8th Grader clocked 66+ at OnDeck camp

[Battle]

When DD was young, I purchased one of these speed sensor balls. When she wasn't throwing hard enough for me, I would move her up until she aquired the speed that I deemed worthy. I think you could set it for 40 and 43 feet but at 25 feet, she was smokin'.

CW brings up an interesting point. Here's another:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_consensus_effect

[oiler pride]

My name is Jeff Steiner and I coached Montana Fouts on my Thunder Elite '00 team the past 1 1/2 years. I know its hard for everyone to believe when you hear these types of numbers coming from a 8th grader, but I am here to tell you that she is the real deal. My teams had played against her since she was 9yrs old and it was just a matter of time till she came aboard my Thunder Elite team. I told her dad in August of 2012 when they joined my team that the whole country would know who is daughter was by August of 2013. Well, I was wrong by about 5 months. It took till the On Deck Camp in early Jan for the entire West Coast to hear about her.

Her mental toughness and work ethic are unmatched compared to her 8th grade peers. Not to mention she is just over 5'11 and strides out well past 7 feet off the rubber.
She had a record of 30-3 for my team last summer, averaged over 2 Ks per inning less than 1 walk per 7 inn and did it all with just a Fastball and Change Up. Thats right!! She only threw a FASTBALL and CHANGE UP all season as a 12U player. At ASA/USA Nats in Chattanooga she was being clocked at 60-62mph consistently.

I hope all of you out there get a chance to see her pitch over the next year or so.

[PDad]

Nobody really questioned the numbers because they're from a reputable source. What do you think is the reason between the 60-62 last summer at nats vs the 66+ this winter - has she gotten faster or is it the difference between game speed vs throw-as-fast-as-you-can camp speed?

As others have posted, the fact she hasn't thrown movement pitches bodes well for her long term health. I expect we'll have opportunities to see her as the Birm. TBolts travel here regularly.

[oiler pride]

I saw a consistent increase in her velocity almost every other weekend during the summer season. She also has grown 2 plus inches since last March. At a Showcase in October she was clocked at 63-64mph in a game. So I believe her game speed is equal to or not far behind her camp speed.

http://www.thunderelitefastpitch.com/teams/13u00.html

[Sam]

I saw a consistent increase in her velocity almost every other weekend during the summer season. She also has grown 2 plus inches since last March. At a Showcase in October she was clocked at 63-64mph in a game. So I believe her game speed is equal to or not far behind her camp speed.

http://www.thunderelitefastpitch.com/teams/13u00.html

Is she still playing on two teams and practicing 5 days per week? The comment on this post were regarding the distinct possibility of her experiencing overuse injuries. How many innings does she throw for you during a tournament? Do you pitch her more than you would a boy playing baseball? Do pitch her more than once per day?

[oiler pride]

I think the practicing 5 days a week thing makes everyone think she Pitches 5 days a week. Montana does more than just pitch. She is a 1b and hitter as well. She works on her softball skills 5 days a week. she would pitch 3 days a week and hit/take ground balls/short hops, etc 2 days.

Last Summer my team played 85 games, with Montana starting 33 and came in relief 2 times. so thats like 42 % of our games she pitched in. Now there were weekends where she threw more and some where she threw less. I keep a pitch count on all my pitchers each day. So we knew exactly how many in game pitches were thrown each game by any given pitcher on my staff. In a typical 3 day tournament, she would throw 1 game Fri, 1 Sat and 2 on Sun.. So around 19-20 innings per weekend.

[PDad]

The number of innings for a 12-13yo baseball player in a weekend would be 6-10 (varies by sanction's pitching rules).
- LL has the most restrictive rules - max would be 120-130 pitches (35 on Fri and 85-95 on Sunday).
- PONY hasn't changed for at least 10 years (10 innings per week, 7/day with 40 hrs rest after 4+) - 10 IP (3 Fri & 7 Sun)
- USSSA has a 3-day limit of 8 innings. Max per day is 6-7 and 3 to pitch next day.

Stop Sports Injuries has developed guidelines for FP softball (Softball Injury Prevention). Using an average of 16 pitches per inning, their max would be 12-19 innings.
- For 12yo, 65 pitches per game, 95/day for 1-2 consecutive days - 190 pitches (95 pitches/day for only 2 of 3 days).
- For 13yo, 80 pitches per game, 115/day for days 1-2 and 80 on 3rd day - 310 pitches

Stop Sports Injuries references LL's rules for baseball.

Softball pitchers can safely pitch more than baseball, however there are limits. Parents and coaches need to avoid the false sense of security that a lack of discomfort means they're okay and aren't being harmed.