Softball Rules for Safety

Softball is one of the top competitive sports for women in the United States. Along with basketball and soccer, softball has grown into one of the most high-profile sports on the landscape for women athletes. While softball is also an immensely popular recreational sport, the safety rules apply to competitive softball.

  1. Batting helmets

    • Just like baseball, softball players must wear helmets when they step into the batter's box. The batting helmets must cover both ears. Many batting helmets also have facemasks, but that is not required by the rules.

    Catcher's mask

    • Catchers are required to wear masks because they are catching pitches that are coming in at speeds over 70 miles per hour. That's the equivalent of a fastball going at close to 100 mph in baseball. Foul tips could cause major or even grave injuries if a catcher was not wearing a mask.

    On-deck batter

    • The on-deck batter must stand in the warm-up circle on the same side that the batter hits. It doesn't matter if the warm-up circle is close to her team's dugout or the opponents. If a left-handed batter is up, the next batter must warm up in the circle close to the first base dugout. If a right-handed batter is up, the next batter must warm up in the circle closest to the third base dugout. This is done to protect the on deck batter from foul ball line drives. The right-handed batter is likely to foul a ball off to the first base side and a left-handed batter is likely to line a ball off to the third base side.