The 2016 Miken Fall Friendly was well worth the trip for the 18U Lady Lightning Gold MW and others.
Every fall weekend from late August to November, there are softball events held throughout the nation, some promising college coach exposure potential, others offering four, five and six game guarantees and others touting great weather and facilities. Unfortunately, almost all of these come with a hefty price tag, with tournament entry fees climbing toward $1,000 and many others to $2,000 and beyond. Not to mention all the travel costs, hotel premiums and time put on families and coaches to get their kids to events.
We had a refreshing experience in Indianapolis, IN last weekend at the Miken Fall Friendly, hosted by Joel Goler of Savvy Softball. It was a very intimate event with a total of 11 teams, six at 18U and five at 16U. 18U played a five-game round robin Friendly-style tournament, with three games on Saturday and two on Sunday. Here’s where it gets really special. We played FULL SEVEN INNING GAMES! On Sunday, also known as “get away day”, our games dropped dead at two full hours, so we still managed to get a full seven innings in both games. So many events these days promise several game guarantees, but nearly all of them subject games to short time limits of 70-90 minutes, so in essence, you may be getting five games in, but you may still only play 20-30 innings. This weekend, we got a full 35 innings in. This is a crucial part of game development for the team and a more accurate depiction of each player from an exposure standpoint.
Full games teach players how to start and finish. It’s not good enough for pitching and defense to learn to hold teams down for four to five innings before the clock calls the game. Most people would agree, it’s that third time through the line-up that is the toughest to defend against. Pitchers and the defense need to learn how to close. It also provides the coaching staff an opportunity to determine battery and answer these questions for their team roles. Who is great in a starting role? Who is great in a relief role? Who are those defensive saviors that should see time in the late innings?
On the offensive side of the game, full games give players the opportunity to make necessary adjustments without the pressure of feeling as though they’re first at bat is the most crucial for the success of their team. In shortened games, players are often times pressing early. Coaches too. It feels as though a team must score in the first or second inning to have a shot at winning the game, and it requires a different offensive strategy. Full games allow players and coaches to approach the offensive strategy in a more relaxed manner, allowing players to learn from their first at-bats to find more success as the game extends into the late innings. If a particular player is struggling that game, it gives the coach opportunities to determine pinch hit roles late.
Think about it from the standpoint of a college coach that is interested in a particular athlete. If that player is a pitcher, the coach will want to see how she can handle the same line up three to four times through. Any decent pitcher can keep a team off-balanced one time though the line- up. If that player is a hitter, the coach will want to see what adjustments she is capable of making from her first to her last at bat. That’s tough to get a good read on if she only gets two at-bats per game. It’s a much more credible assessment of a player to be able to see a body of work versus a one-shot opportunity. The players are also more relaxed, as they know they have multiple opportunities to show their skill sets. Imagine the emotional state of a player if the coach of the college they dream of playing for watches her for a single at bat. That’s a lot of performance pressure for anyone, especially a teenager.
Travel coaches and organizations are being sold a bill of goods on many of these events. Most teams on a national level are using their annual events to prepare for a few high-level tournaments, including Premier Girls Fastpitch Qualifiers and Nationals, Triple Crown Nationals, ASA Gold Nationals and JO Cup. For the most part, these national-level events are full seven inning games. Most of the players on teams competing at this level are college-bound athletes and college games are also full seven inning games. If we want to best prepare our teams and players for Nationals and collegiate play, let’s put together a model to deliver just that. Shortened games call the integrity of the game itself into question, as coaches play the clock instead of the inning. Multiple game guarantees don’t mean anything. If the tournament directors want to market their events this way, the focus should be on a total innings guarantee instead. I miss the days of two pool play games into double elimination. If you want more than four games, win. This model teaches the players to compete, which may be the biggest aspect missing in many showcase-style events.
I am pleased that we passed up on a number of “showcases” last weekend and instead got five full games in with Savvy Softball. Five good games too. Participants were Lady Lightning Gold Corn, Michigan Finesse, Indiana Lids Dreams, Premier Fastpitch, Worth Prospects and us, Lady Lightning Gold Midwest. Facilities were immaculate and about ten minutes from the Indianapolis airport. Joel Goler and Savvy Softball pulled off a great event, giving teams what they needed, including two umpires each game and managed to do all of it for a whopping $400. Nice work, Joel! I hope this is the start of an improved model of tournament play for our kids.
By FPN Contributor Michelle Harrison, Head Coach 18U Lady Lightning Gold MW
