- May 13, 2021
- 654
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So it seems the most common age for this to happen is 1st yer 14u. Which is about what I expected.
Great question, and it's always on our minds as parents of a pitcher.
For most everyone, hitting is the more fun part of the game. Most all pitchers I know want to hit. And yes, it comes down to being one of the best 9 hitters on the team, and if you are, you almost always get to hit.
My DD's team has some of the best pitchers in our area. And they all get to hit. I think if anyone other than the girl decided they would be PO that family would leave the team and easily find one that would let them do both.
When the player's pitching skills far outweigh their hitting skills it happens naturally. Most top level pitchers move to 18U teams at 15-16. They can compete as a pitcher but are now facing very highly skilled pitchers. That creates a mismatch. They can still hit in HS but usually travel is where their skills at the plate are not as strong as others who do not pitch. I've seen talented pitchers demand to hit on real gold level teams and the results are not usually great.
Softball pitchers are often some of the bigger players so you should definitely let them hit if they can hit....but a good pitcher should not run if they don't have to....particularly on high school teams.