I will be traveling to Oklahoma City to watch some great softball at The 2015 WBSC Junior Women’s World Championship. In addition to watching great games, I am looking forward to observing some of the most the talented young hitters from around the world.
When I visited the Dominican Republic with the Wheaton College Softball Team, we played several games against some players on the Dominican Junior National Softball Team. I was by struck how passionate the young Dominican women were about softball, in a country dominated by baseball. I had a chance to interact with some of the players, measure their bat speeds, and give them some hitting tips. In addition to feeling their zest for the game, my assessment of the Dominican hitters was they had great athletic ability, but lacked the proper hitting mechanics that would enable them to be successful on a world stage.
I am excited to see some world-class hitters in Oklahoma City, but I am also expecting to see hitters from some countries who have not yet been exposed to the power hitting mechanics that are finally being used by some of the top hitters in the world. When I return from Oklahoma City, I will write about the hitting mechanics and the general approach of some of the teams participating in the World Championship. I promise to provide an honest assessment of what these hitters from around the world do well and what they need to work on to become elite hitters at the senior level.
Here is a link to the tournament website for general information, score updates, and live streaming video:
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/Events/2015/August/09/XI-WBSC-Junior-Womens-World-Championship