Softball Batting Average Calculator (OBP, SLG, OPS)
- By Julien Levadoux
Batting average is hits ÷ at-bats. On-base percentage counts walks and hit by pitch too. Slugging is total bases ÷ at-bats, and OPS adds on-base and slugging together.
The formulas
- AVG = hits ÷ at-bats
- OBP = (hits + walks + hit by pitch) ÷ (at-bats + walks + hit by pitch + sacrifice flies)
- SLG = total bases ÷ at-bats, where a single is 1 base, a double 2, a triple 3 and a home run 4
- OPS = OBP + SLG
What isn’t an at-bat
Walks, hit by pitch, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies and catcher obstruction don’t count as at-bats. In fastpitch that matters more than in baseball. Short games, lots of walks and a steady stream of sacrifice bunts can leave a player with many fewer at-bats than plate appearances.
Slap hitters are a good example. A left-handed slapper who beats out a slap is credited with a hit. One who bunts a runner over and is thrown out is credited with a sacrifice, which isn’t an at-bat. A slapper whose average looks low after a few games may simply have a high OBP: she’s getting on base in ways that average doesn’t count.
Reaching on an error
A batter who reaches base on a fielding error gets an at-bat but no hit. Youth softball has plenty of those, so a hitter’s average in the official book is often lower than “she got on base every time” suggests. That isn’t a mistake by the scorer.
Example
A fastpitch season line of 30 at-bats, 11 hits (2 doubles, 1 home run), 5 walks and 2 hit by pitch:
- AVG = 11 ÷ 30 = .367
- OBP = (11 + 5 + 2) ÷ (30 + 5 + 2) = 18 ÷ 37 = .486
- Total bases = 8 + 4 + 4 = 16, so SLG = 16 ÷ 30 = .533
- OPS = 1.020