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Fast-pitch Softball
Fastpitch softball, or simply fastpitch, is a form of softball played by both women and men. While the teams are most often segregated by sex, coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. Considered the most competitive form of softball, fastpitch is the format played at the Olympic Games. Softball was on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) program in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2020. The fastpitch style is also used in college softball and other international competition. It is the form used in the American Women's Professional Fastpitch league, a women's professional league whose inaugural season began in June 2022. Pitchers throw the ball with an underhand motion at speeds up to for women. Karlyn Pickens set this record while playing for Tennessee in May 2025 at the 2025 NCAA Division I softball tournament. The pitching style of fastpitch is different from that of slowpitch softball. Pitchers in fast-pitch softball usually throw the ball using a "windmill" type of movement. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megan Gibson-Loftin
Megan Lynn Gibson-Loftin (born March 25, 1986) is an American, former collegiate All-American, professional softball pitcher and current director of softball operations for Twelve Softball. She is also the former pitching coach at Houston. Gibson-Loftin played college softball for Texas A&M where she is the career leader in offense walks and led them to a runner-up finish at the 2008 Women's College World Series. She also ranks top-10 in the latter category and home runs in the Big 12 Conference. She was selected by the Philadelphia Force as the second overall pick in the 2008 NPF Draft, eventually playing for four seasons. After the Force folded she was picked up by the Tennessee Diamonds in 2010. Career College Born Megan Lynn Gibson in Spring, Texas, Gibson-Loftin played college softball at Texas A&M from 2004 to 2008. In the 2008 season, she was collegiate national player of the week from February 25 to March 2. She led her team to win the program's second Big 12 regular ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tennessee Lady Volunteers Softball
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team represents the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I women's college softball, softball competition. Coached by Karen Weekly, the team has become a consistently top-tier team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), appearing in every NCAA Division I softball tournament, NCAA tournament since 2004, and qualifying for eight Women's College World Series. Along with all other UT women's sports teams, it used the nickname "Lady Volunteers" (or the short form "Lady Vols") until the 2015–16 school year, when the school dropped the "Lady" prefix from the nicknames of all women's teams except in Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball, basketball. In September 2017, the "Lady Volunteers" name was reinstated for all women's athletics teams. Overview The Lady Vols first fielded a softball team in 1996 with Jim Beitia as head coach. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Connecticut Brakettes
The Connecticut Brakettes is a women's fastpitch softball team based in Stratford, Connecticut. The team has won many state, regional, national, and international tournaments (28 ). History The team was founded in 1947 by William S. Simpson as the Raybestos Girl All-Stars. Over the years the team name has changed to Raybestos Brakettes (1948), Hi-Ho Brakettes, Stratford Brakettes, or Connecticut Brakettes (2006). The Brakette name is derived from the main product of the Raybestos plant in Stratford which produced brake linings for automobiles and trucks. In 2006 the Brakettes fielded two teams. The Connecticut Brakettes were members of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), finishing second in the regular season with a record of 27–15. In the NPF championship game, the Connecticut Brakettes lost to the fourth place New England Riptide 2–0. In 2006 they also fielded the Stratford Brakettes in the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). They won the 2006 women's major fastpitch tourn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket. Positioned behind home plate and facing toward the outfield, the catcher can see the whole field, and is therefore in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a defensive play. The catcher typically calls for pitches using PitchCom, or hand signals. The calls are based on the pitcher's mechanics and strengths, as well as the batter's tendencies and weaknesses. Essentially, the catcher controls what happens during the game when the ball is not "in play". Foul tips, bouncing balls in the dirt, and contact with runners during plays at the plate are all events ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uncaught Third Strike
In baseball and softball, an uncaught third strike (sometimes referred to as dropped third strike or non-caught third strike) occurs when the catcher fails to cleanly catch a pitch for the third strike of a plate appearance. In Major League Baseball (MLB), the specific rules concerning the uncaught third strike are addressed in Rules 5.05 and 5.09 of the Official Baseball Rules: On an uncaught third strike with (1) no runner on first base, or (2) with two outs regardless of runners on base, the batter immediately becomes a runner. The strike is called, but the umpire does not call the batter out. The umpire may also signal that there is "no catch" of the pitch. The batter may then attempt to reach first base and must be tagged or forced out. With two outs and the bases loaded, the catcher who fails to catch the third strike may, upon picking up the ball, step on home plate for a force-out or make a throw to any other base in an effort to force out a runner. An "uncaught" st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bunt (baseball)
