Outfield Drills for Softball – Line Drives

Purpose: To teach the outfield defense how to react to balls hit directly at them. The line drive may be the hardest ball for outfielders to catch.

Procedure: Position players in a line in the outfield. A fungo hitter stands at home plate or by the pitcher's mound area. Fungo balls directly at the first player. Hit them mostly on a line, although some may have a little loft to them. These balls are hard to judge with depth perception, because they are hit directly at the player. The player makes the catch, and throws the ball to a receiver standing by the hitter, or she tosses the ball into a bucket. Each player catches 15-20 balls.