Softball Stats Aren’t Everything
The biggest advice I can give young players and parents is don’t get too caught up in stats. Game statistics can be a nightmare for players, especially when parents get ahold of them. Statistics don’t tell the whole story. A player could go 0-3 in a game but hit rocket line drives right at the defensive players who make the catch. Even though that player had three great at-bats, it’s hard to celebrate the little victories when the zero in the hit column stands out on the spreadsheet.
Game Changer is now a popular tool used by softball teams at the younger age levels. Most teams will designate a parent to keep track of game statistics on an iPad. They will track every element of the game and share the results with coaches and fellow team parents afterward. Another benefit of Game Changer is that outside parties who were unable to attend the game can follow along just as though they were there. It’s a pretty nifty tool, but I would strongly advise approaching with caution.
Once a player turns her attention to her stat line, her playing ability may start to decline. This occurs when players focus on the outcome instead of the process.
If a hitter is batting .300, she may begin to press during her at-bats to keep her average above .300. Instead, the player should be focused on a game plan and putting the ball in play. If a pitcher is concerned with her ERA, she isn’t thinking about trying to get ahead to batters and using her pitches to her advantage. It’s important that players keep their focus on their role on the team and that they stay within themselves and trust the process.
My sophomore year of college at the University of Minnesota, I admit I got caught up in my stat line. Once my focus went there, I was done for. My stats got worse and worse as the year went on and I found myself comparing my performance to my numbers the year before. Instead of focusing on the then and now, I was focused on the past, and all I cared about were the numbers on the spreadsheet. I felt a little selfish that after a great team win, I was more concerned about my strikeout total or my ERA rather than the “W” in the win column.
Luckily I had a teammate who was in the same boat, and we both made a promise that the following year neither of us would look at our stats during the season. I also had to remind my dad not to bring them up around me. That season we both had breakout years individually, and our team made it to the post-season. The following year we kept our promise, and again, we both improved and our team made it to the Super Regional, a step further than the previous year.
By shifting my focus from my stats to buying into my role and fulfilling it to the best of my ability for my team, helped everyone in the long run. Stat focus puts unnecessary pressure on players and takes their attention away from the bigger goal, the success of the team. When I decided that a Win for my team was the most important stat, that’s where my focus went, and my stats improved on their own.
It can be easy to get caught up in the numbers on the spreadsheet. Parents enjoy tracking games and stats at the younger age levels so they can see the improvements and the results. Softball is a game of failure. To maintain a .300 batting average, the hitter must fail seven out of 10 times when they are up to bat. Try wrapping your head around that; you are succeeding three times out of ten attempts to maintain that respectable average.
Approach stats with caution, if you find yourself continuously checking them, take a step back and look at the big picture. Shift your focus back to the team and doing whatever is asked of you to help benefit the team. When the team is put first, the individual stats will take care of themselves. Besides, no one is going to remember your ERA in 10 years, but they will forever remember the Championship your team won.
