Taking on 3-0

[SwampSooner]

The announcers pointed out how many walks the team has had this year. The most in D-1 and I wonder if all the walks are actually hurting the team. There has been several times our batters have taken the 3-0 pitch for a strike. It looks like the opposing pitchers know we will not swing so they put an easy one across the plate just to get the strike.

Case in point, in the 5th,with bases loaded, 1 out and a 3-0 count, Britto took the next two hittable pitches for 2 called strikes, she then fouled off a potential ball 4 before striking out. (I am not singling out Britto, she is just the one I remember. Others have done the same thing.) A long fly ball would have scored and put us up 3-1. It appears that looking for the walk has taken away all aggressiveness at the plate.

[soonershok]

The announcers pointed out how many walks the team has had this year. The most in D-1 and I wonder if all the walks are actually hurting the team. There has been several times our batters have taken the 3-0 pitch for a strike. It looks like the opposing pitchers know we will not swing so they put an easy one across the plate just to get the strike.

Case in point, in the 5th,with bases loaded, 1 out and a 3-0 count, Britto took the next two hittable pitches for 2 called strikes, she then fouled off a potential ball 4 before striking out. (I am not singling out Britto, she is just the one I remember. Others have done the same thing.) A long fly ball would have scored and put us up 3-1. It appears that looking for the walk has taken away all aggressiveness at the plate.

Follows analytics...on base percentage is everything. Doesn't matter how you get there.

[AustinTXSooner]

Almost nobody swings at a 3-0 pitch. It's not just us. In fact, I can't remember the last time that I saw anybody in softball swing at a 3-0 pitch. Blame analytics all you want, but a pitcher who can't throw a strike in the first three pitches isn't likely to throw 3 straight strikes, let alone the next pitch. Your chances of getting a hit are a lot less than walking at that point. That doesn't mean that you watch 3 straight strikes. It just means that you are very selective.

The first rule of batting is don't make an out. You get only 21 in a softball game. The second rule is move the runners.