It is the season for America’s pastime, the sport Americans have known and loved since the late 19th, and early 20th centuries.  Baseball is known as America’s pastime because it was the most widely played sport in the country during that timeframe.  It is still one of the top sports in the country and has a rich history with its players.  Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Dorothy Kamenshek all were pioneers of the sport.  Women do not play baseball now as they once did, however they do have an awesome alternative.  So what’s the difference between baseball and softball?

Besides the sex that separates the two sports, there are some other significant differences.  The fields, the players, ball size, and the pitching are all different.  Lets talk about the pitching.  Baseball and Softball rely on pitching for wins.  A pitcher can lead a team to success with little effort from the batters.  However, the pitching in baseball does differ from the pitching in softball.

There are different pitches in each sport, as well as pitches that both sports use.  Some pitches in baseball include the fastball, curve, slider, change-up, and knuckleball.  Pitches in softball include the change-up, fastball, drop pitch, curve, and rise ball.  These pitches are based off the mechanics of the player.  In baseball overhand pitching is used and softball players use an underhand pitch.  The ball being utilized in each sport is of different circumference; in baseball the ball is 9 inches, whereas in softball the ball is 11-12 inches.

Women generally have smaller hands than men.  They also grip a bigger ball which could effect the velocity of their pitch. There are other factors that we could take into account.  Far as upper body strength goes, men are generally stronger than females. The website efastball states that an 18 year old baseball player averages an 83 mph fastball and their range goes 75 mph to 92 mph.  In softball the average speed for a college/pro player is 59 to 64 mph and their top speed goes from 65 to 72 mph via the website mizefastpitchdiamonds.

The distance between the pitching mound to homeplate is also crucial.  In baseball the pitchers mound to homeplate is 60’ 6” per the Major League Baseball website.  In softball the pitchers mound is 35’ to 40’ via the webpage sportsknowhow.  What is interesting about all this is due to the pitchers mound being so close to homeplate, a softball at 70 mph is equivalent to a 95 mph fastball in baseball per training.coachup.com.

All in all the pitching in both sports are very different and utilize different techniques.  The effectiveness is due to the player, which is difficult to hit either pitch from someone who is unfamiliar with playing the sports.

Whether you’re playing hardball or softball the differences in both sports make a case for both being a big hit.