A bunt is a batting (baseball), batting technique in baseball or softball, fastpitch softball. Official Baseball Rules define a bunt as follows: "A bunt is a batted ball not swung at, but intentionally met with the bat and tapped slowly within the infield." To bunt, the batter loosely holds the baseball bat, bat in front of home plate and intentionally Batted ball, taps the ball into play. A properly executed bunt will create weak contact with the ball and/or strategically direct it, forcing the infielders to make a difficult defensive play to record an out (baseball), out. Technique The strategy in bunting is to ground the ball into fair territory, as far from the fielders as possible but within the Baseball, infield. This requires not only physical dexterity and concentration, but also an awareness of the baseball fielding positions, fielders' positions in relation to the baserunner or baserunners, their likely reactions to the bunt, and knowledge of the pitcher's most likely pit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stolen Base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out at the next base, but the official scorer rules on the question of credit or blame for the advance under Rule 10 (Rules of Scoring) of the MLB's Official Rules. A stolen base most often occurs when a base runner advances to the next base while the pitcher is pitching the ball to home plate. Successful base stealers must be fast and have good timing. Background Ned Cuthbert, playing for the Philadelphia Keystones in either 1863 or 1865, was the first player to steal a base in a baseball game, although the term ''stolen base'' was not used until 1870. For a time in the 19th century, stolen bases were credited when a baserunner reached an extra base on a base hit from another player. For example, if a runner on first base reached third ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Screwball
A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action. The pitch is sometimes known as the scroogie or airbender. Carl Hubbell was one of the most renowned screwball pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball. Hubbell was known as the "scroogie king" for his mastery of the pitch and the frequency with which he threw it. Other famous screwball hurlers include Tug McGraw, inaugural Hall of Fame member Christy Mathewson, and Cy Young Award winners Mike Cuellar, Fernando Valenzuela, Mike Marshall, and Willie Hernández. Grip and action The baseball is held with the open end of the horseshoe shape (where the seams are closest together) facing upward. The thumb is placed just beneath the bottom of the horseshoe, the index finger is curled against the top of the thumb, forming a tight circle to the side of the ball. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curveball, power curveball, and the knuckle curve. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to pitcher. The expression "to throw a curveball" essentially translates to introducing a significant deviation to a preceding concept. Grip and action The curveball is typically gripped in a manner similar to holding a cup or glass. The pitcher positions the middle finger along and parallel to one of the ball’s long seams, while the thumb is placed on the seam opposite, forming a "C shape" when viewed from above, with the horseshoe-shaped seam facing inward toward the palm. The index finger is aligned alongside the middle finger, while the remaining two fingers are folded toward the palm, with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riseball
In fastpitch softball, a rise ball is type of pitch that is thrown on an upward trajectory and with backspin in order to impart a rising motion. Two factors are primarily responsible for the effectiveness of the rise ball – movement and velocity. Pitchers rely on the movement of the rise ball to fool batters into swinging at pitches that appear to be in the strike zone but move up to and out of the upper part of the strike zone where they are more difficult to hit. Additionally the rise ball may be used in the lower strike zone to induce a batter to not swing at a pitch that they believe will drop out of the strike zone, but in fact travels through the zone causing the hitter to take a strike without swinging. Rise balls are high velocity pitches, generally thrown at speeds that match or are close to the pitcher’s fastball speed. At the women’s collegiate level, rise balls typically are thrown in a range of 60 to 70mph with the most dominant pitchers capable of speeds in e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed coupled with its deceptive delivery is meant to confuse the batter's timing. It is meant to be thrown the same as a fastball, but further back in the hand, which makes it release from the hand slower while still retaining the look of a fastball. A changeup is generally thrown to be slower than a fastball. If thrown correctly, the changeup will confuse the batter because the human eye cannot discern that the ball is coming significantly slower until it is around from the plate. For example, a batter swings at the oncoming ball as if it were a fastball, but instead the ball is coming in at —this means they will be swinging too early to hit the ball well (also known as being "way out in front"). Other names include a change-of-pace o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Four-seam Fastball
A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch (baseball), pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the fastest ball thrown by a pitcher. It is so called because with every rotation of the ball as it is thrown, four seams come into view. A few pitchers at the major league level can sometimes reach a pitch speed of over 100 mph. It is often compared with the two-seam fastball. Grip and action The four-seam fastball is designed purely for velocity; it travels to the batter's box with little or no "break" from straight-line flight—the intent being to challenge the batter's reaction time instead of fooling him with a pitch that breaks downward or to one side or the other. The ball is gripped with the index and middle fingers set on or across a line (cross-seam) of the "horseshoe" seam that faces outward, i.e., away from the pitcher's body. The thumb is placed directly undernea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
