Softball was invented in 1887 by George Hancock in Chicago. Softball is a bat-ball sport played between two teams of 10 players. Softball is a very fun sport for girls to play because you are with friends and on a dirt field to play a game of softball. Some of the earlier names for softball were Indoor baseball, Mushball, and Kittenball. More than 17 million people in the U.S play softball.
Softball is played in more than 140 countries and it was also the first to be played in the Olympics in 1996. Some of the rules of the game are as follows:
The playing field is divided into the infield and outfield
The lines between the bases are 60’ apart.
In the infield there is a pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman.
In the outfield there is a left fielder, right fielder, center fielder.
You have to have nine players on the field at one time in fastpitch softball.
In softball there are some illegal pitches like crow hopping, re-planting, stepping out the pitching lane, and back toe losing contact with the rubber. Although the pitcher and the catcher have the ball the most, each player has a job.
The earliest softball game was played in Chicago, Illinois, on Thanksgiving. The game took place at the Farragut Boat Club. George Hancock created the 17-inch ball and he also undersized the bat in the next week. Some of the things you also need to know while playing softball are Hitting, Throwing, Catching, Running, and Pitch recognition because while playing in the game you will need to know how to do those things.
Hopefully this makes more people want to play softball because it is a good sport for girls to play and you’re outside and playing a game that is fun.