Competing the Right Way: Why We Play the Game Hard, Regardless of the Score

In high school age travel ball, every game is an opportunity — not just to win, but to develop skills that translate to the next level. That means you’ll see us bunt with a runner on, hit-and-run in the middle innings, or send a runner to steal even when we’re up by a wide margin. To some coaches, parents, and players from other organizations, that may feel “unfair” or unnecessary.

The reality is, this is what high-level baseball demands.

Why We Keep Competing, Even With a Lead

1. College Coaches Don’t Care About the Score When a scout is watching, they’re not tracking the scoreboard — they’re watching whether our guys can execute situational baseball. Can you lay down a bunt in a pressure moment? Can you read a pitcher’s move and take a bag cleanly? Those skills don’t suddenly matter less just because we’re ahead by a few runs.

2. Reps in Game Situations Are Irreplaceable At this level, practice alone isn’t enough. A bunt or a stolen base in practice is one thing; doing it in a live game, with adrenaline, pressure, and real consequences, is another. If we only let players work those skills in “tight games,” we’re robbing them of valuable development.

3. Respecting Opponents Means Competing Fully Taking our foot off the gas isn’t respect — it’s condescending. Our players are taught to play hard through the last out. The expectation at this level is that every team will compete with full effort. That’s how iron sharpens iron.

For Parents and Coaches Who Disagree

We understand that emotions run high. But labeling normal baseball strategy as “running up the score” misses the bigger picture. Travel ball is not recreation ball. These athletes are here to prepare for the next step in their careers. That requires playing the game the right way, no matter the inning or the score.

The Lesson for Players

Baseball will expose you if you only know how to play when the situation is comfortable. We don’t want our guys shocked in a college showcase or district championship game when they’re asked to execute a bunt or steal with the game on the line. Every rep is preparation.

We don’t bunt or steal late in games to embarrass opponents. We do it because our responsibility is bigger than one win or loss. Our responsibility is to prepare athletes for the next level — and that means competing hard, respecting the game, and playing it right until the last out.