Softball Batting Tips: How to Hit a Ball Thrown Down the Middle

As a hitter, it’s important to understand how to swing on different pitches in your strike zone. Each pitch location has a unique contact point, or where you should make contact with the ball. To get the most out of each swing, be sure to let the ball travel to that point. Doing so can allow for stronger, more solid hits, rather than weak ground balls or flailing pop-ups.

For softballs pitched down the middle, your contact point should be just off your front stride foot in front of the plate. You can train your swing to meet the ball at this point with some simple tee work.

TEE DRILL

To practice hitting softballs thrown down the middle, set your tee in front of the plate. Align your tee just off where your front stride foot should land. You can set your pitch height to your liking, but thigh-high should be good for now. With this setup, you should be able to hit the ball right back up the middle into center field.

Remember, trying to force a pitch in one direction or another can take away from your contact and result in weaker batted balls. Allow the softball to travel into your swing and drive it back up the middle.

Pitchers aren’t going to serve up softballs down the middle all the time, however. Use these softball hitting tips to find out how to hit pitches thrown inside and thrown outside.