What Stat Should Pitchers Actually Care About This Preseason?

What Stat Should Pitchers Actually Care About This Preseason?

Before the season even starts, most girls already feel pressure.

And it usually comes from what they think they’re supposed to measure.

I see it every preseason.

Parents are excited. Schedules are filling up. Lessons are booked. New teams. New goals. New expectations.

And then the stat conversations start.

“How fast is she throwing now?”
“How many strikeouts did she have?”
“What was her ERA last season?”

Now let me be clear — I’m not anti-stats.

But I am cautious about pitchers obsessing over numbers, especially at younger ages. Stats can become noise real fast if a player isn’t mentally ready to separate performance from self-worth.

Too often, stats stop being information and start becoming identity.

And that’s where confidence starts to crack.

But if pitchers and parents are going to care about any stat this season, there’s really only one I want them paying attention to.

WHIP.

WHIP stands for Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched.

At first glance, it doesn’t sound flashy. It doesn’t scream dominance. It’s not the stat people post online.

But that’s exactly why it matters.

WHIP tells a better story — and a healthier one mentally.

ERA focuses on runs, which are often out of your daughter’s control. Errors, bloop hits, missed plays, passed balls — they all impact ERA, even when a pitcher does her job.

Strikeouts are exciting, but they can lead to forcing pitches, overthrowing, and chasing perfection instead of execution.

WHIP focuses on efficiency and control.

Did she limit free runners?
Did she stay aggressive early in counts?
Did she make hitters earn their way on base?

Those questions reflect the process, not just the outcome.

And that distinction matters more than most people realize.

Here’s the part parents appreciate most once they truly understand WHIP.

A pitcher can give up a hit.
She can have an error behind her.
She can even give up a run.

And still have a solid WHIP.

That’s huge for confidence.

Because instead of spiraling after one bad inning, she learns how to zoom out and ask a much better question:

“Did I do my job overall?”

That mindset keeps pitchers composed. It keeps them present. And it helps them recover faster when things don’t go perfectly — because they won’t.

Preseason is the best time to introduce this lens because there’s no scoreboard pressure yet. No rankings. No tournament wins or losses defining the moment.

Just preparation.

When pitchers understand that success isn’t about being perfect, but about managing innings and limiting damage, they compete freer. They stop feeling like every pitch has to be a strikeout. They trust their defense. They stay aggressive.

And parents play a bigger role in this than they realize.

What you choose to talk about at home matters.

If every post-game conversation centers around strikeouts, velocity, or runs allowed, your daughter learns that those are the only things that define success. But when the conversation shifts to efficiency, decision-making, and overall execution, she learns how to evaluate herself without beating herself up.

That’s how confidence is built.

Not by ignoring mistakes.
Not by inflating results.
But by understanding what actually matters.

This preseason, the goal isn’t to obsess over numbers.

It’s to choose the right lens.

When parents help their daughters understand what success really looks like, the pressure eases. They stop chasing perfection. They stop fearing failure. And they start competing with clarity.

Preseason is where these standards are set.

Not by how hard we train —
but by what we choose to measure and talk about at home.

Want to Keep Learning?

If this perspective helped you see the game a little differently, you’re not alone.

I write blogs specifically for softball parents who want to support their daughters with confidence, clarity, and less pressure — while still helping them grow.

👉 Continue reading more blogs here:
https://www.dr3fastpitch.com/blog