ON DECK: Kofa pitching conundrum
It can be a difficult decision to make when you have to balance what's happening at the moment and what's good down the road.
On Saturday, Kofa senior pitcher Matthew Valdez was as lights-out as a pitcher could be, striking out 11 out of 12 batters in four perfect innings. However, this dominance leads itself to a quandary.
Do you let him continue his hot streak and see how many batters he can strike out in an otherwise meaningless tournament game? Or do you pull the reins so you know that he's going to be 100-percent when Kofa faces Gila Ridge (on Thursday) and Cibola (Friday) in regular season games?
As a spectator, I would have loved to see if Valdez could have struck out 17 out of 18 in the game — and considering the only non-strikeout was a bunt back to the pitcher, the idea isn't ridiculous.
But putting myself in the shoes of the Kofa coaching staff, I tell him great job, now save it for next week.
