How to pitch slow pitch softball

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Slow-pitch softball is a game noted for big hits and high scores. The common perception is that pitchers lob the ball over the plate and that the defense will do the job and hold the batter to a single or double. However, a good slow-pitch pitcher will use the batter’s aggressiveness against him and find a way to get a great hitter out in a crucial situation. It’s not about shutting opponents out and dominating a lineup. It’s about getting batters out at the key moments.

Throw Strikes Early

If you want to have a chance to slow down a high-powered offense from lighting up the scoreboard, you have to get ahead in the count. Getting a 1-2 or 0-2 count puts you in charge and may take away some of the batter’s aggressiveness. If you fall behind, the hitter will zone in on the pitch he wants to see and unload on it. When you get ahead, he has to work to put the ball in play and the anxiety level goes up. When he’s thinking about getting his bat on the ball and not embarrassing himself by hitting a weak popup, he’s not going to be at his best.

 

Throw to the Mat

When you are pitching in slow-pitch softball, you are not trying to throw the ball over the plate between the batter’s knees and arm pits. You are trying to hit the area just behind home plate. That is what the umpire bases his strike calls on. You can’t throw it higher than 12 feet, but you can flirt with that height and make it a difficult pitch for the batter to hit.

Making Plays in the Field

A pitcher in slow-pitch softball must be an excellent fielder. As soon as you let go of your pitch, you must drop back four or five steps and become an extra infielder. There’s a wide area up the middle between your second baseman and shortstop. You have to be responsible for that spot on the field. Since you are throwing high arcing pitches, you will have the opportunity to get back to the position and make plays.