softball field

Softball is played on a surface of grass and dirt that is called “softball field”, “softball field”
or “softball pitch” to guide us a little and explain how and what the field consists of, we will
use the

following image as model and each number are references to the place where it is located:

A softball diamond can have different distances in the outfield but must have the same
measurements from the mound to home plate and between the bases. On a regulation
softball field, the outfield is usually grass and the infield is usually smooth, firm dirt. But,
the most important thing about softball is that you can play it on any surface you have
available, such as a soccer field, hockey field, an empty field, a park, or anywhere you can
find some space. The flatter the terrain the better for the players, so the ball will bounce
evenly. If the Outfield Infield NOTE: 7 ball hits a rock, it may bounce up and hit a player
and that is not pleasant for anyone.

A softball field is shaped like a diamond (which is why a softball field is often called a
softball diamond) and has four bases on it. The bases are spaced at equal distances. In
addition to these four bases, there is also a pitcher's plate or pitcher's plate on the field
and it is located in the middle of the diamond between the bases, as shown in the diagram
on page 8. Each of the bases has a name, as follows: Home Plate – This is the base
where the batter stands, on which the pitcher throws the ball and it is behind where the
catcher and the umpire stand and where the offensive
team tries to reach in order to score a run. This is also
the only one of the four bases that is not square. The
Home Plate has five sides as shown in the graphic:

 1st. Base – It is located to the right of home

plate and it is always to first base that the runner
runs, such as ……; as the name indicates.
 2nd. Base – It is the next base to which the
runner runs and is located high up on the diamond, directly across home plate and
behind the pitcher's plate.
 3rd. Base – It is the next base after 2nd. and the last one to which a runner runs
and bunts, before running to home plate.

Bases:

Second and Third bases must be 15 inches x 15 inches (38.1cm x 38.1cm), and a
maximum height of 5 inches (12.7cm). These bases are white.

First base must have a double safety base for safety purposes, measuring 15 inches x 30
inches (38.1cm x 76.2cm).

Half of the double base is white and the other half is orange. The white part of the base
must be in fair territory, while the orange part must be in foul territory.

The first base foul line must be in the middle of the safety base (as shown in the photo).

First part field distances

A regulation softball field has the following distances:

Bases – 60 feet (18.29m) separation between each base

Throw Distance – 43 feet (13.11m) from home plate for women.

46 feet (14.0m) from home plate for men.

Outfield Hurdles – 220 feet (67.1m) from home plate for women

This is where the main game is run: In a softball game there are two teams; one on
offense and the other on defense. It is common, as in most sports, that the attacking team
is the offender and the team defending the goal is the defender.
 Offense: In softball, the offensive team sends one player at a time “at bat” with a
piece of equipment called a bat (for more information on bats see the playing
equipment section). This player stands near home plate (shown in the Field graphic
 on page 8) and attempts to hit the ball as it is thrown by the defensive team's
pitcher.
 Defense : The Defense team has nine players on the field at the same time, each
playing in one of the nine defensive positions, which are spread around the field
What is a “Strike”?
A Strike is any of the following:
A pitch that goes into the “strike zone” without
being hit.
A pitch that the batter tries to hit and misses
completely, or does not make contact with the
ball at all.
A pitch that the batter hits and goes into foul
territory
Strike Zone
The “Strike Zone” is the area shown in the
rectangle in the drawing above between the
batter's knees and the armpit, directly above
home plate, within an imaginary or invisible
rectangle. It is the job of the umpire (who is positioned directly behind the catcher) to
determine whether the pitch passed through this imaginary area.

Fair Ball and Foul Balls

A “Fair Ball” is any BATTED ball that goes to THE INSIDE PART of the playing field,
between the two white lines along the field, which are also known as “foul lines.”

A “Foul Ball” is any ball hit that:

 goes backwards
 It stops and moves out of the “fair ball” territory.
 After being hit in the air (called a fly ball), it does not fall into fair ball territory or is
touched by the defense while outside the fair ball area.
 On a ground ball (a ball that is hit into the ground), or is also touched by the
defense while in the “foul ball” area or rolling in the “foul ball” area.

warning zone

Its function is to warn the player that he is about to reach the limits of the field and,
therefore, close to the fence. The surface of the warning zone must have a different
consistency than grass, so that the player can be warned with just one step. At the foot of
the outfield fence The warning zone must be 10 to 12 feet (3.05 to 3.65 meters) At the foot
of the side fences The warning zone must be 12 to 15 feet (3.65 to 4.57 meters)

General Dimension Table

 Official dimensions for the softball playing field

Adults Measures

Metri Imperials
cs
In this table we will present
Female LR –the different
“Home” variations
to the of field60.9
fence of the dimensions,
200 feetsince the
measurements vary according
outer field to the field designed for the
6mpeople who will use it, we must
clarify that they are not the same measurements for a men's team, these are longer
LR Male – “Home” to the outer field fence 68.5 225 feet
measurements, while that for women they are shorter distances 8m because the ball does not
travel as fast and far; and finally we have the fields for young people, these are at an
LL Femenino – “Home” to the fence of the 80.1 265 feet
intermediate point between these fields, since they are a field that they will use to develop
outer field 1m
their capabilities and begin to adapt to these fields.
Male LL – “Home” to the outfield fence 83.8 215 feet
Youth 2m
LR Women 12 – minor – “Home” to the outer
LL/LR Masc. field –fence
and Fem. Minimum from 53.34
7.62m 25 175
feet feet
“home” to “backstop” m
LR Male 12 – minor – “Home” to the outfield fence 53.34 m 175 feet
LR/LL Masc. and Fem. – Maximum from 9.14 30 feet
LR Women 15 – minor – “Home”
“home”totothe outer field fence
“backstop” 53.34m
m 175 feet

