Hitting the ball

I didn't want to go off topic in the score thread so I started one.
I noticed you talking about the hitting and I was wondering if I was the only one seeing the quality of hitting over the past 3 or 4 years in not just a team here and there but alot of teams sometimes deep in the lineup. I know this is due to travel ball and alot more educated coaches. This will no doubt change fastpitch from a pitcher - catcher game to a 50 - 50 split of pitcher and the rest of the defense. As dawgfan said one mistake could make the difference.
And how does this affect how we gauge a pitcher today against one of several years ago when the short game was bigger and now the hitting is bigger across the board.(in my opinion, i could be wrong to some)

 

acfan
Several years when fastpitch first started in our area, girls were used to slow pitched balls. If a pitcher had a fastball and a mix of other pitches they won a lot of games. Today some of our players have never seen a slow pitched softball. They started playing after fastpitch came along. Some of our college pitchers today were really hard to beat at the high school level. Today you see girls that was a star in high school, struggling in college. I think the reason for this is a combination of things. Batters are going to batting cages, coaches are better prepared at all levels to teach girls the fundamentals of hitting, playing on a summer team is a big plus also. Girls that love the sport practice every chance they get. The more you practice the better your defense and offense is. To sum it up, I think the hitting has caught up with the pitching. I’ve seen about 35 games already this year, and pitchers that had a low ERA last year are allowing more ER’s this year. Fastpitch is getting more competitive every year.

 

Fastpitch softball is still a game of putting pressure on the defense and forcing the defense to make errors and mental mistakes. Good pitching will always equalize good hitting (that's why hitters are out on average 7 out of 10 times at the plate). In my opinion, the keys to winning in fastpitch is more about playing extremely sound on defense and pressuring your opponent into making defensive mistakes than just having an overpowering pitcher (but those girls are great to have as well!).

Also, I am more concerned with a players on base percentage rather than her batting average. I feel a batting average is more of an individual stat as compared to on base percentage is more of a stat of how that player helped the team by getting walked, hit by the pitch, or putting the ball in play and forcing the defense to make errors. These things don't always make it in the newspaper, but they can make a tremendous difference in the outcome of a game.

 

I've learned one thing lately and that being if a player draws a walk that it tends to turn into a run with the pitcher and catcher trying to get the runner and a mispitch across the plate makes it past the gloves. Moral of story let batter put into play if full count and let defense do their job....hopefully!! I've seen my DD struggle with that mentality because no pitcher wants someone to get a hit but she is learning to trust those behind her. A great offensive and defensive game is alot funner to watch than 20 K's.....unless you're the team getting the K's that is ha ha!!

 

The best pitchers get that first strike early, then all the other pitches just look like strikes to the batter!! If a ball is put in play, then the pitcher must have confidence in the other 8 players in the field and in that they have practiced that situation many times before.

 

great posts guys...........

teaching and learning to hit have come together. and 3/4 out of 10 (.300/400 avg) is still considered to be Good hitters.

nice to see the NC game coming together......hitting and pitching win games