How prevalent is mens fast pitch softball in the U.S.

spartanmikek

spartanmikek

Addicted to Softballfans
I was just curious, is there such a thing as mens fast pitch softball in the U.S.? If so how popular is it? For instance, do any cities offer leagues or is it just scattered tourneys or what? If you are a guy that plays I apologize for my ignorance I just don't know. Thank u.
 
Peacock

Peacock

DBOTY 2011
There are a bunch of leagues around.
Mainly in the Midwest and New England.

There are also some travel teams, like the Jarvis Travelers.
A guy I know plays for them.
 
Gamble

Gamble

Addicted to Softballfans
There are a couple leagues up here. There's also a new modified FP league coming in the spring.
 
BretMan

BretMan

Addicted to Softballfans
We have a league here in Columbus (I play on one of the teams). It's been in existence since 1946, when it was organized as a recreational league for returning WW II vets. There are presently eight teams. In contrast, there are literally hundreds of slow pitch teams in this area and twenty playing MSBL adult baseball.

The next two closest leagues are, respectively, about 60 and 90 miles away.
 
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NY2435

Addicted to Softballfans
If you go to ASA softball hall of fame list all of the earliest members are fastpitch players. Slowpitch depending on who you talk to eclipsed fastpitch in popularity sometime in the late 60's early 70's. Slowpitch in my opinion was never intended to be played by high level athletes but was a way for the masses to play in a version of "ball" in a recreational setting.

It would be great if we could have more talk about mens fastpitch leagues and tournaments here on SBFs.
 
Peacock

Peacock

DBOTY 2011
NY2435 said:
If you go to ASA softball hall of fame list all of the earliest members are fastpitch players. Slowpitch depending on who you talk to eclipsed fastpitch in popularity sometime in the late 60's early 70's. Slowpitch in my opinion was never intended to be played by high level athletes but was a way for the masses to play in a version of "ball" in a recreational setting.

It would be great if we could have more talk about mens fastpitch leagues and tournaments here on SBFs.
Click to expand...

It'd be even better if there more people playing it. :)
 
gofisch

gofisch

Active Member
We HAD a league here in Charlotte, but it folded last year. The main problem was getting pitchers. We had a few and they were willing to teach guys but then the teams wouldn't let them pitch enough to get better. It was getting hard to field teams too, guys were playing for different teams just so we could play.
 
smarkley3

smarkley3

Certified Trap Hoe
York Pa

I grew up in York Pa in the 1960s and early 70s. It was a hotbed of fastpitch softball at the time. The last time I was there I talked with a fastpitch player who said the sport was dying there. IMO all the upper level SP players should be playing FP. Hell I am thinking of trying to play senior.........
 
MaverickAH

MaverickAH

Well-Known Member
It's still available in pockets primarily in the NE & MW. I don't know if it still exists in the SE but it used to.

The most prevalent problem is pitching. It's a dicipline that takes years to become good at & a lot of guys don't want to make the effort when you can get paid to pitch modified. Pitchers are the stars of the fastpitch game & a lot of hitter's egos can't stand the challenge of not having the edge in their favor. Batting averages are more akin to baseball than slowpitch.

The intensity of a good fastpitch game outstrips anything in slowpitch! An at bat, an error, a mental mistake....... Any are much more critical in determining the outcome of a game. You can't always hit your way out of a mistake!

A much more satisfying & challenging version of the game!
 
just moonshots!

just moonshots!

2 out nightmare
theres still tourneys around for ASA. A,B,C divisions... like big yogie says there quite a few rez tourneys for money. just have to travel quite a ways for them.
 
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NY2435

Addicted to Softballfans
One of the more popular tournaments is the AAU mens fastpitch tournament held at ESPN complex in Orlando end of January. If you search youtube "2011 AAU mens fastpitch" you get some pretty good video quality of mens fastpitch.
 
Peacock

Peacock

DBOTY 2011
I'll probably be driving to the Netherlands from next year on just to be able to play at a higher level.
 
bb666b77

bb666b77

ODB
there used to be a travel league in central cali(bakersfield to like stockton,maybe further north),not sure if it is still there.they played on the weekends.

there also was a league in san diego,ca when i was there in 2000-2002.
 
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along16

Addicted to Softballfans
Theres a league here in Willow Street, PA that i play in, theres only 4 teams in it, there also is a league in Stevens,PA that has about 10 teams...
 
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wotaised

Addicted to Softballfans
I have a movie/documentary called Fastpitch by Jeremy Spears(i think thats his name). You should check it out its pretty interesting. It was filmed in Ohio back in the '90s I think. Hopefully it can be purchased somewhere on the internet.
 
mkejohnson

mkejohnson

"That" Guy
Believe it or not, when I was growing up in the 80's there was only fastpitch in Southern Colorado. We had a great league. There was always big tournaments with at least 16 teams in them. The league has gotten smaller and you have to travel now for bigger tournaments. Biggest tournament we used to play in was the ISC Worlds. Noticed lately alot of teams from Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, California and Canada. Most other higher level teams play in a travel league. I played with the Pueblo Bandits and we had a travel league with 8 other teams and we would have each team would host a tournament and it was a points system for worlds. That was open major though.
 
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Dash

The Veteran
I lived in Maryland from 2000-2003 just outside of Washington DC and played FP there. A much more challenging game, definitely closer to baseball. Plenty of close 2-1, 1-0 games. Defense played a big key and pitching. We had three pitchers on our team. Two were old men who were crafty as all get out. One threw a riser, sinker, cutter, curve, slider and the meanest knuckle ball that I had ever seen. The "kid" on our team that pitched though could hit the mid 70's on the radar. From 40' away that is FAST!
 
Peacock

Peacock

DBOTY 2011
Adam Folkard is just plain ridiculous.

I pitch at about the level of the two guys wearing #9 in the first AAU video. Nothing too impressive.
 
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NY2435

Addicted to Softballfans
along16 said:
Anyone have any tips on pitching???
Click to expand...

In that first aau vid look at how that pitcher snaps his wrist very similar to how a wrist snaps when you are throwing over hand. It is important because when I first played the game I thought pitchers some how did the same motion\grip as arching a softball 12 feet straight in the air but with more arm speed. But if you threw like that the ball would go over the backstop just about every time. The motion is actually more similar to the overhand motion then it appears.

Come to think of it I was never any good at hitting the stikezone conistantly in slow pitch so I bet the better slow pitch pitchers use a similar wrist snap to impart spin on the ball too.
 
kcreds29

kcreds29

Addicted to Softballfans
kansas city

we have a couple of fastpitch leagues here. there are also alot of tournaments usually around 16 to 18 team tournaments. we have around 9 to 10 teams here in kc but get teams that travel on the weekend to kc to play.
 
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