What is the difference between baseball and softball other than the ball size?
Softball- 40 ft mound Baseball- 60 ft 6 inches mound Softaball- 60 ft between bases Baseball- 90 ft between bases Softball- 12 inch circumfrence ball Baseball- 9 inch circumfrence ball (The difference appears to be much greater…I find softballs hard to throw because they are so big, but I play baseball, so who knows) Softball- Are not allowed to lead off of base until pitch leaves hand Baseball- Are allowed to lead off while pitcher is on mound Softball and Baseball bats are actually very different. For professional baseball, they use wooden bats. In amatuer baseball, metal bats are generally used. In amatuer baseball, the bats are required to be 3 ounces less than their length in inches (typically 34 in, 31 oz or 33 in, 30 oz or 32 in, 29 oz depending on size and strength of player) In softball, the bat goes almost immediately from the handle to the thickest part while baseball bats have a more gradual thickening. Also, almost every level of softball uses metal bats exclusively.
Bases are shorter in softball. 60′ instead of 90′ This really changes the way the game is played. You’ll see more slap hitting, more small ball, etc. Pitchers pitch underhand in softball. The fields are shorter in softball. There is no leading of in softball. This leads to the hard-to-understand rule of “Lookback Rule” Bats are made different. The barrell or sweet spot is longer. Baseball is in the olympics, softball is now out of the olympics. In softball the infields are all dirt. In baseball only the area around the bases or base path are dirt. There is no mound in softball, just a cirlcle. There is a safety base at first base in softball. The balls are yellow in ASA softball. The rise ball is more prevelant in softball. The distance from homeplate is 45 feet in professional softball, whereas it is 60 feet in baseball.
the bases are closer apart the pitching rubber isn’t on a actual mound, there are different stealing rules, the distance between home plate and the pitching mound is about 43 feet, the bats are bigger, the outfeild depends on the feild so that can’t exactly change, in softball they have slap hitters, the strike zone is a little larger, they have different pitching rules and techneiques , such as having to pitch underhand, starting out with both feet on the rubber, having to present the ball when you first start, ect.
