1. What is Batting Average?

Batting average (BA) is a statistic in softball and baseball that measures a batter's performance. It is calculated as the ratio of hits to at bats, representing the batter's probability of getting a hit in any given at bat.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the simple batting average formula:

Where:

• \( hits \) — Number of successful hits
• \( at\_bats \) — Total number of at bats

Explanation: The formula divides the number of hits by the number of official at bats (excluding walks, sacrifices, and hit by pitches).

3. Importance of Batting Average

Details: Batting average is one of the oldest and most traditional metrics for evaluating hitter performance. While modern analytics use more comprehensive stats, BA remains a fundamental measure of hitting ability.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of hits and at bats as whole numbers. At bats must be greater than zero for a valid calculation.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is considered a good batting average?
A: In softball, .300 is generally considered good, .400 is excellent, and .500 is outstanding.

Q2: How does batting average differ from on-base percentage?
A: Batting average only counts hits per at bat, while on-base percentage includes walks and hit by pitches.

Q3: Why is batting average expressed to three decimal places?
A: This tradition comes from baseball's early days when statistics were reported as percentages without the decimal point (e.g., .300 was "300").

Q4: What doesn't count as an at bat?
A: Walks, hit by pitches, sacrifice bunts/flies, and catcher's interference do not count as at bats.

Q5: Are there limitations to batting average?
A: Yes, it doesn't account for power (extra base hits) or walks, which is why modern analytics use additional metrics.