When are "fastballs" used, and for what purpose

[Indiana]

It has seemed to my eyes that there is a "tipping point speed" at each level of the game, beyond which the batters struggle to catch up to it. It seems that if a pitcher can throw beyond the tipping point, all of her other pitches are going to work very very well. The batter is put in a position where she has to guess, starting her swing early. If a pitcher is slower than the tipping point, the batter does not have to guess, because she can get a good look at the pitch as it comes in and swing just a tiny bit later. In these cases the batter can wait for her favorite pitch, confident that she can see it clearly when it comes.
I hypothesize that fastball beyond reach can be like a shark in the water - sure, maybe there isn't a shark around right now,but you saw one earlier, so you just don't know, thus are not as confident about going for a swim. A "fastball" within the batter's ability level is just batting practice.

 

[joemcq51]

Fastballs still have a place in the game. My DD has very good command of all her pitches. Very few if any walks. She still has games where a certain pitch is not as sharp. So i her drop is up and she can't bring it down, or her change up is off, or she is not locating a screwball or curve ball, she will occasionally go to a fast ball to stay with a pitchers count. Rather than go 3-1 because she is off the plate, she will try and go 2-2 by hitting a spot with a fastball. Usually this is later in the game, when she knows a pitch isn't working. If you are talking about 0-1 or 0-2 counts, I will tell you she never throws a fastball. Even with runners on.

 

[fastpitch91]

at the elite college level (say top 25 of all three divisions) I see very few if any fastballs called. I say this not by so much by exceptional observational skills but by simply asking the catcher and pitchers.

Again as somebody stated, most top level pitchers warm up their arm throwing fastballs and thats the last they see of it for the day. And thus throwing a fb in a pressure situation is not a "way out" its a "way on for the batter!" Now there were a few games her and there where the ump's zone was so small that nothing but a meatball would get called for a strike and the fb/change became the only pitches of the day.

Now at some less skilled levels what you see and what you get is another question. One angry parent approached me after his DD had a touch game with too mnay walks demanding why I insisted on throwing her rise at 2&x and 3&x counts. i handed him the pithing cahrt....all 1,s oops