I’ve never been a hitter who felt more pressure with two strikes.  In fact, for me it was less stressful because I knew I had to swing at anything close.  There wasn’t as much of a decision to make.  Anything close, swing! No more need to be “selective.”  Two strikes always meant less thinking for me and I feel that any time a hitter thinks less while trying to hit a ball it’s a good thing. 

That’s why I don’t fully agree with the super conservative approach with two strikes.  Some coaches want hitters to change their stance, hold the bat different, swing different…I’d get more uncomfortable, not less.  But that’s just me.  Every hitter is different.  I don’t think a coach can blanket and entire team with one two strike approach.

Today’s WCWS game between Baylor and Oklahoma State was a super cool example of successful two strike hitting.  It’s the 8th inning.  No score.  Two outs.  Two strikes.

And Kelsi Kettler hits a walkoff homerun to win the game!

How awesome and exciting is that?  I love it.

Not only that, from what I understand, Kettler is the “backup” catcher that stepped in after the starting catcher got injured in the Super Regionals last week.  I just love stories like that.  I love seeing players who weren’t in a key role all year long, come in to a big situation, do their job so their team doesn’t miss a beat and then some. That says a lot about what kind of character, attitude, and work ethic they have.

I really don’t see a lazy backup with a bad attitude who goes through the motions all year because they’re not starting being able to step in at the DI level on the WCWS stage and make big plays like that!  It’s highly unlikely.

I haven’t even watched the whole game yet.  I just saw posts on facebook and twitter about the end of the game and thought the story was really cool.  I did see an earlier play in the game when the right fielder relayed a ball in to Kettler to get a potential scorer out at the plate to keep the game 0-0.

At first I thought the runner got in.  Because I had it on DVR, I could rewind and slow-mo.  The catcher, Kettler, did in fact tag the runner before she touched the plate.  Then I thought, she must have been obstructing the plate to make such a great play, so I rewound and slow-mo’d again.  Nope, she was toward the inside of the plate and gave the runner a lane and still made the play.  Great job!

Catchers that can handle incoming throws well at the plate are NOT under-appreciated by me.  I see too many youth catchers that don’t handle it well.  When I do have a chance to coach on a team where the catcher handles those plays at the plate well, it’s a nice luxury to have.

Like I said, not something I see a lazy backup with a bad attitude doing.  Congratulations to Baylor for moving on to the winner’s bracket!

Stay up to date with all the NCAA action with additional scores and game results at NCAA.com.

Yikes!

A University of Arizona softball pitcher has suffered a concussion after being struck by a foul ball during Sunday’s game against Washington.

Kenzie Fowler, a sophomore, was struck in the bottom of the third inning, with UA player Nicole Bryan at bat. She was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure and was released Sunday evening.

Read the full story here

No matter how many people disagree, I will continue to say that having your elbow up before you start your swing simply isn’t necessary in order to hit the ball well. It is not an “absolute” of hitting and is basically just a personal preference for the hitter.

Here’s a screen shot of Crystl Bustos, arguably one of the best hitters in the game, from Ontario Fastpitch – her elbow is clearly not “up.”

See the full softball batting clip here.

Watch this softball hitting video by Jessica Mendoza to see the proper way to set up your tee drills for maximum effectiveness.

Six Costly Mental Game Mistakes Softball Players Make While Batting

Find out:

• How your mind can be your best or worst asset during batting.
• If you are using your mind effectively to get a hit.
• A critical mental game mistake that can erase your confidence at the plate!
• How to prepare your mind using an at-bat routine.

Most coaches and players realize that softball hitting is more mental than anything and getting hits in a game is one of the most exciting parts of the game.  This report can help you identify the major mental game mistakes you are making in the box so that you can make changes to drastically improve your hitting performance!

Why is this important, well, most people also know that if you hit, you play.  Now this is not a hard and fast rule of course, but more often than not, if you’re hitting the ball, your coach will try to find a way to get you in the game. So if you want to guarantee yourself more playing time or a solid spot in the lineup, being the best hitter you can be is the way to help get there.  But you won’t get there if you’re making one of these Six Costly Mental Game Mistakes!

Grab your free report today so you can get more hits and be a force to be reckoned with in the box.

*Note: all links contained in this post for the free report are affiliate links

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg8vnsP_1Xk

Usually when people put together hitting clips, they only use ones that show solid contact or good hits - not this one!  Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8DmHcSJums