Fastpitch Discussions
Make the fields bigger
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I just want everyone's opinion on what they think about the size of softball fields. Should they make softball fields bigger? Move the pitching rubber back, stretch out the bases, add some distance to the fence. What do you guys think about this and how much will it effect the game? When I see girls at 10U ASA national hitting home runs over a fence on a field that is close to the same size as the fence that Bustos is hitting them out of I think their is a problem. I know a girl in So Cal that plays 12U, I think she has around 8 HR's this year. Is 200 feet way to close for a college fence?
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NumeroUno - Posts: 8915
- Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:50 pm
NumeroUno wrote:I just want everyone's opinion on what they think about the size of softball fields. Should they make softball fields bigger? Move the pitching rubber back, stretch out the bases, add some distance to the fence. What do you guys think about this and how much will it effect the game? When I see girls at 10U ASA national hitting home runs over a fence on a field that is close to the same size as the fence that Bustos is hitting them out of I think their is a problem. I know a girl in So Cal that plays 12U, I think she has around 8 HR's this year. Is 200 feet way to close for a college fence?
Interesting observation. One point I would make is that the casual fan (of any sport, really) wants to see action. In softball, that means hitting. Us softball junkies love nothing more than a well-played game going extra innings and ending up 1-0, but most people aren't interested in that. Moving the rubber back and extending the field--at least in the older divisions--might stimulate more interest in the sport. Not that we should necessarily even care about that....
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...or attractiveness.
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Skarp - Premium Member
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Good subject...
My father-in-law who is a lifelong baseball coach at the LL level has always maintained that FP softball needs to grow the size of the field. If you have a whiz-bang pitcher, chances are you're going to own the better part of the game, especially at the younger levels. We've debated the point endlessly and I honestly don't think that from a pitching standpoint, it's any different than baseball. Pitching owns the game until hitters are old enough to catch up to them.
If you look at an elite BB pitcher they're throwing in the 90-95 MPH range from 60'
If they let go of the ball approx 5 feet in front of the rubber and the ball is traveling 139 ft/sec, the hitter has approx .39 secs to hit it. A FP pitcher throwing 65-70 MPH from 43' strides out about 8' and then lets go of the ball another foot out so the release point is approx 37'. Speed is about 100 ft/sec and allows about .37 secs. Not much of a difference.
Looking at the field, a softball doesn't go as far as a baseball and proportionately, I think there are about as many HR's in FP as there are in BB. Not that BB should set the benchmark, but nobody talks about changing the dimensions of a BB field (except maybe in SF when Bonds was there...)
In any sport there will always be the standouts. 10u players hitting out of a 200' field is not the norm any more than 10u players who are 5'8 and weigh 150 lbs. Sure they're out there, but it's not typical.
I vote that things stay the same.
My father-in-law who is a lifelong baseball coach at the LL level has always maintained that FP softball needs to grow the size of the field. If you have a whiz-bang pitcher, chances are you're going to own the better part of the game, especially at the younger levels. We've debated the point endlessly and I honestly don't think that from a pitching standpoint, it's any different than baseball. Pitching owns the game until hitters are old enough to catch up to them.
If you look at an elite BB pitcher they're throwing in the 90-95 MPH range from 60'
If they let go of the ball approx 5 feet in front of the rubber and the ball is traveling 139 ft/sec, the hitter has approx .39 secs to hit it. A FP pitcher throwing 65-70 MPH from 43' strides out about 8' and then lets go of the ball another foot out so the release point is approx 37'. Speed is about 100 ft/sec and allows about .37 secs. Not much of a difference.
Looking at the field, a softball doesn't go as far as a baseball and proportionately, I think there are about as many HR's in FP as there are in BB. Not that BB should set the benchmark, but nobody talks about changing the dimensions of a BB field (except maybe in SF when Bonds was there...)
In any sport there will always be the standouts. 10u players hitting out of a 200' field is not the norm any more than 10u players who are 5'8 and weigh 150 lbs. Sure they're out there, but it's not typical.
I vote that things stay the same.
Being from NorCal, what do I know anyway???
