FAST PITCH SOFTBALL … WHAT A GAME
ombining the closeness of a smaller playsurface with the speed of the ball this rt is played at machine gun pace. If you t fast action, fast pitch softball can’t be . In 1979, Ty Stoflett - the man who holds record for most strikeouts at the men’s d championship with 98, was clocked at .7 mph, a feat that remains in the record ks as the fastest softball pitch ever wn.
y sport scientists say hitting a fast pitch ball is the toughest thing to do in sports. only will pitchers in this event move the up, down, left and right, but some will w the ball more than 80 miles per hour. hat speed the batter has a mere .341 of a ond to react. Compared to baseball it is lar to reacting to a 106 mph fastball, ch is faster than the fastest pitch ever reced in a MLB game. The game doesn’t slow n once the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. n a ball is put in play by the hitter, it’s n moving just as fast. The maximum ed a ball will be coming off the bat will be miles an hour. Imagine being an infielder ding less than 60 feet away when that is hit, knowing you have less than a half ond to make a play on it. Once caught the must be thrown to first base and caught ess than 3.5 seconds in order to put out a runner. Fans don’t blink or you will miss action.
This world championship is taking place in one of the greatest softball cities in the world. Saskatoon has hosted a total of eight international tournaments including 4 world championships. The city is the only one in the world to host 3 men’s world championships. Saskatoon is well known internationally for the caliber of men’s softball played here, producing 3 International Softball Federation Hall of Famers: Gene McWillie, Ed Bitz and Bob Van Impe. Canada’s entry into the men’s world championship is almost never without at least one local player. The last time this event was hosted here, fans cheered on 3 locals: Dean Holoien, Keith Mackintosh and Trevor Ethier. The 2009 Men’s World Softball Championship in Saskatoon saw over 50,000 fans catch the action. The stands were rocking, and the competition was fierce. The depth in Men’s softball has significantly improved since then and so will the excitement of the games.
XIV Men’s World Softball Championship
city of Saskatoon is set to host one of the gest events in local sports history. Just big you might ask? The 2015 WBSC n’s World Softball Championship brings he Bridge City the very best softball playn the world. They will be competing in an nt that has been going strong since 1966 in a sport with a rich 122 year history, ed in more than 114 counties on four tinents throughout the world.
Fans can look forward to experiencing this event at two of the best softball facilities in the world, Bob Van Impe Stadium and Gordie Howe Fastball Field. The games they will see are fast, intense and action packed. Unlike the slow moving 188 minutes of an average 2014 Major League Baseball game, the best softball players will play their seven inning game in almost half that time. A new 20 second clock will be implemented for the first time ever at a Men’s World Championship to speed up the game even more. Not only are they shorter but they will produce more action too. The top four MLB teams in 2014 averaged about 4.5 runs a game. Whereas, at the previous world softball championship the top four men’s teams averaged 5 runs a game.
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