What's the difference?
The pitching between the two sports is probably the biggest difference between baseball and softball. The fast pitch windup is much more complex to learn while a baseball windup is still hard but has the basics or a regular throw from any position on the field. This distance from home plate to a softball pitcher's mound has been recently changed from 40 to 43 for high school players. Now they are at the same distance as the professionals and Olympic players. Although, a baseball mound measures 60 feet and 6 inches from home plate, the windup for a fast pitch pitcher is a very difficult motion to learn. After throwing over hand since they learned the game, they must adjust to throwing underhand. Eventually, if pitching is a softball player’s main position, overhand throws may hurt their arms because their muscles have adjusted to throwing underhand for so long. While a baseball pitch is also complex but the basics are just a regular over-hand throw. Generally, baseball pitchers have more arm injuries than softball pitchers because it is said that underhand is a more natural motion. In conclusion, a softball pitcher may have to throw 30 to 35 innings in one weekend compared to a baseball pitcher that may only pitcher 7 to 10 innings in one weekend before risking injury. The wind up of the pitcher is very important and there an endless amount of ways pitchers can make it their own. But there are some regulations and tips that they made need before creating their windup. Some rules for a softball pitcher are that when the pitcher approaches the mound the ball must be out of her glove and while pitching, one foot must be touching the ground at all times. This is especially hard when a pitcher pushes off into an L position. For a baseball windup, they are allowed to take one step forward or one step back with their free foot. Their free foot is the foot opposite of the pivot foot. As for pitches, different ones can be used in different situations depending on the outs, score, runners on base, speed of the runners, batting order, etc. Another difference is that in baseball they have to pitch at least 9 innings where as in softball there are 7 innings for regulation games.