High School Tryouts: What Coaches Want

I know I’ve sent a similar blog about high school tryouts a couple of times, but I’ve revised it based on interviews I’ve recently done with coaches in Chicago and the suburbs. Tryouts are this week so I wanted to make sure to pass along to you what I’ve learned so far. Coaches had common themes with what they were looking for in you.

Please, please throw strikes.

It seemed like coaches were begging me, a pitching coach, to help them with this one. I hated to break it to them, but once I show you what to do, it’s up to you to have the work ethic to practice with your catcher 3 to 4 times per week year-round. That’s where accuracy comes from. If you can throw more accurately than other players on you team, even if you are slow or don’t have movement pitches, you’ll see a lot of playing time and will give your defense a chance to show what they’ve got.

You need a changeup.

Coaches viewed this as a basic skill. If you don’t have a reliable changeup, meaning that it’s deceptive, goes slower than your fastball, and is thrown with command, then they don’t view your skills as an asset. That is, unless they don’t have anyone better on the roster. A coach of a very successful team expressed the desire for her players to have a “strikeout” pitch, that is, a pitch that batters swing and miss at a lot, as opposed to ones that are laid off of or hit grounders with. A changeup can be used as a strikeout pitch.

Don’t tell me you throw all of these movement pitches without being able to throw a strike.

Every single coach said this to me. It seems like a self-awareness type of thing. If you can’t be realistic about what you actually do, how can you improve? It goes along with a growth-mindset that you are learning in school. Those that think they already know it all can’t get better. Also, understanding what a curveball spin should look like and then being able to identify if your ball actually did that is a skill unto itself. Coaches want you to be self-motivated. They don’t want a player who has to wait for her dad or pitching coach to tell her if she did a good job. She needs to be able to identify that for herself.

Be able to last 7 innings. Have some stamina!

Coaches wish they could keep you in more innings! They want their accurate pitchers to pitch a lot. Allow them the opportunity to let you stay in the game.

We won’t mess with what your private pitching coach says about mechanics.

Most high school coaches weren’t pitchers. They will usually let you tell them what you need as far as practice and drills. Make it your prerogative to be assertive and knowledgeable about what to practice!

What they didn’t say.

I noticed no coach talked about demeanor or attitude. I think that’s because it’s a given. When talking about pitching, so many people love to go right to the technical part. No wonder so many pitchers are perfectionists! Pitching can be so mentally challenging and downright defeating that only the mentally tough survive being weeded out.

Also, as I noted earlier, all coaches expressed their wishes that players throw strikes. However, when I asked what strike percentage would make them happy, most coaches couldn’t indicate actual numbers or stats. A couple expressed a desire to keep better track objectively. Most are comparing your numbers to other players to see how you measure up, as opposed to a standard scale. It seems high school coaches, while very excited and committed to their team's success, are very limited with time and resources. Creating systems for measurement and improvement similar to what college coaches do is beyond their scope.

All of this is good news for you because it means you have control over your team and your future. Become a leader, like the pitcher you are, and show the coach how accurate you can be. A pitcher who can outsmart the batter with a change of speed and command will be a huge asset to a team. If you have stamina and strikeout pitch you’ll be dominant. Most importantly you’ll be playing the game the right way and have a very fun season.