Softball Notes
The playing field
The space within which the ball may be legally played and fielded.
The playing field is divided into two major areas- infield and outfield
Infield- The area containing the diamond formed by the bases
There are 3 bases and a home plate
The home plate is the starting point for play
The foul lines extend from home plate through first and third base to the fences
Outfield- The area between the infield and hte fences -- Distances vary
Equipment
Bats
A wide selection of bats with differing size grips and barrels are available
The surface must be smooth
The bat must not be more than 34 inches long or more than 2 1/8 inches in diameter at its largest part
The bat must have a safety grip of cork, tape, or composition material
A safety knob must be included on all bats
The bat should be heavy enough to add force to the swing but light enough to permit wrist whip action
Balls
Softballs vary in size and thread color according to type of play (check with official)
Softballs are colsely controlled by the rules as to weight, diameter, contents, cover, and stitching
When buying a ball be sure it is marked "Official Softball"
Batting Helmets- (not required for slow pitch)
Golves & Mitts
There are many styles of gloves and mitts
Individual differences in hand size and comfort of the golve will determine the style you purchase
Masks and Protectors- (recommended for slow pitch but not required)
Shoes
Shoes must be worn by all players
A shoe is considered official if it is made with canvas, leather, or other similar material
The sloe may be smooth of have soft or hard rubber cleats
Bases, home plate, pitcher's plate
The regulation home plate is five-sided and made of rubber
The pitcher's plate is constructed of wood or rubber
Bases, covered with canvas or other suitable material, are placed 60' apart
Terms
Altered bat- A bat that has been changed so that it no longer meets legal standards
Appeal play- Rule violation that must be called to the umpire's attention for a ruling
Assist- Fielding credit to a player who helps a teammate with an out
Away- The number of outs
Backstop- Term given to the fence behind the home plate
Backup- Taking position behind another player in case that player misses the ball
Bag- The base
Balk- Making a motion of pitching without delivering the ball
Base on balls- When four balls are called on a batter
Base path- Imaginary path three feet wide on each side of a direct line between the bases
Bases loaded- There are base runners on every base
Batted ball- Any ball that hits the bat and lands in fair OR foul territory
Batter-runner- A runner that has finished his/her turn at bat but has not yet been put out or touched first base
Batter's box- The area on each side of home plate which the batter must stand in when batting
Battery- The pitcher and the catcher
Batting order- The official order in which the batters will appear at the plate to bat
Bean ball- A ball pitched too close to the batters head
Beat out- To reach a base on a lowwly hit ball
Blocked ball- A ball interfered with by someone not in the game
Blooper- Batted ball that arches over the heads or the infielders and drops in fromt of the outfielders
Bobble- Juggling the ball while attempting to catch it
Box- The areas in which the batters stand as well as those in which the base coaches stand
Bunt- Weakly tapped ball directed toward a foul line
Catch- A ball that goes directly to a players hand and is controlled
Catcher's box- Area behind the batter in which the catcher is confined to
Change of pace- Varring the speed of a pitched ball
Chopped ball- Swing down at a pitched ball so that the ball bounces high
Chopper- Batted ball that bounces high
Chucker- The pitcher
Clean the bases- Hitting a home run with runners on bases
Cleanup- The fourth hitter in the batting order
Coach- Member of the team at bat who stands within the coaching boxes to help the runners
Count- The number of balls and strikes called
Crowd the plate- Standing too close to the plate
Cut- Swingging at the ball
Cutoff- Interception of a thrown ball intended to put out an advancing player
Cycle- Hitting a single, doulbe, triple, and home run inone game by one batter
Dead ball- A ball no longer in play
Diamond- The area formed by the four bases
Double play- Two outs ruslting from one batted ball
Down- Number of outs
Earned run- A run that was scored through offensive play
Ejection- Infraction which requires removal from the game by the official
Error- Devensive misplay
Extra-base hit- Batted ball on which the batter reaches more than one base except on an error
Extra hitter- A player in the lineup who only bats
Fair ball- Legally batted ball which stops or is touched in fair terrotory
Fair territory- Part of the playing field inside (and including) the foul lines
Fan- To swing at the ball
Fielder- A player on the field
Fielder's choice- A play in which the player elects to put out a base runner other than the batter
Fly ball- A ball hit high into the air
Force-out- An out occuring when a defensive player touches a base which a runner must advance to
Foul ball- A ball hit outside of fair territory
