How to pitch

Injuries: Keeping Safe

Baseball/softball injuries are generally defined as either cumulative or acute (traumatic) injuries. Cumulative injuries occur over time due to stress on the muscles, joints and soft tissues without proper time for healing. They begin as a small,ache or pain, and can grow into a harmful injury if they aren't treated early. Acute injuries occur because of a sudden force, or impact, and can be quite dramatic. The most common injuries among players are within their shoulders, elbow, wrist and hand, and the knee. Such things as a torn rotator cuff, tendinitis, bursitis, and torn ACL or MCL. Ligament injuries to the knee are very common in sports that require stopping and starting or quickly changing directions. These extreme forces on the knee can result in torn ligaments.
Also blisters, sprains or strains, and stress factors can occur while playing this sport. Many safety precautions are recommended to help prevent injuries such as warm up thoroughly prior to play, use good technique, stay hydrated, and get adequate recovery if possible.
Like in any sport, injuries are always possible. Any physical activity played could be harmful in some way. There are a number of precautions you can take to prevent someone from getting hurt while playing. Softball is no different. A ball flying in the air at great speed could be dangerous. If you are being careful and safe at all times, you are more likely to keep unharmed. It is the risk factor of causing injuries you need to be aware of. Taking risks, keeping safe and having fun is the moral of the game.

Slow pitch vs fast pitch

The manner of slow pitch softball, also known as "lob ball," in which the ball is delivered by the pitcher is the key distinguishing feature between the two types of softball. Where the fast-pitch game depends on a powerful pitcher who can deliver the ball with either great velocity or with deceptive ball movement, slow pitch encourages the batter to hit the ball, put the ball in play, and force the defensive team to make strong fielding plays to generate outs, as opposed to strikeouts by the pitcher.
In slow pitch, the pitcher must deliver the ball underhanded, with a minimum arc of 6 ft and a maximum arc of 12 ft. The umpire has the discretion to rule a pitch as illegal due to insufficient or excessive arc. Most pitchers attempt to deliver the ball in such a fashion that the ball is dropping in an arc that is as close to perpendicular to the ground as possible.
Although they have there differences, slow pitch softball and fast pitch softball are played on fields with similar dimensions. there are other rules that have a significant impact on how the two games are played. Fast pitch is played with nine players in the field, including the pitcher and the catcher; slow pitch is played with 10 players, with the additional player almost always positioned in the outfield, either in a relatively fixed location or as a rover. The additional player in slow pitch is intended to counter to some degree the additional hitting and offense that is invariably a part of the slow-pitch game.
Fast pitch is played with virtually all of the rules of traditional baseball and therefore employs very similar strategies. Through the removal of the high speed offering from the pitcher to the batter, slow pitch by definition is both a safer and an easier game to play and is also well suited for different age group competitions.

Women and men difference in sports

At the turn of the 10th century, changing economic gender roles threatened to undermine masculine privilege. Sports and success at particular sports were one means to ideology of masculinity. As a result sport, espicially collision of team sports, were defined as appropriate and in turn shaped ideoligies privileges.
There are several factors that limit womens access to sports experience. The first factor involves fewere opportunities for women and girl to participate in sports relative to men and boys. The second facotr is that males and females tend to be channeled into different types of leisure activities. The third factor is public cultural representations of sport tend to focus on women playing "female appropriate" sports and men playing "male appropriate" sports. Another factor is women sometimes are looked at as mannish or lesian.
Gendered bodies are male and not born and there are many gender expectations. Today most sports and success are still associated with different views. Sports raises mens social status and for women it is more ambiguous. In 1959 The American Softball Association league decided to innovate with a mixed couples league, and co-ed softball was officially recognized as a distinct variety of the game.

Missy's Mirror

The charity softball tournament to benefit Missy's Mirror is held at the Frank White Jr. Softball Complex in Lee's Summit , Missouri. It was held in 2006 with 24 teams participating, 13 men teams and 11 coed teams. Missys’ Mirror is named after Missy Newell and Missy O’Neill, two young mothers from the Kansas City area who lost their battles with cancer. Proceeds go toward an endowment fund at Missys’ Mirror to assist cancer patients who cannot afford to purchase wigs, breast prosthetics, and other necessary items.
Missy's Mirror is a boutique that includes a shopping area, makeover space with computer imaging center, and a one-chair beauty salon. A certified prosthesis fitter is available for personalized fittings. Specially trained hair stylists help cancer patients with their hair and an imaging center that allows patients to preview possible new hair styles. Volunteers are on hand to help outfit patients with clothing, wigs, hats, scarves, and skin care treatments. It is a comforting respite for patients who often are too tired or weak to go from place to place for specialized services, and is unique in the Kansas City area.

Baseball or Softball?

