[soonerfan]

damion,

the correct formula for figuring OB% is:

hits+walks divided by At Bats+walks+sac flies.
*there are other variables, like hit by pitch, but that has no bearing in softball unless it it fast pitch.

to futher answer and confuse you, the time he reaches a base due to a fielder's choice will not count him as being on base. why? according to scoring, the batter could have just as easliy been retired by the defense as the runner from 1st to second. Deal is the defense had an either/or choice and chose to retire the runner closer to scoring. Thus, your batter did not improve the team's situation at all. you are where you started except in a worse spot...runner at first and add an out. does that make sense?

to contradict the formulas you have seen, if OB% and batting avg WERE really calcualted the same, only one of those stas would really exist. just as you don't count walks as base hiits, you don't count them as at bats, but he reached base. So, for OB% you add them in the formula.

Example:
16 AB's, 7hits, 9 walks.
7 (hits) + 9 (walks) *DIVIDED BY* 16 (at bats) + 9 (walks)
16 *DIVIDED BY* 25 = .640 OB%
batting average going 7 for 16 is .438.
Do you see the difference now?
get out your abacus.