Informative Essay On Softball

757 Words4 Pages

Baseball is considered by many to be America’s favorite pastime. Softball in many aspects is similar to baseball but in reality it is harder to play. This can be shown in all aspects of the game from hitting to pitching to fielding to catching. One major aspect where the difference is obvious is hitting. It has been scientifically proven that a 95 mph fastball generates 2411 lbs of force as it crosses the plate and a softball thrown at 65mph generates even more according to youtube.com. A 65 mph softball pitch from 43 feet is equivalent to a 92 mph baseball pitch from 60.5 feet. A softball pitcher actually releases the ball about 37 feet from the batter which leaves the batter less than 0.35 seconds to make a decision to swing or not. With …show more content…

After release, a softball pitcher is about 37 feet away from the batter. With a ball coming back off of the bat at speeds over 80 mph, the pitcher has 0.29 seconds or less to react to the hit and protect her body As a pitcher, I have felt the pain that has come from not being able to react quick enough. Bruises and knots on my knee, shin, ankle and stomach are a stark reminder to the dangers. A baseball pitcher is about 55 feet away from the batter after pitching, and with the ball coming back around 95 mph, that gives the pitcher .39 seconds to react to the ball according to mathforum.org. This is a tenth of a second more than a softball pitcher; giving a baseball pitcher over 25% more time to react! Since there is a smaller distance between bases in softball, the fielders have less time to react to a hit ball and complete the play. The collegiate softball players run from home to first in a time of about 2.7 seconds. The average collegiate baseball player runs to first in 4.4 seconds. So obviously softball fielders have to react quicker to make the plays. The data shows that softball players have to react more quickly whether it be in hitting, pitching, or fielding. Although baseball might be America’s game, softball is gaining more fans each year due to it being a faster paced game and the athleticism shown by the complexity of the