A Sea Of Red

I've watched this team enough to identify, IMHO, some weaknesses in their approach to hitting.
1. Pitch selection has been a consistent problem. I've seen it go both ways-good hitters swinging at bad pitches and the weaker hitters letting good pitches go by. My teams always had a running dialog in the dugout about what the pitcher was throwing and what was her "go to" pitch. In addition, we always charted the other teams pitcher to try and pick up patterns.

2. Bat speed through the zone needs to be improved. A quick swing allows you to wait longer on the ball. This speed comes through technique and strength drills. As popular as the saying is, "see the ball, hit the ball", it is an oversimplification of the approach to hitting.

3. Plate coverage is a problem for a few of our hitters. With increases bat speed you can cover the outside part of the plate (standing a little closer) and still open up to handle the inside pitch.

For us old-timers , Jim Rice of the Red Sox had this type of swing. Short and compact. A long swing is NOT a good softball swing.

I love the direction this program is going under DR and am a real fan of her as a coach. However, let's get to the next level.

Im no softball expert and didnt watch a ton but to me it seems like we have too many slap hitters. I watch the top talent on tv and it seems like they opposite of us. More power less slap. Maybe we cant get the hitters we want or maybe its best d alignment. Dunno. Dont think we can go much further without getting better there.

jinxy wrote:Im no softball expert and didnt watch a ton but to me it seems like we have too many slap hitters. I watch the top talent on tv and it seems like they opposite of us. More power less slap. Maybe we cant get the hitters we want or maybe its best d alignment. Dunno. Dont think we can go much further without getting better there.

There were no slap hitters in the lineup against Longwood. However, we do have a number of holes in the lineup, especially since Canetto went down with knee. Again aside from 1 player there is no HR threat in the lineup.

I wasnt talking that game specifically. Just the couple i went to and listened a bit today. Seems a lot of small ball. Again far from an expert.