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Hello Again Everyone – It s getting a bit ridiculous isn t it? I m talking about the weather and our inability to really get the season off and rolling. Sure, some schools have played several games already but not very many of them were played on what I d consider good softball days. They were games that were played just to get them in. Things will break, maybe it will be next week.

 

I posted quite a bit of stuff on the wissports.net website today. Links to newspaper articles from across the state and some other stuff that is found on the Opening Pitch Blog as well.

 

The list of schools whose coaches now have an account on WSN to post scores etc. keeps growing but that list is far, far shorter than it ought to be. I m only about 40 e-mails short of a complete list of head coaches for this year as of tonight so just about everyone has been notified about the site and what has to be done to get scores and game reports on there. I m no fool, however. I know we ll never hit 100% but trying is so much fun that I ll keep at it. I had several great conversations with coaches whose e-mails I just got today. I called their schools and actually talked to them. They all seemed excited about the chances to promote their programs.

 

Posting scores on the softball forum page isn t the answer either. I don t check the forum all the time. If you want to send a score that way, just e-mail it to me. Keep in mind that if your schedule is not posted on the WSN softball site, I can t post a score on the scoreboard. It takes somebody s schedule to do that (at least one of the two teams in the game must have their schedule on the site).

 

Here is a play that occurred in a game played already this season. Runner at first and less than two outs.  The batter swings and misses for strike three. The runner at first was stealing on the pitch. The batter who just struck out, runs toward first base. The catcher  throws the ball to first base. A disagreement between an assistant coach and the umpire took place whereby the coach argued that there is a rule that prohibits the batter from running to first if she is struck out with less than two outs and first base occupied. The umpire insisted that the catcher ought to know the situation and that the runner at second remained there, credited with a stolen base.

 

Who is right?



As many of you may have already heard, there is a big softball showcase event that will be held in Ashwaubenon Wisconsin on August 21st and 22nd.  The event is being put on by Showtime Sports, an organization that specializes in showcase events for over 10 years now.  The First Annual Midwest Fastpitch Softball Showcase will feature top softball prospects from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan.  All players will be underclassmen with graduation dates of 2009, 2010, or 2011. Since the event is being run in Wisconsin and because Showtime Sports is based in Wisconsin we are doing everything we can to make sure all deserving Wisconsin players are aware of this event.

If you have any underclassmen on your team who have the desire to play college softball at any level, this is an event that will benefit them.  College coaches from all over the Midwest are being invited to come and watch the Showcase to help facilitate the recruiting process between the coaches and these players. Over 40 colleges have already expressed plans on attending this event. Based on WIAA rules of eligibility, the event is open to all Wisconsin softball players (2009, 2010, and 2011 graduates) that are interested in attending. 

There are two ways to make sure your players are informed and have the opportunity to get involved.  The first is to refer them to the Showtime Sports website at www.showtimesportscamps.com where they can read about the event and register.  The second way is to provide your players names and mailing addresses to Showtime Sports so they can send information about this event directly to the families.  There are less than 30 spots that remain available, once they are gone the Showcase will be full.  If you have any questions about the event please contact Bill Grams (920-380-2222, [email=william.grams@wausau.com]william.grams@wausau.com[/email]) or John Kelliher (414-315-0476, [email=jkelliher@showtimesportscamps.com]jkelliher@showtimesportscamps.com[/email])



I took a look at the WFSCA website tonight to see how many coaches had joined by the deadline on March 29th. The website indicated that it had been updated on March 31st. All-in-all there are 72% of the head coaches in the state who are WFSCA members. The breakdown by divisions is below.

Division 1 -- 75%  -- 85 of 113 coaches joined

Division 2 -- 81% -- 92 of 111 coaches joined

Division 3 -- 60% -- 73 of 107 coaches joined

Division 4 -- 61% -- 65 of 107 coaches joined

 

It s pouring here right now, there s thunder rolling across the world as well. I think games in this part of the state for tomorrow are already washed out!

 

Have a great day practicing inside.

Keep it Rising!

Bob