The Batting Line Up



The batting line up is a basic strategy that has to happen every game. This is my opinion on how you should make it. I am sure there are people that would disagree with me, but I’m the one writing this article. I like the first athlete in the order to be a person who has a high on base percentage and is fast. I also like speed in the second spot, a high percentage hitter in the

third spot, and my best power hitter in the fourth spot, followed by a decent power hitter. After that, it isn’t extremely important who bats where unless I am blessed with good hitters all the way through the roster. My feeling is that the players at the top of the order will probably see one more time at bat than the ones at the bottom, therefore, set up the top half of the batting order with the players that are most likely to score your runs.

If you post a clip board with the batting order on it just inside the dugout close to the bats, the players can look to see when they are coming up to bat. This will avoid a lot of distracting questions in the middle of the game.

Again, this is my opinion and if you have a different idea, please tell us about it in the Coaching-Fastpitch Blog. Your input will help this site become more and more informative.

Coaches Input

Coach Art Whittemore writes:

I just have one comment on your strategy for developing the lineup -- I absolutely agree with your thoughts on the first five (or six) positions in the lineup, but I think there is some strategy in the bottom portion of the lineup as well.

I think most of us have a few girls who are not fast on the basepaths -- these girls may tens to clog the bases because they are not going to steal bases and they probably will only advance one base at a time. I always make sure to put these girls in the 7th or 8th position - and never the 9th (or 10th, since we bat ten in our league). This way, when the lineup turns over and my high OBP (and speedy) girls are coming up again, their ability to disrupt the game with their speed is not impaired by having a slow runner ahead of them.

So I usually put a light-hitting but speedy girl in 9th and 10th.

Thank you for your input Art.


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