Competitive fast-pitch softball is a game driven by statistics. Players and coaches want updates on batting averages, slugging percentages, home run totals, runs batted in and on-base percentages. Every time a player comes to the plate, her overall statistics are impacted and so are those of the team she represents.
AB
The term "AB" stands for at bats in softball. When a player comes to the plate, she immediately gets a plate appearance in a statistical breakdown. If she gets a hit, hits a ground ball, strikes out, fouls out or flies out on a play that does not bring a runner home, she is charged with an at bat.
No AB
A player is not charged with an at bat when she receives a base on balls, gets hit by the pitch, lays down a sacrifice bunt or hits a sacrifice fly. These plays have no impact on a player's batting average.
Batting Average
A player's softball batting average is figured by dividing the number of hits a player gets by the number of at bats. If a players has 45 hits in 100 at bats, she is hitting .450 for the season. If she comes up four times in the next game and gets three hits and a base on balls, she will have 48 hits in 103 at bats. That improves her average to .466. The base on balls does not impact her batting average.
Coaching Use
Coaches will look at statistics like at bats, batting average and on-base percentage regularly to decide who to put in the lineup. If a coach looks at one of her players in practice and decides she likes that player's batting stroke, she might look at the season-long stats to review that player's performance. If that player has a low number of ABs, the coach might change her lineup and give the player more of a chance to contribute by inserting her in the lineup. A player who is not producing because she has just a few hits and a large number of at bats might find herself benched as a result of her lack of productivity.
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