Having trouble with "O-for.." season

Props to all coaches out there. I played thru high school, and and not an all star, but generally am a good student of the game. I'm coaching an instructional/city team. I told parents that we'd go most of the season giving players the most exposure to all positions, and that come playoffs, we'd play to win. They were OK with that. My goal all season is to teach new skills, better existing skills, and get them to experience the thrill of the game through good sportsmanship.

We're 0-11, though most games have been close - lost on walk offs because we don't have great pitching or just by a few runs. I'm trying so hard to keep their confidence and focus on learning the game, and improving. They have done a great job in this, but you can only lose so much.

I'm so proud of the players and we've really had a great time despite the losses. Could we have practiced more? Of course (we play 1-3x per week and practice 2-3x per week). But there's a lot to cover and I'm a busy dad.

I've tried to balance learning, personal victories, grit and competitiveness, and being a good sport. But its been hard. I've never wanted a team to win more (my team or one I'm cheering for) so bad, but we're just not there. We have single elimination playoffs coming up.

Has anyone else been in this situation? It's actually really stressing me out and I feel a lot of guilt that I could have done more for the team.

Any advice would be appreciated. I know it's not about the winning, but "0-for" just sucks. It might be my pride, haha.

Posted Jun 8, 2026, 10:23 PM UTC

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