Softball has Started and you Need Equipment
If you are just starting out, figuring out what type of softball equipment you need to buy can be overwhelming. If you are young, and still in school, you have two choices: fastpitch softball, or baseball.
With respect to gender, in junior and senior high, fastpitch is usually played by females, and baseball is played by males. Keep this in mind when you choose the direction you want to go. The following information will be about softball gear.
If it has been years since you last played, you probably don’t have any of your softball gear. That’s okay. Here are a few things you will need to get started.
Softball Equipment You Will need
The following is a list of equipment you will need to play softball.
- Glove
- Cleats
- Bat
- Ball
That is all you need to play softball. Seriously, this is the basic equipment you will need
But WAIT!
Before you go shopping, there are a few things to consider.
To play a pickup game of softball, all you need is a glove, a bat a pair of cleats, and maybe a softball. Imagine if nobody thought to bring a ball or two, how would you play softball? I always carry at least one softball in my gear bag.
If you want to try out and play for a team, and you are under the age of 18, there is more equipment you will need. You must wear protective gear – this is required equipment in some leagues and recommended in others.
Check with your local softball league to learn more about local regulations.
Safety when Playing is Primary
- Batting helmet
- Face shield (infield positions, including pitcher)
- Catcher’s mask (catcher’s glove)
- Chest Protector
- Shin Guards
- Mouth guard
- And any other required equipment in accordance with league rules.
In adult softball, fastpitch or slowpitch, protection gear may or may not be optional depending on sanctioned association (ASA/USA, USSSA). Check with your perspective leagues.
Softball Safety Gear
You now have the basic softball gear, bat, glove, cleats and the ball. Here are the safety gear options based on your local area, league and school districts.
- Catcher’s mask (fast or slowpitch)
- Catcher’s mitt (fastpitch)
- Batting helmet (fastpitch)
- Any other required gear to play in your league.
You may notice that the equipment used for softball is similar between slowpitch and fastpitch. You may even wonder what that difference is between them.
Although fastpitch and slowpitch are both softball sports, there are a few differences, the main difference between the two is the speed of the pitched ball.
Slowpitch differs from Fastpitch Softball
Here are some of the differences between Slowpitch (SP) and Fastpitch (FP) softball:
- FP teams – 9 players
- SP teams- 10 players (four outfielders)
- FP – Runners can steal bases
- SP – No base stealing
- FP – Batters can bunt
- SP – No bunting
Slowpitch softball is a game where the ball is thrown underhand in an arc, where the ball must reach a height of 4-12 feet once released by the pitcher before it crosses the plate to be considered a ‘legal pitch’.
The pitcher’s mound is 50 feet from home plate. Slowpitch use an 11” ball for women, and a 12” ball for men.
Fastpitch softball is a game where the ball is whipped underhand using a windmill or slingshot type of throw. The speed of the ball can measure up to 65 miles an hour, and in comparison to the 90+ mile an hour baseball that is thrown from 60 feet, the fastpitch pitcher is only 43 feet away from home plate.
In recent years, due to injuries suffered by fastpitch pitchers, face masks are recommended and may be required for the pitchers (in 18 and under leagues).
Softball Gloves, Bats and Cleats
Let’s start with the easy one first – Cleats
Softball cleats are special shoes that are worn by ballplayers to grab traction on the infield dirt and the outfield grass. The soles of the shoe, or cleats, are made of molded rubber, that have 7-9 ‘cleats’ that cover the bottom of the shoe. (See Image).
There are two types of cleats worn by softball players – metal cleats, and molded rubber cleats.
In high school girls fastpitch and women’s college fastpitch softball, metal cleats are acceptable. If you are in high school, check with your local districts for equipment restrictions.
In adult slowpitch softball, metal cleats are prohibited, only molded rubber soled shoes are legal.
Cleat selection – find the best fitted shoe
When you set out to buy a pair of cleats, try them on. Just like any shoe, you want to make sure the shoe fits properly. You want a fit that is snug when laced, yet gives your foot some wiggle room. Especially if you are a pitcher
When you get a pair of cleats, you will find that walking in them is a lot different than wearing a new pair of athletic shoes. Get used to how they feel before you play.
- When buy cleats, you want them snug, with a little bit of room at the toe. Especially pitchers, slowpitch and fastpitch pitchers push off that front foot, and the foot will scoot forward. Try on a pair of cleats with sock, especially if you wear thick tube socks. You don’t want your shoes to be too tight.
- Lace up your shoes each time you put on a pair of cleats.
- If the shoe fits you well, you won’t need to worry about extra padding. After you have played while wearing the cleats, you will soon learn whether you need any extra cushion.
Note: As you know, men’s and women’s shoes are sized differently.
However, cleats are cleats.
There is no difference to the cleat style or pattern when it comes to men’s or women’s cleats.
Both men’s and women’s cleats are the same cleat. Only the actual fit is different, as in the size of the shoe itself. This relates to youth-sized cleats as well. They will be smaller, and will have the same cleat pattern.
Buying a Glove - Are you a ‘righty’ or a ‘lefty’?
If you are a ‘righty’, or a right-handed person, that means you will throw the ball right-handed. When you buy a softball glove for the first time, it might feel strange to put the glove on your left hand.
If you are a ‘lefty’, or a ‘southpaw‘, you will throw with your left hand, and wear the glove on your right hand.
Infielders and outfielder gloves are different in that the webbing is longer for the outfielder. Infielders use a shorter glove because they need to quickly grab the ball to make a throw.
