Calling pitches in softball can be one of the most challenging parts of being a softball pitching coach, regardless of which level you’re coaching at. 

There are various factors as to why pitch-calling presents a unique challenge. The pitching coach must take into account the batter's strengths and weaknesses, the game situation, and the team's overall strategy—all of which must be communicated to the pitcher and the catcher, who are often the ones who are making the final decisions on which pitch to throw.

Furthermore, the pitcher and catcher need to be in sync, which can be difficult in noisy or hectic game environments. Lastly, maintaining control and accuracy while keeping the batters guessing is crucial, and achieving this balance can be quite demanding.

There are some obvious times when calling a fastball makes the most sense, especially when you want to surprise the batter or when you need to bring the heat to challenge a strong hitter. It can also be useful in situations where you are ahead in the count and want to maintain control. Additionally, using a fastball early in the game can help establish dominance and set the tone for the rest of the match.

Yet, if you as a pitching coach believe calling a fastball in a situation is a no-brainer, the opposing hitter is likely thinking the same thing. This is why it’s crucial to understand when to break your typical pitch-calling patterns. And Amy Hunt can help you learn when and how to do so effectively. 

Coach Hunt has spent recent years working as a part-time Assistant Coach for Messiah College softball.

She was formerly an assistant coach with the team in 1998, where Messiah went to their first NCAA Final 6. Amy then continued her education, as she was a graduate assistant for the Marietta College softball team in Ohio.  She moved on to coach at Catoctin High School where she was the assistant coach for 1 year and head Varsity Coach for 6 years.

Coach Hunt has made a career out of trying to perfect pitch-calling. Her ‘Championship Pitch Calling System for Pitching, Catching and Coaching’ course is a great resource for any prospective pitch-callers at any level of softball. 

Why do STATS matter? 

There are many components that go into developing a softball pitcher. Not only must the player remain durable and prepared to pitch a team’s every game, but they also must have the mental makeup to endure the rollercoaster ride that playing an entire season provides. 

And even if a pitcher has all of the physical skill sets in the world, if they haven’t developed just as sturdy of a mental framework to consistently compete at a high level, they won’t be able to lead your team in the way that softball pitchers must. 

Thankfully, developing pitchers isn’t as difficult as it may sound; at least, as long as you have good coaches to learn the correct development techniques from. 

Esteemed softball coaches Lisa Fernandez, Paige Cassady, and Courtney Hudson have all constructed courses that impart their wisdom on how to develop physically skilled and mentally sturdy softball pitchers and are willing to share those insights with you. 

Lisa Fernandez - The Journey of a Pitcher’s Developmentsoftball/the-journey-of-a-pitchers-development-with-lisa-fernandez/14023335">The Journey of a Pitcher’s Development

One of the hardest aspects of coaching softball is getting players to overcome the various mental hurdles they face at the plate. Of course, it’s natural for all humans to experience self-doubt and negative thoughts at times. This is exacerbated in a sport like softball, where a hitter is destined to fail much more often than they’re going to succeed. 

This is why cultivating a sturdy mindset at the plate, one that doesn’t view success in terms of hits or home runs, but in quality at-bats and personal progression, is one of the most important qualities a coach can impart to their player.

These lessons won’t only benefit the player at the plate, but they will continue to serve them long after their softball days are done, once they experience the harsh realities that the real world is sure to provide. 

Softball coach Donna Fields knows a thing or two about cultivating success for her players, both on and off the field. Coach Fields just finished her 27th season at the helm of the St. Mary’s Rattlers softball team in 2024. Already a member of the St. Mary's Athletics Hall of Fame, Fields is the only Rattler in school history with a national championship as a player and coach. On December 10, 2021, Fields was also inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame.

Across Coach Fields’ incredible coaching career, the Rattlers have won 18 conference titles, four NCAA Regionals, and the 2002 NCAA title. 

In Coach Fields’ ‘Building Offensive Players: Getting Them to Buy into Your Offensive Mindset’ Course, she details the precise methods she has used across her nearly three decades of head coaching to build an offensive mindset that her entire team encompasses, regardless of what their stats say. 

We have compiled some of her strongest insights below, to that you can get a glimpse of the ways Coach Field has built and sustained such a winning program. 

Your Offense Depends on your Personnel Along with your System

Finding ways to simulate a competitive environment during a softball practice can be a tricky matter. 

All coaches know that hitters (and any other athlete) perform better under pressure if they’re used to doing so. And giving players this experience is a great way to boost their confidence when game day arrives and they find themselves squaring off against the opposing team’s top pitcher.