A comparison of baseball and softball can be made as softball is directly descended from baseball and thus contains many similarities; however there are several pronounced differences.
Fastpitch softball is more popular in competitive leagues, especially at the college and international tournament levels, while slowpitch is more popular in recreational leagues where the relative skill levels of different players may vary widely. The different rules of slowpitch maintain a competitive balance for less skilled players by eliminating certain strategies (base stealing and bunting) which require a high level of defensive skill to counter. Additionally, recreational leagues may impose their own ground rules, either for competitive balance or to meet local constraints (a time limit may be imposed on a game to ensure multiple games can be played in one day).

Baseball
*9 innings
*9 inches in circumference ball
*Bats- no longer than 42 inches, made of wood or aluminum
*Field- baseline is 90 feet

Softball
*7 innings
*11 of 12 inches in circumference ball
*Bats- no longer than 34 inches, made of aluminum
*Field- baseline is 60 feet

Heath Evans charity game

Heath Evans, from the Saints, is hosting a charity softball game on Wednesday, April 28 at Zephyr Field in Metairie. It is featuring more than a dozen of his Saints teammates as they face an All-Star military team. The inaugural Heath Evans Softball Showdown event features a Home Run Derby followed by the seven-inning game. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and David Thomas are among the Saints expected to play.
Proceeds from the game and the raffle will benefit the not-for-profit Heath Evans Foundation, which is dedicated to fostering hope and healing in the lives of children and families affected by sexual abuse.
The game is open to the public. Leading into the event, the Heath Evans Foundation is raffling three fabulous prizes, including the opportunity to help manage the Saints softball team. Raffle tickets are $2 each, with a minimum purchase of five tickets, and are available at www.HeathEvans.org. The first winner gets their choice of the three packages and the second winner chooses between the remaining two prizes. They include:
1) Heath Evans' 2008 Hummer Limited Edition H2
2) The chance to help manage the Saints' softball team at the 2010Heath Evans Softball Showdown in New Orleans. The winner and three guests will have VIP access at the Showdown event, including access to the VIP autograph session, game tickets and a VIP parking pass.
3) Two tickets and pre-game field passes to the Saints 2010 season home opener as a guest of Heath Evans.
"I’m proud that my teammates and friends will participate in the softball game," said Evans, the Saints starting fullback. "It will be a fun game for the players and the fans and we’re raising money for a good cause, one that my wife, Beth Ann, and I strongly believe in. I’m hoping that we can hit the ball and run the bases without embarrassing ourselves!"
Evans hosted a similar charity softball game in February in Palm Beach County and raised more than $100,000. He is very serious about the foundation that bears his name. Started in 2006 to help children who have been sexually abused, it’s something he learned about firsthand because his wife was a victim of sexual abuse as a child. The foundation provides access to a variety of programs, treatments and services in communities with great need and scarce resources. This softball game is another way to bring attention to this problem and help the people and families who suffer from it.

home run video

Simple rules of the game

Simplified very basic rules for pitching, batting, and base running are as followed:

Pitching
*The pitcher must have both feet on the pitcher’s rubber and can only take one step forward while pitching.
*The ball must be thrown underhand.
*Both hands must be on the ball at the start of the pitch.

Batting
*Batters must follow the same order throughout the whole game
*The batter is out if and when:
a) three strikes have been called
b) a fly ball is caught
c) the batter does not stand in the batter’s box

Base Running
*Runners must touch each base in order
*Runners may overrun 1st base only, all other bases the runner may be tagged and called out if they are off the base.
*Runners can not lead off a base, they must be on base until the ball has left the pitcher’s hand
*After a fly ball has been caught the base runner must tag the occupied base before advancing to the next base
*One base runner can not pass another base runner that is ahead of them.
*A runner is out if:
a. they are tagged with the ball before reaching a base
b. the ball gets to 1st base before the runner
c. they run more than 3 feet out of the base line to avoid being tagged

Example injury within sports

Cardiac Concussion is a rare but possible event. It can be a cause of sudden death in young athletes. It simply is the result of a blunt force impact to the chest directly over the heart that occurs between heart contractions. Injuries impacting this can be from baseballs, softballs, lacrosse balls, pucks, and even a fist. The impacted player does not have a pre-existing heart disease. Since 1998, 130 athletes have died from blunt force injury to the heart. It is a risk for any player who could be impacted in the chest at an increasing speed.
Of course, there are many things you can do to prevent this injury. Some may include: coaches to be trained in CPR and/or first aid, create an emergency plan, use chest protectors while playing, and create a good playing surface.
An example, in baseball or softball, coaching batters in ball avoidance. Batters should learn to turn away from an inside pitch and not open chest to the impact. Pitchers should also be coached in proper fielding positions and ball avoidance when necessary.

