The Game of Softball

Positions i play

• Pitcher
• 1st base 

proper batting techniques

• Knees bent
• Back elbow up
• Knuckles lined up
• SWING!!!

Proper fielding techniques

• Athletic stance 
• Glove on the ground 

proper pitching techniques

• You need a fast arm circle. 
• You need experience. 
• It requires different finger placements and wrist snaps.

Softball History

• Softball was invented in 1887 in Chicago. 
• It was meant to be an indoor game.
• The fastest pitch ever thrown by a girl was 68.9 mph.
• It was thrown by Zara Lee from Australia. 

Jennie Finch

• Born in Miranda, CA. 
• Played softball her whole life. 
• Played on Team USA in The Olympics.
• Earned many gold medals.
• One of the best softball pitchers ever. 

Cat Osterman

• Born in Texas. 
• Played softball her whole life. 
• Attended University of Texas. 
• Pitched for Team USA in The Olympics.
• Gold and Silver medalist. 

Monica Abbott

• Pitched for Univ. Tennessee
• Had 500 strikeouts 4 seasons in a row
• Pitched for Team USA in Beijing 2008

Softball Fun Facts

• The original softball was a rolled up boxing glove.
• In 1991, Softball was named as an Olympic sport for women.
• In 2006, Softball was eliminated from the Olympics via a vote.
• The first outdoor softball game was in Toronto, Canada in 1897.
• The first world softball championship was in Melbourne, Australia in 1965.

Travel Teams

• There are many different travel softball teams in Michigan. 
• Travel teams are teams that travel around the state and country.
• You play mostly tournaments that start on Thursday and end Sunday. 
• They are mostly college exposure tournaments. 
• College coaches come from all over to watch you play.

High School Teams

• High school teams play other high schools in the same bracket. 
• You play doubleheaders, meaning you play the same team twice in one day.
• You compete for the District Title when you play the teams in your bracket.
• You get more exposure on a travel team rather than a high school team. 

Softball Terms

• Bunt: small hit in front of home plate. 
• Base Hit/Single: a hit that gets you to 1st base.
• Double: a hit that gets you to 2nd base.
• Triple: a hit that gets you to 3rd base. 
• Pinch Runner: a runner that runs for an injured player/pitcher/catcher.

Softball Terms COnt.

• Fair Ball: hit into the field of play.
• Offensive team: team that is batting. 
• Defensive Team: team that is fielding. 
• Earned Run: a run for which the pitcher is held accountable for.
• No-Hitter: when a pitcher has a game and allows the other team no hits. 

My Favorite Pitcher

• Keilani Ricketts Oklahoma Univ. starting pitcher 
• Threw 5 no-hitters in senior season. (2013)
• Played for National Team. 
• Went 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA 25 Ks in 27 innings at the championship.
• Went 125-35 all 4 years of college ball.