Coaches Corner with Softball Coach, John Gallagher
Coaches Corner with Softball Coach John Gallagher
Head Softball Coach John Gallagher
The Canyon Lake Hawks find themselves in a crowded field as they prepare for another battle against La Vernia tonight and The ReSporter wanted a chance to see some of his thoughts about this season.
The ReSporter: As you look at this year’s district standings, have you ever seen a district that does not have any separation between the schools?
Coach Gallagher: “No I haven’t for quite a few years, this year everyone is very competitive.”
The ReSporter: What are some of the intricacies of a game do you look for in how you decide that a pitching change is warranted?
Coach Gallagher: “A pitchers control, number of walks given up, effectiveness of her pitches, and how well the other team is hitting the ball.”
The Resporter: If you made a first base to pitcher change, how long would they give a pitcher a warm up?
Coach Gallagher: “The amount of time is one minute or 5 pitches every half inning not every time you switch.”
The ReSporter: Would they give that amount of time on every change for an inning?
Coach Gallagher: “You can change pitchers based on hitters as much as you want if they are both in the game. Once they have warmed up they don’t need that much warm up.”
The ReSporter: If you wanted to change pitchers for one or two batters, how might that slow down the game and also realizing that a softball pitcher might not need as many times to warm up based on the type of pitch versus baseball?
Coach Gallagher: “You can change pitchers based on hitters as much as you want if they are both in the game. Once they have warmed up they don’t need that much warm up.”
The ReSporter: Since the circle was moved back to college dimensions, over four years ago, can you give us your thoughts on how that has changed the game?
Coach Gallagher: “The distance from 40 to 43 feet has made a definite difference in more offense. Pitchers now must move the ball more than before when you would have a pitcher that threw hard and overpowered hitters.”
The ReSporter: Finally, what, if any, changes would we be watching for as the team gets ready for their final round of district games and what do they need to be doing to finish in the running for playing more games?
Coach Gallagher: “I don’t see any changes at this point. We have been playing solid as a group. We are working on finishing games and continuing to improve our offensive production. Round two will take a solid effort each game to stay in the hunt.”
The ReSporter: Thanks Coach, now go take care of a Bear tonight in La Vernia and Go Hawks!!
