"I want to hit."
Seems to be a popular statement when it comes to softball or baseball. No one made the MLB Hall of Fame for having the most walks. HRs, RBIs and all of those sexy stats make other people say wow. But "I want to hit" is not what goes on in my mind.
I think "I want to win."
I think everyone has more fun when we win. You can go 0-3 with 2 errors and still get a smile on your face if you beat the other team. Then you get a team feeling going where you don't want to disappoint the rest of your team. Team morale!
Now how do you win? In sports its about scoring the most 'points' unless you are talking about Golf. But Golf is not a sport (its a game!) because there is no one defending the hole and no real chance of major injury. But back to the game at hand. Softball is all about scoring runs.
What makes scoring runs possible? Having people on base. The more base runners you get, the more chances of scoring runs. How do you get base runners in softball? Hit or walk!
My Thoughts on Hitting:
Seems easy enough. See the ball and hit it. Of course its not that easy. If it was then it wouldn't be worth doing.
I go to the plate with one thing in mind: Get on.
I have 9+ other guys who will bat too. I don't need to be a hero and try and hit a 20-Run Home Run. I just need to get on. 1 base. That is it. Getting on 1st base and then seeing what happens next.
Once I get in the box I say my greetings and prepare for my At Bat. I have one area I am looking for the ball. Usually on the outside part of the plate so I can take it down the line.
The pitcher then pitches the ball and then it begins. My mind takes in where the defense is, where the ball is headed and if its a pitch I want to hit.
If it is not where I want it I let it pass. The Ump can call ball or strike. As long as there is not 2 strikes on me I do not have to swing. Just because a ball is a strike it doesn't mean I have to hit it. I'd rather take a strike then make a fly ball out. I can see at least 2 pitches per at bat.
If a pitch is where I want it I will swing. The defense decides how hard I swing. If they are playing back in the OF I will try just poke one over the 1st or 2nd baseman's head. If the OF is playing closer I will swing hard. 60+% of the time I get a hit. Unless its co-ed then its more like 70+% of the time. I'm not bragging. Its just the truth to what I do.
If I never get a pitch I like then I will take the walk. A walk is easy for everyone. Put the bat down and go to first.
Base Running:
Know the situation. Most of these are easy to figure out. Watch the ball. You will know when to stop. I hit the ball to RF so I see the ball pretty much my whole time up to 1st base. I know if I should run hard or jog to first. No point in hurting myself when I know I can't get more then 1st.
There are times when I can be over-aggressive. I can also not be very aggressive at times too. I know what I can and can't do. I also know what my teammates can do.
If I am on 2nd or 3rd and there are less then 2 outs I will tag up on a fly ball out. On a fly ball with less then 2 outs being at 3B there is no point in being off the bag. If it hits the ground, I score. If its caught, I score. Its easy.
Line Up:
Its softball. You can't steal bases. And most importantly, you can't steal first. The lead off hitter has to get on base a lot. Doesn't matter how. Also just think about it when you write the line up. Do you need a fast person at the top when you have a slow person batting last?
So the lead off hitter is the player that gets on. Whats the #2 hitter?
For me the #2 hitter is just the next best OB%.
The #3 hitter is the best overall hitter. One of the best OB% and able to get an extra base hit to put a run on the board doesn't hurt.
#4 is supposedly the Power position. But I don't like the HR in softball. It kills scoring more then it helps. Hitting is contagious. More runners on means the other teams defense has to work harder. So many moving parts. After a homer it seems like they have little left to worry about. And the next hitter is still admiring that HR in their mind. Soon enough the 4 run rally is over and the inning is done soon after. I'd rather single and walk them to death.
I am going to skip the middle of the line up hitters. The end of the line up is my next focus. You can't have the slowest at the bottom. It just clogs it up for the top of the order. What I like is a good OB% and speed player. Why? It gives the line up a nice symmetry. Gives the line up a nice turn around.
The rest of the line up goes by the best OB% + Power potential in the middle.
To Sum Up:
Hits + Walks = Base Runners
Base Runners = More Chances to Score
More Scoring = Winning
Winning = Me Happy : )
There are times when I can be over-aggressive. I can also not be very aggressive at times too. I know what I can and can't do. I also know what my teammates can do.
If I am on 2nd or 3rd and there are less then 2 outs I will tag up on a fly ball out. On a fly ball with less then 2 outs being at 3B there is no point in being off the bag. If it hits the ground, I score. If its caught, I score. Its easy.
Line Up:
Its softball. You can't steal bases. And most importantly, you can't steal first. The lead off hitter has to get on base a lot. Doesn't matter how. Also just think about it when you write the line up. Do you need a fast person at the top when you have a slow person batting last?
So the lead off hitter is the player that gets on. Whats the #2 hitter?
For me the #2 hitter is just the next best OB%.
The #3 hitter is the best overall hitter. One of the best OB% and able to get an extra base hit to put a run on the board doesn't hurt.
#4 is supposedly the Power position. But I don't like the HR in softball. It kills scoring more then it helps. Hitting is contagious. More runners on means the other teams defense has to work harder. So many moving parts. After a homer it seems like they have little left to worry about. And the next hitter is still admiring that HR in their mind. Soon enough the 4 run rally is over and the inning is done soon after. I'd rather single and walk them to death.
I am going to skip the middle of the line up hitters. The end of the line up is my next focus. You can't have the slowest at the bottom. It just clogs it up for the top of the order. What I like is a good OB% and speed player. Why? It gives the line up a nice symmetry. Gives the line up a nice turn around.
The rest of the line up goes by the best OB% + Power potential in the middle.
To Sum Up:
Hits + Walks = Base Runners
Base Runners = More Chances to Score
More Scoring = Winning
Winning = Me Happy : )
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