GAME PLAN

In travel ball our game plan varies depending on which opponent we may be facing and what we have to do to make the playoffs and if the option is open to us, how we save pitching for the playoffs. This mostly affects our pitching approach in terms of who we pitch and how we want the pitchers to pitch, but it can also affect how aggressively we decide to play on offense.

Our approach is we are going to play sound fundemental baseball and you are going to have to beat us because we are not going to beat ourselves. We look at it this way. We are going to be well schooled at all the (little things) ie first and thirds, bunt defense, bunt offense, cut plays, base running, holding runners etc. We are going to focus on throwing strikes and playing defense and attacking the baseball at the plate. I guess my answer is we are not going to change a thing we are going to force you to adapt to what we do if anything at all. Yes some teams play alot of small ball and or hit and run and double steal alot etc. This is all part of the game. We are not going to allow anyone to change how we prepare for a game. We cant controll how good our opponent is or how well prepared they are but we sure as heck can controll how well we are prepared. This is not to say that any of you have the wrong approach if it works for you great. But I just feel that if you start worrying about what the other team is going to do you are not spending the time needed to be working on what you need to do.

I think coach May has it right. Our philosophy in summer ball is basically the same. We see a number of teams with players we don't know, and what we have to do is play our game to the best of our ability. I always preach to my players that they're playing against their own ability, more than our opponents. If we play up to our ability, we won't lose many games regardless of who we're playing. When we don't play up to our ability, we can be beaten by many teams.
When playing against unknown oponents, we can't worry too much about their game, we've got to play to our own strengths. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't try to learn everything I can about the other teams tendencies before the first pitch that I can. The bottom line is that if we execute most of the time, we're going to be on the winning side of the scorebook most of the time too.

If I have advance knowledge of opponents than I may adjust my pitching rotation to match my LHP against a dominant LH hitting club or make adjustments for an aggressive running team. If it is likely I will face them in the state tournament then I may not pitch my best matchup saving that for the more important game later.

I agree with Coach May. Make the opponent adapt to you. Their may be teams who bunt more or run more but we work heavily on shutting down the running game and all of the finer details.

And, as far as tournaments go, we don't try to save pitching. Reason being...it usually doesn't work out for us... By saving pitching, it usually means conceding a game or putting your kids in a weaker position. I totally disagree with this. We will try to win every game possible. If that means we win a championship....great. If we lose in the championship game...so be it.

Redbird I totally agree. At one time I won 12 tournements in a row and 15 out of 17. My philosophy was there is no game two unless you win game one. It did not matter who we were playing in game one #1 got the ball and #2 was in relief if it was close. I would worry about game two when game two got here. The key is having a team that has interchangeable parts and two quality catchers and at least 8 guys that can locate. A typical tourney would consist of four pools of 4 teams. Three pool games and the top team in each pool advances. This means three games got you in the semis and then one game got you in the finals. In the smaller tourneys two pools both top teams advance with two wild cards. So in the big tourneys you have 5 games to play in three days to win it all. Now the teams that have one or two studs and not much behind them are in trouble anyway. The teams with the deep pitching good catching and play sound fundemental ball that are well coached are so far ahead of everyone else it is ridiculous. I won so many games because we were so far ahead in the little things. First and thirds and bunt o bunt d and baserunning as well as cuts. Our pitchers knew how to hold runners and we knew how to work leads etc. You can take an average team and spank much more talented teams that are not as well coached. When you have a talented team that is well coached then you have something special.

Play to "your" strength.

quote:

Originally posted by redbird5:
And, as far as tournaments go, we don't try to save pitching. Reason being...it usually doesn't work out for us...

I experienced that first hand in a fall playoff last year..... I tried to save my #1 & #2 pitchers for the second round..... looking right past a noticably weaker first round team.... We lost the game. They played up and we played down

Never again!

In our playoffs a one seed is the conference champion. The #2 seed is the second place team from a conference and some conferences get three teams depending on how many teams are in their conferences. So as a #1 seed you see a #2 or a #3. #2 seeds play #1 seed or another #2 seed. Heres the deal lets say we are a #1 seed and we are playing a #2 or #3 seed. Everyone of these playoff teams will have at least one very good HS pitcher. Lets say we go with our #2 and loose. We are done and our best pitcher is sitting in the dug out and we are wondering why in the heck we didnt pitch him. We always go into game one of the playoffs with our best guy on the hill. If we get up big we pull him so we can use him to possibly close in round two if his pitch count is low. We play Tues Friday Tues then its 2 out of 3 for the Eastern and Western finals. The bottom line is you are not going to go very far if you dont have at least two good arms to start Tues then Fri. If you are lucky enough to win on Tues pitching #2 you do have #1 for round 2. But then you have #2 in round 3. If I loose I would rather loose with the best available guy on the hill and not in the dugout. We were a #3 seed back in 2001. We had a very good left handed pitcher that got drafted in the second round that year. When he was on the hill we were as good as anyone because 93 from the left side will do that for you. We were average def average off and not quality deep on the hill. We go to the #1 seed in the first round a team that was ranked #1 in the state. Well they start #3 pitcher and we go up 2-0 in the third. They bring in #1 and we get one more run in the fifth. We end up winning 3-2. We were 16-8 and a three seed. On paper not much for a 23-1 team to worry about. But we were 8-0 with the lefty on the hill. And after that game 9-0. They knew we had him they scouted us. But they were convinced that they could win with there #3. There coach never told me this but I bet if he had it to do over he would have had his #1 stud on the hill to start that game if he had it to do over. We have run into some #3 seeds in the past that were not all that talented but s****** with one very good pitcher. In a one game series you can go home in a hurry. I just dont want to leave my bullets in my gun in a gun fight. I would rather go down firing my best shots.

I make small adjustments if I have a scouting report on the opposition...I think you'd HAVE to if you are actually COACHING your team! However, most of the time we don't have that information...so we focus on taking care of OUR business with the knowledge that the score will then take care of itself.

You have to play baseball according to the kind of team you have. Is it your offense based on Power?...or is it based on speed and contact hitting?...Is it your team's strengh pitching and defense?
But don't tell me no coach that when they see the catcher, and outfielders throwing at pregame practice, depending how good they are won't change a little bid your game some way. Or the control and velodcity of the opposite pitcher it is not a factor to take in consideration to make some ajustment in your team approach for that game.
Change strategies it is what make good or bad a coach,....then for what is necessary to have a coach?....

How do you prepare your team and how do you manage the game at hand. Two different things altogether. We prepare our team to play at our level. We can not controll how good our opponent is. We measure ourselves by our standards. If you can match it, its going to be a good game. And if you cant great. Manageing the game is a total different issue. If the catcher is outstanding and they hold runners well of course we will make the ajustment. If they are weak behind the plate and dont hold runners we of course will run. But how we prepare has nothing to do with the quality of the opponent. We could careless about them while we are preparing. We work dunt d everyday regardless if the team we are playing never bunts or bunts all the time. Allowing the other team to dictate to you how you prepare your team is a recipe for failure. You manage the game depending on your opponents strengths and weakness as well as your strengths and weakness.

TRhit's original question is about to change or not your game plan according with your opponent. So it is about strategy and not about preparation.