MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR HIGH SCHOOL SEASON! by Catharine Aradi www.fastpitchrecruiting.com
Due to the pandemic, it’s been a rough couple of years for high school softball. Some leagues haven't played for two years, some played limited games with no awards or playoffs, and others had a full schedule. Whatever your situation, let's hope your high school—if it plays in the spring—is looking ahead to an exciting 2022 season. High school ball offers you the opportunity to work on your game, and it can help you prepare for summer travel ball. Major league baseball players go to spring training for a good reason. They work on their skills, get into playing shape, and pick up the "rhythm" of the game in preparation for the long season ahead.
But every year, I see athletes struggling with high school softball. For some players, high school competition isn't even close to what they’d like it to be. Players tell me they don't get along with their coach, or the coach doesn't teach them the way their travel ball coach does, or they can't hit slow pitching, or there's too much "politics" in the league.
Whatever your team's situation---positive or negative---try to learn from it, and try to do your very best. If you’re lucky enough to make a college team, things won’t always be rosy there either! You will have good days and bad; it's part of the game. There will be weeks when you are tired or injured, have a big paper due, haven't done your laundry for a month, and your coach isn't starting you because you're not hitting the ball. You may even find yourself looking back and thinking how much fun high school softball was in comparison!
While high school competition may not count as much in terms of recruiting as travel ball experience, it does offer you the chance to work on specific areas of your game…especially those that need improvement. For example, if your school league pitchers are slow compared to the harder throwers you see in summer ball, don't excuse your low batting average by saying, "I can't hit slow pitching." Develop DISCIPLINE! Think of hitting slow pitching as practice for college level change-ups because they can be killer strike-out pitches for someone who also throws a 60-65 mph fastball.
I hate to see outstanding travel ball players kick back during high school ball and sink to the level of their weakest competition. If you excel when facing tough competition, but play poorly against weaker teams, it may indicate you lack focus and have trouble maintaining the consistency of your game. This is very likely to carry over into college, and when your team plays much weaker opponents, you’re going to struggle to produce.
If you're lucky enough to play for a great high school coach, ask him or her to work with you on specific elements of your game. If your high school team isn't one that's committed to being the best it can be, set your own personal goals for the season. In other words, if your coach turns everyone loose after an easy 60-minute practice, ask if you can stay for extra batting or take more ground balls. If the pitching in your league is slow, become the best slow ball hitter in the league (but be sure to take that extra batting practice with the pitching machine set on high---you don't want to lose your ability to hit a great fastball either!)
Athletes who give up their weekends to practice/play with strong travel teams sometimes get frustrated with high school teammates who may be there primarily for social reasons. In that instance, it's good to remember that, statistically speaking, most high school players won't go on to compete in college. What's important is that everybody works together to help the team succeed.
Whatever your reasons for playing high school ball, it's almost always more fun to win than to lose. It's more fun to get a hit than to strike out, and it's a lot more fun to go home at the end of the day knowing you did your best. If every player on the team comes to the field with this attitude, not only will she do better, but the whole team will benefit!