Alex Shank

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Home Blog Apps Résumé About
Connect with Alex Shank on Linked In Visit Alex Shank's GitHub
Published Aug 15, 2025

Softball Pulp

A web app that uses linear programming to find the optimal softball lineup and fielding positions.

Linear ProgrammingPugPython

This series explains why Softball Pulp exists. It goes into detail about…

  • The Chicago softball league I played in as a player-coach.
  • The headaches of setting a lineup and fielding schedule each week.
  • How linear programming solved these headaches.
  • Creating a nice web app for automating and publishing results.

Posts in this Series

This is a four-part blog series.

Coaching Headaches

Softball Pulp | 1 / 4

Published: Feb 4, 2026

How being the player-coach of coed softball league inspired a linear programming web app.

Sports AnalyticsPythonLinear ProgrammingPuLPOptimization

Formalizing the Lineup Problem

Softball Pulp | 2 / 4

Published: Feb 5, 2026

Taking a common coaching headache and framing it as a linear programming problem.

Sports AnalyticsPythonLinear ProgrammingPuLPOptimization

Solving the Lineup Problem

Softball Pulp | 3 / 4

Published: Feb 6, 2026

Take a linear programming problem definition and find the optimal solution with PuLP.

Sports AnalyticsPythonLinear ProgrammingPuLPOptimization

Building the Web App

Softball Pulp | 4 / 4

Published: Feb 7, 2026

Take a linear programming Python script and turn it into a mobile-friendly web application.

Sports AnalyticsPythonLinear ProgrammingPuLPOptimization
© 2026 Alex Shank. All rights reserved.
Connect with Alex Shank on Linked In Visit Alex Shank's GitHub