The basics and most often heard terms

*Ball- a legally pitched ball that does not enter the strike zone (four balls equals a walk)
*Grounder- A ball that is hit on the ground
*Force out- when the runner has to advance to the next base to make room for the following base runner.
*Fly ball- ball hit up in the air to the infield
*On deck- the next batter
*Pop up- ball hit up in the air to the infield
*Strike- term used when a ball is swung at and missed or is called when the ball enters the strike zone and is not swung at all.
*Strike zone- the ball passes the batter over the plate between their chest and knees

The Game
*There are 9 players on a softball team.
*The playing field is divided into the infield and outfield
*The lines between the bases are 60’ apart and when joined they form a “diamond”, inside the baseline is known as the infield
*Outside the baseline but inside the playing field is called the outfield.
*Any ball going outside the 1st or 3rd base line is a foul ball ( runners can not advance and the batter gets another try unless the ball was caught in the air, which translates to an out)
*An official game is 7 innings (a inning is when both teams have had their turn to bat)

History in the making

Softball originated in Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, 1887. A group of about twenty young men had gathered in the gymnasium of the Farragut Boat Club in order to hear the outcome of the Harvard-Yale football game. After Yale's victory was announced and bets were paid off, a man picked up a stray boxing glove and threw it at someone, who hit it with a pole. George Hancock, usually considered the inventor of softball, shouted, "Let's play ball!" He tied the boxing glove so that it resembled a ball, chalked out a diamond on the floor (smaller dimensions than those of a baseball field in order to fit the gym) and broke off a broom handle to serve as a bat. What proceeded was an odd, smaller version of baseball. That game is now, 111 years later, known as the first softball game.
Softball may have seen its death on the day of its birth if Hancock had not been so fascinated by it. In one week, he created an oversized ball and an undersized rubber-tipped bat and went back to the gym to paint permanent white foul lines on the floor. After he wrote new rules and named the sport indoor baseball, a more organized, yet still new, game was played. Its popularity was immediate.
In order to reach the Olympics, the women's sport of softball obviously had to grow greatly from its beginnings. The first women's softball team was formed in 1895 at Chicago's West Division High School. They did not obtain a coach for competitive play until 1899 and it was difficult to create interest among fans.
The unexplainable love and passion for softball has allowed the sport to grow, develop, and maintain universal appeal throughout time. For the past 111 years, softball, "a game for everyone," has united people with a mysterious feeling.

UK Wildcats

At the beginning of 2009, coaches, players, and fans all believed the UK woman's softball team was headed for a breakthrough season. Kentucky leaped into the middle of the pack in the Southeastern Conference in 2009 after being slated to finish last by the league's coaches in a preseason poll. The Wildcats capped the regular season as the sixth best team in the conference and then went into the SEC Tournament and knocked off top-10 ranked and College World Series participant Georgia, in what became UK's first ever post season victory. They continued into their first appearance at the NCAA in school history. They went 2-2 in the tournament with a loss to Ohio State.
In 2010 the team returns all eight of their starters and the three pitchers in their starting rotation. Knocking off three ranked opponents a year ago and staged five seventh inning comeback efforts, they face a top five ranked schedule. The suprise effect of UK's team is no longer there. Opponents know some of what to expect from the team.
They are making improvements in every area of the game and continuing to strengthen their numbers. The team wants to return to the tournament as one of the best teams in the conference.
From a recent article, one of the teams top players stated, "When you play in the SEC you face the best competition in the nation. In preparing for the SEC we must face tough teams in the non-conference portion of the schedule and we will continue to do that."
*The players for season of 2010 are as follows:
Pitchers- Chanda Bell, Amber Matousek and Rachel Riley
Infielders- Natalie Smith, Samantha DeMartine,Brittany Cervantes,Megan Yocke, Ashleigh Gustafson, Jessica Adkins, Kara Dill and Jessica Rose
Outfielders- Annie Rowlands, Meagan Aull, and Destinee Mordecai

College World Series Champions

The Women's College World Series of softball is just like any other sport, not as easy as it may look. Over the years sitting on the couch, daily, watching game after game of the womens series, I wish I could be in their shoes. Traveling around to different areas, seeing new things, meeting new people, learning day by day, creating new adventures, etc. Playing your heart out and laying it all out on the field in front of thousands of people on TV.
It all starts with team work. As everyone knows, there's no I in team!
The NCAA 2009 Softball Championship was as intense as ever. It started out with many teams all hoping for one thing, the title of Champions. Taking place in Alabama and Oklahoma, the teams set out for a battle they'll never forget. The teams have practiced all year long to get to this point. It is split up into different brackets in order to make it to one final game that will crown the champions. In 2009 Washington took the title and became the number one team. They finished the season with an outstanding 51-12 record.
Washington, with 17 first-place votes, posted a 5-1 record at the 2009 Women’s College World Series, defeating Florida 3-2 in the second game of the Championship Series. Florida dropped to a pre-season fifth-ranking after finishing the year with a 63-5 record, the only team in 2009 to post single digits in the loss column.
The team will start next year off with a type of powerful attitude. Sky high energy. They have a championship behind them, and an even better future to look forward to. They hope to make it just as far in 2010 and improve their skills significantly.

