How to Find and Develop Elite Softball Pitchers

• By Grant Young

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

Before a softball coach even begins to assess a pitcher’s ability on the field, Coach Wolf-Schramm believes the first thing they should be looking at is the pitcher’s positive work ethic. 

What exactly does this mean? It means that a pitcher should have the same work ethic regardless of whether there are eyes on them.

Coaches should want to recruit pitchers who are working just as hard in the bullpen by themselves or taking notes for their teammates in the dugout during the game as they are when their coach is standing right beside them. 

While this can be difficult to discern (most players have a good idea when they’re being watched, even if it’s subtly so), taking a bit of extra time to watch a player’s work ethic out of the corner of your eye can tell you a lot about whether they’re the type of person you can build a positive culture around. 

You also want to keep a keen eye on whether a pitcher is showing negative emotion when on the mound. Because pitching is such a rollercoaster ride, the most successful pitchers will remain even keel in the good moments and in the bad. And if a pitcher is reacting negatively to an umpire’s call, a teammate’s error, or any of the other negative things that can occur during a softball game, this should come off as a red flag. 

And another thing Coach Wolf-Schramm believes coaches should consider is whether a pitcher is a good athlete. She loves to see a pitcher playing another position when they’re not pitching. And at the very least, she wants to see that her pitchers at the high school level are also hitting, as well. If they are then they’re likely a good athlete, which is one of the best factors in assessing a player’s ability to perform at the collegiate level.

The Pitching Coach’s Role

Coach Wolf-Schramm believes that there are a few non-negotiable components that go into making a good pitching coach. 

The first one is communication. Coach Wolf-Schramm believes that every pitching coach should be calling constant, daily meetings with their pitching staff in order to assess what is going well, what must be worked on, and any challenges or hurdles that the pitching staff wants to address.

In addition, the pitching coach must act as a liaison for their pitchers and the team’s catchers. A ton of important information must be relayed between pitchers and catchers to maximize the chances of success in a game. And it’s the pitching coach’s responsibility to make sure that information is being discussed. 

In addition, pitching coaches have to be able to communicate and build relationships with their pitchers on an individual level. Why would a pitcher listen to their coach’s suggestions if they don’t trust them as a person, or feel like the coach doesn’t care about their best interest? 

All of these reasons show why communication is paramount to being a good pitching coach at any level of the game. 

Pre Season Workouts For Pitchers

Coach Wolf-Schramm has a few great pieces of advice when it comes to a pitcher’s workouts during the pre-season.

One is that, whenever they’re playing catch, they should do so with a home plate at the feet of who/whatever they’re throwing to. 

Because pitchers are inherently competitive, having a (likely rubber and transportable) home plate at their target’s feet is guaranteed to make them want to execute strikes. 

However, this doesn’t mean their target or catch partner should remain in a squat. Rather, just by having the home plate there, the pitcher will remember the purpose behind their play catch. They will pay more attention to detail about what they’re feeling while throwing and will be more keen to correct their mistakes. 

This leads to a more intentional, focused play catch that isn’t merely going through the motions.