Bunting is a huge piece to a team’s offense in softball. There are three different types of bunts that are taught to softball players all across the country from a young age. The three types of bunts include the commonly used sacrifice bunt, push bunt, and the suicide bunt. It’s important for players to learn about the three types of bunts for offensive purposes, and defensive players can benefit from learning about them as well. How else are you going to learn how to defend them? Below we have broken down the three types of bunts used in the game of softball:
Sacrifice Bunt: The purpose of most sacrifice bunts is to move a base runner. It is called a sacrifice bunt because the hitter is sacrificing their own at bat to advance the base runner to their next base. The expectation of the hitter is to square around early, letting the defense know they are bunting, and doing everything in their power to get it down. Sometimes it’s harder to lay down a sacrifice bunt because when pitchers know the batter it bunting, they will put more movement on their pitch, making it harder for the batter to lay down the bunt. Sacrifice bunts do not count towards the hitters batting average in the books.
Push Bunt: A push bunt is similar to the sacrifice bunt. The hitter will square around early, drawing the defensive players in, typically when there is a runner on base. This time, instead of simply trying to lay the bunt down, the hitter will attempt to push the bunt past the fielders who are closing in on them. Often times push bunts are an attempt to bunt for a base hit. Push bunts can also be risky especially if a pitcher delivers a pitch up in the zone. It may be challenging for the bunter to get their bat head on top of the ball, resulting in a line drive or even a pop-up. Push bunt at your own risk.
Suicide Bunt: This bunt is meant to be sneaky and occurs most frequently when there is a runner on third base. Unlike the first two bunts, the hitter will square around to bunt at the last possible second in the pitcher’s motion. When a suicide bunt is called by the third base coach, the role of the hitter is to make contact with the ball no matter where the pitch is delivered. This is because the runner at third base will be breaking for home. If the batter fails to make contact or lay the bunt down, the runner may be left out to dry and this could result in an easy out for the defense to make.
Feature Image by Dina Kwit, Chicago Bandits Photographer