But with daily practices being such a low-stakes, low-intensity endeavor, coaches often need to get creative if they’re to get their hitters to engage and prepare to compete once their at-bats begin to matter. 

While this can be a daunting task for coaches, considering how hectic their schedules and practice routines surely already are, letting a softball coaching legend like Brittany Scarafiotti lay out the blueprint for making practice drills competitive is the perfect solution. 

Coach Scarafiotti (who used to go by Coach Lee) has been a head softball coach at various high schools in Texas since 2018. In 2023, Coach Scarafiotti’s Keller ISD high school softball team was 6A Regional Quarterfinalists and produced the first Playoff wins in school history. Prior to the beginning of her successful coaching career, Coach Scarafiotti was a former DI collegiate softball student-athlete for Stephen F. Austin State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2014. 

Coach Scarafiotti knows that running competitive hitting drills helps build her players’ confidence at the plate, and has been a major catalyst for their success. And this has not only helped her high school teams win games, but getting her players used to competing at practice has given those who’ve ascended to the collegiate level a leg up on their peers, as well. Her ‘Competitive Drills and Pressure Practice’ course will provide you with all the info you need to turn your practices into a space for cultivating competitive excellence. 

Target Practice

Having a plethora of good infielders in softball is crucial for any team’s success. 

Being a good infielder requires both physical and mental components. Having quick reflexes, agility, and a strong arm are all essential for making defensive plays. In addition, good infielders also must be able to anticipate the next play, communicate effectively with their teammates, and have excellent decision-making skills. Their role in preventing runs and helping the team maintain control of the game is vital. 

Playing infield in softball can be challenging for several reasons. First, the speed of the game requires quick reflexes and fast decision-making, because the close proximity to the batter also means that there is less time to react to hard-hit balls.

Additionally, fielding ground balls and catching line drives require precise hand-eye coordination and good timing. Furthermore, the pressure to make accurate throws to get the runners out adds to the difficulty of playing the infield. Overall, the combination of speed, precision, and split-second decision-making makes playing infield in softball a challenging and demanding position.

This is why having a series of softball infield drills that can sharpen and continue to finetune your infielder’s skills as a season progresses is crucial for the entire team. While there are a lot of infield drills you can use, Tony Medina has a few drills he swears by — and we highly suggest his expertise. 

Coach Medina has been actively coaching Softball for more than 30 years and is the founder of Medina Softball Clinics, which offers weekly schedules of fielding skills clinics in the Los Angeles and Orange County, California area.

Known for offering a high-paced and fun environment, Coach Tony keeps his players challenged and moving, packing in the skills work into every session. Coach Tony has trained countless college, high school, and recreation level softball players in addition to coaching top Nationally ranked travel ball teams. 

Coach Medina’s ‘Medina Softball Clinics - Fielding’ course is not only for players but also for teaching coaches about how to elevate their skills and conduct their practices so that their team wins more games when it matters most.

Reaction Drills

Countless youth and high school softball pitchers have impressive talent. But there’s a major difference between a pitcher who can perform at the game’s lower levels compared to one who is prepared to excel in college. 

And it can often be difficult to discern between a sure-fire college prospect and a pitcher who isn’t likely to succeed past high school. In fact, many of the tell-tale signs don’t be seen while the pitcher is performing on the field.

This is why it’s crucial to understand what to look for in a pitcher when it comes to recruiting them to the next level. 

And Texas high school softball coaching legend Amanda Wolf-Schramm is the perfect person to help coaches figure that aspect of their job out. 

Coach Wolf-Schramm is currently the head varsity coach at Smithson Valley High School in Texas. This past year, she earned the 400th win of her high school softball coaching career. Prior to her becoming Smithson Valley’s head coach in 2019, Coach Wolf-Schramm created successful programs at Texas’ Bastrop and Elgin high schools.

While Coach Wolf-Schramm is a high school coach, her ‘Pitching’ softball course from the Texas High School Coaches Association & Coaches Education Foundation contains a masterclass of wisdom for softball coaches of all levels. 

But Coach Wolf-Schramm’s lessons aren’t just for college softball coaches. Those coaches looking to develop pitchers at every level can gain wisdom on how to develop and hone their own pitching staff to make them more appealing to collegiate coaches and increase their chances of fulfilling their dreams of playing at the next level. 

We have taken some of the best nuggets from Coach Wolf-Schramm’s course and distilled them into bite-sized lessons that you can benefit from today. 

