SOFTBALL
"A Younger Version of Baseball"
Where It All Began
Lauren Chamberlain
- Corner
- 2013 NCAA Women's College World Series Champion with the Oklahoma Sooners
- Two-time NFCA All-American
- Top 3 Finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
- 2010 Pan American (18-Under) Gold Medalist
- 2013 USA Women's National Team Member
- Team USA Member
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauren.chamberlain.9
Twitter: @LChamberlain44
A Little Later
Keilani Ricketts
- Pitcher
- Plays professionally with the USSSA Pride
- Member of Team USA
- 2013 Women's College World Series Champion with the Oklahoma Sooners
- Threw 50 Strikeouts in the 2014 season with the Pride
- Two time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keilani.ricketts?fref=ts
Twitter: @laniricketts10
Timeline
- November 24th, 1887: The first softball game was played
- Winter 1889: The first winter softball league was formed
- 1897: The first softball league outside of the United States was organized in Toronto, Canada
- Summer 1913: Softball was adopted by the Minneapolis Park Board and was played in parks and playgrounds all over the city
- 1926: The game took the name softball when a Denver YMCA official brought the idea up
- Summer 1931: A group of men named "Kids and Kubs" drove around the country playing softball. They were all at least 75 years old and played in suits.
- Summer 1933: The first softball tournament was organized by a Chicago salesman
- Fall 1933: The Amatuer Softball Association was founded
- 1939: Softball was introduced to Australia
- 1951: The International Softball Federation began governing worldwide softball competition
- 1962: Softball was introduced to the United Kingdom
- 1965: The first women's fastpitch softball World Championships were played in Melbourne, Australia
- 1966: The first men's fastpitch softball World Championships were played in Mexico City
- 1977: The American Professional Slow Pitch League became the first professional men's softball leagues
- 1983: The first British women's softball league was established
- 1996: Women's Softball became an Olympic medal event
- July 2005: Softball was dropped as an Olympic sport
Janie Takeda
- Outfielder
- Graduate of the University of Oregon
- Two time NFCA All-American
- Two time First Team All-Pac-12
- Member of Team USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janie.takeda
Twitter: @jtakeda19
Popularity Boost
Amber Freeman
- Catcher
- Graduated from Arizona State University
- 2013 World Cup Silver Medalist
- 2011 ISF Junior World Champion
- 2010 Pan American (18-Under) Gold Medalist
- Team USA Member
Twitter: @a_freeman9
Economic Impact
Social Impact
Political Impact
Video!
Sources
http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-history/
http://usssapride.com/news/roster/keilani-ricketts/
http://www.teamusa.org/usa-softball/athletes/Lauren-Chamberlain
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=208409830
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/SB_Records/2015/DivI.pdf
http://www.sportingcharts.com/dictionary/mlb/slugging-percentage-slg.aspx
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/College-Corner/2014-College-Corner/Player-of-Year/Top-50
http://www.teamusa.org/usa-softball/athletes/Janie-Takeda
http://www.teamusa.org/usa-softball/athletes/Amber-Freeman
http://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/228/