The Fastpitch Chronicle

From Boundary to Boundary and from here and there!

Hello Fastpitch fans and probably some baseball fans as well.

The WFSCA (Wisconsin Fastpitch Coaches Association) and the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association both released their all state lists recently. It's interesting to compare two sports that both use bases, balls, bats, umpires etc.

I know and understand the process that the WFSCA uses to select its All State teams. I do not know how the baseball coaches association selects its list of recipients. This diatribe tonight is not about the process but rather the end results.

A close look at the numbers will get us going tonight.

The WFSCA All State Lists (includes Honorable Mention) includes 102 players statewide. The WBCA All State Lists include 69 players statewide. Both associations name a first team, second team, third team and honorable mention lists. 

The WFSCA All State First Team includes 10 pitchers while the WBCA First Team includes just two pitchers. The WFSCA lists 4 catchers while WBCA selects just one. There are six WFSCA infielders while WBCA lists five infielders. In the outfield the WFSCA lists four while WBCA lists 3. WBCA adds in a utility player while WFSCA eliminated utility players. 

WFSCA Second Team includes 8 infielders while WBCA lists just four. There are two WBCA Second team pitchers while WFSCA has eight. There are four WFSCA catchers while WBCA has one. WBCA lists 3 outfielders and a utility player while WFSCA lists four outfielders.

WFSCA third team includes six pitchers while WBCA lists two. WBCA has one third team catcher while WFSCA has six catchers. WBCA lists four third team infielders while there are nine on the WFSCA list. Three outfielders and a utility player show up on the WBCA third team while WFSCA third team shows five outfielders. 

The Honorable Mention lists look like this: WFSCA has six catchers while WBCA has three; WFSCA lists 11 infielders while has an even dozen. In the outfield WFSCA lists five while WBCA lists 10 plus three Utility players.

This bulletin is not about which association does it better but rather, it is just a simple comparison. 

It is interesting to note that Janesville Craig, the Division 1 state champion does not have a single player on WBCA first team, Second team or third team and has just two players on the HM list. Rio the Division 4 state champion has no players on the 69-player lists.  Division 2 champ Milwaukee Lutheran placed one player on the Second Team, D3 winners Lake Country Lutheran had a pair of Second Team choices.

The WFSCA lists included 44 Division 1 players, 28 Division 2 players, 19 Division 3 players and  11 Division 4 players.  The WBCA lists include a high number of batteries that are both all state. As a matter of fact I can count two batteries where both the pitcher and catcher are first team players. Just one of the two sets made it to the state tournament. There are a total of no less than six all state batteries and one school has two all state pitchers and an all state catcher so that's a double-battery on all state. All but one of the all state batteries made it to the state tournament. Two of the sets see both the pitcher and catcher on first team while three others have first team pitchers and second team catchers while the sixth one has a third team pitcher and a third team catcher. 

There is also an all-state set of sister pitchers. Take a look and see if you can figure that one out. Hint: look at pitchers on the list that are in Division 2. Yet, there is another school who landed two pitchers on the all state lists. In summary then, those two schools had the best pitching staffs in the state of Wisconsin (if we base it on all state selections). A school whose pitcher pitches every game does not have a pitching staff, they have a pitcher.

That's the wrap up for tonight. 

Have a great fastpitch day!
Keep it Rising!
Bob