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org/wiki/Softball
Softball
Highest governing body World Baseball Softball
Confederation
First played 1887; 135 years ago, United
States
Characteristics
Contact Limited
Team members 2 teams of 9–10
Softball
Equipment
Softball bat
Softball glove
Bases
Presence
Olympic 1996–2008, 2020
World Games 1981, 1985
Invitational: 2009–2013
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Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball (11 to 16 inches or 28 to 40 cm
circumference) on a field that has base lengths of 60 feet, a pitcher's mound that ranges from 35 to
43 feet away from home plate, and a home run fence that is 220–300 feet away from home plate,
depending on the type of softball being played.[1][2] Softball is played competitively at club levels, the
college level, and the professional level.
There are two rule sets for softball generally: slow pitch softball and fastpitch. Slow pitch softball is
commonly played recreationally, while women's fastpitch softball is a Summer Olympic sport and
is played professionally. Sixteen-inch softball, a variant of slow pitch, is less common but remains a
direct descendant of the original game created by George Hancock.
Softball rules vary somewhat from those of baseball. The game moves at a faster pace than
traditional baseball due to the field being smaller and the bases and the fielders being closer to
home plate. Softball is pitched underhand from flat ground, with fastpitch using a windmill arm
motion, while baseball is pitched overhand from a small hill called a mound, which changes the flight
of the pitch. Additionally, the entire infield of a softball diamond is dirt, without grass around the
mount.