How tall are softball players?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
No, I don't think height matters in pitching, but I do think the shorter pitchers have to work harder than their taller peers to make up the difference in height.

If height doesn't matter, why do "shorter pitchers have to work harder than their taller peers to make up the difference in height"?
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
Great photo and a very impressive run that they had. The thing that stands out to me other than their success is that there are 7 Seniors! Sort of sad that so many University's turn their Seniors and only end up with 2 or 3 that stick with it.

Which ones are the pitchers?
Out of those seniors, #10 was the pitcher. All of those seniors were starters. Five of them were 4 year starters for just about every game. One played every inning of every game.

Left to right - 1B, 2B, 3B, LF, RF, P, C
 
Jul 19, 2014
2,390
48
Madison, WI
Strength and speed are important for softball. Bigger girls are often stronger, and there is a positive correlation between size and height.

With pitching, there is also the leverage issue. Taller girls have better leverage and better stride. Being bigger, they are often stronger, and can often throw harder.

There are a lot of sports, and positions within sports, where being tall is an advantage.

Girls who are 6' or taller will disproportionately show up as rowers, volleyball players, softball pitchers and basketball players.

There were two softball players in the east side of Madison a few years ago who were very good players, and 5'11" or taller.

One of them was offered softball and basketball scholarships, and went to Drake, where she was conference pitcher of the year as a sophomore last spring. (Roster says she is Soph., but she is a Jr. now) EDIT TO ADD -- For those of you who remember Rubber Biscuit, his DD was once the #2 pitcher on a TB team with this girl. That was probably a rather dominating team.

Drake University Athletics - Nicole Newman - 2016

The other was an all -conference 1B, but also rowed for cross training. She was one of the best female HS rowers in the country, so she took a rowing scholarship to Wisconsin. My son was part of the same rowing club in HS, so he knew her.

Women's Rowing - Wisconsin Athletics - Jessie Bowden - 2016-17

There are also a few sports, or positions, where being small is an advantage. Horse jockey or rowing coxswain come to mind. I have noticed a lot of female coxswains for men's rowing at the college level, and they are often tiny. Most of the Asian American females I see at rowing regattas are coxswains,. for example.
 
Last edited:
Dec 12, 2012
1,668
0
On the bucket
For all of those who want to believe the world is right and being short doesn't matter for pitchers. I have a reality check. Size matters. Period.
In the sense of what is fair everyone wants to believe performance will be evaluated and height doesn't matter, but it just isn't so. My DD has been dealing
with this for the past 2.5 years.

Some colleges won't even consider a sub 5' 7" pitcher regardless.
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
No, I don't think height matters in pitching, but I do think the shorter pitchers have to work harder than their taller peers to make up the difference in height.

So taller pitchers aren't working as hard as smaller girls?
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Thier comment was OK, broad generalisation conversation. Always get you in trouble.

I personally think you have to have big hips and wieght too much to be pitcher.

there are a lot of big girls out there pitching.
 
Jun 3, 2015
92
0
If height doesn't matter, why do "shorter pitchers have to work harder than their taller peers to make up the difference in height"?

I guess what I was trying to say is that a shorter girl can pitch at a top D1 school, so it's not always about height, but skill. I do believe, taller girls have an advantage over shorter girls when it comes to pitching. Is that always the case? No.

I may not be explaining myself very well..Sorry!
 
Dec 12, 2012
1,668
0
On the bucket
I guess what I was trying to say is that a shorter girl can pitch at a top D1 school, so it's not always about height, but skill. I do believe, taller girls have an advantage over shorter girls when it comes to pitching. Is that always the case? No.

I may not be explaining myself very well..Sorry!

If by shorter you mean 5' 5" or maybe 5' 4", then I agree. I guess it all depends on someones definition of short.
If you are under 5' 3" or (5" 0" like my DD), then you can forget it.
 

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,468
Members
21,443
Latest member
sstop28
Top