What to Look For in Pitcher

Because the bases in softball are 60 feet away from each other, there’s a common misconception that softball baserunning isn’t as important a part of the game as hitting, fielding, or pitching. 

Yet, any coach who believes that’s true is doing themselves a disservice when it comes to maximizing their own team’s potential. 

A softball team’s ability to run the bases well can spell the difference between winning and losing. And because softball is a game of inches, learning how to teach and practice the fine details of baserunning (such as being able to slide effectively, crafting ways to score from third base, and communication between coaches and baserunners (and between baserunners and other baserunners)) could steal your team some wins throughout the course of a season; especially in the postseason, when the margin between teams is often minuscule.

And Wade Womack knows this better than just about anyone else. 

Coach Womack has been a head coach of various high school women’s softball programs for over two decades and has been running the Dripping Springs High School’s softball program in Dripping Springs, Texas, for over 10 years alone. Coach Womack has guided two teams to the State Tournament at Medina Valley and won the State Championship in 2007. 

This past 2024 softball season, Coach Womack’s Dripping Springs team won the 6A District 26 Championship. Head coach Wade Womack was named the district’s Coach of the Year. 

Coach Womack believes that the secret to his sustained success has been the advantage his teams have over opponents on the basepaths. He imparted a few of his best baserunning lessons and insights in his ‘Creating Havoc on the Basebaths & Other Philosophies’ course from the Texas High School Coaches Association. This course is a gold mine for any softball coach who wants to turn their team’s baserunning into a lethal winning weapon.

15 Ways a Runner Can Score From Third

At the same time, it shouldn’t be confused with the techniques and strategies utilized on the baseball side. It requires a different approach and of course, plenty of practice. In this article, I’ll walk you through some of the basics of fastpitch softball pitching. Whether you’re a coach, parent, or player, these points will help start you on the path to success.

Mechanics

First and foremost, mechanics are critical. This can’t be stressed enough. Without the proper mechanics, you’re not only going to struggle to find success on the field, but there is an increased susceptibility to injuries later on down the road. While mechanics is a broad term and could easily fill an article by itself, I wanted to stress the primary points here.

Stretching - Something as basic as stretching is ignored countlessly by young athletes. The truth is without an appropriate stretching routine, don’t be surprised when you see shoulder injuries pop up later on.

Proper Stance - Stand straight and tall with your shoulders back. The foot on your throwing arm side will be placed in front of the pitching rubber with the glove-side foot behind the rubber. As a side note, keep in mind that a lot of leagues and associations specify how much of the foot can be touching the rubber.

Backswing - A common misconception is that the speed or height of your backswing is truly what’s generating the heat on the pitch. Yes, it might help a little, but the key is to work at a speed where you still feel comfortable and in control. Don’t rush it too much!

Arm Moving Forward - Here’s where you’re going to generate the majority of your speed. As you move towards your push-off foot, make sure you’re utilizing your body weight to transfer over more power.

Obviously, there’s more things involved in terms of the entire pitching process, but I wanted to be sure to highlight these items as they tend to be overlooked.

Proper Release

When you’re arm is moving towards the release point, try your best to keep the wrist back. This will allow you to whip it forward upon release. As you release the ball, keep your arm outstretched. Not completely straight, but no more than a little bend. Lastly, continue to stand tall throughout the process. Any bending of the knees will likely result in a loss of speed on the pitch.

Confidence

As is the case in nearly every other sport, confidence is critical to success. If you’re not confident in basketball, you’re not going to trust your shot. If you struggle with confidence in golf, you’re going to miss easy puts. Starting to get the point? Well, this is no different when it comes to fast-pitch softball, particularly for pitchers. Here’s a few tips to think about, whether you’re coaching up a young pitcher or are one yourself:

Don’t let one bad inning spoil your day. You’re going to have some bad games. No matter how good you are, it just happens. Even one of the greatest softball players of all time, Jennie Finch, had some not-so-great performances on the mound.

Learn from your mistakes. A tip that can be used in all walks of life is yet again a viable strategy for softball. If a pitch isn’t working early on in a game, try using some other options you have in your repertoire. It’ll even possibly keep your opponents a little off-balance later on in the game.

Practice Makes Perfect

It can’t be stressed enough the importance practice plays in pitching. If you want to be a successful softball pitcher, you need to have the entire process down to the point where you can consistently repeat it time and time again. The only way to do this is through continuously practicing. If you’re just starting out, work on throwing 10-15 pitches to the point where they’re all strikes. Then, gradually build up that pitch count. A second technique is to work on spins. Toss the ball in the air to yourself and focus on generating some spin on it. What may seem like a trivial exercise can be definitely beneficially is building the right techniques. In the end, the only way you’ll develop your game is through careful instruction and constant practice!

