Situational Hitting: Part 3

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

The last few weeks we have been discussing situational hitting and being able to execute when faced with those situations as a hitter. Last week we talked about suicide and safety squeeze bunts. This week we are going to focus on the next two on the list:

Man on 2nd with Nobody Out
&
Man on 3rd with Less than Two Outs

When a coach says that his team does all the little things well, these two items are big ones on that list. I go crazy watching professional games because so often the big leaguers do not execute in these situations. Worse yet it does not even appear that they are really trying to execute correctly. As young players you can make yourself a valuable member of the team and a productive hitter if you can execute in these spots.

Man on 2nd with Nobody Out

This is when you are not asked to bunt by your coach but you must still advance the runner to 3rd. A simple ground ball to second will do the job perfectly; however, I prefer to have my hitters look to drive the ball to the right side. The key for hitters in this situation is to get a pitch on the outside portion of the plate if you are a right-handed hitter and on the inside portion of the plate if you are a left-handed hitter. Simply swinging at a pitch in the correct portion of the zone makes your job much easier. In the end you need to hit the ball behind the runner and ideally on the ground so that the runner can advance to 3rd. It does not matter if you make an out, you will have done your job.

Man on 3rd with Less than Two Outs

This is probably the most important situation that you can be in. This is when there is an RBI on the line. You have got to score that runner. Teams work so hard to get runners to 3rd with less than two outs so that it makes it easier to score the run. What is critical in this situation is that you are aware of where the defense is playing. If the infield is back, all you need to do is hit a routine ground ball out and you will score the run. If the infield is in, you will need to drive a fly ball to the outfield or hard through the middle.

When in this situation many young hitters will alter their swing too much to try and hit a fly ball and will pop up in the infield. You must keep your head down and stay on the ball so that you can make solid contact. Focus simply on hitting slightly below center on the ball so that you can get the necessary lift. When in these spots, keep it simple and don't try to do too much. Don't try to hit a homerun when a simple ground out will do the job.

Remember these tips and be in control of what you are trying to do in these situations and you will become a clutch run producer for your team. Next week we will talk about hit-and-runs, a man on second with two outs and leading off an inning.


Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.