13 Facts About Softball

1. Softball was invented in 1887 in Chicago as an indoor game by George Hancock, originally using a boxing glove as the ball.

2.Softball is not actually soft—the ball is larger than a baseball but harder than its name suggests.

3.There are two main types of softball: fastpitch and slowpitch, with different pitching styles, field sizes, and rules.

4.A softball is typically 12 inches in circumference (compared to baseball’s 9 inches) and weighs about 6.25 to 7 ounces.

The pitching distance is shorter in softball—43 feet for women’s fastpitch and 46 feet for men’s slowpitch (compared to 60.5 feet in baseball).

Bases in softball are only 60 feet apart, making the field much smaller than a baseball field, which has 90-foot base paths.

The pitching motion is underhand in softball, which allows for different mechanics and speeds than baseball.

Softball was removed from the Olympics after 2008 but made a return in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Women’s college softball is hugely popular in the U.S., with the Women’s College World Series drawing millions of viewers.

A perfect game in softball means a pitcher allows no hits, walks, or runners of any kind—just 21 up, 21 down in a 7-inning game.

Softball encourages quick decision-making due to its faster pace and shorter reaction times.

The game was originally called “indoor baseball,” “kitten ball,” and “mush ball” before “softball” became the standard name in 1926.

Many pro softball players go on to coach or broadcast, helping grow the sport and promote youth participation.