For a number of years, baseball announcers and analysts have suggested that early in the season, pitching is ahead of hitting until hitters can get their timing down.
Conventional wisdom would suggest that especially would be the case this year because last season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But so far this baseball and softball season locally, the case has been the opposite. Teams here in Bartholomew County have been hitting and scoring at a torrid pace.
“It is usually the other way around, especially earlier in the year,” Columbus East baseball coach Jon Gratz said. “The weather may play a part of it because it’s been warmer earlier in the year. Some of these kids play travel ball, so they were hitting all summer. I think our pitching is a little behind. We’ve had three guys that have been out, so we’ve had guys bump up.”
The Olympians, who returned two of their top four pitchers, but lost their top five hitters from their 2019 Class 4A state runner-up team, were averaging 6.0 runs a game, but giving up 8.1 going into Wednesday’s game at Madison. As a result, they’re off to a 2-4-1 start.
Meanwhile, Columbus North has been lighting up the scoreboard. The Bull Dogs, who are 9-0-1 and ranked No. 1 in the state in 4A, have reached double digits six times in 10 games and are averaging 9.0 runs a game while giving up only 2.9.
“Definitely most years, our pitching and defense is ahead of our hitting, but this year, with having a lot of returning guys, our practice plan this year, we have definitely focused on hitting,” said senior Kyler McIntosh, who is one of North’s top hitters and pitchers. “When we were inside, with having so many seniors, we’ve been teaching each other stuff. I truly do think it’s an accountability thing. We’ve done a really good job of that this year, and it’s obviously showing.”
Bull Dogs coach Ben McDaniel isn’t surprised.
“I think the thing with our group is, I wouldn’t say I’m completely taken aback by anything,” McDaniel said. “They’re doing what seniors should do. They’re taking good approaches in the box. They’re helping each other out. Maybe the amount of runs this early is a little bit of a surprise, but the fact that we’re hitting and putting the ball in play with solid contact isn’t that surprising.”
Hauser’s baseball team is scoring 3.3 runs a game and giving up 8.0 in its 1-2 start.
In softball, Hauser is putting up 10.9 runs a game, while giving up only 4.9. The Jets are 6-1 and share the No. 4 ranking in this week’s Class A poll.
“I’m not necessarily surprised, and the reason for that is the work that is put in with workouts and practices,” Hauser softball coach Andy Brunner said. “We’ll split offense and defense in practice. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with our bats, especially adjusting to the varying speeds of pitching, but the consistency of our bats is something that I’ve been pleased with more than anything else.”
North softball is off to a 5-1 start, thanks in large part to its offensive production. Despite playing without three starters for most of the season because of illness and contact tracing, the Bull Dogs are scoring 6.8 runs a game and allow 4.7.
“We have probably the best hitting team I’ve ever had,” North softball coach Ron McDonald said. “We’re just so deep everywhere now. I do think pitching is down. There’s few teams that have exceptional pitching. We’ve been able to get around on a lot of people.”
East softball is averaging 6.1 runs a game, but did not return any high school pitching experience and is giving up 9.4.
“Our offense is doing some stuff pretty well,” East softball coach Rusty Brummett said. “I think what we are seeing and maybe what is happening is, a lot of teams moving from 2019 to 2020, they may have had more experience ready to go in and pitch in the 2020 season. But we’re like everybody else. We lose those seniors, and if those juniors last year didn’t get that experience, you have a lot more inexperienced girls.
“Then the reality is, in high school, if you have a freshman or sophomore 15-or-16-year-old girl whose going to be pitching against a senior who’s going to be a freshman in college, that has a lot to do with it to,” he added. “You put some inexperienced fielding out there with some inexperienced pitching, and these offenses are able to put up some numbers.”
Brummett thinks maybe the batters have finally adjusted to the pitchers after the distance was moved back from 40 to 43 feet a few years ago.
“It just seems like there’s been a lot of home runs hit, not only in our games, but from reading the papers,” Brummett said. “If somebody would have told me at this point in the season, we were averaging six or seven runs a ballgame, I’d be like, ‘OK, we’ve got a chance.’ I think it will balance out, but I think now, you have to put up a lot of runs if you’re going to win.”
The Olympians are off to a 2-5 start. They did score seven runs in two innings Friday against Brown County before that game was wiped out because of lightning.
“I think we’re doing pretty good so far,” sophomore shortstop and leading hitter Kenzie Foster said. “I think we just need to focus on scoring more runs in the first couple innings because I think that if we can do that, it will set the tone for the rest of the game. I think we’re just going to keep improving as the year goes on, and I think we’re going to start winning some more games.”
