PH2

Woodford is open

Check the top juniors list.

I don't know all of the regions, but the games that look most interesting today are Holy Cross/Butler, Oldham/Anderson, and East Carter/Ashland.

Looks like one of the few opening round games that was exciting. Looking at the scoreboard, close games were few and far between.

As far as the 57% stat, that's a direct reflection of which programs/schools care about softball. There are plenty of schools that field a softball team but aren't very good and don't care about the KSCA or awards or whatever else the KSCA does. And isn't that part of the discussion here? NKY wants to be part of the group that values softball and is good/getting better at it. That number doesn't surprise me at all. I have no idea - which teams in the top 25 or even the receiving votes column are NOT members? I bet it's a far smaller percentage than 57%.

I'm saying that effectively, all you're doing is passing a few names to add to the list. That's not going to help get anyone voted for the award. Being a member and directly involved in the process would do more good. That's my point.

What is the fence distance at St Henry?

KHSAA is pretty clear about field requirements.

 

Require the minimum fence distance to all fields

be 185 feet. Such linear distance can be

compensated by fence height.



Recommend the maximum fence distance to be

235 feet.

 

Page not found | Kentucky High School Athletic Association

They forgot one:

REQUIRE: The fastpitch state tournament is played on fields where a temporary fence is not necessary to meet the above specifications.

In the long term, I don't think that really serves the girls. At best, you're just passing a few names to someone to include in a longer list of names. That's not a good solution. Seems to me that you're looking for ways to remain outside the system used by everybody else in the state for no good reason, when there are a lot of benefits to being a part of the association, not the least of which is direct access to nominating and voting.

It's the association's awards. No different than voting for MLB Hall of Fame. Theoretically anyone should be able to vote for who is in the HoF, but we can't. Not even all MLB journalists can. I don't know why this is any different.

Just another thought that goes around the NKY area. First, coaches don't really understand what they get out of joining the association other than the ability to nominate and vote on all state. Thats what their perception of what being a part of the association is. And that's the only value they see. So from year to year, membership goes up and down based on whether that school has someone worthy of a nomination. You don't see much participation up here because the talent level is not as abundant as down state, so coaches see no value in joining unless they have an exceptional kid. Maybe coaches up here need to understand the value of joining other than just deserved recognition for their kids.

 

The other perception that goes around is "why bother". Many feel NKY has never received any respect for softball at the statewide level and if they do nominate their kids, they don't have a chance with the lack of respect from other areas of the state. So it's not a high priority to join up in this area, even if you have a decent player. I know...well if more would join, you would get more respect. I don't buy that. Like I said in a previous post, respect is earned on the field and until we start competing with the down state teams consistently, we will not get the respect. I do think we are starting to make some advances with more kids playing travel ball these days. But we are far from the hotbed of softball in NKY. Some coaches are trying to do something about that.

Definitely agree with this.

As an outsider, I think what the coaches in NKY need to be thinking about is the collective. It's very apparent that you have a loyal and dedicated group of parents, kids and fans in this area. And even if the talent isn't as good across the board, one thing membership in the KSCA would do for everyone is bring a collective NKY voice to statewide KY softball. So, if you've got an outstanding kid on one team who definitely deserves recognition, it's not just one NKY coach trying to get her recognized, but now you've got all of the coaches up there helping to make that happen. Same goes with top 25 voting. And on the pre-season lists, they are region specific so you're ignoring an easy way to recognize kids and teams in your own region.

They show up for playoffs, even late season matchups once their seasons end. But the thing is, they aren't there just to watch softball and hope to see someone to recruit. They're there to see commits or girls they're considering offering.

"Not afforded the opportunity to play travel ball?" What? Anyone can play travel ball. Many kids who aren't college material play travel ball. If a kid wants to play in college, they need to seek out opportunities to play and showcase themselves for college coaches. I can't imagine there are many college players who only played softball 3 months a year, and only in high school. Only exception might be 2 or 3 sport athletes.

High school ball alone doesn't tell a coach that a girl can play at the next level. That's not unfortunate, that's a fact.

Seeing as though I've seen the step-off method happen at the college level, in a game between SEC teams, I think that's generally accepted as the preferred, quick method of ending the agony.

The two big reasons coaches don't scout high school are that it conflicts with their own season and the competition is generally so weak you don't learn much about the kids. You'll see some coaches at the state tournament and maybe region. Rarely during the season.

Collins is also an upset. Would have challenged for 8th region title.

If we opened up KY all-star balloting to the online universe, it would probably end up worse than it is now.

Perhaps MLB should quit calling its championship the World Series since it only involves teams from North America!

If you are involved in travel ball and don't see any coaching, then you need to find a different travel team.

Something was in the water last night in the 8th. Anderson narrowly escaped Spencer and Collins lost.

In the pre-season player/team watch list, I think it was Region 9 that didn't have a single vote submitted. If you want to get your players some publicity, that would be a good start.

Good point, but most coaches won't nominate kids that would threaten their kid's chances. So true, they are all eligible, but only association members can nominate and vote.

Yes, but that's entirely within the coach's control (or AD!).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but these are not official state or KHSAA awards. All-State, the East/West and TN/KY all-star game selections, State All-Academic, etc., is all KSCA awards/events. Without KSCA, no one would be all-anything. If you want your kids or your part of the state fairly represented and honored, join the KSCA.

Are these kids really ineligible, or is it just that coaches not part of the association can't nominate or vote and don't have easy access to lobby other coaches through their association contacts for their kids?

District 39. Combined 12-64 record. Wow.

Exactly. And that's what most teams do. But to get there, you have to step off or do something to end the innings. The right thing to do is get to a safe run rule lead then purposely end the inning to get to 3, so the game is called. Apparently to some, being a good sport against an overmatched opponent is "wussification."

There is a rule. It's the run rule - 15 after 3. The issue is getting to 3 innings without scoring 35 runs.

I don't like to ask girls to purposely strike out. But stepping off the base is an easy and painless solution.