How to Score Fast-Pitch Pitching in a Try-Out

Womens' fast-pitch softball is a quickly growing sport in America, played at all ages and all across the country. Pitching is an integral part of a team's success, but it is also one of the more difficult skills to gauge. According to Lisa Fernandez, three-time Olympic gold medal pitcher and current UCLA coach, the keys to pitching are power, control and deception. A coach can create an evaluation form to measure each of these skills during try-outs.

Instructions

    • 1

      Create a pitching evaluation form with scales numbered one to five, "poor" to "excellent," or another set of parameters you prefer. Use these scales to evaluate components of power, control and deception.

    • 2

      Evaluate power with two scales, one for the speed of pitches and another for pitching mechanics. While minor differences in speed (compared to her peers) are relatively inconsequential, give a pitcher a lower score if she is considerably slower or a higher score if she is considerably faster. As for mechanics, pitchers need to use their entire body to maximize their power; give higher scores to a long stride, strong hip turn, and similarly solid mechanics.

    • 3

      Use two scales to evaluate control; look for consistent placement and the ability to transition between dissimilar pitches without loss of control. Give higher scores if the pitcher can throw three pitches in a row and hit the same target, and give lower scores if these pitches are inconsistent in their placement. Give higher scores if the pitcher can transition from a high to a low pitch, a fastball to an off-speed pitch, and an inside to an outside pitch without losing control of placement.

    • 4

      Score deception with a scale for the variety of pitches. To keep batters off-balance, pitchers should have at least three solid and consistent pitches, including an off-speed pitch (such as a change-up) and a curve of some sort (such as a drop, peel or rise). Give higher scores for more pitches, but only if they are controlled and consistent; give lower scores if a pitcher has only one or two pitches or if she lacks control.

    • 5

      Use an additional scale to evaluate these components in the context of your own team. While you might generally choose to favor deception over control, or vice versa, your team's specific needs might dictate otherwise. In other words, first evaluate the pitcher on her own terms (with respect to power, control, and deception), and then evaluate her with respect to your team's needs.