12 Ways Fastpitch Softball Has Changed Over the Last 25 Years

It is always tempting to think that the way things are today is the way they have always been. After all, it can be difficult to imagine things being significantly different if you’ve never known anything else. Well, I’m here to tell you that the game HAS changed significantly over the last (roughly) 25 years […]

More...

How about the pitching rules changing. Can start with a foot off the rubber. And Leaping is allowed.

chinamigarden said:

How about the pitching rules changing. Can start with a foot off the rubber. And Leaping is allowed.

Click to expand...

Those are good ones!

Ken, I liked the article. I replied on Twitter, I said the pitching distance changed from 40-43 in the late 1980's I think. Long before 25 years ago. Although I think it was still 40 feet at the first Olympics. I'm fairly certain International softball changed their rule for pitching distance AFTER NCAA, ASA did.

China's right about the pitching rules I thought of that too, after I sent the reply on Twitter. I didn't wanna add another reply to Twitter, I wouldn't want Ken to think I'm attacking him or his article!! lol.

Overall I thought it was a great read.

Was just discussing this same topic with other long-term softballers. My comment is the biggest change I see is the disparity in Talent levels competing against each other.

Example particularly travel ball where it used to be more for talented and developed players. It is not as much so now. Even though it's nice now there's a place for just about anybody to play. It is such a mixture that it has changed overall competition.

Used to be anytime you were going to play would be a competitive outing. But that is just not the case nowadays. And there really isn't a good system to differentiate the talent levels. Intermediate teams,
Then average teams,
B teams
A teams
Elite teams

Example~
When teams show up to play in pool tournaments- we can see the disparity.
When there are B Teams facing A teams the game loses its competition value.
Then next day, We can see these teams in assigned brackets playing against each other and the level of play becomes competitive. At the different levels.

NOW
The pool games became a *necessary *tool to help create competitive value.

For the more competitive teams they have to *find a way into the circuit with the other competitive teams. Who generally try to stay away from the mainstream channels of mixture competition. Utilizing Invitation Only events.

Lot to sort through for everybody to figure out what is the best fit.

I just remember the white ball and having “team” equipment. It was the rare player at my HS who had their own bat, helmet or catcher’s gear. It was even rarer to have a player who played on a TB team. You also couldn’t find women’s cleats anywhere - you just settled for men’s. I never had my own glove - always received my brother’s hand me down baseball mitts. Rec uniform was a tee-shirt with a sponsor name that you wore with jeans. CRAZY to think that we played SB in jeans!! Dragged fields - what were those? Also, no safety base or fielder’s masks.

I don’t know if that was all due to the times or due to growing up in a non-affluent area. This was the 80’s to early 90’s.

I have only been around the game of softball for less than 10 years. I am confident that the pitching distance change is biggest difference in the past 25 years but that is before I really paid any attention to women's softball.

Off the field, I would say the biggest difference is the training the girls are doing on there own, and with personal hitting and pitching instructors. Some of these girls are really damn good at softball by the time they are 14 years old.

On the field, maybe not the biggest difference but it has not been mentioned yet. The rule change with batters having to have both feet entirely in the batters box, instead of having your any part of your foot in the batters box. That rule change has really hurt slappers. You used to see a lot more slap hitters playing high level D1 softball. You don't see as many slappers as used to 7-8 years ago. Colleges have changed their focus more towards players that can drive the ball.

Great article... the game has definitely changed.

YoungBuck said:

Great article... the game has definitely changed.

Click to expand...

The white ball was a core .50 and compression 400!
The pitching distance in ASA changed around late ‘90’s to help protect the pitchers from come backers.
The helmets had only two ear holes and one small hole at top and no cage.
Most first and third basemen played up so far that the second baseman had to cover the throw to first.
Composite bats came into use around 2000, before that the top bats were double wall aluminum!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk