RBI, ERA, double play, lead off - if you’ve never played softball before, all of these words can make it feel like people are speaking another language. In some ways, they are! Softball terms make up a shared, unique language. Knowing how to speak it allows players, coaches, and fans to follow the game easily and keeps things moving quickly on the field. Softball shares much of its vocabulary with baseball, but it includes a few exclusive terms.
In this article, we’ll go from position to position and define each term so your game can be smooth and effective and you can talk like a pro!
Batting & Hitting
At-Bat: a player’s official appearance at the plate that results in hitting the ball, a strikeout, or reaching a base on an error or fielder’s choice
Batting Order: official list of the sequence in which members of the offensive team comes up to bat
Plate Appearance: any completed trip the plate that ends with a hit, walk, hit by pitch, or an out
Batting Average: ratio of hits to at-bats calculated by dividing the number of hits by the total number of at-bats. For example, a player who has 3 hits in 10 at-bats has a batting average of .300, meaning they reach base with a hit 30% of the time. Walks and hit by pitch are not included
On-Base Percentage (OBP): statistic that shows the percentage of how often a player reaches a base in any way. A good OBP is usually above .400, meaning the batter reaches a base 40% of the time.
Batter’s Box: the area on either side of home plate where hitters must stand when they are batting
Single: a hit where a batter reaches first base
Double: a hit where a batter reaches second base
Triple: a hit where a batter reaches third base
Extra-Base Hit: any hit other than a single
Home Run: a hit where a player reaches home plate. Usually home runs are hit out of the park, but not always. A home run on a ball hit inside the park is called an in-the-park home run.
Grand Slam: a home run hit with the bases loaded. A grand slam scores four runs.
Strike: a pitch that crosses the plate and lands in what’s called the hitting zone. Batters get two strikes and are called out on the third.
Strikeout: when a batter has three strikes called on them. A strikeout ends an at-bat.
Ball: a pitch that is outside the hitting zone. A batter walks if four balls are thrown by the pitcher.
Count: number of balls and strikes a batter has in a plate appearance. Of the two numbers in the count, balls always come first
Full Count: when a batter has three balls and two strikes
Caught Looking: when a batter doesn’t swing at the third strike
Caught Swinging: when a batter swings at and misses strike three
Bunt: when a hitter doesn’t swing, but lets a pitch hit their bat. Only considered a bunt when the ball lands in fair territory.
Fielder’s Choice: when a batter reaches a base because a fielder gets a different base runner out instead of the hitter who hit the ball
Run Batted In: when a batter advances a runner to home plate with a hit, sacrifice fly, or a fielder’s choice. A batter gets credit with an RBI for every runner that crosses home
Slap Hit/Slapper: when a left-handed batter chops the softball down and runs through the swing. Goal is to create pressure for the infielders and get an infield hit.
Sacrifice Bunt: a bunt intended to move a base runner forward while the batter gives up an out
Safety Squeeze: when a runner on third base runs for home after the batter bunts
Line Drive: a ball hit hard in a straight line
Foul Ball: a batted ball that stops or is first touched in foul territory
Foul Tip: a batted ball that goes directly back into the catcher’s glove. Counted as a strike.
Defensive Terms
Out: when a hitter fails to advance to a base. After three outs, the inning ends
Blocking: when a catcher uses their body to absorb a pitch that goes in the dirt
Ground Ball: a ball batted in that rolls or bounces along the infield
Ground Out: when a ground ball is fielded in the infield and thrown to a base where a player is tagged or the base is stepped on before the runner arrives
Pop Fly: a high, catchable ball hit into the infield or the shallow outfield.
Flyout: when a player that hits a ball in the air that’s caught
Double Play: two outs recorded on one continuous play
Triple Play: three outs recorded on a single batted ball
Error: when a fielder misplays a hit ball and allows a runner to reach base or keeps an at-bat alive
Tag Out: when a fielder touches a runner with the ball in their glove before they reach a base
Relay: transferring the ball from one defensive player to another
Shift: an alignment where defensive players move from standard positions to counter a specific hitter’s tendencies
Framing: when the catcher moves their glove slightly after a catch to make a ball look like a strike
Slang & Dugout Culture
Caught Sleeping: when a runner gets picked off a base. Called this because they weren’t paying attention to the pitcher
Dinger: a ball that’s hit out of the park or a home run
Meatball: a pitch that’s easy to hit, usually thrown over the middle of the plate
Small Ball: offensive strategy that emphasizes getting on base and scoring by playing for one run at a time. Bunting runners, not swinging at bad pitches, trying to hit the ball in the gaps
Smoke: a pitcher whose ball travels very fast over the plate throws
Wheels: a fast runner
Pitching & Throwing
Windmill Pitch: signature fastpitch motion where a pitcher’s arm rotates in a full circle before they release the ball
Pitcher’s Circle: circle around the rubber that governs pitching rules
Illegal Pitch: a pitch delivered with improper mechanics or motion. Exact rules vary slightly league by league
Fastball: a pitch thrown hard with minimal spin, designed for speed
Changeup: slower pitch that mimics the motion of a fastball but arrives late to disrupt timing
Rise Ball: a pitch with a backspin that appears to climb as it gets closer to the batter
Drop Ball: a pitch that dives sharply downward as it reaches the plate
Curveball/Screwball: pitches that break left or right depending on their spin and release
Wild Pitch: a pitch that goes so high, low, or wide that the catcher cannot control it with ordinary effort
Base Running Terms
Appeal Play: action taken by defense where they ask an umpire to review a play. An appeal play must happen right after the play ends
Leading Off: distance the runner takes away from a base while a pitcher throws the ball. A long leadoff makes it easier to steal a base
Pickle: a base runner that gets caught in a rundown - this occurs when a runner is between bases while a fielder has the ball, and they have to avoid being tagged
Stealing: when a runner moves up a base during a pitch. When they are caught trying to move up, it’s called getting caught stealing
Walk-Off: any action that ends a game automatically. Only the home team can end the game with a walk-off.
Scoring Position: runner on second or third base. A hit can bring them home