Softball tryout drills
By the TryoutSheet team · Updated
A good softball tryout is a handful of stations, the same reps for every player, and one evaluator per station scoring on the same scale. Below are the drills most softball tryouts use, how to set each one up, how many reps to give, what to watch for and what a 1, 3 and 5 look like.
Free softball tryout evaluation form (same stations, one page per player) · Baseball tryout drills
A two-hour tryout, station by station
- 0:00 · Check-in: every player gets a number. Warm-up and throwing progression together.
- 0:20 · Home to first while legs are fresh, after the warm-up.
- 0:35 · Split into groups and rotate stations: infield, outfield, hitting, exit velocity, arm velocity (about 12–15 minutes each).
- 1:40 · Pitchers and catchers: bullpens with velocity and strikes, catcher pop times and blocking.
- 2:00 · Optional short game or live at-bats to see players in game situations. Thank everyone; tell families when they’ll hear back.
The drills
Live or front-toss hitting
Setup: A cage or the field with a protected feeder. Front toss from behind an L-screen, or live pitching from a coach for older groups. One hitter in, two on deck, with slappers given a few slap swings too.
Reps: 8–10 swings per player, after 2–3 to get loose.
Watch for:
- Balance and a repeatable stance
- Bat path through the zone; staying through the ball
- Quality of contact: line drives vs topped and popped balls
- Approach: lets bad pitches go when live
Scoring: 1: rarely squares it up, loses balance. 3: regular solid contact at this level. 5: hard line drives to all fields, a repeatable swing.
Exit velocity off the tee
Setup: A tee in a cage with a radar gun or a hitting sensor behind the hitter, pointed along the ball’s path.
Reps: Three swings, record each, keep the best.
Watch for:
- The best of three, not the average: you want the player’s ceiling
- Same tee height and radar spot for everyone
Scoring: Measured in mph. Record every rep and the best; TryoutSheet keeps the best and ranks the group.
Infield ground balls
Setup: Fungo from home to short and second (or third and first). Mix balls to the glove side, backhand side and slow rollers in. Throw to first.
Reps: 5–6 balls per player: 2 at them, 2 to each side, 1–2 in.
Watch for:
- First step and angle to the ball
- Soft hands and a clean transfer
- Footwork into the throw
- Throw on line and on time to first
Scoring: 1: misses or bobbles most balls, throws off line. 3: fields routine balls cleanly with an accurate throw. 5: smooth on every ball, quick release, strong and accurate.
Outfield fly balls and throws
Setup: Fungo fly balls from home to center; add a ground ball to charge and a throw to a cut-off or a base.
Reps: 3 fly balls (in, back, to the side) and 2 ground balls with a throw.
Watch for:
- Read off the bat and first step
- Route: straight lines vs drifting
- Catch with a crow hop into the throw
- Throw low and on line to the target
Scoring: 1: misreads, drops or long routes. 3: catches routine balls, gets the ball back in. 5: great jumps and routes, carries the throw to the base.
Arm velocity
Setup: Position throws on a radar: infielders from short to first, outfielders from the outfield to a target, catchers on their own station. Warm up fully first.
Reps: Three throws, record each, keep the best.
Watch for:
- Only after a proper throwing warm-up
- Same distance and radar position for everyone
Scoring: Measured in mph. Keep the best of three.
Pitching from the circle
Setup: Pitchers throw a bullpen with a catcher and a radar behind the plate. Note fastball velocity, then strikes out of 10 and how off-speed pitches look (rise, drop, change-up).
Reps: A warm-up, then 3 fastballs for velocity and 10 pitches for strikes. Follow your league’s pitch-count and rest rules.
Watch for:
- A repeatable delivery
- Strikes, not just speed
- Feel for an off-speed pitch
Scoring: Velocity in mph (best of 3), strikes out of 10, and a 1–5 for mechanics.
Catcher pop time
Setup: Catcher in full gear behind the plate, a coach feeding pitches, a fielder covering second. Stopwatch from the pitch hitting the mitt to the throw reaching the fielder’s glove.
Reps: Three throws, keep the best. Add receiving and blocking balls in the dirt as a rated skill.
Watch for:
- Quick transfer and feet
- Throw on the bag side of second
- Blocking: body in front, ball kept close
Scoring: Measured in seconds (lower is better). Receiving and blocking rated 1–5.
Home to first
Setup: From the batter’s box, a swing (or slap) and run through first. Time from contact to the bag, by hand or with a laser.
Reps: Two runs, keep the best.
Watch for:
- Out of the box quickly
- Runs through the bag, doesn’t slow down
Scoring: Measured in seconds (lower is better). Keep the best of two.
Athleticism and coachability
Setup: Not a separate station: every evaluator notes it all day. A short agility drill (a pro-agility shuttle or a cone weave) at the end helps.
Reps: Observed across the session.
Watch for:
- Moves well, changes direction easily
- Hustles between stations
- Listens to a cue and makes the change on the next rep
Scoring: 1: struggles with movement, doesn’t adjust. 3: solid athlete for the group. 5: moves very well and adjusts right away.
Running it fairly
- One evaluator per station, scoring every player there, beats one coach scoring a few players everywhere. Scores become comparable.
- Score by number, not name. Evaluators who don’t have a child trying out keep it fair.
- Same reps, same distances, same radar spot for everyone. Write the setup down so next year matches.
- Rate against this group: 3 means “at the level of this tryout”, not “average kid”.
- Weight the stations before you see the scores: hitting and defense usually count more than one sprint.
- Tell families when and how they’ll hear back, and be kind to the players you cut.
Try it on your next tryout
TryoutSheet has these softball stations preset. Evaluators score on their phones, film reps, and it ranks the group with your weights. Free for one tryout of 25 players.
Questions
How long should a softball tryout be?
Two hours covers warm-up, a sprint, four or five rotating stations and bullpens for 20–40 players. With more players, add stations or a second session rather than more time per player.
How many evaluators do I need?
One per station, plus a second at hitting and pitching if you can. Three to six people for a typical tryout.
How do I score the drills?
Rate skills 1–5 against the group and record measured stations (velocity, times) as numbers, best rep kept. Our free tryout evaluation form has every station on one page per player; TryoutSheet does the same on a phone and adds it up with your weights.