Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you want her to play with mostly girls or mostly boys? Either is fine - but do what she wants, I think.

Baseball is now co-Ed.

Most softball leagues around here are girls-only.

Right, but my son has played baseball for 7 years and has never had more than one girl on his team. And we have never seen a team with more than two girls, and that was just one team, one season.

Then they really need to enforce Title IX on these leagues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you want her to play with mostly girls or mostly boys? Either is fine - but do what she wants, I think.

Baseball is now co-Ed.

Most softball leagues around here are girls-only.

Right, but my son has played baseball for 7 years and has never had more than one girl on his team. And we have never seen a team with more than two girls, and that was just one team, one season.

Anonymous wrote:Do you want her to play with mostly girls or mostly boys? Either is fine - but do what she wants, I think.

Baseball is now co-Ed.

Most softball leagues around here are girls-only.

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I’m only familiar with baseball, and ask this with no ill intent- what makes softball more fun and faster-paced?

No lead offs and stupid throw backs to bases that drag baseball games on for eternity. In softball, you only have 20sec between each pitch and it averages around 10-12 seconds. You can only leave the base on the release of the pitch. The base paths are smaller so small ball is more intense. Bunts, drag bunts, slapping can all get you on base if you place it right and speed it out. More steals and attempted pick offs. And I personally love the types of pitches you can throw windmill than overhand. Not only do you have the fast, screw, curve, and change, but you also have the drop ball and a the riseball and a combination of various spins.

It's a fun sport to watch. Every year the woman's college softball world series has higher ratings/viewers on ESPN than men's college baseball world series.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I’m only familiar with baseball, and ask this with no ill intent- what makes softball more fun and faster-paced?

At the older levels, softball is more bang-bang because it is played on a smaller field (bases are 60' vs 90' apart). The pitching is actually faster than baseball when you adjust for the distance of the rubber (i.e. reaction times are faster in softball because the rubber is 43' vs 60 1/2'). There is also just more camaraderie and cheering and things in softball whereas the boys in baseball are more stoic. Other differences include slappers in softball, more small ball (bunting) in general, and no dumb things like holding a runner at first since you can't leave the base until the pitcher releases the ball (i.e. no leading off in softball).

This all true.

Raising both a baseball player and a softball player, I routinely tell DS to "just keep the ball in front of you in the infield; you have time to make the throw"

In softball, if you don't field it clean, you probably don't have time to get the runner

This thread makes me miss playing fast-pitch softball!

Anonymous wrote:When my DD was 9 she insisted on playing baseball. She was the only girl on the team, one of 2 we encountered in the league. She liked it at first but I wish we'd just started with softball. The boys weren't mean to her or anything but they definitely didn't bond with her. And especially in the beginning there was a tendency to think she wouldn't be as good (batting her last, etc) even though she was actually pretty good. Also, while everyone can give you an example of a girl who kept playing baseball through high school those seem pretty rare. Just by the lack of girls in the league, most are playing softball by that point. Switching earlier means learning the game earlier, which is good.

The irony in all this is boys’ fastpitch softball used to be a thing and men’s fastpitch is still a thing at the international level.

When my DD was 9 she insisted on playing baseball. She was the only girl on the team, one of 2 we encountered in the league. She liked it at first but I wish we'd just started with softball. The boys weren't mean to her or anything but they definitely didn't bond with her. And especially in the beginning there was a tendency to think she wouldn't be as good (batting her last, etc) even though she was actually pretty good. Also, while everyone can give you an example of a girl who kept playing baseball through high school those seem pretty rare. Just by the lack of girls in the league, most are playing softball by that point. Switching earlier means learning the game earlier, which is good.

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I’m only familiar with baseball, and ask this with no ill intent- what makes softball more fun and faster-paced?

At the older levels, softball is more bang-bang because it is played on a smaller field (bases are 60' vs 90' apart). The pitching is actually faster than baseball when you adjust for the distance of the rubber (i.e. reaction times are faster in softball because the rubber is 43' vs 60 1/2'). There is also just more camaraderie and cheering and things in softball whereas the boys in baseball are more stoic. Other differences include slappers in softball, more small ball (bunting) in general, and no dumb things like holding a runner at first since you can't leave the base until the pitcher releases the ball (i.e. no leading off in softball).

I’m the Pp who posted the list above and thought of one more difference in the quality of play for younger boys in baseball versus younger girls in softball. This applies to younger ages- frankly, girls softball attracts far fewer girls at ages 6-9 than boys baseball at similar ages. In a lot of places, pretty much every boy will try a couple of seasons of baseball as a rite of passage. I think softball doesn’t attract the same breadth of girls and more of the girls who want to play choose it deliberately and come in with basic skills, so there is a narrower range of ability levels. Baseball is more common for young kids and therefore attracts a wider variety of skill levels at those ages, which makes the game less consistent and slower-paced.

My opinion on why it’s faster-paced at a younger age:

1) more consistent pitching once kid pitch starts because the pitching motion is more accessible from an earlier age.
2) girls are more coordinated at a younger age and better at working together vs. wanting to be the star- they turn plays more often and more quickly
3) larger ball gets hit more and gets more speed off the bat st younger ages so things actually happen and not just in the infield, too
4) culture of softball has girls putting more energy into the game- the tradition of cheers and dugout energy transfer to the field
5) less of a culture of dad Coach aggression/pressure. This might bring out some naysayers, but I personally think it’s a big factor and helps players relax and work together. I hate the tension of dad-coached boy sports.

NP here. I’m only familiar with baseball, and ask this with no ill intent- what makes softball more fun and faster-paced?

Mine refuses to play with boys. Our area only has Little League as a baseball/softball option through at least 5th grade or so and the starting age for softball is determined by each local little league. We live near a border of the league and my daughter was incensed to find out that some neighborhoods have softball at 5-6 but ours is only for Little League age 7 and up. She refuses to play with any boys so has stayed out of co-Ed T-Ball and coach pitch while waiting to turn Little League age 7. She’s made do with camps and clinics while waiting for next year.

I played baseball as one of 2 girls in my league until I was in 4th grade and softball was offered, so her inflexibility on this surprised me. But I do agree with the PPs- softball is faster, more fun, and more athletic than baseball, especially around ages 9-12. Boys’ baseball games seem lethargic in comparison.

Baseball is fine until 2/3rd grade at the latest. Then it needs to be softball if she wants to play in HS.

My daughter did both and highly preferred softball. It is a much quicker pace and more fun than baseball.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you want her to play with mostly girls or mostly boys? Either is fine - but do what she wants, I think.

If more girls played baseball than it would change. If no girls continue to join than it won't. I think we should have professional women's baseball leagues. Or even mixed. Women did it during WWII and it is one of a few sports than women and men can play together.

True story: When the All-American Girls Professional Softball League started, it was fastpitch with a softball-sized ball delivered underhand with the windmill motion.