What Have You Learned From the WCWS?

Hey There Friend!

I'm enjoying a few days of softball FUN at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City this week! I hope that all of you get to experience this event at some point in your life, it's special!

This week I wanted to share 5 "lessons" that every pitcher/parent/coach can learn from watching some of the BEST in the country compete!

1. These pitchers are exceptional at a couple things, not average at many things!

Each pitcher has unique strengths that she OWNS and COMPETES WITH each game.

They all have great command of the zone, but beyond that, each of them look a little different on how they create outs for their teams.

2. They have a PRESENCE in the circle for their team!

When you watch great pitchers compete, you will notice they use an intentional routine between pitches to help both themselves and their teams be ready for the next pitch.

They also use body language that exudes CONFIDENCE to everyone that's watching them compete.

These things remain CONSISTENT regardless of the game situation or the numbers on the scoreboard!

3. Almost ALL of the great pitchers mix speeds with confidence ANYTIME in the count!

After watching all 8 teams compete in the opening round of the tournament, there was only 1 pitcher that I saw that didn't use a change-up or off-speed pitch against hitters. Montana Fouts was throwing GAS and getting exceptional movement up and down in the zone so didn't need to change speeds during her game.

Every other pitcher used the change-up either as a set-up pitch OR an out pitch. Being able to mix speeds confidently anytime in the count allows them to keep hitters off-time to contact more effectively.

Several pitchers showed they can and will use their change-up back-to-back or even back-to-back-to-back to help create weak contacts or swing and misses!

4. Missed pitches can get hit HARD no matter how fast you throw!

If you've been watching the radar gun on the WCWS broadcasts you will likely see many pitchers throwing in the mid to upper 60s and a handful touching the low 70's. Speed alone is not what got them to an elite level.

Most top level hitters do not have a problem hitting a 70mph pitch IF it's not located well OR moving through the zone.

You will see 70mph pitches hit out of the park if they aren't located well!

5. These pitchers are RESILIENT and have SHORT MEMORIES of both failures and successes!

EVERY pitcher at the WCWS has had a poor performance at some point this season. Many of them had it during Regionals or Super Regionals. They HAD to be able to let go of that bad outing if they wanted to be able to lead their team on to the WCWS.

Rachel Garcia and Odicci Alexander both got pulled from games during Super Regionals because the hitters were beating them.

If they would have held on to that performance going into the next game, hoping that it wouldn't happen again, their team would have had NO CHANCE of advancing to the WCWS.

These pitchers are ELITE not just because their physical skills are so good, they are ELITE because they can BOUNCE BACK when their team needs them, they are ELITE because they believe in themselves and all they've done to prepare for greatness!

Elite competitors never let a "bad" performance define them. They learn what they can from it and then FORGET IT before they step back in the circle the next time!

These are a handful of things that we can remind pitchers of ALL ages about. The sooner a pitcher can learn these "lessons," the more quickly she's on her way to leading her team to greatness!

What have you learned from watching pitchers at the WCWS this year my friend? I'd love to hear what you saw! You can share your thoughts with me HERE anytime!

All My BEST,

Myndie