06/12/2026
Since we are entering the longest two-three months of the year I thought I would make this post. This summer is the first one I have not put on softball pants in 90° weather and went out and played 5-10 games in a weekend. I could not be happier. Don’t get me wrong I miss traveling with friends, going to new places, and playing really good competition but all that strain has put me in the position I’m in now.
Thinking about these 10-18 year old girls going from playing middle school ball, rec ball, and highschool ball to 3 months of straight traveling every weekend. It can be extremely hard on their bodies mentally and physically. Some of these pitchers have thrown 100s on 100s of pitches in the past 4 months. How many weeks did they get between their season to the next? 0-2 weeks max. Some of them also play multiple sports and started open gyms at the beginning of June.
Whenever you get angry at these kids for giving up runs, making an error, or striking out they are tired from all this softball they are doing. So please for the love of these kids confidence levels don’t make them throw 200-300 pitches in a weekend and expect them to do well during every pitch. That is an absurd amount to ask for even for athletes my age. What you say to these kids determines how they treat themselves for the rest of their lives. If you need a reminder how to treat these kids please check out these stats on overuse and burnouts. Allow kids to rest and take off days.
