Are Batting Averages being exaggerated?

[badboy]

yes agree with all ba and mph pitching are greatly exaggerated. in high school if they get on base the official scorekeepers usually count it as a hit. I have seen drop fly balls and routine grounders counted as hits. I know one parent who has been saying their child has been throwing over 60 mph since she was 11 and frankly, she has not even come close to that yet.

[coolstuff]

My kid is hitting .643 with .786 OBP in JV

My kid is hitting .500 with .857 OBP in two varsity games. Yep, that's five BB, one H, and one P4.

[larry111]

Just pointing out a few of the pro's and their batting average is not .700

Jennie Finch
International
2008
• Silver Medalist at 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China

2007
• Led team in appearances during the summer with eight and six starts for a 5-0 record and 0.23 ERA
• Threw 49 strikeouts in a team-high 31.0 innings pitched, allowing only nine hits.
• Gold medalist at Pan American Games
Made one appearance, a combined no-hitter, at the Pan American Championships
Accounted for 11 of 12 outs in the 4.0 innings pitched, all strikeouts
• World Cup Champion
Posted a 1-0 record; worked 11.0 innings with 18 strikeouts, allowing only four hits and one walk

2006
• Gold medalist at ISF World Championships
Made two appearances with one start and one win
Posted nine strikeouts in 9.0 innings pitched
Offensively hit .125 (2-for-16) with a double, RBI and two runs scored
• World Cup Champion
Pitched three innings of relief where she recorded six strikeouts
• Against the Houston Thunder in exhibition, recorded 12 strikeouts in 5.2 innings in first appearance after having son, Ace


Lisa Ferguson
CAREER AT BAYLOR
Ranks fifth with 128 career appearances ... Ranks fourth with 87 career starts ... Ranks second on the all-time list with 41 relief appearances ... Fourth on the career list with 56 wins ... Ranks fourth all-time with 85 decisions ... Currently fifth on the all-time list with a .659 winning percentage (56-29) ... Ranks third with a 1.73 ERA ... 44 complete games ranks fourth on the all-time list ... Currently third all-time with 20 shutouts ... First all-time with 15 saves ... Ranks fourth with 578.1 innings pitched ... Currently stands fourth with 5.83 hits per 7.0 innings pitched ... Ranks fourth with 421 strikeouts ... Third all-time with 5.10 strikeouts per 7.0 innings pitched ... Ranks fourth with a 3.53 strikeout-to-walk ratio ... Has held opponents to a .220 batting average to rank fourth all-time.

Christine Summers
Signed full softball scholarship to Big Ten's Indiana University.

· Only player in the country to finish in the Nation’s Top-25 for both BA (.417) and ERA (1.12) while earning All-Conference and All-Region honors in junior college as sophomore. Also finished in National Top-25 for Doubles.


· Batted .310, and surrendered only 1 earned run in 16 innings in the pitcher’s circle, before surgery shortened freshman season.


· Signed softball scholarship with NCAA Div-1 #25 Nationally Ranked SE Missouri State.


· Batted over .420 in nine of ten summer tournament seasons. Hit .383 in the other year.


· Set State 4A Record with 70 Consecutive Scoreless Innings pitched as junior.


· All-Area Pitcher and District MVP when posting the 2nd Best ERA for all north Texas pitchers with a 0.32 ERA, and 18-4 pitching record, as junior, while adding a .474 BA at the plate, and an Area Best 43 RBI.


· Led all north Texas high school hitters with .538 BA as sophomore in leading team to District Title. Also, was District Pitcher-of-the-Year and Offensive Player of the Year in leading team to District Title and 3 Tournament Titles.


· Was selected District Pitcher-of-the-Year as freshman when leading team to District Title, tossing One-Hitter in District Championship game.


· Posted Highest Tournament BA (.541 BA) in leading team to 16U National Title.


· Led team in BA(by over 140 points), and made only 3 errors in 68 games at SS in leading team to 13th place finish in 12U National Championship. Team captured title in 8 of 11 tournaments that season while I posted 7 No-Hitters and 5 One-Hitters in the pitching circle.


· Led National Tournament with .667 BA & 19 Runs in leading team to 10U National Title.


· Led team in BA, and was 26-1 as a pitcher with 18 No-hitters, for 10U National Champs.

[men talljie aunt]

My only response to this childish issue can be summarized with the following example:

Measuring on top versus measuring underneath.

[hit4power]

I keep the book for DD's HS team. I could retire right now if I had $1 for every time a parent came up to me after their DD reached on an error and asked if I had scored that as a hit.

Earlier this week, I handed the book to another parent for an inning so I could take some pics. During our half of the inning, we had runners at second and third, one out, and a fly ball hit directly to the right fielder. It hit her glove and bounced out. Both runners scored and the batter ended up at 2B. When I retrieved the book I noticed a double and 2 RBI's for the batter. Explanation: well, she ended up on 2B and both runners scored, and it was a nice hit.

I gave up trying to explain the proper scoring for that situation.

Although we don't seem to discuss it very much, if BA's are being inflated due to extra hits, I assume fielding percentages are also being simultaneously inflated due to fewer errors being credited...wondering if college coaches pay much attention to the defensive stats or is the focus mostly/totally on the offensive stats?