Comments about ‘High school softball: All-region teams’

Wow, who picks these? The DeNews should print a disclaimer so the ones left off understand it has nothing to do with who are the better players in the region or on a particular team. There are pitchers on teams that aren't even going to the state tournament on these all region teams. There are good pitchers who lead their teams to the state tournament left off for pitchers who have won only 2 games the entire season? How do we explain to our young people how the system can be so wrong? There are players deserving of recognition being left off because of those that are wrongfully on the list.

The All Region Selections are made by the Region Coaches!

@ lovethegame
If that is the case lets replace them, because they know little or nothing about the game. Plus if a coach has the best 9 players in a region, are they automatically on the all-region team? How about if the team can't win a game, does the coach still pick a player who is named to the all region team, from their team? These coaches are teachers first, and then coaches, surely the DeNews should try and make sense of their selection? Do you think the NCAA men's team selects their all-league and all-American teams the same way? I can't imagine picking an all-region team based on a single coach's pick of their favorite's players? Hey, some of these coaches have players' mothers keep the stats, guess who going to make the all-region team? Gotta be a better way?

I cringe every time I see these "all-star" lists. There are some good choices on this list, some not so good, and some players that should be on the list that aren't. I'd give the list a "C" grade.

Wow, talk about a flawed system.. teachers picking all-state and all-region teams? No wonder Utah's best D-1 softball program is ranked barely in the top 50 and 4 or our top 6 D-1 schools are ranked 215th and below. The light just came on let's find out what the other programs and states are doing and start over. We simply don't have the answers or the coaches that can take us to the next level!!

It is interesting to me they have already made teams, and the season in not over. REALLY! These teams do not mean anything if they don't have stats to back them up. Stats will show what players win games. If coaches' pick their favorites what good is it to make a "All Star" team? The system needs to change. Starting with the newspaper that is publishing the teams. Give me a break!

Well right or wrong the Region Coaches submit the players and then they Vote on them and the Most Votes get 1st Team and so on. Who would you propose to make up the All Region Teams if not for the coaches who see them everyday? I don't know of another way because crowds are not always over whelming at the games.

Sporty

You're right on, we could have a pitcher win the state title and not even be a member of the all-region team.. there are already D1 scholarshiped players who aren't on the all-region team, that either speaks volume about our state D1 coaches or it speaks volume about our high school coaches who picked the all-region teams, or both. Our state and it's softball is so far behind the rest of the nation we'll never catch up. Why in the world wouldn't they ask for help?

I know lets let the parents all vote for the all region and all state teams! So mom/dad you can list your son/daughter received an all region vote in your Christmas letter. This is the best system we have when the coaches get together and talk this over. I am not sure who is missing that should have received recognition as on of the best players in the toughest region in the state! Remember this is not a participation award. Mother/Dad I think that is where you are mistaken.

Congratulations to All the selections and to all the Athlete's who continue to provide us with great entertainment both on the field and on these blogs!

We all agree, well at least most of us, that this list is incomplete. With such a large region it's hard for all deserving players to be listed, yet some teams have many more players listed than others. As I understand it, the coaches in the region vote for the players they think are deserving with many strong coaches pushing their "popular" players over others with better stats.
Unfortunately the system is flawed because several of the Region 1 coaches are not fair with their entries and votes and as a result some good players get left out and feelings get hurt. The best thing to do is see this as a popularity contest and leave it at that.

133220dad
I'd rather see parents list the best, make it so the can't vote for their own kid and it would be better than it is now... I read the paper the night after a game and the stats are so far off it's a joke so I know it could be don't better. The coaches (and you sound like one) haven't done a very good job so it time to try something else. I mean really, pitchers with losing records rewarded and named to an all region team? Some with a 2-7 recorded an maybe voted on but the two teams they beat? At least the parents see the players game in and game out aren't playing favorites so yes, let the parents pick them...they'd do a better job.

