Softball is a ball-and-bat sport played between two teams of 9 players each. The game is baseball-related, having similar rules, and a few that differ. For instance, softballs are generally larger than baseballs, and the pitches in softball are thrown underhand instead of overhand. Also, the sport is played on a relatively smaller diamond than baseball.
The game’s goal is to hit the ball before the current player attempts to run around an infield, which has four bases. When a player succeeds in getting around without being given out, a run is scored. At the end of the game, the team with the most runs becomes the winner. Softball began in Chicago, and the first official women’s team was created in 1895. This sport is currently played in most parts of North America, but there are also professional leagues in South America, Europe, and Asia. Some of the country’s top women’s softball teams include:
The United States women’s national softball team
The United States women’s national softball team is the country’s national softball team and is governed by USA Softball. The team plays internationally in softball competitions and has won the gold medal in three Olympics in a row and seven world championships. In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, they won the silver medal. In the same year in March, the team had their 185-game winning streak in the 2008 US Olympic softball game.
Florida State Seminoles softball
The Florida State Seminoles women’s softball team are under Florida State University, and the team competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Division 1 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The team has won one WCWS national title, two AIAW national titles, and seventeen ACC titles in the 42-year history of the Seminoles softball program. Florida State has appeared thirty-two times in NCAA Tournaments, progressing to the Women’s College World Series ten times. Currently, they play their home games at JoAnne Graf Field on the institution’s Tallahassee, Florida campus.
Oklahoma Sooners Women’s Softball
The Oklahoma Sooners women’s softball team represent the University of Oklahoma. The team participates in the Big 12 Conference and has won its conference title 11 times. Oklahoma Sooners have also been to the NCAA Tournament 25 times and the NCAA Women’s College World Series 12 teams, and have won the NCAA championship four times. They have also appeared in the AIAW Women’s College World Series 4 times. They won their first national championship in 2000, beating Cal-State Northridge, Oregon State, and Harvard at their home regionals, advancing to the Women’s College World Series for the first time. They play their home games at the Oklahoma University softball complex.
Florida Gators Softball team
This team represents the University of Florida in softball. Florida Gators competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Division 1 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The team has won eight SEC regular-season championships, 5 SEC tournament championships, two Women’s College World Series (WCWS), and nine WCWS appearances in the twenty-one-year history of the Florida Softball program. They play their home games at the Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium on the institution’s Gainesville, Florida campus.
Texas Longhorns softball
This team represents the University of Texas at Austin in Division 1 of the NCAA intercollegiate softball competition and the Big 12 Conference. The Longhorns have won four conference tournaments championships, four regular-season conference championships, and 19 appearances in the NCAA tournament, advancing to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) five times. The team plays its home games at Red & Charline McCombs Fiel.
