Height of pitchers

Question
My daughter currently pitches at the U10 level.  She is quite big for her age about 5'3'' and 110lbs.  She is also lefthanded.  She is having great success this year but need to move up to the U12 level next year.  The U12 team has a couple of good pitchers but they are very short.  Does being a lefty and being several inches taller give an advantage?  I know that it is a very big jump from U10 to U12.

Answer
Hello Mary,

Both can be beneficial for your daughter, but don't necessarily give her any advantage.  By having longer arms, she should be able to generate more speed if her strength is equal to the other girls.  This is simple physics.  Since there are less Lefties it is an advantage because hitters aren't as used to seeing the ball come from the opposite hand.  I think given her size, the jump to U12 should be no problem.  I'd be more concerned about the maturity level and how well she is able to handle pressure situations.  I'm sure she'll do just fine.

Coach Mike