Softball and baseball are two similar sports but which one is better? Many people think that softball is better and harder to play than baseball, but they would be wrong. Let’s take a look at the facts and decide.
Many people think the smaller and lighter baseball is easier to hit because it will go further but that is actually not true. Because of the smaller diameter of the baseball (2.84 inches), it is much harder to hit when compared to a big softball (3.8 inches) which is an inch bigger in diameter. One thing people might say is that baseballs only go further because they are lighter but it is actually the speed in which the ball is hit that makes the difference. The average bat speed of a college softball player is 64 MPH while a college baseball player is 73 MPH. This shows that the nine miles per hour difference between the bat speeds of softball and baseball at the same level of competition is the reason for the difference in exit velocity and distance.
There is also a difference in the bats that are used in the two sports The average weight of a softball bat is 23-27 ounces because most softball bats are a drop five or drop eight. Softball bats only go up to 32 inches in length, but baseball bats can be up to 34 inches. The average weight of a baseball bat is 29-31 ounces and is most commonly a drop three. So it is easier to hit with a softball bat which is on average, lighter. The certification for the bats to be considered legal is also different. The one baseball players use is BBCOR which is only -3 while softball players use USSSA which ranges from drop eight-drop five and also has more pop than BBCOR.
Baseball is also far more popular than softball. In 2022, the most popular college softball team, Alabama, had a total of 93,636 fans in attendance and averaged 3,745 fans per game. In 2023, the most popular college baseball team, LSU, had over four times the amount of total fans with 447,527 all season long and an average of 11,188 per game. With this data, it is clear that sports fans find baseball more entertaining.
Now you know the facts about softball and baseball and why the latter is the superior sport. But now you can decide which one is better.
