Difference between baseball and softball strategies.

I would like to know of some of the more subtle differences in baseball vs fastpitch that some of you coaches with experience have noticed in your years of coaching girls softball. Not so much with hitting but more on defensive strategies.

I am sure there are a lot of male coaches that grew up playing baseball and when they got into coaching softball realized that some of these strategies didn't work very well with girls due to the different dimensions of the playing field.

If it makes any difference my daughter is playing 10u travel ball.

An example of something that I have noticed that is quite different is that in softball with runners on first and second it is very common to to see the shortstop cover 3rd base on a steal. Little more difficult to do in baseball with 90' bases imo.

Something that I would be curious about in regards to softball would be with a runner on first, in what situation would you have the 2nd baseman cover 2nd base on a steal instead of the shortstop? In softball the 2nd baseman usually has a responsibility to also cover 1st base in case there is a bunt or the batter is just faking the bunt.

A good question, hopefully it will elicit some interesting responses. I would say one defensive difference is going after the lead runner...with the smaller basepaths things happen fast, you may not notice that a runner has a good jump or was going on a pitch when fielding a hit ball and trying to go after the lead runner. I hate to hear coaches say...runners at 1st and 2nd, where's the play...3rd. They're not wrong, but every girl on that field is going to get the ball and turn to throw to 3rd...if you don't get that runner you get zero outs on a cleanly fielded ball. Absolutely, get the lead runner if you can...but you have to get an out if you can't.

You can always tell a former baseball coach or player when they start yelling at their IF to play in so they can get the runner on 3B at home (on a ground ball).

This is softball; your IF is already in.

Certainly if the winning run is at third you can gamble on this but the majority of the time this never works out as you have severely limited the fielding lanes of your IF.

In baseball, the range/speed/athleticism of the fielder is more significant in the position that he plays. In baseball, you generally have to be a certain kind of athlete to play SS or CF at the highest levels. In softball, there is less ground to cover. So a SS who is sure-handed, accurate with her throws and smart with her decisions is often the better choice than the fastest or most athletic. Same with CF who has those things and is assertive and can take charge. Not saying range doesn't matter, as the SS who can track down balls in foul territory is really nice, but I really like the SS who reliably makes routine plays and good decisions. The decisions - when to throw home, when to cut, when to go for the force, when to hurry, when to take your time - are harder when runners of wide-ranging speeds are only 60 feet from base to base. Speed/athleticism isn't quite the same asset in softball.

Much more difficult to do hidden ball tricks is softball.
Baseball doesn't have to defend a slapper.
Baseball doesn't have a look-back rule.
Short game, or small ball is much more widely used in softball, so bunt defensive strategies are more widely implemented. Usually, softball teams have three bunt defenses, where as, basebal will have two.
Umpires tend to be worse in Softball, so softball coaches need to practice patience with themselves more.

This is my personal opinion, I feel there is more pitching strategy implemented in Softball than Baseball.

You are unlikely to ever have your SS cover 3B on a steal of 3rd in baseball. In softball under certain conditions you might.

One of the biggest differences at 10U, many teams have the batter/baserunner continue on to 2nd base on a walk especially with a baserunner on 3rd. In these cases, we had the 2nd baseman play up between 1st and 2nd and the pitcher makes a quick throw to to 2nd baseman to tag baserunner rounding first base and quickly throw home to hold or tag the baserunner from 3rd base. You obviously need to practice this play.

Also, small ball is played much more in softball than in baseball. You need to make sure that the corners are playing in front of the bag and not behind the bag (as is done in baseball).

Lastly, there are many wild pitches and passed balls in 10U, you need to practice having the pitcher cover home plate correctly and the catcher making a good, accurate throw to the pitcher covering home.

Gambler Bob said:

Something that I would be curious about in regards to softball would be with a runner on first, in what situation would you have the 2nd baseman cover 2nd base on a steal instead of the shortstop? In softball the 2nd baseman usually has a responsibility to also cover 1st base in case there is a bunt or the batter is just faking the bunt.

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Any advice on the above scenario? In baseball we usually just had the 2nd baseman cover 2nd base for for right handed hitters and the shortstop would cover on left handed batters. At the 10u level I personally don't see a need for the 2nd baseman to backup the ss in case of a overthrow with the center fielder not playing that deep.

The biggest difference that coaches ignore too often is the player. Boys have to play good to feel good. Girls have to feel good to play good. That's why you hear a lot more noise from the dugout. Coaches shouldn't jump all over a player to get them to play better. If they do they probably just lost her for a little while. Coaching girls is a wonderful thing when done well. But you can have some mad moms and dads if you don't.

Mechanically all of these differences come from the fact that softball is a much faster game. The pitch reaches the batter faster. Plays have to be executed faster and runners advance faster. That's why you don't always go for the lead runner. And give up second with runners on first and third. And the catcher doesn't always back up the throw at first.

"Check the runner and go one" rarely works in softball unless it's hit like a shot and the fielder has a strong arm or you have a really slow runner.

Pitches in baseball bounce up when they hit the ground. In softball they skim the ground like grounders. Most will tell me I'm wrong, but for this reason I think dropping to your knees to block the ball is less important if you have a quick glove. I teach my catchers to "put your glove by your ankle" from the crouch and they pick most balls and are still on their feet if they need to throw. The outside pitch to a RHB still needs to be blocked.