Softball Overview
Softball is an official sport similar to Baseball that is played and enjoyed by many throughout the world, with the Softball rules also being similar to the rules of Baseball. It’s played on a smaller field with only underhand pitches being allowed.
Softball was created by a man named George Hancock in Chicago, 1887. The story goes back to Thanksgiving Day of 1887, when several people were watching a Yale versus Harvard football game. Yale was announced as the winner and a player playfully threw a boxing glove at a Harvard supporter.
The Harvard fan swung at the balled-up glove with a stick as others watched with interest.
George Hancock, a reporter, jokingly called out, “Play ball!” and the first Softball game commenced with the football fans using the boxing glove as a ball and a broom handle in place of a bat.
The sport became very popular with firefighters who would play as a way to spend their free time.
The game used to be mostly played indoors with the rules created by Hancock. The name Softball was coined around the 1930s and the Softball rules were officialised soon after.
Softball has become extremely popular all around the world. It is especially in places such as the US and Canada. Softball has even officially been accepted as an Olympic sport.
Aim of the Game
The basic objective of softball is to try to beat your opposing team by gaining more runs than them by the end of the game.
A run is gained every time the 4 bases are circled after batting the ball and the player returns to home base without being tagged out.
Softball Playing Field
There are two main sections to a softball pitch, the infield and outfield areas. The infield is usually made of gravel or dirt.
The 4 bases that make up the diamond shape, and the curved area around the diamond form the infield.
The part of the pitch that extends in the same shape past the curved part of the infield is the outfield and is usually a grassy area.
This area can be separated into a few different sections, known as the left field, outfield, centre field, and right field.
The foul lines set the boundaries for the softball pitch and show the area in which the ball has to be played.
Players and Equipment
Softball Positions Explained
According to the Softball rules a team can consist of up to 9 players. The 9 Softball positions are :
- Pitcher (P) – Stands in the pitching circle and tries to throw the ball within the strike zone of the batter.
- Catcher (C) The Catcher tries to catch the ball thrown from the Pitcher, they are positioned directly behind the home plate.
- First Baseman (1B) The First Baseman tries to cover first base and must field any ground balls or pop-ups hit in their area.
- Second Baseman (2B) The Second Baseman tries to cover second base, and also tries to field any ground ball or pop-ups thrown in their area.
- Shortstop (SS) The Shortstop is another position that covers the second base and fields balls hit in their area.
- Third Baseman (3B) The Third Baseman covers third base and fields ball hit in their area.
- Left Fielder (LF) The Left Fielder tries to catch balls that make it past the infield to the outfield on the left side. They need to throw the balls that make it out back infield.
- Center Fielder (CF) The Center fielder is also responsible for catching balls in the outfield and throwing them back infield.
- Right Fielder (RF) The Right Fielder throws balls that make it into the right outfield back infield.
Softball Equipment
You will need a Softball ball, bat, gloves, and some protective gear such as a facemask and helmet. You’ll also need some cleats for playing Softball which will help give you that edge.
Scoring
The Softball rules dictate that to score a run the batsman must hit the ball and then run around the 4 bases without being tagged out. One run is scored for each batsman who manages to circle the 4 bases.
A run can be scored even if the batsmen who hit the ball doesn’t make it round to home plate but manages to get a player that’s already on one of the bases home.
How to Win
The winning team is the team with the most runs at the end of a game, with Softball games consisting of 7 innings.
An inning consists of two halves, the top and the bottom. The top half of the inning is when the away team bats and the bottom half is when the home team bats.
Each team’s innings end when three of the batters are tagged out. An out happens when the opposing team strikes out a batter, catches a fly ball, or throws out a runner.
Softball Rules
- In softball each team consists of nine players and teams can be of mixed gender.
- The game runs for a total of seven innings which are split into two sections, the top and bottom of the innings.
- Each team’s innings ends when three of the batters have been called out.
- The sides switch after each team has batted once in each inning.
- It is necessary for the batter to successfully strike the ball and run around as many bases as possible. Once they get all the way around and back to the home plate without being given an out a run is scored.
- The fielding team is supposed to prevent the runs from being scored. They can make the batsmen miss the ball, catch their ball, tag one of the bases before they reach it, or tag the batter while they’re running with the ball in hand. Each these scenarios gives the batting team an out.
- The foul area is located down the first and third base line. Once the ball crosses this line before it bounces the ball is deemed dead and the play restarts with a new pitch.
- If the batter hits the ball over the outfield wall and into the dead ball area a home run is scored. The batter can then stroll around the bases to score along with any additional batters that have made it on base.
- The winners of the game will be decided after seven innings have been all completed. The team with the most runs after seven innings will be declared the winner. If after seven innings the game is tied, then extra innings will be played until a winner is found.
- It’s not allowed for the pitcher to stop or bounce the ball in a pitching position as it may prevent the batsman from hitting the ball.
- It is strictly prohibited for the pitcher to use any kind of tape or other substance on the ball.
- The pitching delivery shall be in an arc of 6 to 10 feet.
Learn More
Visit here to learn more about Softball and here to learn more about the Softball rules and how to play Softball.
