quote:Originally posted by Coach May:
Early in my career a learned a valuable lesson that I never forgot. Up 3-0 and cruising late in a state playoff game. Our opponent goes on to score 3 runs to tie the game in the 6th without one ball being hit out of the infield. Drag bunt. Swinging bunt. Sac bunt. Squeeze bunt with 2 strikes. Saftey squeeze. Before you know it we are tied. We end up losing in the 8th inning.
We worked on bunt defense we had a plan. But we did not put our team under game pressure in practice when working on bunt defense. Its very important to add runners , game situations , to the equation. Dont just teach them where to be and what to do , teach them how to make plays in game situations and add as much game pressure as you can to the practice situation.
We spend a ton of time on bunt 0 and use that as a time to work on our bunt D. Then we reverse it and do the same with bunt D vs bunt O. 1st and 3rds , Bunt D and O , Cut plays , Holding runners , Pick Plays , Baserunning. These are the things you can be very good at regardless of how well you can hit and pitch. They are the things that many times are the difference when teams are equally matched in ability.
Good drills coach we do alot of those same drills. We do bunt off live arm pitching alot.
What happens when you work hard at these things is your players gain confidence when confronted with these situations in a game. When you dont the pucker factor can get you more than your opponents ability to execute will.
Coach May...the scenario you describe above underpins what a wise scout told me about 15 years ago. He said more high school games were won/lost within 60' of home plate than anywhere else.