The way it usually works in high-school baseball and softball, is the pitcher gets the sign for which type of pitch to throw from the catcher, who might first get a sign from a coach.
This season, things are working differently for the Bishop O’Connell High School girls softball team when ace pitcher Katie Kutz is on the mound. That’s because the talented junior right-hander is being allowed and trusted to call her own pitches.
So before each pitch, Kutz signals to her catcher with her right hand which type of pitch she will throw. See Kutz doing just that with the photo with this blog, as she holds down four fingers, indicating whatever that type of pitch.
“Katie asked if she could try calling her own pitches this season and we said OK,” O’Connell head coach Suzy Willemssen said. “It has been working well.”
Kutz began this week without a loss on the mound for the Knights and averaging more than 10 strikeouts per game.
Good for Willemssen for having the flexibility and trust to give up such control. Most high-school baseball and softball head coaches would never considering doing such a thing.
With the pitcher calling her own signals, that speeds up play, which is always a good thing in softball or baseball.
– Dave Facinoli
dfacinoli@sungazette.net