Slowpitch vs Fastpitch Softball: The Main Differences

Side by side

	Fastpitch	Slowpitch
The pitch	Fast, usually a windmill motion	Slow, with an arc; the rulebook sets how high it must go
Players in the field	9	10 (four outfielders)
Adult bases	60 ft	70 ft
Adult pitching distance	43 ft (women), 46 ft (men)	50 ft
Stealing	Yes, once the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand	Only in divisions that allow it, and not until the pitch reaches home plate
Run rule (USA Softball)	15 runs after 3 innings, 12 after 4, 8 after 5	20 after 3, 15 after 4, 10 after 5
Who plays it	Girls’ youth leagues, high school, college	Mostly adult and recreational leagues

The pitch

Fastpitch pitchers throw hard, and the illegal pitch rules are about the motion and the feet. A slowpitch pitch has to be slow and has to arc: it must rise to a minimum height and not go above a maximum, and a pitch outside that range is called illegal. That’s why slowpitch has far fewer strikeouts and many more balls in play.

The field

Youth slowpitch scales up with age too: in USA Softball, 10U and 12U play on 60-foot bases, and girls’ 14U to 18U slowpitch uses 65-foot bases with a 50-foot pitching distance. For fastpitch fields, see field dimensions.

The ball

Both use a 12-inch ball at most levels. Fastpitch 10U uses an 11-inch ball, and some slowpitch leagues play with a 16-inch ball, on a smaller field.

Bats

The two games certify bats differently, and many slowpitch bats aren’t legal in fastpitch. Check the certification marks your league accepts before you buy.