4 TAKE AWAYS

Beyond pitching, hitting
The 4 'other' takeaways
of championship teams

Quotes from a much longer article Posted 

by Cindy Bristow at Softball EXCELLENCE.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY.

Wesley Wolverine freshman #32 OF Kelly Palmer (Hershey, PA).

“OK, 

let’s state this right off the bat – great pitching and timely hitting win championships 

...I’ve come up with a more detailed list of 4 'Other'  Take-Aways that makeup championship teams.” 

1. INCREDIBLE DEFENSE –
“Oregon might have beaten Washington in the bottom of the 7th in Game 3 of the WCWS if Ali Aguilar doesn’t dive up the middle, make an incredible stop, and an even more incredible glove toss to force the runner out at 2nd base. And while the pitch was incredible at 69 mph, the defense was even more incredible!”

2. TREMENDOUS BASERUNNING – “Tremendous baserunning doesn’t require great speed, but it does demand you know where the ball is at all times, that you take the fastest route, and that you’re always expecting to keep going.”

3. HEADS UP PLAYS – 
“Heads up means awareness of the next play, or of the entire field, of the unexpected. Heads up plays are usually boiled down to this – extreme awareness. Not assuming a running will just stop at a base because most of them do, but instead, being ready in case this runner decides to break to the next base... 

“Heads up plays aren’t the sole property of the starting lineup. Anybody on the team at any time can have ‘extreme awareness’ and either help put their team back in the ball game, or else help propel them to victory!”

4. CALM & CONSTANT BELIEF – 
“Keeping a calm front and a constant belief in your team’s ability is a must for every member of your team. And the proof of just how difficult this is is how much we admire it every time we see it. So next time, BE it instead of just seeing it!”

From top, Wesley Wolverines junior #13 UT Ashley Royer (Lititz, PA), freshman #5 UT Amanda Curry (Williamsport, MD), sophomore #23 MI Brooke Retkowski (Baltimore, MD), freshman #25 P/ 1B Dori Loukopoulos (Chambersburg, PA).