Softball gloves, in general, can be multipurpose or used specifically for a position. For example, a glove has separate fingers, that are laced together, to catch the ball. Infielders, pitchers and outfielders all use gloves.
A first base person’s glove opens and closes when the thumb comes together with the fingers.
The fastpitch softball and baseball catcher’s mitt is thicker, designed to protect the hand from hard, repetitive pitches. This mitt is not as flexible as the 1st baseman’s glove, and it’s ‘pocket’ is deeper to catch the speeding pitch.
When you try on a glove, you want your thumb and fingers to reach deep into the finger slots. This will provide you will a good way to judge the proper fit. When buying a new glove, they will be very stiff.
With you hand in the glove, try to close your thumb and fingers together, you’ll see what I mean. You will need to condition the glove before using it.To soften the glove, there are a few ways you can get your glove ready for play.
Old school is to rub oil into the glove palm and base of fingers to soften the glove to increase its flexibility. Take a ball and set it into the glove palm, and wrap the outside of the glove to form around the ball and leave it for a couple days.
There are other options like steaming the glove at a certain temperature to soften the leather, then form it around a ball an wrap it with thick rubber bands, criss-crossed in an ‘X’ and let the glove sit for a few hours.
The best way is to work the glove by playing catch. That way, you will work the glove to fit your hand perfectly by doing so. Any or all three of these ways to soften your glove will make your glove pliable to use when it comes game time.
Batter Up! - buying a softball bat
The way I select a bat is to pick it up and swing a few cuts to see how it feels. Sometimes, you will ‘just know’ that is the bat for you.
However, if you play league ball, the first thing you want to do is find out which bat is one you can use in a league game. Bats have come a long way from the wooden bats, and the first aluminum bates of the 1970s’. Now you can find bat made of composite materials, combined aluminum and wood and even bamboo.
Slowpitch bats are different than Fast Pitch bats.
- As mentioned in a previous article, ‘All about Softball’, slowpitch bats are heavier and longer that fastpitch bats, due to the speed of the ball pitched.
Softball bats fall into two main categories, slowpitch and fastpitch softball. The bats are not interchangeable. You cannot use a fastpitch bat in slow pitch, and vise versa.
Fastpitch softball:
- The fastpitch bat is made specifically to accommodate the speed of the ball, ranges from 24″ – 32″ in length. In fastpitch, longer sizes can increase bat weight. The barrel diameter averages 2 1/4″.
Slowpitch Softball:
- bats range from 31″ – 34″ in length, and weigh between 24 and 34 ounces, with a maximum of 38 ounces, and the barrel cannot be greater than 2.5 inches in diameter.
The regulated associations to consider when you shop for a slow pitch bat are ASA/USA, Senior Softball, and USSSA, among others.
The bat will have an association-approved rating stamp on the lower barrel to indicate who has approved the bat for play.
Fastpitch bats are also made of wood, aluminum, and/or composite materials, yet the differences are in the weight and length. Fastpitch bats are lightweight, balanced which means a quicker swing up at the plate.
The fastpitch bat is thinner, and if used during a slowpitch game, the bat could crack or even dent the bat barrel. Fastpitch bats are also regulated by the same associations as slowpitch, USA/USSSA.
How to select the right bat for you
I found a great way to find the best bat length.
- Pick up a bat and hold the knob end in the middle of your chest, parallel to the floor
- Reach out your arm and touch the end of the bat.
- If it is the proper length, the bat end will be even with your fingertips.
- If the bat is too short or too long, select a different one that matches up.
Another way to select the bat is just to swing it. When you are in the batters box, you want to swing your bat so that the bat’s end reaches across the entire home plate. You can adjust your stance, remember to stay within the batter’s box.
Three things to check for when selecting a softball bat:
- Bat lengths – range from 26” for youth, to 34” to high school and adults. Grip the handle of the bat with both hands one atop the other, just above the knob end. In a clear area, get into a batting stance, and take a few swings to see how it feels.
- Bat weights – range from 23 oz to 36 oz. The ranges allowed will depend on local league rules, so check first before you shop for a bat. A longer bat with a lighter weight might be what you need, based on the type of hitter you are.
- Weight Load– The weight load of a bat can be balanced or end-loaded. The end-loaded bat has a heavier end of the bat, good for the power hitters and long-ball hitters. A balanced bat is evenly weighted the entire length of the bat.
Whichever bat you select, find the one that works best for you.
Softball Protection gear
Anyone who has played softball knows that at some point, you will get hit by:
- A batted ball,
- An overthrown ball
- A pitched ball, (fastpitch)
- A hard grounder or
- A line drive
How often does this happen?
There are statistics online that will give you the percentage of injuries that occur. Realistically, the chance of your being injured as a player is dependent upon your experience, training, skill level, and mental attitude while playing. And accidents do happen.
Sports have safety regulations for a reason.
In recent years, fastpitch softball requires that youth through high school level ball, wear more protective equipment than adults.
The pitcher must, and infielders may wear hockey-style face masks to minimize facial injuries from hard-hit balls. The catcher wears the most gear – a helmet, mask, chest protector, and shin guards.
In adult slowpitch softball levels, there has not been any required safety gear a player must wear. However, if you are going to catch in slowpitch, I highly recommend that you or your catcher wears a face mask, that foul tip off the bat comes at you mighty fast.
The Final Out
I hope you have a better understanding about the differences between slowpitch and fastpitch softball and find the right fit for you, whether that be a pair of cleats, a new glove or a new bat.
Remember to have fun, no matter your skills or competition level, as having fun is the name of the game!
If you have any comments, please leave them below.