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dittoz - Posts: 590
- Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:05 am
- Location: Northern CA
NumeroUno wrote:I just want everyone's opinion on what they think about the size of softball fields. Should they make softball fields bigger? Move the pitching rubber back, stretch out the bases, add some distance to the fence. What do you guys think about this and how much will it effect the game? When I see girls at 10U ASA national hitting home runs over a fence on a field that is close to the same size as the fence that Bustos is hitting them out of I think their is a problem. I know a girl in So Cal that plays 12U, I think she has around 8 HR's this year. Is 200 feet way to close for a college fence?
Chuck's (Ringers 93 coach) DD hit one out of Crescenta HS field (think its 210' or so) against us when she was a young 11 (2 years ago). deep left center...
Personally, Id like to see the 200' fields move back 20-40 feet. The advanced technology of the EQ & the talent of the average player is immensely greater then when the standards were written for youth fastpitch, IMO, and probably adult as well. AT least thats how it seems. BAts are hot, not ALLOY. hitting mechanics are better, picthing is faster, etc...
The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure.
These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.
- Vince Lombardi
These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.
- Vince Lombardi
- sportzjunky
- Posts: 516
- Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:41 am
Longer OF fences would also create more gaps in the OF and thus would usher in something that is fairly rare in fastpitch: the extra base hit.
Longer pitching distances would reduce the number of strikeouts per game to the point where averaging one K/inning would be considered a nice accomplishment. A greater premium would be placed on defensive play. Shutouts would no longer be taken for granted and a no-hitter would be a significant feat as opposed to a regular event.
More balls put into play, more extra base hits and more runs scored would all make the game exciting. I am now prepared to read posts that argue there is no need to turn fastpitch into baseball!
Longer pitching distances would reduce the number of strikeouts per game to the point where averaging one K/inning would be considered a nice accomplishment. A greater premium would be placed on defensive play. Shutouts would no longer be taken for granted and a no-hitter would be a significant feat as opposed to a regular event.
More balls put into play, more extra base hits and more runs scored would all make the game exciting. I am now prepared to read posts that argue there is no need to turn fastpitch into baseball!
- Martin
- Posts: 212
- Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 2:48 pm
SJ-What's up? Hope things are well. Regards to motormouth.
I believe that things should stay the same. There are very few dominant hitters that go yard on very frequent basis. Even if they do, that is part of our game. It is OK, in my opinion. If we want to play girls baseball then we can just start another game, girls baseball.
My dd has gotten a hold of one every now and again, unfortunately it is not every at bat.
I believe that things should stay the same. There are very few dominant hitters that go yard on very frequent basis. Even if they do, that is part of our game. It is OK, in my opinion. If we want to play girls baseball then we can just start another game, girls baseball.
My dd has gotten a hold of one every now and again, unfortunately it is not every at bat.
Sedit qui timuit ne non succederet - He who feared, he would not succeed, sat still.
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Joe Dirt - Posts: 96
- Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:38 pm
Last year we had a pretty good (by our standards) local HS pitcher. She was good from 40 feet. She played a couple of exposure tournaments from 43 feet. She said it just gave her breaking stuff a couple extra feet to break. She liked pitching from 43, it was an advantage for her. We see the hitting gurus on here talking about the good hitters hitting speed for lunch. My opinion is that speed at 40 feet is an advantage to the hitter. An extra 3 feet of movement is an advantage to the pitcher.
- slim00
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2008 10:56 am
It is funny you say that about the distance. My dd (14u) will sometimes pitch from 43 just to push herself harder. She made the comment last weekend that she liked the way her ball moved from 43.
Hopfully she still has that movement in a couple years.
Hopfully she still has that movement in a couple years.
- Sftbll4ever
- Posts: 1842
- Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 7:27 am
Spazsdad wrote:As far as the bases if you move them back 5 feet it would probably kill the slapping game altogether.
Which raises a question...would moving the bases back 5 feet place a lesser or greater premium on speed? With bigger gaps in the infielders, longer throws, etc., one would think that speed would be less important than it is now. But of course there's still that extra 5 feet to run...
There is no charge for awesomeness
...or attractiveness.
...or attractiveness.
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Skarp - Premium Member
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If it ain't broke don't fix it.
- 18'sdad
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