Softball vs Baseball
By Mallory Leve
Overhand vs underhand
I've played softball for many years, and one thing I have found most commonly talked about is a argument over which is harder softball or baseball. I believe softball isn't better, but it is definitely harder sometimes. I'm not saying baseball isn't hard, but us girls have to do A LOT to be a good softball player. All though a lot of people say they are the same sports, they have a lot of differences.
Pitching
Have you ever pitched to a really good baseball player and they couldn't even hit one? Well there's a reason to that. When you pitch in baseball it goes higher into the strike zone. But unlike softball it goes lower into the strike zone. Therefore in baseball It would be harder to hit a softball. Believe it or not, boys can play softball! Now, boys I bet you couldn't beat me in a game of softball and I'm 11! If you didn't know, in softball we pitch underhand but in baseball they pitch overhand. The risk of playing baseball for a while then joining softball is that it would take a while to get use to pitching underhand. It took me a while to even get somewhat good at pitching.
Batter up!
There is nothing more intimidating than walking up to the batters mound and seeing a awesome pitcher. But truth that matter is, is it harder to hit a baseball or a softball? The size of the ball, the closer the pitching mound. Let's find out if it's harder to hit a baseball or a softball. Baseballs typically are faster, but that's because they are lighter then a softball and farther away from the batter. People asked the Arizona state baseball coach if it is harder to hit a softball than a baseball. This is what he said, "I would say the reaction time is comparable for both. At 65 miles per hour in softball you have about four tenths of a second. At 90 miles per house In baseball you have about four tenths of a second." Mind you this coach has been coaching baseball for 19 years.
softball pitch vs baseball pitch
Who is Jennie Finch?
In the video you just saw, there was a softball player named Jennie Finch. Jennie pitched for the Arizona Wildcats, The USA natinal softball Team, and the Chicago Bandits. Now if that doesn't tell you she is a AWESOME softball pitcher, then I don't know what will. Jennie doesn't just pitch, she also plays first base. She must be a good softball player if she gets two of the main bases on the field. She first won the 2001 Women's college World Series and helped team USA to the gold medal at the 2004 summer Olympics. Eventually time went on and she retired from softball in 2011. But let met tell you, she was one great softball player!
"softball is easy."
Some of the things i am about to tell you make people think that softball is easy. But let me tell you- Its not. "You throw like a girl!" "When we played softball, i'd steal second base, feel guilty and go back." -Woody Allen. Trust me, us girls do NOT like to hear that. Here are a few things girls say back, "You wish you threw like a girl" and "There's nothing soft about it." You go girls!
What people say about the sports.
Now, there isn't really a answer if softball is harder than baseball. But some people will list differences about these great sports. Here is a few...
1.) The ground Level- softball pitchers pitch way closer to home base than baseball players do. (Softball- 43 ft. Baseball- 60 ft.)
2.) Base paths- When you look at a baseball field the base paths are much different than the softball paths. The smaller the base field paths, the smaller the diamond.
3.) size of the ball- A typical softball size is 12.23 inches in circumference, unlike with a baseball it is 9.25 inches in circumference.
That's just a few of the differences, so next time someone says. "Softball and baseball are the same!" You can say, "No they are not! I can list a lot of differences about the sports!"