Hello Fastpitch Aficionado Fans,
Here are some other noteworthy coaching changes from the northeastern part of the state as reported by Brent Erdmann.
Tony Porath will be back on the Diamond in New London this spring. He will be sharing the head coaching duties with Melinda Hull last year’s Head Coach and past assistant. At Clintonville Danalore Chaney replaces Stacey Butts while in Freedom David Cherny replaces Mike Vanderloop and in Manawa Austin Rohan has replaced Todd Zielke.
Great Early Response to Pre-Season Team Profile
The response to the email I attempted to send out to all the head coaches in the state asking them to return a 2019 Team and Season preview has been met with a good response. Throughout my years within WIAA sponsored softball , the annual turnover rate among head coaches in softball is one of the highest that the WIAA experiences every year. I sent out the email entitled “Welcome to More Wisconsin High School Softball Publicity.” After hitting send on the lists I use to communicate no less than 100 emails were returned to me as undeliverable or resulted in an email return that stated, “I am no longer coaching softball so please remove my email from your database” or “I am no longer coaching softball but have forwarded the survey to the current coach.” Some of those forwarded emails included the email address of the new coach. With that information I then sent the survey to that current head coach. I learned long ago that there are many reasons why a coach might not submit a team preview: 1) they fear that doing so might give opponents some kind of scouting report 2) they don’t have time to fill out things like that 3)they took the position because nobody else was interested aren’t that interested in getting more publicity for their program 3) They are so busy with a heavy teaching load that they feel too much overwhelm to do more 4) They don’t care if people across the entire state know anything about their players. There are more reasons as well.
Those same attitudes show up at the end of the season when those of us on All District selection committee meetings arrive at the meeting site only to learn that excellent softball players have not been nominated for post season awards by their head coach. Those same players if a senior are often times not nominated by the head coach to be considered for WFSCA All Star game participation.
Some coaches simply try to hide from the rest and there are instances where they did just that until someone in the know winds up at their games and figures out their strengths and weaknesses. I can think of one such team last year. The team I have in mind received an amazingly low seed for a team with just one loss on the season and then beat all three higher seeded teams in succession on their way to the state tournament where they could no longer stay hidden. As of today they can’t hide from anyone as they appear on our watch list and actually had my vote as the #1 preseason team in their respective division.
We will try to get coaches to generate more game reports on the site
In attempt to get more game reports/summaries statewide we are offering coaches the opportunity to submit such things. Keep in mind that I do not have time to glean information off box scores, game-changer reports etc. Therefore I suggest a short or long written report from you games that you can create and email to me. If you don’t think you have time to do such reporting another option would be to have an assistant coach write it up, or perhaps a manager, scorekeeper or another trusted reporter.
Below you will find several examples of what a report might look like once on the site
Example #1
Hooterville 2, Bug Tussle 1 (10 innings)
In a battle for first place Sam Drucker’s General Store from Hooterville upended Bug Tussle in a game played at Petticoat Junction on Monday. The game was a 10-inning extra innings battle between two excellent teams both coached by Hall of Fame coaches, Uncle Joe of Bug Tussle and Sam Drucker of Hooterville. The game featured a heated discussion between home plate umpire Mr. Haney and Uncle Joe of just how the Designated Player/Flex Player option can legally be used. It seems as though Uncle Joe failed to understand the rule when he continually tried to leave his Flex player on the bench when Bug Tussle was in the field. After scoring a run in the first inning on an inside the park home run by Bobbi Jo of Bug Tussle Hooterville knotted things up in the top of seventh. Neither team could score in the 8th or 9th. In the bottom of the tenth a walk-off base on balls sent the winning run home. Suzy Drucker was the winning pitcher on a three-hitter with 14 strikeouts while Billi Jo Johnson absorbed the loss, allowing 2 runs on five hits, struck out 13 and walked five. Bug Tussle recorded a triple play in the fourth inning when with the bases loaded and no outs Billi Jo Johnson snared one-hopper and threw to Betti Jo Johnson at the plate. The second Johnson then threw out the batter Marilee Moses at first. When Rachel Nitlingfletch tried to score from second on the play Bobbi Jo Johnson threw to the plate where Betti Jo applied the decisive tag completing the triple play.
WP – Drucker (10-1-1-14-0)
LP – Johnson (9.2-2-2-13-5)
Example #2
South Bend 5, North Totogatic 4
South Bend beat North Totogatic today 5-4 on a two –hitter by (insert pitcher’s name here) allowing 4 runs, one earned with 7 strikeouts, no walks and one hit batter and 8 hits. The losing pitcher was (insert her name here) who allowed 5 runs, all earned, 7 hits, fanned 8, walked 1 and hit none. The losers committed four errors while the winners were charged with three miscues. Billie Adams went 3x4 for the winners while Ruth Williams had two hits for the losers. South Bend is now 5-0 and 3-0 while North Totogatic is 4-1 and 2-1.
Example 3
Hawthorne 7, West Baraboo 6
West Baraboo 000 000 6 6 8 4
Hawthorne 330 000 1 7 7 3
WP – Insert Name
LP – Insert Name
Leading Hitters – SB – Adams 3x4 – NT Wiliams 2x3
2B – NB Jones, Smith NT – Ramsey
Example 4
Any written form you submit that can be quickly copied and pasted (after editing)
WFSCA Coaching Awards Handed Out at Recent Hall of Fame Induction Banquet
10 Year Award
Quinn Schultz – Mineral Point
Jeff Trask – Oak Creek
Shane Been – Sauk Prairie
Mike Mullen – Appleton North
Sarah-Laufer-Dominguez – Greendale
15 Year Award
Mandy Pankratz – Stratford
20 Year Award
Sue Stoltenberg
25 Year Award
Gale Grahn – Plymouth
30 Year Award
John Rosenberg – Muskego
Jim Kvisto – Hurley
35 Year Award
Bob Sulser – Madison Memorial, Turner, Edgewood
WFSCA Outstanding Service Award
Gabbie Harris – Prairie Farm; Patrick Edlbeck, Wausaukee; Tersa Kielblock and Nathan Schustek of Iola-Scandinavia; Ryan Kluck and Jim Shafanski of Pacelli; John Rosenberg of Muskego; Doug Townsend of Kenosha Tremper; Tom Hickman of Whitnall; Bill Greskiw of Burlington Catholic Central; Dan Bayreuther of Janesville Craig
Coaching Career Wins – Varsity
The WFSCA will now start to recognize wins at the 150, 250, 350, 450, 550 levels instead with every 100 wins
This year’s coaches who submitted information to the WFSCA for recognition are:
100 Wins – Shawn Grimm of Waukesha North; Lou Sanicola of Menomonee Falls; Shane Been of Sauk Prairie and Tom Christensen of Peshtigo
200 Wins – Doug Townsend of Kenosha Tremper; Brian Johnson of Shawano; Jeff Gosse of Kewaskum
400 Wins – Jim Kvisto of Hurley; Patty Jansen of Watertown and Tim Roehrig of Kaukauna
That’s it for today.
Have a great weekend and as always,
Keep it Rising!
Bob
