If you watched the recent Women’s College World Series, you saw the infielders make some absolutely incredible plays.
Check out the 3 things ALL great infielders do that help make them great.
Oklahoma shortstop, Grace Lyons, is one of the best defensive shortstops in the college game – ever, and her teammate at second base, Tiare Jennings, is also a defensive standout. Josie Muffley, Florida State shortstop, is also an amazing defender. We saw all of their defensive abilities on display during the WCWS. While not WCWS participants, these Gold Glove infielders also set the bar high: Pitt 1st baseman Sarah Seamans, Arizona 2nd baseman Allie Skaggs, and Rutgers 3rd baseman, Payton Lincavage.
While it’d be great to have such tremendous ballplayers on your infield, we aren’t usually that lucky. But, take heart, your players CAN do the same 3 things these great fielders do, and fortunately, they aren’t complicated.
3 Ways to have Gold Glove Infielders:
- Get BIG – If you watch, the great infielders open their gloves up Wide. This means they’re opening their hand up inside their glove and giving the ball lots of room to get inside. Keep in mind a softball is larger than a baseball so softball players need to open their gloves up REALLY WIDE. If you look at the pictures below of outstanding college softball fielders, you’ll see every one of them has their glove opened nice and BIG!
- Get LOW – When possible, keep your hips below the ball. This allows your body to stay under control to ensure a better throw, and helps you be in better position to react if the ball decides to do something crazy. Again, you can see most of the players below doing their best to keep their hips below the ball as they field it!
- Get EARLY – Get the Glove Open and get it Down Early. Notice the player below on the far right, her glove is BIG, her hips are below the ball and she’s ready to field the ball – and it’s not even in the picture yet. Balls travel super-fast and great fielders move their glove into position early so they don’t get beat by the ball.
For more help with your fielders, check out the following:
