Agree 100%. Defense is right up there with free throw shooting as a lost art. Only the spectacular plays make highlight reels and chicks don't dig the 6-4-3 double play, therefore more emphasis is put on hitting.
Good defense is vital. My son's hs team was terrible defensively the past 2 seasons and only won 19 & 13 games because of it. This year they have been better and are 9-3. A couple of errors in 1 run losses to Nequa and Waubonsee Valley seperates them from 11-1.
More teams and especially players should focus on d. Nothing demoralizes a team or pitcher more than unearned runs. In hs and above it's impossible to hide a poor defensive player, ball always seems to find them.