Pitching & Hitting In College

Thanks for the comments. We are currently checking schools that at least give their pitchers the opportunity to hit, assuming they are one of the better hitters. Was able to find historical stats for the schools and most of them do show pitchers having some at bats. That's all she is looking for is the opportunity to compete to hit when possible.

Greenmonsters said:

The opposite holds just as true!

OP simply needs to ask the question. If it's that important to her, modify the list of potential schools accordingly.

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DD is working on this now.��

I know of a good almost handful of softball pitchers that could have gone at least mid-major D1 and they went to D2 or D3 just so they could stay multi-activity whether it's just to add hitting to their pitching but also in many cases to be able to do multi-sports. I know my DD misses VB - less so recently. I know she couldn't imagine hanging up the bat just to be a pitcher before landing her current team. But I know my DD has the mentality, that I do too, which is if I choose to join a college coaching staff I am going to do whatever they ask of me for that year. So be really really sure you know the intentions of that coaching staff before ya sign.

MNDad said:

I think most pitchers want to hit. It's the coaches who make the decisions and there's many factors beyond being able to hit. Can she run? Can she pitch well enough to give up practicing time for hitting practice? Is her hitting a significant improvement over a non pitcher? DD could probably hit well enough to be in the lineup, but the answer to those other three questions is a resounding no so why risk it.

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Those are reasonable conditions. To judge a pitchers hitting by those criteria is reasonable. It's the flat out pitchers shouldn't hit with no regard to whether they actually rake that is what I hate.

At the D-II level, I saw a lot of pitchers who also played another position and hit. I know on my dd's them, they had a couple early on. As an FYI, when some of the staff was struggling BB went to coach and told him she could pitch and do really well. He responded that out of the 18 girls on the team, BB was 19th on the pitching chart. LOL

chinamigarden said:

Fernandez, Finch, Ricketts, Traina ...

People who say pitchers in softball shouldnt hit are typically pitchers who can't hit.

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Well there is no shame in that! There are plenty of good TB pitchers who are recruited to play in the field because they can hit but can't pitch at the next level. A player who can do both well at the P5 level is uncommon. If a player really wants to do both, she might have to lower the level of school she is considering. It's a trade-off. Many girls do the same thing when they try out for travel ball. On many travel teams, especially at the older levels, some pitchers just pitch and some hit and play in the field when they aren't pitching.

Sounds as if your DD may have some options if she can pitch and hit. Just let it run its course and things usually work out for the better. Only eligible for few years so make sure she tries to find the right fit.

chinamigarden said:

Fernandez, Finch, Ricketts, Traina ...

People who say pitchers in softball shouldnt hit are typically pitchers who can't hit.

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Interesting how in order to get 4 it takes us back to the middle ages of softball. I heard Joan Joyce could sing a mean stick too. The game, especially pitching has changed significantly from the white ball and 40 foot days. Rainey Gaffin is a prime example of why pitchers, especially franchise players should not hit.

riseball said:

Interesting how in order to get 4 it takes us back to the middle ages of softball. I heard Joan Joyce could sing a mean stick too. The game, especially pitching has changed significantly from the white ball and 40 foot days. Rainey Gaffin is a prime example of why pitchers, especially franchise players should not hit.

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A little odd if you stop and think about it for a minute, if college coaches are so worried about losing star pitchers to hitting-related injury, in addition to not allowing them to hit you'd think that they would make them wear fielding masks while in the circle.

If the trend towards more teams taking the pitching staff approach grows, that means that "pitchers only" will be doing more sitting and watching. That may make some pitchers who are also players eliminate some schools from consideration.

riseball said:

Interesting how in order to get 4 it takes us back to the middle ages of softball. I heard Joan Joyce could sing a mean stick too. The game, especially pitching has changed significantly from the white ball and 40 foot days. Rainey Gaffin is a prime example of why pitchers, especially franchise players should not hit.

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I must be showing my age, it was the first 4 I immediately thought of. Although I hear that Babe Ruth girl was a heck of a pitcher and hitter.