looking for advice on how to keep positive

My DD is right there with yours. I don't have stats on BA, but can tell you she went from a great contact hitter, easily lead her teams in RBIs to now barely hitting. I think it has to do with the team environment. We moved and changed schools and she hasn't had the easiest time with the transfer. Her old school she knew most of the kids before the season. Lettered V as a freshman, starting 2nd base. Get to new school and she is put on JV, told to change a bunch of things with her mechanics/fundamentals/how she plays her position. She knows (and was told by other coaches and players) that she should have been the starting 2nd baseman on V, but the girl in that spot is a school favorite and plays 2 other sports very well. Softball not so much.

Anyway, I think it may be a case of the environment is eating at her (and possibly your DD) and affecting them mentally. Girls need to feel good to play good. Screaming, yelling, belittling does nothing to a young female athlete but bring her down. Not like boys that will get mad and go preform, who need to play good to feel good. I have always said it after an older, much wiser coach told me, girls need to feel good to play good.

Find a way to make it fun again and I bet she turns it around. Then let me know what you did, LOL.

Could have written your post! DD is a senior and has experienced much of what you describe about your DD. Beginning of season, she hit .600-.700 (including 7 hr), dropped down to just below .300. The mental struggle is real, and her PC/HC said that her mechanics are great - she just needs to get out of her head. She recognizes this now but letting go has been hard for her type A personality. We are coming to a close on the season (in playoffs), and I think she's finally embracing that the end is near and wants to have fun and enjoy it. And she did in last Saturday's games with lots of aggressive base running (legs are black and blue) - she was grinning from ear to ear. It will come - just avoid stressing it and encourage her to have fun because HS doesn't last forever. Make new memories while digging in the heels and giving your all. Easier said than done, I know...the mental factor is a HUGE obstacle and one of the hardest things to overcome - and you really don't overcome it - it's a constant battle.

I always have a good time watching her and she usally has a good time, sometimes not.

As long as she hits ball hard, not worried about hits or place in order.

Prefer her to be in order though.

This is one of the most frustrating things about sports.
Improvement isn't linear. It's peaks and valleys and slumps that seem to last forever.

One extreme case is my DS.
He took up track in his freshman year, and was woefully out of shape. He made tremendous progress spring of his freshman year, and into the summer when he continued to improve.
That fall, fall of his sophomore year in HS, he took up rowing for cross training. His progress the next few months was amazing. He went from being a bad rower to one of the better novice (first year) rowers. He loved rowing, never went back to track, and even chose a D-III school with a good (no cut) rowing program.
Then he hit a slump that lasted about 3 1/2 years. The rest of his time in HS and his freshman year in college, he was the kid who ALMOST made the cut. He would be the 9th best rower when they needed an 8-man boat, or the 5th best rower when they needed a 4-man boat. Year after excruciating year.

Suddenly, the past 2 years, everything has changed. He went from not being good enough for the freshman 4-man boat to making a varsity 4-man boat that went to Nationals his sophomore year. His coach told me his improvement from sophomore to junior was even greater than his improvement from freshman to sophomore. He is now one of the biggest stars of his team. He lost a few pounds to go to the lightweight class, and he is now one of the best lightweight rowers his school has ever had. A few days ago he got an award from his team he thought he would never get.

So, what was the secret?
Not sure. Part of it was he went to the coach, worked out some ambitious personal goals, and what extra work would be needed to meet the goals, and then he met them. He never gave up, never let himself get discouraged, continued to have fun with his sport, and finally worked through a 3 1/2 year slump, coming out stronger than anyone could've expected.

I know rowing and softball are very different sports, but when one is dealing with personal goals in a team sport, it is important to keep that in mind. He didn't compare himself as much with his teammates or competitors, he just compared himself to his personal goals, and did he make his goals.

As for track, a couple of years ago I took him to a summer meet, he came in last place, and was grinning ear to ear afterwards. He exceeded his personal goal for that race.

There is some excellent info here, thank you very much for your help!
it was therapeutic for me to "talk" about it here as well as receive your input, all of which was good!

DD's problem is in her head and the lack of hitting is a symptom and not the actual problem. you reminding me that it is mental, that it is temporary and that she's not the only one this happens to really helps me to approach this as a stalwart of positivity which will help her get over this brain cramp.

Her hitting instructor who was a standout DI player told me she started out her senior year of HS going 3 for 35 in the first half of the season and turned it around to finish just under .400 for the season. "every game, every swing is just one swing away from a hot streak"

I was watching the Arizona vs UCLA softball game on ESPN Sunday. Arizona was playing for the PAC 12 Championship and had been run ruled by UCLA in game 1 and shut out 6-0 in game 2.

The commentators asked the Arizona coach what advice that he had given his softball players prior to playing game 3. Coach Candrea stated that he had told his girls to go out and play like they were playing whiffle ball in the back yard.

Arizona ended up winning game 3 in the series and clinched the PAC 12 championship. Even the softball players at the top D-1 level need to be reminded that even though the pressures and stresses of the game can be excruciating, the game is still supposed to be fun.

sleepwalker said:

Coach Candrea stated that he had told his girls to go out and play like they were playing whiffle ball in the back yard.

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Awesome advise.... the spirit of competition should be so deeply engrained in these girls by the time they've reached this level that even playing whiffle ball is with laser focus!

Pressure to succeed can sometimes overwhelm players. It sounds like in your case, her fear of failure is overpowering her will to win....
1. don't compare
2. visualize successes
3. have a game plan, and only focus on executing that plan
4. stay positive (even if you're faking it)

sleepwalker said:

ICoach Candrea stated that he had told his girls to go out and play like they were playing whiffle ball in the back yard.

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He's dating himself..how many kids on his team now do you think actually played wiffle ball int their backyard with their friends....10 or 15 years ago maybe, not now. But
the sentiment is correct. Hopefully the kids (and I am certainly wishing this for my DD) do have some reference where they just went out and played ball carefree. With travel
ball starting at 8U for many kids now they might have to go way back to remember this, if they can at all.

Pattar- I think this will be a goal of our team this summer- to play whiffle ball!

obbay said:

Pattar- I think this will be a goal of our team this summer- to play whiffle ball!

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Agreed. Best time I had playing baseball growing up was unorganized. Wiffle ball, speedball, stickball, self-toss HR derby, etc. Used to play
at the neighborhood elementary school playground, worst field you could imagine but we didn't care. Good carefree times with friends.