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When it was invented
Softball was invented on this year in Chicago as an indoor game. -
Players
So far there hasent been any changes on the number of players needed on the field. There is 9 players needed on the field. -
Rules
Hancock appended 19 special rules to adapt the outdoor game to the indoor game, and the rules were officially adopted by the Mid Winter Indoor Baseball League of Chicago in 1889. -
The First Women’s Team
The first women’s team was formed in 1895 in Chicago’s West Division High School in the United States. -
Kittens
In 1895, Rober transferred to another fire company and organized a team he called the Kittens -
Softball Goes Global
The first known softball team outside of the United States was formed in Toronto, Canada in 1897 -
"Diamond Ball"
By 1913, the game had been officially adopted by the Minneapolis Park Board and was played in parks and on playgrounds throughout the city. -
How it got its name
The game finally takes on the name “softball” in 1926 after a Denver YMCA official brought the name up as a suggestion. -
Playing field
There is 9 positions of the Aoftball field. (Catcher, Pitcher, First base, Second base, Third base, Shortstop, Left field, Center Field, Right field.) -
Bruce Meade
Bruce Meade is probably the most recognized slow pitch player of his generation. According to reliable sources, he has led the nation in batting an unprecedented 5 times. Meade was named to 25 All-World teams in his long glorious career. -
NSW Australia
Softball was introduced into Australia in NSW when the Director of Physical Education in NSW, Gordon Young, began promoting the game in schools and colleges -
Brakettes
Raybestos Girl All-Stars were formed by William S. Simpson, General Manager of the Raybestos Division in 1947. Sponsors names have changed. Brakettes won their first National Tournament game, edging the host Thompson team of San Antonio, TX, 2-1. -
International Softball World Championship
In 1965, the International Softball World Championships made softball an international sport -
DIXIE SOFTBALL
In 1968, a genesis of softball for girls ages 5-18 began in the small community of Minor, Alabama. Starting in Alabama, in the spring of 1976, with 39 leagues and 351 teams. -
Little League Softball
Little League Baseball, founded in 1939, extended its rules to create the Little League Softball program in 1974.Today, Little League Softball is played by more than 366,000 players worldwide on more than 25,000 teams. -
The International Women's Professional League
The International Women’s Professional Softball league started playing in 1976 and disbanded after the 1979 season. -
Technological Changes in Equipment
When Softball was first invented they played with a boxing glove, and a broom stick. The bats improved, they started using graphite bats. -
Jennie Finch
But after 10 years of playing internationally, Finch is turning her focus to her family and her desire to have more children. Jennie helped lead Team USA to the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. But after 10 years of playing internationally, Finch is turning her focus to her family and her desire to have more children. -
NCAA Division Softball Championship
The NCAA Division Softball Championship began with a 16-team bracket in 1982. The bracket expanded to 20 teams in 1988, 32 teams in 1994 and 48 teams in 1999, before reaching its current format of 64 teams in 2003. -
Cat Osterman
She played soccer and basketball in her early years until the day she filled in for her Little League softball team as a back-up pitcher. -
UIL
Texas Girls softball became a UIL-sanctioned sport in this year. -
Women's Professional Fastpitch Tour
In 1995, the Women's Professional Fastpitch Tour traveled around the United States to bolster interest in their new fastpitch women's league. -
Softball at the Summer Olympics
Softball was on the Olympic programme from 1996 to 2008. Softball was removed from the programme for 2012 and 2016. -
On Television
The WPSL inaugural season brought more than 85 million people through print, radio, and television in 1997. -
World Cup
In 2001 a World Cup competition was introduced for 16-and-under girls from the United States and around the world. -
Present Day
Today, softball is one of the most popular sports in the country, and an estimated 40 million Americans engage in at least one softball game each year.
