MASH Softball

🚨PITCHING COACH WANTED🚨

Email [email protected] if interested in growing and developing softball athletes!

The bench might be one of the most taken-for-granted places in softball and here is why...

For starters, nobody wants to be there. Every player wants to be in the lineup. You want the at-bats. You want the ball hit to you. You want to be the one in the circle, the one coming up with runners in scoring position, the one your teammates are waiting for at home plate.

But someday, when softball is over, you might realize the bench gave you something the field never could.

A chance to actually take in the game.

When you're playing, everything moves fast.

You're thinking about the count. The runner. The signs. Your positioning. Your last at-bat. Your next pitch. Whether you're covering. Where you're going with the ball if it comes to you.

You're inside the game.

But when you're sitting on the bench, even if it's only for a few innings, you're allowed to see it from the outside.

You notice the pitcher working through an inning.

You hear the conversations between coaches.

You watch hitters make adjustments.

You see how an infielder shifts with the situation.

You notice the runner timing her jump.

You hear the dugout getting louder with two strikes.

You hear the cleats on the concrete.

You hear the snap of the glove in the bullpen.

You hear teammates laughing about something that has absolutely nothing to do with softball.

And for once, the game slows down. That's the part we don't appreciate enough.

Because softball isn't going to last forever.

There will eventually be a day when you'd give almost anything to sit in that dugout one more time.

To lean against the fence with your teammates.

To smell the dirt and grass.

To hear someone yell, "Ball in!"

To watch your teammate fight through a long at-bat.

To pick her up after a strikeout.

To celebrate a run.

To lose your mind when someone comes through with two outs.

To argue about whether that outside pitch was actually a strike.

To know that at any moment your coach might turn around and call your name.

The bench can feel like the place where you're waiting for softball to happen to you.

But maybe it's actually one of the few places where you get to completely experience softball happening around you.

That doesn't mean you should be satisfied with sitting there.

Compete. Work. Earn your opportunity. Want to be on the field.

But don't spend every inning on the bench wishing you were somewhere else.

Look around every once in a while.

Watch the game.

Talk to your teammates.

Learn something.

Laugh.

Be loud.

Take it in.

Because one day, nobody is going to tell you to grab a helmet.

Nobody is going to ask if you're ready to pinch hit.

Nobody is going to yell down the dugout looking for someone to warm up.

Nobody is going to tell you that you're on deck.

The game will keep being played. You just won't be sitting there anymore.

And that's when you'll realize:

The bench wasn't time you were losing, it was part of the game you were lucky enough to play. 🥎❤️

Got any others? 🚩👀

To our new and returning players, welcome home 🔔❤️

🚨WINTER TEAMS🚨
Your daughter doesn’t need to have everything figured out yet.

She just needs an environment where she can learn, compete, build confidence and discover how much fun it can be to get better.

The MASH Softball Development Program is built for 8U–12U athletes who are ready to take the next step in their development without losing the joy that made them fall in love with softball in the first place.

Over 12 weeks, athletes will develop through game-like situations, defensive work and individualized skill training in hitting, pitching, catching or fielding.

Give her a place to grow. 💪🥎

Learn more about the MASH Softball Development Program: https://mashathletics.com/athletics/softball/softball-teams/development-teams/