Lauren Delaney of Northwestern University throws pretty hard and has been very successful this season. Her success has come at a certain price for her opponents. She has hit 40 batters this season. In a game against Southern Illinois, she broke a girl's jaw and another's elbow in the same game.
At what point do measures have to be taken against a pitcher who is this wild/dangerous? Or do you just keep playing and eject her if it gets out of control in one game?
I'd like to hear what all you softball fans think about this situation. Does a pitcher of this nature change the game too much or do you just adjust to it?
Unfortunately I haven't seen Lauren Delaney pitch too much this season, but from experience it really depends on whether she just just pitching inside a lot or if she is a truly wild pitcher. If she is just a pitcher who pitches inside a lot then the HBP is incidental and there's nothing you can do. But if she is wild then it is up to the conference and the NCAA to look at the tape to figure out if she's endangering anyone and whether action needs to be taken (which is usually a warning and a call to the umps to make sure to keep an eye on the pitcher's control). Regardless it has to be taken on a game-by game basis and it is up to the ump whether she is a threat to the opposing batters.
As a hitter it can change your mindset coming up to the plate and Delaney might gain a psychological advantage if the batter is afraid to be hit.
40 batters this season?!?! That's crazy. I wonder what that averages out to per game for her. I also can't believe she severely injured two players in one game. Imagine being the next hitter after two of your teammates get taken off the field in agony? You better believe I would be giving myself a little more room at the plate when it's my turn to bat.
I just cross-referenced some stats to see how Delaney stacks up with wild pitches and hit by pitch:
She appears to always be wild (perhaps as she attempts to establish the inside corner). She has 40 hit batters and 41 wild pitches in 281 innings pitched.
I compared it to a range of other pitchers who are tops in their respective conferences:
Jelly (UCLA): 9 HBP, 18 WP, 186 IP
Jordan Taylor (Michigan): 4 HBP, 18 WP, 195 IP
Nikki Nemitz (Michigan): 3 HBP, 10 WP, 172 IP
Amy Solava (Loyola Chicago): 15 HBP, 5 WP, 194 IP
Amanda Macenko (Cleveland St): 7 HBP, 10WP, 273 IP
Lauren Delaney (Northwestern): 40 HBP, 41 WP, 281 IP
She easily doubles up on HBP and WP, even from the pitcher who most closely nears her amount of innings pitched.
I think there should absolutely be a limit on how many batters a pitcher can hit per game. For the majority of pitchers the rule will not even matter, but for wild things like Delaney it might tame them and force them to think again before they let it fly. I think the only way to do it is per game.
Lauren Delaney of Northwestern University throws pretty hard and has been very successful this season. Her success has come at a certain price for her opponents. She has hit 40 batters this season. In a game against Southern Illinois, she broke a girl's jaw and another's elbow in the same game.
At what point do measures have to be taken against a pitcher who is this wild/dangerous? Or do you just keep playing and eject her if it gets out of control in one game?
I'd like to hear what all you softball fans think about this situation. Does a pitcher of this nature change the game too much or do you just adjust to it?
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