When you look around a softball diamond, it's usually simple to spot the most important players and personnel --- pitcher, batter, fielders, the umpire calling the balls and strikes, or the coaches on the basepath and in the dugout. But there's one key player working behind the scenes who has a part in every play of the game: the official scorer. That's the person responsible for recording each play in the official scorebook and calculating the game's most vital statistics --- the numbers through which players' and teams' performances are measured. Chief among those stats are batting averages, runs-batted-in, earned-run averages and fielding averages.
Step 1
Compile necessary statistics from softball games using an official scorebook. Add each player in both teams' lineups into the scorecard for a given game in your scorebook, then track each at-bat, each pitching performance and each out recorded defensively. At the conclusion of the game, use the appropriate boxes on your scorecard to list offensive statistics such as at-bats, runs scored, hits and runs-batted-in, as well as pitching statistics like hits allowed, runs and earned runs allowed, strikeouts and walks.
Step 2
Calculate a softball player's batting average by dividing their total number of base hits in a game or during a season by their total number of at-bats. A base hit is recorded when a player reaches base safely after hitting the ball into fair territory, while the NCAA Softball Rulebook defines an at-bat as: "A plate appearance that does not include sacrifices, hit by pitch, base on balls, gaining first base by interference, obstruction, or an incomplete turn at bat." Record the batting average in decimal form to three decimal places. For example, if a player has 15 hits in 45 at-bats, his batting average is .333.
Step 3
Credit a player with a run-batted-in, or RBI, whenever she allows a runner to score via a base hit, a ground out, fielder's choice, sacrifice fly, bases-loaded walk, bases-loaded hit-batsman or a defensive obstruction with the bases loaded. A solo home run is worth one run-batted-in and for every other runner on base at the time of a home run, an addition RBI is awarded the player.
Step 4
Measure a pitcher's performance by computing her earned-run average. First add up the pitcher's total number of earned runs, which the NCAA Softball Rulebook defines as runs "charged against the pitcher when a runner scores as a result of: a base on balls, a fielder's choice, a hit, a batter hit by a pitch, an illegal pitch, a sacrifice bunt (including a slap and running slap), a sacrifice fly, a stolen base and a wild pitch (including a third-strike wild pitch)."
Multiply the total number of earned runs by the number of innings in a regulation game -- seven in a scholastic game and nine in a collegiate contest -- then divide by the number of innings the pitcher has completed.
Step 5
Compile a player's fielding average, which measures his effectiveness defensively, by dividing the player's total number of defensive plays in the field -- assists, putouts and errors -- into the sum of their assists and putouts. Credit a player an assist when she contributes to an out made by another fielder, such as an infielder throwing to first base, an outfielder throwing to home plate for a tag out, or a catcher throwing out a runner attempting to steal a base. Record a putout when a player makes a force out at a base or a tag out on a base runner.
Tips and Warnings
- The NCAA Softball Rulebook recommends the official scorer sit in a neutral location, such as a press box, and not in a team's dugout. From that location, the official scorer must be able to communicate with the umpires and respective team managers, as well as the public address announcer and media members.
- The official scorer must remain objective and not show favor to either team. Ruling an error a base hit to inflate a player's batting average, or doing just the opposite to harm a player's batting average, compromises the integrity of those players and those statistics.
Things You'll Need
- Official scorebook
- Pencils
- Calculator
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