What to Watch for In the Olympic Softball Games

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Dec 2, 2013
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Texas
I noticed right off the bat a SS for Aus grabbing a ball in the 5-6 hole with her body going forward and towards 3rd she made an incredible off balance throw to get the runner out at first. Many of those balls go uncontested with the runner making it to 1st. Looks routine unless you see it not being executed day in day out even at the higher levels of college ball. That play made me sit up from my couch.
 
Apr 8, 2019
214
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Great post, thank you for writing it. I'm new to watching this sport at a high level and the speed of routine grounders is what stood out to me most. Infielders have to get the ball out of their glove almost instantly.

Hitting at this level also surprised me. Compared to the NCAA championship, hitting seemed anemic. I guess small ball becomes more important when facing monsters like Abbott, Osterman and Ueno.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
Great post, thank you for writing it. I'm new to watching this sport at a high level and the speed of routine grounders is what stood out to me most. Infielders have to get the ball out of their glove almost instantly.

Hitting at this level also surprised me. Compared to the NCAA championship, hitting seemed anemic. I guess small ball becomes more important when facing monsters like Abbott, Osterman and Ueno.

The hitting was unusually anemic compared to past Olympics. Especially from the USA team. In past years they were putting up monster numbers of runs, especially against the "lower" level teams. This year they couldn't muster more than a couple at most, and two of those games required a walk-off.

You could say it was due to great pitching. But Osterman, Abbott, and Ueno were all in the 2008 Olympics when there was more hitting, and they were in their primes then. It just seemed like the approach was to play for one run, and that carried on to their approach at the plate. In my opinion.
 

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