This can definitely be the case in softball as well. In this article, I’ll discuss some of the biggest mistakes that plenty of softball coaches seem to make time and time again.

Mistake #1: Instructing All Players The EXACT Same

At the youth game, differences in skill sets might not be as distinct. However, trust me, they are there. The easy approach to coaching is running every player through the exact same drills. However, you have different types of players. Some are more speed focused, while others rely on the pop produced by their bat. With this said, coaches should be grouping players by skillsets for practice set-ups. The first half should focus on honing in on strengths and making those as pristine as possible. Then, with the second half of practice, focus on weaknesses. Look at the areas that are holding the player back from being a more complete player.

Mistake #2: Not Being the Coach

Not being the coach? Some of you might raise an eye at this one. With this said, what I’m stressing is the need to be the coach and sometimes this means discipline. I’m not talking about continuously yelling at your players, but rather using your position to train players. Occasionally, you’ll likely confront players that think they know more than the coach. Don’t let a negative attitude disrupt the rest of your team.

Mistake #3: It’s Not All About Winning

We live in a world where winning is sometimes viewed as always being the primary goal. Michael Jordan once said, “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Don’t be the coach that creates a culture where players think an “L” is a complete failure and any season that doesn’t end with a trophy is a disappointment. Once you let the culture get away, all of a sudden softball goes from fun to a burden.

Mistake #4: Thinking All Kids Should Fall in Love With the Game

This mistake is mainly applicable to youth coaches. I always say that youth coaches should be more focused on development, as opposed to racking up the trophies. At the same time, you need to understand not every player on a youth team is going to be “all-in” on a particular sport. Don’t take this as an insult. Some kids are just there for the social part. Don’t think that you need to be more disciplined to get them to love the game. For these kids, it might be more about teaching them some life skills instead of perfecting their softball talents.

Mistake #5: I’m the Expert

As a coach, it is your job to teach players and develop their skills. However, don’t be the coach that is never accepting feedback from anyone. Going along with this, you don’t want to be the one that is always coming up with random historical philosophies that will ‘supposedly’ transform your team. At the end of the day, it’s critical to find a happy medium between being strict and having fun. After all, softball is supposed to be fun, right?

At the end of the day, no coach is perfect. We’re all going to make some mistakes. Just don’t keep falling victim to the same one. Just as it should be with your players, learn from your mistakes!

All while simply using regular household items to work on their game. It’ll not just get them more focused on the sport, but also at the same time, I’m sure you will see some rapid improvement with their on-field performance. Throughout this article, I’ll walk you through some at-home drills you can teach your players.

Drill #1: Posterboard Strike Zone

This drill you can do with a number of different things, but I’ll suggest using a posterboard. Grab some tape and create a strike zone on the board. Then, tape it about a foot off the ground. Once you have your strike zone built, head upstairs and grab a few pairs of socks rolled up (in other words, your softballs). The last item you’ll need is a camera. Anything will do here, you can even tell them to grab one of their parent’s phones. Set it behind where you’ll be pitching from and set it to record video.

Finally, now that you’re ready to practice, work on the motion of going through the windup and throwing the socks (i.e. softball) into the posterboard. With the video footage, you’ll be able to dissect the motion and overall throwing process. Some valuable insight that most youth players never evaluate.

Drill #2: Arm Strength and Hands Drills

A major part of being an effective softball player is having soft hands and a strong arm. An easy drill for this only requires a net or a wall. For the hands aspect of this category, all you have to do is throw the ball off the wall. This will allow you to practice various ground balls, short hops, and so on. Then, for arm strength, just use the wall as a way to practice throwing. Work on arm motion particularly here.

Don’t have a solid wall to use? No worries, just use a tennis ball and the garage. Trust me, it works just as well.

Drill #3: Take Some Cuts

This final drill might just be the simplest one for your players to practice. For this, they’ll just need a mirror and a bat. The player will get in front of the mirror and simply take full cuts while seeing in-person how their stance looks, as well as the swing. While it might sound like a nominal drill, it’s actually key to developing a consistent swing.

As for how often it would be recommended to do this drill, I’d suggest having them take 15-20 swings at a time on 3 different instances each day.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

In the end, one of your primary jobs as a youth softball coach is to develop the work ethic necessary to grow as a player and a person. Even though you won’t be working first-hand on these drills with your players, you will be the one responsible for growing their love for the game!