Here's a note that I could have hung on my locker during most of the 2025 softball season.
Okay, that's a slight exaggeration.
I did play some softball in 2025. But it certainly was a little bit. Here's my total stat line for the year:
4 games played, 3-for-10, 1 walk, 1 sac fly, 3 RBI, 4 runs scored.
So why the short stat line?
Well, I had a bit of a shoulder issue early in the year. And it was my throwing shoulder.
This is something I dealt with once before, about 10 or 12 years ago. And I think the same thing was behind it both times: consistently long hours at the job, which led to a decrease in stretching and weightlifting at home, which led to an imbalance in my shoulder. More specifically, spending so many hours sitting at a desk all winter long can cause poor posture and a rounding forward of the shoulders. When that happens, the tendons and ligaments in the front of the shoulder begin to get tighter than they should be, while the ones at the back of the shoulder get stretched out. If you've got that anatomical image in mind, you can imagine that it would become difficult to grab a softball, reach back, and really throw one—especially from the third base position, where I most often play.
So, after a few games I decided to pack it in, get some rest, and then refer to my rehab notes from the last time this happened and get to work. The Summer season was just around the corner, and even though I'd probably miss the first few games, it was fine.
However, that stat line above tells a different story. So what happened?
First influencing factor
I learned that our team captain wasn't going to assemble a team for the Summer. Too many players weren't able to commit, whether it was because they had travel plans, other obligations, or just didn't want to play. So, that left me scrambling to find another team.
Second influencing factor
I'd already started playing golf. (Thankfully, the shoulder issue didn't affect my golf swing very much, because most of the golf swing happens below shoulder level. And I play left-handed, which also meant less of an impact from the particular shoulder issue I was dealing with.) I was really enjoying golf, and started to think that instead of posting to local softball message boards and asking former teammates if they knew of any teams with openings, I might just stick to golf for the summer. I was playing pretty well, and [spoiler alert] I'd just upgraded some of my equipment for the first time in about two decades!
Third influencing factor
Going back and forth between swinging a softball bat and swinging a golf club on a weekly basis can affect your consistency in both sports. And that's not to mention switching your mind from softball mode (situational hitting, baserunning, fielding, etc.) to golf mode (getting your yardage, accounting for wind and slope, choosing a club, and so on). Playing only golf was helping my game, for sure.
Hey, no one said it was easy to be a two-sport guy.
So, I stuck with golf over the Summer, and into the Fall as well. Stay tuned for the 2025 golf season wrap-up.
Back to softball now. I'm going to add my 2025 stats to the "back of the baseball card" record, just to be thorough and honest with myself.
And here are my fielding stats.
I'm not going to read too much into those numbers. It was the very beginning of the year, after all, and I'd had no practice time.
So did I miss playing softball during the year? Yes, at times.
Will I get energized about softball over the winter as I continue to work my shoulder back to full strength? Maybe. But I have to say, it was also nice to have a little more time at home on the weekends. Work remained extremely busy the entire year, which certainly wore on me.
Anyhow, the whole thing is a bit of a conundrum. We'll see how I feel after a winter of rehabbing and rest. I'm also going to consider an over-40 softball league next year. I'm getting fairly close to 50 now.
As for softball goals, I'll list a few.
Stop Lunging at Short Pitches
This was a fault I exhibited in 2024 as well. Maybe it's because with golf, you're always swinging down at a ball on the ground. So when a pitch comes in short of home plate, it seems like a good thing to me.
See the Bottom of the Ball and Hit Line Drives
This is related to the goal above. If I can see the top of the ball as the pitch is coming down from its apex, that means it's probably coming in too low, and increases my likelihood of hitting a grounder. If I can instead focus on the bottom of the ball, and then try to make contact just below center, it should induce more line drives. I've got to let more of the low pitches go for balls and just wait for the next one.
Be a Better Situational Hitter
In one of my last at-bats of the season, we had a very slow runner at first base with no outs. I decided to try to get on base by smacking a grounder through a hole in the infield. Well, an infielder scooped it up and forced the easy out at second base. I just barely beat the throw to first to avoid the double play. Regardless, that's just bad hitting. I had no situational awareness. The smarter play is to try to hit one hard into the outfield, because even if you fly out, it keeps a double play off the table. I've got to do better with that next year. As a hitter, you have time to assess the situation as you're walking up to home plate, before the first pitch comes in. You just have to think a little bit.
Let's keep the goals list there for now.
Well, that was a lot of text for a very short softball season. But like I've said in the past, posting everything here will help keep me accountable and help me reach my goals. And I appreciate you reading along.
How about you readers and collectors?
Did any of you get out there this past year and play a sport, be it softball or anything else?
Share in the comment section, and thanks again for reading!
