Hitting is Hard…for Some

Last night the Newberg High School Varsity Baseball team squared off against its next door neighbor, the Sherwood Bowmen. Sherwood started their University of Oregon commit, a tall lefty with three plus pitches who easily hits 85 MPH on the radar gun as a Junior. My son, the starting third baseman for the Tigers, along with the rest of this teammates, saw firsthand what very good pitching looks like. The team collected only one hit on the night – a ground ball that didn’t leave the infield but was beat out by our speedy lead-off hitter – and walked away with a 10-0 loss. 

It is rare to see that caliber of pitching on a regular basis, which makes it so much more difficult to hit. If every pitcher they faced was throwing similarly, perhaps the outcome would be different. At least the confidence level would be a bit higher going into the game than it was last night, when it seemed most of the Tiger hitters thought they were out before they even stepped into the box. 

I recall my high school playing days when, as a Freshman playing summer ball against some older teams, I faced a pitcher named Scott Pine. As a Senior in high school he was pitching in low 90s, and I, as a 15 year old kid, had never seen anything like it. I think I tried to bunt, but failed, striking out on three pitches that I know he threw but that I didn’t see.

All of this to say, hitting is hard! And some of our teams (ahem, Dragons and Tornadoes) are making it seem especially difficult, while others (Wolverines and Cheese) make it seem especially easy.