This came up recently when the mom of one of my students asked me for a little help in learning how to call pitches for her daughter. Makayla worked very hard through the off-season, pre-season, and then the season itself to learn to throw a good, reliable fastball, a strong change, and the beginnings of a drop ball.

The thing is, knowing how to throw those pitches isn’t enough. You also need to know when. Sarah wanted to use the pitches strategically but wasn’t sure how.

Now, you can search for fastpitch pitch calling guides on the Internet, but most of them assume a much older, more experienced pitcher with a variety of pitches at their disposal. Yes, it’s great to say “throw a curve followed by a rise” to this type of hitter. But what if you  don’t have either?

To help her out, I put together the guide below. You can either copy and print it out, from this post or you can download the attachment which contains the same information.

The guide essentially speaks to how to use “just” a fastball and a change to get ahead of hitters and keep them off-balance so they either strike out or make weak contact. It goes through what to throw different types of hitters as well as some core strategies.

This information has been vetted, too. I checked in with Sarah after Makayla’s last tournament and she said it worked great. So if you’re just getting into the whole cat-and-mouse game between pitchers and hitters, this guide should give you a good start.

Basic Pitch Calling Guide

This guide assumes the pitcher has a fastball and changeup, and can locate her fastball reasonably well. Keep in mind that you also have to pay attention to what the pitcher has that day. If she can’t throw to the outside corner this day, you won’t want to do that as often and so on.

Good hitter (1-5 in lineup most likely)

• Start low and out. Most hitters don’t like that pitch and will let it go by for a free strike. “When in doubt, throw low and out.”
• When ahead in the count (0-2 or 1-2), don’t throw strikes trying to go for the “quick kill.” Try throwing a high pitch, or well outside.
• Mix it up. If you threw two outside pitches in a row, come back inside. But don’t do it every time. Having a set pattern will come back to haunt you.
• If the changeup is working, try starting a strong hitter with a change. They’re usually looking to rock a fastball so a change will throw them off – maybe for the entire at bat.

Power hitter

• Keep the ball low. You want ground balls, not fly balls.
• Again, try starting with a changeup.
• If the first change worked, don’t be afraid to throw another one right away. Hitters rarely expect back-to-back changeups.
• Depending on the situation, a walk may not be a bad option. Better to give up one base than four. Especially with runners on base.
• With an 0-1 count, try coming inside. Let her crush a pitch foul down the left field line (right handed batter). It’s just a long strike, but it provides an overblown sense of self-confidence. Then go back outside, or throw a change.

Weaker hitter

• If you can blow the ball by them, do it. Don’t try to get too fancy until they prove they can catch up to the fastball. A changeup may be the only pitch they can hit.
• Don’t worry as much about inside/outside either. If you’re overpowering them, just rear back and rock it in there.
• If they look nervous at the plate, come inside for a strike. One inside pitch ought to be enough to freeze their bats.

Slappers (if you see any)

• Watch how they run toward the front of the box
  • If they go directly at the pitcher, throw inside to try and jam them; throwing low and out just helps them by putting the ball where they want it
  • If they try to run to first base right away, throw outside
• Throw changeups to take away the advantage of a running start
• Throw high to try to get them to pop up

Good times to throw a changeup

• First pitch to a good hitter (but not all the time).
• Right after pulling the ball far down the line foul. She’s ahead of the fastball. She’ll REALLY be ahead of the change.
• When she fouls a pitch straight back.
• Right after she missed a changeup.
• When she’s been fouling off several pitches. She has the timing down, just hasn’t quite gotten the bat on the ball. Throw the change, even if it’s for a ball. The change in speed will upset her timing.

Hitter location at the plate

• Standing close to the plate – throw inside (but be careful – some hitters like inside and not inside; I teach hitters like that to crowd the plate on purpose to turn outside pitches into middle pitches and to try to draw inside pitches)
• Standing away from the plate – throw outside; they won’t be able to reach the pitch, and are probably scared of being hit

Basic Pitch Calling Guide