The first softball was not a ball, but a boxing glove. On Thanksgiving Day 1887, a group of Yale and Harvard alumni gathered in Chicago to hear the score of the schools' annual football game. A Yale alumnus, after learning of the Bulldogs' 17-8 victory, threw a tied up boxing glove at one of the Harvard alums. According to NBC's Olympics website, the quick-thinking Harvard grad took the stick he was holding and swatted the glove away. Teams were divided, basepaths were drawn and what followed was the first game of indoor baseball, the precursor to softball.
Ball Certification
Each level of the sport in the United States sets rules for balls used in its games. The Amateur Softball Association, which governs the sport nationally, approved balls from 15 companies in 2011, each carrying a mark of certification. The National Federation of State High School Associations, which governs high school sports, requires teams to use balls carrying the NFHS Authenticating Mark. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, on the other hand, has specific rules about the size of balls to be used, but only specifies a brand and model for its championship games.
Ball Construction
Softballs used at each level of play have the same basic makeup. A small core made of cork, rubber or polyurethane is wound in a fibrous yarn called kapok, covered with a synthetic or natural leather and stitched with a cotton or linen thread. The NCAA is more specific in its requirements than other organizations, requiring its balls to have no fewer than 88 stitches on its seams.
Ball Sizes
High school and collegiate fast pitch softball uses 12-in. diameter balls, weighing between 6.25 and 7 oz. As the nation's governing body, the ASA oversees all levels of the sport from youth to senior play. Therefore, it certifies multiple ball sizes. ASA fast pitch softballs can measure 10, 11 or 12 in., with differing weights. ASA slow pitch balls can measure 11, 12, 14 or 16 in. in diameter.
Coefficient of Restitution and Compression
The tightly wound softball core is compressed so that when hit, the ball springs off the bat. The more a ball is struck, the more its compression and coefficient of restitution, or COR, is compromised. The compression, according to Kettering State University physicist Daniel Russell, is the amount of force, measured in pounds, required to flatten the ball by 1/4-in. The COR is the measurement of the ball's spring or bounce: a higher COR means a bouncier ball. High school balls have a compression rating of 375 pounds and a COR of 0.47. College balls have the same COR, but their compression is 350 pounds, with a 50-pound margin of error. No ASA approved ball can exceed 375 pounds of compression. ASA balls each have a COR of 0.47, except the 11- and 12-inch slow pitch ball, which cannot exceed 0.44.
References
- NBCOlympics.com: Softball History
- National Federation of State High School Associations; "2011 NFHS Softball Rules Book;" Mary Struckhoff, editor; 2010.
- National Collegiate Athletic Association; "NCAA Softball 2010 and 2011 Rules and Interpretations;" Teresa Smith, editor; 2010.
- Amateur Softball Association of America; "2005 Official Rules of Softball, Umpire Edition;" 2005.
- Kettering State University; "Nonlinear Models of Baseballs and Softballs;" Daniel Russell; 2005.
Member Comments