Disney World

Summer going into my 8th grade year, the Banshees team went to Florida. Everyone on the team that wanted to participate could join. Since I was only a measley 8th grader I did not get to play much while in Florida. It didn't matter if I played two minutes the entire trip, the experience was the best part. I felt somewhat cool because I was on the trip with older girls. I ended up being in a room with five other girls which ended up being sloppy, messy, and of course kind of smelly.
Summer going into my senior year, our team went on another trip to Florida, different hotel, same baseball park. This trip is now at the top of my list of "favorite vacations." Being an "almost senior" made me feel pressured to do my best and somewhat of a role model and leader. Each day we got up at the buttcrack of dawn as the sun was just rising and go to either practice, game, or Walt Disney World. Whenever we had free time, off to Disney World we went! The week flew by with exhaustion at the same time as excitement. I don't think I have ever laughed as much as I did that week. From the bus trips, to walking through the parks, to swimming in the pool on our private mini beach like resort, to the long nights spent under the bright lights with sweat dripping from all over, nothing could compare to experiences.
One of my greatest memories from the week was riding the Tower of Terror six times. Sitting in the theater like seats, dropping a significant number of feet when you least expect it, gave major chills up and down my arms and legs. As you fell, a picture was taken of the group. The faces made by my friends were unbelievable. The next time I go back to Disney World or even think about the trip, the thrill and screams of the Tower of Terror will immediately pop into my head. Now being one of my favorite rides, I cannot wait to go back and do the adventure all over again. Going without my teammates will not be the same but still an amazing time!

Tri County Sticks

When I was 13 I joined a traveling softball team. This was the first traveling team I had ever been on. The team was made up of about 12 girls from three different counties: Nelson County, Larue County, and Hardin County. From Nelson County there were five of us, myself and four others that went to the other high school in town. I had mixed emotions before joining this team and wasn't sure if it was really what I wanted to do. After the first few practices and everyone got to know each other, I knew I had made the right decision. The team travled all over the state to many different parks.
We created the name Tri County Sticks since we were from three different counties and referred to ourselves as this for the rest of the season. Growing up I had been a rather shy girl and didnt open up to others easily. This team made me realize that I can be myself around anyone I meet. The friendships I made with the girls still contine today. Many memories and adventures took place and made me learn alot about softball as well as interacting with new people. I added a new army of friends to my life.
The Tri County Sticks went on to have a better season than any of us had expected. We worked together more than any other team I've been on and I had a blast while doing it. My skills improved significantly and I believe I learned a lot from having a different coach other than my dad. This is one of the few teams I was on that my dad wasnt the head coach or even assistant. No matter the coach, the players, or the loacation, softball is my life and I learn more and more with each game and practice. Traveling softball was a fun experience and will always make me want to go back in time and do it all over again!

Army of Friends

The high school I went to was so small that I was the only senior that played on the team my last year. My team was rather small and many of the players were very young. Myself being a senior, took turns pitching each game with a freshman. That just tells you how tiny our team was. My teammates made my last year my favorite one while at Bethlehem. Even though I was the lonesome senior, they made me feel like a little kid again. Starting each season I was so excited and jittery that I could hardly sit in my seat during school because I wanted so badly to get out on the field. Now that the season is over and my career as a softballer has ended, I sometimes feel lost in my own shoes. My favorite sport will not be the same compared to when I was a child.
Since I went to a Catholic high school and being the captain and leader of the team, before each game I would gather my teammates around in a circle, lock arm in arm, and say a quick prayer thanking God for all he has done, ask for safety for everyone on the field, and most importantly fun! We would end each prayer with an Our Father Prayer and then finally a 1,2,3 BANSHEES cheer at the top of our lungs.
After we said the quick prayer I would walk each game out to home plate with my dad, our head coach, and have a meeting with the umpires. I used to like doing this because it gave me a chance to meet a player or two on the opposing team. Our season ended with only a few wins but I had a blast playing and will always treasure the memories I had my final senior year. Regardless of how small my team was, it felt like an army of friends!

Where it all begins

My older sister, now 24, played softball since she was a child. My older brother, now 21, also played baseball since he was a child. My father has coached sports, including softball, since I can remember. Throughout my life I have played basketball, softball, volleyball, and soccer. Softball became my favorite very early. The love of the game started way back in my family with my grandpa even coaching. My family is not spectators, but get involved.