LR Male 15 – minor – “Home” to the

LR/LL Homeoutfield fence
to first base (except LL Men) 53.34m
18.2 60 175
feet feet
9m
LR Women 18 – minor – “Home” to the outer field fence 60.96m 200 feet
Male LL – “Home” to first base 19.8 65 feet
LR Male 18 – minor – “Home” to the outfield fence 60.96m
1m 200 feet

LL Women 12 – minor – “Home”

Women's to the
LRouter field fence
– “Home” to the pitcher's 53.34m
12.1 40 175
feet feet
plate 9m
LL Male 12 – minor – “Home” to the outfield fence 53.34m 175 feet
Men's LR – “Home” to the pitcher's plate 14.0 46 feet
LL Women 15 – minor – “Home” to the outer field fence 53.34
2m m 175 feet

LL Male 15 – minor – “Home” to the outfield

Women's fenceto the pitcher's
LL – “Home” 68.58m
14.0 46 225
feet feet
plate 2m
LL Women 18 – minor – “Home” to the outer field fence 68.58m 225 feet
Male LL – “Home” to the pitcher's plate 15.2 50 feet
LL Male 18 – minor – “Home” to the outfield fence 68.58m
4m 225 feet

LR Masc. and Fem. in all divisions – distance

LR/LL Masc. between
and Fem. bases
(except Male LL)- 18.29m
25.8 84 60
feetfeet
10″
“Home” to second base (18.3 m between 6m
LL Masc. and Fem. in all divisions
bases) – distance between bases 19.81m 65 feet

Women's LR 15 – minor – LL
“Home”
Masc.to–the pitcher's
“Home” plate base (20.0 12.19m
to second 28.0 91 40
feetfeet
11″
m between bases) 2m
Women's LR 18 – minor – “Home” to the pitcher's plate 12.19m 40 feet
LR/LL – One meter line 0.91 3 feet
Women's LL 15 – minor – “Home” to the pitcher's plate 12.19m
m 40 feet

LR Male 15 – minor – “Home” to the

LR/LL pitcher'sofplate
– Diameter batter warning circle 14.42m 46 feet
1.52 5 feet
m

LR/LL- Radius of the batter's warning 0.76 2 feet 6″

As we can see incircle
the two tables we have three different colors,
m these colors have a
meaning and we use them to differentiate and highlight some things that we will explain
LR/LL – Batter's box (each side of home 15.2 6″
below: plate) 0m
Purple: Refers to the measurements
LR/LL thatbox
– Length of batter's adult women have,
3.13 this is because these
7 feet
measurements, if we observe them carefully, are broadermcompared to the measurements
of young girls.
LR/LL- Width of batter's box 0.91 3 feet
m

LR/LL- Front line of the batter's box from 1.22 4 feet

the center of home plate m

LR/LL- Length of the “coach” box 4.57 15 feet

m

LR/LL – Distance from the coach's box to 3.65 12 feet

Pink : It is the color that will serve us, since for our age we should occupy a softball field
for youth, after analyzing the measurements we observe how the averages decrease a
little, this because as has been said before, the youth field must be younger since this is
where skills begin to be developed, so you cannot overexert yourself when running very
long distances
Blue : These measures are measures that do not change, that is, they are measures that
apply to men, women and even youth, these are due to the proper regulations of this sport,
so they are measures that remain for all playing groups .
Difference of baseball and softball (fields and some extra things associated with the
field)
Field
An important difference is the size of the field. In baseball the distance between the bases
is 90 feet, while in softball it is 60 feet. Likewise, the fences that delimit the outside of the
playing field are between 200 and 220 feet in softball fields, while in baseball fields they
can reach 400 feet. It is also notable that in baseball pitchers pitch from a sloping mound,
which has a radius of 9 feet (2.7m) and a maximum height of 10 inches (25cm); while in
softball pitchers throw from a flat circle, which has a radius of 8 feet (2.4m) and is marked
with white chalk.

Ball

The softball is somewhat larger than the one used in baseball games. Specifically,
according to the International Softball Federation, it has a circumference of 30.2 cm and
weighs 166.5 g, while baseball ones can have a maximum size of 24 cm and 149 g in
weight. They are usually made of rubber or cork covered with a layer of latex that is
covered with two pieces of leather, usually fluorescent yellow in color and with red seams
so that it is better seen by the players, as it can reach speeds of up to 120 km/h.

Bat

The key tool of softball, the bat, is usually made of graphite, ceramic, carbon, aluminum, or
some metal alloy. Unlike baseball bats, these are shorter, approximately 86.4 cm
compared to 106.6 cm for the baseball bat. However, it is thicker, at the widest part it is 5.7
cm, and should not weigh more than 1077 g, while the baseball one is 940 g.

Theft of the bases

Softball: the offensive player or runner must have contact with the base to score and can
only steal once the ball has left the pitcher's hand.
 Baseball: it is more flexible since the runner can go out whenever he wants and does not
have to be in contact with the base.
Baseball

softball