10/09/2026
Wonder why there’s no screwball on this list 🤔
Want to know what pitches are missing bats at the college level?
I saved this graphic from 6-4-3 Charts back in May, and I think it's worth looking at. This is a college WHIFF% leaderboard from the Super Regionals.
And look at the top three:
Changeup — 59.7%
Changeup — 59.0%
Changeup — 51.9%
Three different elite college pitchers with changeups producing absolutely ridiculous whiff rates. Then look at the rest of the list.
Riseballs.
Dropballs.
More riseballs.
In fact, 9 of the 10 pitches on this particular leaderboard are changeups, riseballs or dropballs. That doesn't mean every pitcher needs to throw all three. But it does reinforce something I've believed for a long time:
The changeup is one of the most underdeveloped weapons in young pitching.
We spend SO much time talking about velocity and adding another pitch, when a really good changeup can make a fastball that much more effective. And I love the fact that the other pitches represented here are primarily pitches that create vertical movement. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that only one pitcher at this level dominated with a curve ball. And notice the screw ball is nowhere to be found on this list.
Rise.
Drop.
Change of speed.
That's a pretty good combination for making hitters uncomfortable. This is also why I'm not a fan of the idea that the curveball automatically needs to be the next pitch a young pitcher learns. I don't believe every 10-, 11-, 12- or 13-year-old pitcher needs to be learning a curveball simply because someone decided, "She needs another pitch." There are so many other ways to develop a pitcher. As Cat Osterman has said: "You don't fix what's not working by learning a new pitch."
If the fastball isn't working, let's figure out why. Maybe it's her spin. Maybe it's her ability to locate. But maybe, her changeup isn't good enough to make batters uncomfortable in the box.
Too many pitchers (and coaches) are ok with a mediocre changeup. Let's be awesome at that pitch before worrying about something new. Because, as you can see, good changeups are dominating the best hitters in the country.
Don't overlook the changeup. Don't treat it like the extra pitch. Develop it. Trust it. And make it a pitch hitters have to respect!
If this leaderboard tells us anything, it's that a great changeup is one of the most valuable weapons a pitcher can have in her arsenal.
