Ron Schmittling is a renowned Mental Performance Coach and author of Winning Starts Within who contributes articles frequent with us.

Ron is excellent at providing ideas, tips and training on how to improve “mental performance for fastpitch athletes!

In today’s post, Ron warns us to beware of a game score that can be dangerous because it not only impacts the scoreboard, it affects our focus and attitude, too.

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The Most Dangerous Score in Softball

Up three runs.

Top of the sixth.

The dugout feels good. A little looser. Conversations drift from the next pitch to the final out.

That’s when games change.

Not because the other team suddenly got better…

… but because focus quietly shifted.

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The Comfort Trap

There’s a score in softball that can be more dangerous than being behind.

It’s the comfortable lead.

When athletes feel the game leaning their direction, the brain starts protecting the outcome instead of competing for the next play.

Instead of thinking:

“Win this pitch.”

The focus becomes:

“Don’t lose this game.”

That tiny shift changes everything.

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What Happens Mentally

When teams start protecting a lead, three things usually happen:

1. Attention moves forward instead of present.
   Athletes start thinking about the handshake line instead of the next pitch.
2. Aggression disappears.
   Players swing safer, throw safer, and move slower.
3. Energy drops.
   The urgency that created the lead fades.

Meanwhile, the other team is playing with nothing to lose.

… and, as we see time and time again, momentum flips quickly in softball.

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The Next-Play Rule

The best teams treat every inning the same way.

Up five.
Down three.
Tie game.

It doesn’t matter…. they train their attention on a single question:

“What wins the next play?”

Not the inning.
Not the game.
Just the next play.

When athletes stay locked into that level of focus, leads don’t disappear—they grow.

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The Dugout Difference

You can often spot mentally strong teams by watching the dugout.

When they’re ahead, they don’t relax.

What do they do?

• They stay loud.
• They stay engaged.
• They stay connected to every pitch.

Because they understand something important:

Softball momentum doesn’t slowly drift… it flips.

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Your Challenge This Week

Athletes: The next time your team has a lead, ask yourself before every pitch: “What wins this play?”

Coaches: Train “next-play language” when ahead. Never let the dugout shift to protecting the score.

Parents: Watch body language when teams go up. Confidence should stay aggressive, not comfortable.

The most dangerous score in softball isn’t being behind… it’s thinking that the game is already won. Staying locked into the next play—THAT’s the mental edge!

— Ron Schmittling for Line Drive Softball

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Previous Articles:

• Mental Mindset: Why Teams Tighten Up in Big Games (Feb. 23, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: How One Negative Thought Hijacks an Entire Game (Feb. 2, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: Why Confidence Disappears in Games (and How to Build It Back) (Jan. 19, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: Why “Just Relax” Is the Worst Advice in Softball (Jan. 5, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: The 5-Second Rule That Separates Winners from Quitters (December 13, 2025)
• Mental Mindset: From Dropout Statistics to Champions… Why the Mental Game Can’t Wait (November 24, 2025)

Want More?

NEW BOOK: 

Written specifically for softball athletes, Into The Storm (Book 1 of the Lighthouse Trilogy) follows the emotional and mental battles of one athlete’s journey, teaching how resilience, confidence, and focus are built one pitch, one play, and one response at a time. Available on Amazon… CLICK HERE!

NEW COURSE: 

Athlete Level 1 – Foundations is a new foundational online course designed for softball players, helping them develop focus, emotional control, and confidence under pressure.

Learn more by CLICKING HERE!

COACHES:

Want your whole team trained in these tools? I deliver 60-90 minute workshops where players and teams learn and apply these techniques immediately.

Ron’s Podcast LINK

Author Bio

THE MENTAL EDGE is written by Ron Schmittling, MPM—Certified Mental Performance Coach, NFCA Coach of the Year finalist, and author of Winning Starts Within.

After more than a decade coaching and directing a national fastpitch program with a 100 percentage college placement rate, Ron now trains the mental side of the game, helping athletes stay composed under pressure, reset fast, and compete with clarity and confidence.

Here’s how to access Ron directly and via his info on social media:

• E-mail: ron@coachronmpm.com

• Online (website): coachronmpm.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachronmpm

Want More? Here are More Ways to Get Ron’s Great Insights into Having the Mental Edge:

*30 Day Mental Performance Challenge

My challenge helps fastpitch athletes, coaches and parents train the mental side of the game with simple, daily tools for confidence, focus and fast recovery when pressure hits.  Click HERE to join

*”Winning Starts Within” (Ron’s book & E-book)

My book breaks down the 10 mental skills every athlete needs—including the 3 R’s, routines, visualization, and how to build confidence that doesn’t crack under pressure. Available on Amazon or CoachRonMPM.com.

* Mental Edge Workshops

Coaches: how would you like your whole team trained in these tools? I deliver 60-to-90-minute workshops where players and teams learn and apply these techniques immediately.

Here is the link to his 1:1 Coaching or Team Informational Session Link.