Run-Rule BLOWOUTS IN COLLEGE BALL

[radness]

This crowd is pretty much strictly into anecdotal evidence and hyberbole.

Perhaps, but makes for entertaining miscellaneous online chatter.

But since we CAN see it with our own eyes and there are teams that have into a dozen of run-rule blowouts on their schedule it is evident that it is happening. Do we have comparative statistics... well in a way we do because it has gone from extremely low scoring games to really high scoring games that are so excessively High teams have a third or more blowouts on their schedule of all games.

To the People who like to compare things to baseball will ask the mlb people (since I don't follow mlb) how many blowouts do you see comparatively at that level?

Expect to see some blowouts at tb Friendly's, expect to see blowouts in high school ball ...never expected to see so many blowouts in college ball.

 

[radness]

Keep in mind there are more games televised today then there were last year or the year prior........so some of this could be more fan exposure to games.

!!!

 

[radness]

IMHO - when 2 top 5 D1 teams face each other with top pitching, and the score winds up to be 23-9, it is a hitter’s game like I mentioned previously.

And/or that could also show an off balance in how the game is NOW with the equipment used and the rules combined.

 

[Cougars]

Expect to see some blowouts at tb Friendly's, expect to see blowouts in high school ball ...never expected to see so many blowouts in college ball.

But that's not unique to softball. Sports have always had blowouts, and always will. Like life, they are not "fair".

Watch a typical Saturday this fall. You will see many football games that are 45-10. Not just in the lopsided early season non-conference games. Pulled up Michigan's schedule from last year. 14 games, and 4 had final scores within 7 points or less. 9 were 20+ points. Michigan had a great year though, so maybe expect a few more blowouts. Penn State was pretty much "middle of the road" Big 10. 6 of their 13 were 1 score games (still less than half).

 

[radness]

But that's not unique to softball. Sports have always had blowouts, and always will. Like life, they are not "fair".

Watch a typical Saturday this fall. You will see many football games that are 45-10. Not just in the lopsided early season non-conference games. Pulled up Michigan's schedule from last year. 14 games, and 4 had final scores within 7 points or less. 9 were 20+ points. Michigan had a great year though, so maybe expect a few more blowouts. Penn State was pretty much "middle of the road" Big 10. 6 of their 13 were 1 score games (still less than half).

Okay blowouts are typical in sports.
Except have noticed a large percentage of blowouts recently in fastpitch college games.
That and blowouts didn't used to be typical in softball at all.

There have been adjustments made to the sport that have changed the amount of scoring and those changes were on purpose.
*Possibly those changes went too far.
And/Or
*Possibly something else is influencing this off balance in competition.

A lot of those changes were purposely made to increase hitting and runners on base, to increase excitement, and draw the fans participation and grow the sport.
Now its go to watch a good competition and instead of seeing a good competition
Back to back blowouts.

 

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

Long Beach State (just picked a "random" school) - number of games won or lost by 8 runs or more, historical. 2020 is an anomaly for shortened season or trend would have surely continued. Looks like 2014 was the turning point in "blowouts" for them. In 2022 (not graphed) they already have 11 "blowouts".

 

[Nimrod]

According to this, scoring peaked in 2015, and it's coming down. Doesn't include the current season.

 

[Vertigo]

I just think hitters are used to better pitching now and are able to adjust much more quickly. Think about it, IR has become much more common at the younger ages in the past 5-10 years so hitters are probably see better pitching over a longer period of time now than they did a few years ago. Probably seeing more pitchers touching 60+ between 14-18U. Also, along with the improved mechanics comes better spin. It isn’t only seen at the elite levels any more.

 

[radness]

According to this, scoring peaked in 2015, and it's coming down. Doesn't include the current season.

View attachment 25386

Good chart
Appears at the 2010 Mark that scoring did jump into the +4.0's and is not declining to where it was
can also see in the chart where earned runs has increased and home runs %have doubled from 2001 .32 ~
To~2010 .64
And HR'S continue in the ×.60's


*** someone commented earlier in the thread more games televised more games in general accurate!

 

[Nimrod]

Appears at the 2010 Mark that scoring did jump into the +4.0's and is not declining to where it was

There's no point where things shifted drastically, but 2010 was certainly significant That was the year that Hawaii made the WCWS and set the record for HR in a season amid allegations of 'hot' (but legal) bats.

TideIllustrated - NCAA looks to weed out illegal softball bats

At some point in the 2010 college softball season, bats became an issue. Going into the season, only seven teams had ever hit 100 or more home runs in

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