Some teams haven't played each other yet, Weber and Viewmont hadn't played each other at all until last Thursday, how could they have voted, some teams still have three games left on their schedule so no sense in them even voting. region 1 has 9 teams while others have only 6, how many players do each region get on that all tegion team? Some coaches pick seniors and their pets, so much can go wrong.

Fast pitch Fan may have it, call it a popularity award, like a sportsmanship award...nothing to do will skill...

Rankings and individual awards are subjective. Take them for what they are. The only thing that matters is Region and State Championships. Team awards. Yes there are some who try to get a competitive edge when it comes to that. But team championships are won on the field. And not popularity contests. I'll take a bunch of scrappers who don't care about personal accolades anyday. That look on your childs face after being crowned a champion is much greater than being named to some "all" something team.

@What's up - You have a good point, the coaches haven't done a very good job. For example they voted for a 2-7 pitcher when there's a pitcher who didn't get a mention with a much better record who beat Spanish Fork, Stansbury, Davis (twice), Viewmont, Fremont and others and will lead her team into the state tournament.

Something is wrong with the process and should be fixed, or the whole thing should be eliminated.

Solution: Since they aren't any value the way it is now, add some simple criteria, like we do for the athletes GPA to participate. All pitchers must have a winning record, (a 2-7 or 3-10 hardly warrants recognition). All players must have a .300 BA. to be considered, regardless of position (other than pitcher). If you're BA's under .300 you're not much of a leader and certainly not amount the leaders in the region. Add some so the obvious aren't left off the team, like if you have a .400 BA at time of selection you are automatically selected. If you're hitting.400 you may not be the highest on your team but for sure you're deserving of recognition. Next, if you lead the region in wins (as a pitcher) or lead the region in home runs you're on the team. Just a few simply adjustments and it's worth reading. Even publish some of these next to their names. When reading NCAA all conference teams they list why each player is on the team, it isn't a popularity contest or call it that.

Part two: One more criteria, for the regions with 9 teams, give them some extra spots as opposed to the regions with only 6 teams, just makes sense. With the above criteria, even a player on the weakest team can and should have representation, a hitter with a .400 BA, regardless of what team they are on is deserving of recognition. The way it is now it's all about the most popular or the ones the coaches know, not the ones who are performing. I would think everyone would want this fixed and want make it worth something, even the DeNews. If my team wasn't going to the state tourney, I was the pitcher and had a 2-7 record or playing in the field and hitting only .175, and averring 2 errors a game, I'd be embarrassed if the coaches selected me over another player on my team who was contributing. I know the girls know who the better players on their team are, even if the coaches don't.

@DC Fan - you're spot on with your comment. There does need to be a change to make the naming of All-region and even All-State more of a performance based award. Many other sports use performance to measure All-American and other recognition. I would hope the D-News and the region coaches would take your suggestion into consideration. It would certainally add more value to the honor of "making" All-Region or All-State. Well done.

Let's see what happens from here.

I have an idea, why don't we just make sure all you that are upset get to have your kid on the team and you wouldn't have a problem! NO system is perfect and like your parents always used to tell you "Sometimes life isn't fair". I think it is good for some athlete's to be recognized even if their team didn't do very good or they weren't clearly better than another. And to FASTPITCH FAN, we all know Layton's pitcher had some great wins over some good teams. But against her region how did she do? That doesn't take away from her year but she is up against some good competition. We need to have a league with some parity. And to whoever complained about have a all-region team before the season is over, if they waited to the end the athlete wouldn't get recognized until the last week of school. This is a high school league, where winning isn't everything. It isn't even first, the athlete's education comes first.

The problem then is how do you ensure the kids .300 batting average is really .300? I have seen box scores posted by the home team that is significantly different than what should really be scored. Hits that were really errors, doubles that were singles and an advance on the throw, home runs that were doubles and two throwing errors. Using statistics may be worse than using coaches votes. Congratulations to all these players. All of you deserved it. As always some who were deserving were not included. No system is perfect.