But first, we will add the schedules for JV Black and JV Orange. Speaking of the latter, if you should see Jerry Collins, thank him for his hard work in securing a 15-game schedule (9 regular season, 2 3-game tournaments) in August. We are looking forward to seeing you at your daughter’s games.

Batter Up! Time to Throw Out the First Pitch of 2016

And so it starts, another high school softball season, my 39^th (I think: #joysofaging) high school team, 21 here at WGHS. I do have a Facebook group (Tiger-Statesmen Softball Players) which will also carry this blog. Our first game is Tuesday against the Cougars of Affton at Affton Athletic on Gravois (game time is 4:15).

We are carrying a large squad this year, 16 girls. That will present a challenge in terms of finding playing time. While we are not playing for world peace or an end to hunger, this is interscholastic, not recreational, softball. Less experienced and/or skilled players may have trouble getting many opportunities. Patience and practice will need to be their watchwords and we’ll work to find chances for them to experience the game and achieve success, either at bat, on the bases, or in the field.

I mentioned it to the girls the other day, but you can help your daughter by reminding her that every day, every practice, every drill, every warm-up, every catch and throw counts, and is a chance to get better and to demonstrate her skills and growth as a player. With so much competition for playing time (and advance warning, there is a large and very talented crop of eighth graders waiting for their chance to join the program), encourage your player to work hard at improving all aspects of her game.

This blog will be updated (theoretically) after each game, complete with a summary, comments, and box score, and often pictures (courtesy of Amy Love) of home games. If a parent wants to take pictures at away games, I have a camera that should allow for that opportunity – or you can use your own. (Note: softball is tough to shoot; in addition to softball teams, I also advised 13 yearbooks and took tens of thousands of pictures over those years.) Also, if we have a parent or two who are scorekeeping nerds, there is a program (Game Changer) that works on an iPhone or iPad (data plan needed) that would allow other parents to follow the game in real time for those who can’t make it to whatever field we’re playing at. Let me know if either of these “opportunities” appeals to you (bobberndt530@gmail.com).

Occasionally I will post and/or tweet (follow either @CoachBerndt or @berndtsbuddies (I don’t want to throw any assistant coach under the bus but I didn’t pick that handle nor will I actually send those tweets) the projected starting lineup for that day’s game, subject to last minute changes due to absence, or injury, of course. Speaking of that, if your daughter will NOT be available for whatever reason, as much advance notice as you can provide will be appreciated. In theory I have set the blog to be tweeted automatically. However, at the top right of the blog is a way for you to subscribe to automatic notifications (again, in theory). 

I’m looking forward to the season, mostly because I like the way this team is coming together, rooting for and supporting each other. I’m lucky to be supported by two strong assistant coaches, Chris Fechtel and Kate Wylie, as well as the varsity team of Head Coach Bryan Gibson, Sam Pitlyk, Dave Knapp and Doug Dickman. That’s a lot of instruction available, although practices will be limited as the games get going. Speaking of which, here’s our schedule (lots of early home cooking) through August:

Busy Week Ahead

Because we’ll be making up our game against Parkway Central at home on Tuesday, we’ll have four games this week, two at home and two (far) away (Pattonville and McCluer North -- which, for the record, didn’t exist when I did my student teaching in that district).

I will be posting the tentative lineups for the first two games, along with some explanation of what goes into the process of making those lineups at the JV level.

Pattonville is a league contest; although technically there is no conference championship for the JV, games against conference opponents (Pattonville, Parkway North, Ritenour, Summit, and Kirkwood) carry more weight in the “important to win” category, if for no other reason than we want the girls in those programs to expect to lose (and ours to expect to win). While I always have a plan to play every girl at least some in every game, those plans are subject to in-game decisions and my assessment of a player’s chance for success. Additionally, when games last fewer than 7 innings or are low scoring, fast encounters, like our last two, there are fewer at bats available or fewer innings to dole out.

The JV program has two important goals:

1) To feed the varsity, both this year, when necessary, and next year. The coaching staff consults together to determine the varsity’s future needs and we make decisions accordingly. Quick anecdote. A few years ago I moved my freshman shortstop to second base for her sophomore year. She was still my best shortstop and her mother demanded to know why the switch after a game. I had already told the player and she (at least said she) was in agreement on the plan: the varsity would need a second basement her junior year and wouldn’t need a shortstop, so we decided to get her ready for the spot she could likely fill. Player parent communications often have hurdles that are not overcome, but in this case it didn’t matter because Mom never really listened to my answer anyway, although her daughter still apologized for her. It is still too early to know or project about next year for the freshmen, incidentally.

2) To provide a great athletic experience for our players, to improve their skills, to introduce them to the rigors of interscholastic competition and all the advantages that endows, and to develop a strong work and team ethic. These are season long goals that may not always be easily quantifiable in the short term. With one exception (and she played in 22 of the 23 games), every girl averaged at least one plate appearance per game, and we had an 18-member team. Only four girls of the eighteen played in every game. It’s a long season. What I think constitutes our best lineup at the beginning never matches up to my thoughts at the end. We will designate several games (including Tuesday’s match-up with Parkway Central, a team that beat us 6-5 last year) as “non-starter starts” to make sure every player gets some playing time on a regular basis. I’m concerned that neither Hazelwood West nor Nerinx has made much, if any effort to reschedule, but that is out of our control. Finally, each player is guaranteed a full game in each tournament at the end of the season. We especially like the Hancock Tournament at Affton AA on October 4, because we exercise the option to "bat the lineup," something few of the other teams do.

Below is our projected lineup for tomorrow’s tilt against Pattonville. Below that is what we plan for Tuesday at home against Parkway Central. We are optimistic we will have our full 14-player squad available by Wednesday, but we’re waiting for a final medical clearance to make out that lineup, as well as the chance to assess performance in Monday and Tuesday’s games.

This may be more than you cared to know, but I don’t come with the Staples Button.

vs. Parkway Central