The fastest pitcher at the College World Series is Chelsea Thomas. She can throw 70 consistently. The trouble is, she doesn't have a breaking pitch.
A 70 mph fastball will strike out a lot of second tier teams, but it isn't going to work against the top tier teams. In the super-regionals, Thomas got UCLA one gae, but in the second game they ripped her. She didn't pitch the decisive game against UCLA. Arizona State took her apart at the first game of the CWS.
What the hitters did after the first UCLA game was to swing more freely and not worry about missing it. Then, the hits started coming.
Moral of the story: No matter how hard you throw, you better have a breaking pitch.
Ray
A 70 mph fastball will strike out a lot of second tier teams, but it isn't going to work against the top tier teams. In the super-regionals, Thomas got UCLA one gae, but in the second game they ripped her. She didn't pitch the decisive game against UCLA. Arizona State took her apart at the first game of the CWS.
What the hitters did after the first UCLA game was to swing more freely and not worry about missing it. Then, the hits started coming.
Moral of the story: No matter how hard you throw, you better have a breaking pitch.
Ray