Foul tip- Batted ball that goes directly to the catcher and is caught
Four bagger- A home run
Free trip- A base on balls
Full count- Three balls and two strikes
Grand slam- A home run with bases loaded
Grove- The middle of the strike zone
Grounder- Batted ball that hits the ground as soon as it leaves the bat
Hit- contacting the ball with the bat enabling the batter-runner to reach the base safely
Hit batsman- Batter hit by a pitched ball
Hit the dirt- To slide or pull away from a bean ball
Hole- Area not covered by a defensive player
Home team- The team on whose grounds the game is being played
Illegally batted ball- Ball struck by an illegal bat or by a batter who is outside the batter's box
Illegally caught ball- Ball caught by a fielder's clothing, cap, or mask
Infield- Fair territory bounded by the base paths
Infield fly rule- A fly-ball hit shallow with runners on first and second bases with less than two outs
Innings- Division of the game whereby each team has a turn at bat
Interference- An act that hinders a defensive player's attempt to make a play
Keystone sack- Secont base
Lay one down- To bunt
Lead off- First batter up at the beginning of the game
Legal touch- When a base runner is touched by the ball while it is held in a fielder's hand
Line drive- Batted ball that travels in a strait line
Mask- Device worn for portection by the catcher and umpires
Obstruction- Act by a defensive player that hinders the movement of an offensive player
On-deck batter- The batter who come after the batter who is now at bat
Out- Retirement of a batter or base runner
Outfield- Fair territory beyond the infield
Outside pitch- Pitched ball that misses the strike zone on the side away from the batter
Overrun- Running beyond the bases
Overslide- Sliding beyond the base
Overthrow- Throwing the ball above the baseman or fileder's reach
Pass- A walk
Passed ball- Legally delivered ball that should have been controlled by the catcher but was not
Pick off- To trap a runner off base
Pinch hitter- A subsitute hitter
Pinch runner- A substitute runner put in to replace a slow or injured runner
Pitchout- Pitch purposely thrown wide of the plate so the batter cannot hit it
Pivot foot- The foot the pitcher keeps in contact with the pitchers mound
Pop-up- A short high fly ball
Protest- Complaint by a team that a rule has not been correctly inforced or applied
Pull hitter- Hitter who tends to hit the ball too soon
Putout- When a batter or base runner is out
Quich return pitch- Pitch made with the obvious attempt to catch the batter off balance
RBI- Runs batted in
Relay man- A player who intercepts a throw from another fielder
Runner- A player on base who has not yet been put out
Sacrifice fly- A fly ball that allows runners to score after the out
Scratch hit- A weak hit
Shoestring catch- Low diving catch
Southpaw- Left handed pitcher or batter
Squeeze- Advancing a runner from third by bunting
Steal- Advancing to another base after the ball leaves the pitcher's hand
Strait away- Normal defensive and hitting pattern
Strike zone- The space over any part of home plate between the batter's back sholder and fromt knee
Stuff- Quality and quantity of pitches
Tag- Touching a base with the ball in hand before a runner arrives or touching the runner with the ball in hand
Three bagger- A three-base hit
Time- Term used by the umpire to order the suspension of play
Trap- A ball that is caught immediately after it hits the ground.
Tripple play- Three outs resulting from one batted ball
Turn at bat- A turn at bat bagins when a player first enters the batter's box
Two bagger- A two-base hit
Wait out- A batter doesn't hit the first pitch(s) in order to "wait" for a good pitch
Walk- Occurs when four balls are called on a batter
Wild pitch- Inaccurately delivered pitch that the catcher has little chance of stopping
The Game -- Today and Past
For almost 100 years softball has been a recreational & competitive sport in the U.S.
Over 30 million people in the U.S. and over 12 million in other parts of the world play softball
Competition on the international level is growing
It is expected that softball will soon be an Olympic sport
Several attempts have been made to professionalize the game
Early games of softball can be traced back to England and were called "Rounders", or "Town Ball"
The early colonists adapted "Rounders" into a game called "One Old Cat"
Abner Doubleday is thought to have been the first to create a baseball diamond (Cooperstown, NY)
Softball is the most famous offspring of baseball
In 1887 a Chicago Boat Club played an indoor game of baseball using a boxing glove and a broom. A member of the club developed rules
Lewis Rober (Minneapolis, Minnesota) made the first "kittenball" (softball) by hand
The first softball league was organized in Minneapolis in 1900 & the first published rules came out in 1906
The game became "Softball", named by Walter A. Hakanson (YMCA director), in 1926 and this name was officially adopted in 1933
The first national tournament was held in Chicago in 1933 for men and women
In 1934 organizations sponsoring tournaments met and formed the Amateur Softball Association