Brief Introduction to Softball

The Field Of Play

Ideally: A Coed. team should consist of ten players, five male and five female:
Graphic courtesy of the Edinburgh Softball League
  • pitcher(F1)
  • catcher (F2)
  • first baseman (F3)
  • second baseman (F4)
  • third baseman (F5)
  • shortstop (F6)
  • left fielder (F7)
  • left center fielder (F8)
  • right center fielder (F9)
  • rightfielder (F10)
The bases form a 65ft sided square.

The Game

  • A game lasts about an hour, with an equal number of innings (times at bat) for both teams.
  • An inning ends when the team batting accrues three OUTs.
  • The order of batting remains the same for each inning. The batting order continues where it left off at the end of the last inning.

Batting

  • The batter is to stand just away from the HOME PLATE so that when s/he extends the arms and bat, the bat will be over the HOME PLATE.
    HOME PLATE=area 17" wide over which the ball must pass during a STRIKE)
  • The batter is to take a full swing, starting with the bat at (or near) the shoulder and swinging it through to the other shoulder. (In other words, if you know what a ‘bunt’ is, we’ll have none of that here!)
  • If the ball is hit FAIR the batter must run.
    FAIR=Hit forward and either
  • lands and stays within the IN FIELD
  • passes over the IN FIELD but travels inside first and third bases (but may arc outside the line after it has passed)
  • FOUL=Anything not FAIR!
    The IN FIELD=within the area of the 4 bases. (You can guess what the OUT FIELD is!).
  • A batter is OUT if he/she accrues three STRIKEs, or is fielded OUT (see Fielding).
  • If the batter swings the bat and it `ticks’ the ball, and the ball continues to travel backwards towards the catcher (i.e. it is not hit forward), it is a FOUL ball (and a STRIKE).
  • If the batter hits the ball into the air and it is caught by the catcher, the batter is OUT only if the ball rises above the height of the batter’s head before it is caught.
  • Obstruction of any plays by the batting team, physically, will result in an OUT. For example, if a runner interferes with the ball after the batter has hit it.
  • If the batter throws the bat (dangerous play), he/she will first be warned and upon the next offence will be called OUT (at the umpire’s discretion).
  • The batter cannot run with the bat. The bat must first be dropped before the batter may run.

A Strike

  • If the batter swings at the ball, that is a STRIKE unless the ball first hits the HOME PLATE.
  • If the ball is PITCHed so that it travels over the HOME PLATE and is at a height between the batter’s knees and shoulders then that is a STRIKE, even if no swing is attempted.
  • Three STRIKES = OUT (unless on the final attempt contact was made and the ball travelled FOUL - in this case the batter receives another pitch as if the play were only two STRIKEs).

A Ball

  • A PITCH that is not over the HOME PLATE and/or is outside the knee-shoulder range of the batter is a BALL (provided that the batter does not swing the bat).
  • Four BALLS = one free base (i.e. the batter walks to first base).

Pitching

  • The pitcher is to PITCH underhand, pulling the arm straight back, bringing it forward then releasing. No windups! No windmill pitches! No overhand pitches!
    A PITCH = Any delivery by the pitcher, whether a STRIKE or a BALL.
  • The ball must be delivered with perceptible arc and reach a height of at least 6 feet from the ground, while not exceeding a maximum height of 12 feet from the ground.
  • If the pitcher pitches the ball and hits the batter without the batter moving onto the ball, then the batter goes to first base.

Running and scoring

  • A runner may over-run first and home bases only. If the runner does not stop on second or third base, s/he may be caught off base and be tagged OUT.
  • If another batter is forced to run (e.g. if they have just hit the ball and MUST run to first base) then the batter ahead of them must run if they are occupying that (e.g. first) base.
  • Stealing bases is not allowed under our rules. You can only run when a batter hits a FAIR ball.
  • Everyone who gets around the four bases without being OUT, starting and finishing at the home base and touching all the bases gains a point for the team, unless the third OUT was made before s/he reaches home base.
  • If the ball is hit into the air and a fielder catches the ball before it touches the ground, the batter is OUT. All other runners must return to the base they started from.
  • If the ball is hit into the IN FIELD and is caught before it touches the ground, all runners must return to the base from which they started without the threat of getting OUT.
  • If the ball is hit into the OUT FIELD and is caught before it touches the ground, all runners are under the threat of getting OUT.

Fielding and ‘out’s

To get a person OUT:-

  • the ball must be caught before it touches the ground.
  • the runner must be tagged with the ball while it is in the hand of the fielder. To be tagged out, the runner must not be on a base (i.e. either running to a new base, or over-running second or third base).
  • the ball must be securely in the hands of a fielder standing on a base, where the ball has arrived before the runner. This only applies if the runner is `forced’ to run (i.e. s/he has just batted, or another runner forces him/her off their current base).
    (In extremely close plays and at the discretion of the umpire, the decision will be in favour of the runner).

A few extras

  • Overthrows: Only one more base (after the one that the runner is approaching at the time of the throw) may be taken as ‘extra’ in the case of an overthrow that goes out of play.
  • Double or triple plays: it is legitimate for several batters/runners to be OUT in a single play (e.g. if the batter is caught and the catcher tags one runner and throws the ball to a team-mate who tags another OR if a runner is ‘forced’ to run to second base but the fielder who has already put his/her foot on that base, then throws the ball to the first base fielder who similarly gets the batter out).
  • Runners cannot run ‘off line’ - i.e. they cannot run between two bases in an evasive fashion except by varying their speed or totally changing direction to run back to the previous base.
  • The runner can be safe on base as long as any part of his/her body is on the base.
  • (Extension of the no-stealing rule). Once they have stopped running, runners cannot begin running again if the ball is in the hands of the pitcher and the pitcher is at his/her plate.
  • A batter who has been OUT, must bat again in the same inning if the opportunity arises.
  • Strictly (but only worth bothering about if we turn semi-professional):
    A (Coed.) team shall consist of ten players, five male and five female: pitcher (F1), catcher (F2), first baseman (F3), second baseman (F4), third baseman (F5), shortstop (F6), left fielder (F7), left center fielder (F8), right center fielder (F9), right fielder (F10) with the following positioning requirements: two males and two females in both the infield and outfield, and one male and one female as pitcher and/or catcher. NOTE: If a team plays shorthand with either three in the infield or outfield, at least one of the three must be a male and at least one of the three must be a female player.

Tips

  • Have your best hitter batting at number three or four and try to ‘load’ the bases to get four runs.
  • For a fly ball that is going to land in the IN FIELD, the runners can run without having to worry about getting back if the ball is caught (see the rule above in ‘Running and scoring’
  • If there have been two outs and you are a runner, don’t hesitate if the batter hits the ball in the air and it looks like being caught - just go for it, it doesn’t matter about being out.
  • Have your most aggressive fielder as catcher!
  • If you are fielding in the out field, and cannot decide to whom to throw the ball, run in carrying the ball.
  • Have a short stop between 2nd and 3rd bases and the 1st and 2nd base fielders should cover the equivalent position on the other side.
  • Always ‘back up’ fielders around you.
  • Go ‘half way’ when a fielder is throwing the ball in from a long way.
  • Never forget that beer is as important as softball, and that person you just got out...
These rules are just a summary. They were plagiarised and adapted from a web page by somebody called Graham Cockrane at the University of Stirling
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