What Surprises Me About The NCAA Softball Games
We are well into the 2019 NCAA softball season now and I have been watching as many games as possible. It’s so exciting to see softball getting more attention on TV because it really shows the progression and growth of the sport, which is so exciting for future softball players. Not to mention there’s so much more for me to watch!
That being said, I feel like every time I watch a game, I’m constantly surprised by the same few things over and over again. And when I say surprised, I don’t necessarily mean in a good way! Here are just a couple of things that I’ve noticed:
There are still so many highly touted “elite” pitchers who don’t throw, or don’t have a changeup. This literally blows my mind. There are so many D1 pitchers, who are praised for their speed, and everyone gushes over how hard they can throw, and yet they are giving up tons of hits and home runs. Some are even getting run-ruled because they aren’t changing speeds. There are some who “have” a changeup and just don’t throw it because they have no control over it (for example, when they throw it, it will bounce 10 feet in front of the plate or go flying high and outside). Then there are others who literally don’t even know how to throw a changeup. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Batters are attuned to speed. If you are throwing at one speed all the time, you are going to get hit. In my opinion, in order to be a really successful top level pitcher, you MUST have a working changeup!
Many pitchers do not attack the strike zone. I get it, there are a lot of good hitters out there and it can be terrifying to throw to them. However this doesn’t mean you should dance around the strike zone and pray that they swing at something. I agree that if you are just throwing fastballs down the middle you’re probably not going to last very long. However, if you trust your mechanics and feel confident in placing fastballs, throwing spin pitches and changing speeds there’s no reason you can’t throw strikes. What blows my mind the most is when I see games in which the pitcher’s team is winning 13-0 and she STILL won’t attack the strike zone/batter. I’m not sure if it comes from the coaches who are calling the pitches or if the pitcher just doesn’t want to throw anywhere near the plate. I’m a believer in attacking strike zones at all times but especially if you have a good lead. When I was playing, I would ALWAYS try to get ahead of the batters. Once you get ahead you are in control. If you are dancing around the plate, you are far more likely to get behind in the count, which puts the batter in control. Now you will end up with way more hits and walks. So ladies, go after the batters! Get ahead in the count and put the situation in your control! For those pitchers who do like to get ahead of the batters, great job! It actually brings me to the next thing that surprises me.
There are still so many batters that go up to the plate with the clear intention of taking the first pitch, no matter what. Hitters…sometimes the first pitch is the best one you’re going to see during the entire at bat. There are pitchers who do in fact like to get ahead in the count, and sometimes it’s even with a straight fastball down the middle. If you’re going up to bat with the mentality of “I’m going to take this first pitch and hope it’s a ball,” then you might be giving up the potential for a really great hit to get your team going. I truly believe it is important to go up to bat and actually watch the pitches that are being thrown. If that first pitch looks like a fat meatball down the middle, swing!
There are very few pitchers who throw a true curveball. Why? So many pitchers are taught to throw a curve by using their shoulders. That is to say, instead of staying tracked when delivering this pitch (like you’re supposed to for all of your pitches) they rotate their shoulders so their chest ends facing the catcher. Once you do this with a curveball, you lose a lot of the spin and more often than not, the ball goes WAY too outside (for a right handed pitcher) or inside (for a left handed pitcher). This doesn’t just happen with the curveball.. There are still a lot of pitchers out there who throw most of their pitches with premature hip/shoulder rotation. They lose control of the pitch and end up hitting batters.
Some umpires seem have forgotten that a strike is a STRIKE if the ball crosses the plate, not where it lands in the catcher’s glove. Don’t we all get frustrated watching these umpires sometimes! Especially as pitchers. I have seen so many great pitches get called a ball because the umpire is looking at where the catcher caught the ball, not where the ball crossed the plate. If the ball goes over the plate, it’s a strike! Even if it then curves and lands a little inside or outside. I think this happens a lot in MLB too. It’s super frustrating to watch as a former pitcher! I know how irritating it can be to throw the prettiest pitch in the world and have it called a ball.
What has surprised you about this season? I would love to start up a conversation! Leave a comment or send us a message and let us know the things you’ve noticed while watching the 2019 games!