Bill Dryden has been coaching fastpitch softball since 1978, serving as a high school coach in Delaware and, currently, an assistant coach with the Lady Orioles organization. He has also been a private coach and instructor at clinics in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia.


I am sure you have heard the expression that you are comparing apples and oranges, and the comparison just doesn't fly. In a lot of ways that is true. Certainly the texture, acidity, taste, and color are features of each that show the obvious differences between the two.

However, upon closer examination, we find both are fruits, both come from trees, both are round. So, while there are differences, there are also similarities. Comparing apples to oranges could provide an abstract relationship for comparing pitchers to throwers. Great
transition sentence, huh?

Watching some of my students who work so hard to improve their game gave me the idea to announce in my newsletters when they hit new record speeds. They deserve to be recognized because they work 5-7 days a week at pitching, lifting, conditioning, and at the same time maintaining excellent academics and I'm not talking about going out and throwing for 20 or 30 minutes. They put in hours. They sacrifice a lot to produce a lot.

Bill teaches that a major difference between a thrower and a pitcher is maturity.

That is commitment that deserves recognition and rewards the student with progress she can see, and instills a work ethic that when applied in their adult lives, will allow them to persevere and succeed in their chosen professions

Having the self-motivation and drive to get out there and do it, go beyond what the run of the mill thrower does, will pay off and lift you above the commonplace. Some begin to look at the records and think nothing matters except speed. Those are the throwers.

I did not announce the records to promote throwers who can't pitch, but to reward those girls who work and hit records in the process of becoming pitchers or who are evolving from apples to oranges.

The thrower and the pitcher both stand on the mound. Both probably have somewhat similar wind-ups, and maybe similar deliveries, and the ball goes to the catcher. That is where the similarity ends. The thrower may be taller, bigger, and may throw as hard or harder than the pitcher.

However, the pitcher can make each pitch spin at a high rate and move dramatically. She can pitch with pinpoint accuracy. If the umpire wants the ball an inch higher or an inch more over the plate she can do it while the thrower complains about the strike zone.

The pitcher maintains self-discipline on the mound. Nothing upsets her or takes her out of her game. She bleeds confidence all over the mound and it is absorbed by her teammates and they believe they can win. The pitcher works to perfect each pitch. She wants to make her spin more perfect and produce better movement. She wants to know the optimum speed for each pitch that enables it to move best.

The thrower wants to throw every pitch harder and loses sight of the fact that walking batter after batter doesn't help even if she walks them at 60 mph. They just reach base faster.

Younger pitchers have to play enough innings and face enough batters to become confident on the mound. More often than not, they get on the mound; do not throw as hard as they are capable because of the fear of throwing a ball or hitting a batter. They will work out of that. It is the norm rather exception. It is part of the process, although very frustrating to the parents.

Maturity is a quality that belongs to the pitcher, but not the thrower. The pitcher is able to think about what she is seeing when she is on the mound. She is able to process batter adjustments and report them back to the coach so they can adjust to the adjustment of the batter. It is move and counter move. The thrower can't think beyond the pitch she is throwing now and how to throw it harder.

Do you see the difference?

I did not start entering speeds in the newsletter to create a monster. Speed is nothing if you can't throw the ball exactly where you want it with the movement you expect. If you say you throw a drop, change, fastball, curve, and change, and can only throw the fastball for strikes, you don't have the other pitches.

If you don't have command of your pitches, you are a thrower. If you are a 10U or 12U, you are okay. You have time to develop, but if you are at the 14U level or above, you had better begin to concentrate on getting your pitches located or you will need a lot of relief pitchers to back you up. Pitching is an art. It must be perfected.

Forget apples and oranges. Pitching is a mango. Throwing is a prune. Work hard and have the patience to learn to pitch.