College softball 101: A beginner's guide to rules and terminology for the fast-growing game

As spring sports are underway, The Chronicle is back with our breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Click here to access our beginner's guide to all other sports. This is our softball edition:

Overview

The Blue Devils have made a name for themselves as a high-scoring softball team with an oftentimes impenetrable defense. Under the leadership of its first-ever head coach, Marissa Young, Duke has begun its eighth season, playing at the Duke Softball Stadium just off of East Campus.

College softball is played over seven innings, unless the game is tied at the end of those innings, in which case it goes into extra innings until one team scores more runs than another. The home team always starts on defense while the away team always starts on offense during what is referred to as “the top” of the inning. When the home team switches to batting, that is called “the bottom” of the inning. Each team has three outs when at bat, before the opposing team takes over. An out is recorded in a variety of situations that end in a runner not making it to a base or a fielder successfully catching the ball. On defense, each team has nine players: four infielders, three outfielders, a pitcher, and a catcher. The goal of a softball game is to score more runs than the opposing team. -Elle Chavis

Terminology

Pitch: A ball thrown from the pitcher to the catcher in an attempt to get a batter out. A batter swings at a pitch.

Strike: A pitched ball that is either swung at and missed by a batter or is not hit but falls within the strike zone.

Strikeout: A strikeout occurs when a batter picks up three strikes in an at-bat; she is then out.

Inning: There are seven innings in a standard NCAA softball game, each with two halves, a “top” and a “bottom.” Each half-inning ends when the team at bat (the offensive team) gets three outs. 

Hit: A hit occurs when a batter successfully contacts a pitched ball and reaches base before the defensive team can throw them out.

Home run: When a batter reaches all four bases successfully in one at-bat. In college softball this usually occurs when a batter hits the ball beyond the fence positioned along the perimeter of the outfield, which results in an automatic home run, but it can happen in special circumstances without the ball clearing the outfield fence.

Fair territory: Fair territory is the space marked by straight lines extending from either side of home plate out toward big poles in the outfield called foul poles. From a bird’s-eye view, it looks like a large cone.

Foul ball: A ball hit by a batter that lands outside fair territory. This can mean to the left or right of the boundary lines, or behind home plate. Foul balls count as strikes on batters, but batters cannot be called out on a foul ball that isn’t caught, meaning they can theoretically hit infinite foul balls during an at bat — their third strike cannot come from a foul ball. If a foul ball, however, is caught by a defensive player it results in an out. -Maya Knauf

Positions

Pitcher (1): Of every player on the field or in the batting order, the pitcher has the greatest effect on the outcome of the game. Standing 43 feet away from home plate, the pitcher must utilize her arsenal of pitches from fastballs to riseballs in order to stymie the opposing batters. 

Catcher (2): Donning a mask and protective gear behind the plate, the catcher is responsible for both calling and receiving pitches. It is a physically-demanding position — which is what makes those who play it so valuable to their team. 

Infielders:

• First base (3): Despite perhaps being the most frequently-involved defender, the first baseman does not necessarily have to be an excellent fielder; instead, she should be reliable and sure-handed, as she will often be the ones to convert outs and end plays. 
• Second base (4): Unlike the corner infielders, the second baseman is not positioned at their base, as they play up the middle between first and second. Along with shortstop, the second baseman is usually involved with quickly turning double-plays. 
• Third base (5): Otherwise known as “the hot corner,” third base is responsible for the area surrounding the bag — oftentimes having to handle sharply pulled hits down the foul line. 
• Shortstop (6): Typically considered the leader of the infield due to her range and defensive prowess, the shortstop covers the space between second and third base. However, she can call off all other infielders on any given play. 

Outfielders:

• Left field (7) & Right field (9): Patrolling the corners of the outfield, these players field anything from either the left or right-center gap to the foul territory outside of their respective baselines. While not always as quick-handed as infielders, they instead have to make immediate reads on any fly ball hit their way. 
• Center field (8): Much like the shortstop in the infield, the center fielder is considered the commander of the outfield. With the most ground to cover, center fielders are usually among the team’s fastest and most athletic.

Designated player: Formerly known as designated hitter, designated player differs slightly from baseball’s version of the position. In softball, the designated player does not play the field but instead hits in place of any starting defensive player.

Flex player: The exact opposite of the designated player, the flex player plays the field but does not hit. -Alex Min

Rules 

Playing field: The distance between the farthest fence in center field and home plate is recommended to be no more than 235 feet. The left and right field fences should be at least 190 feet from home. The distance between bases is 60 feet, and the pitcher’s mound is 43 feet away from the back point of home plate. 

Force out: A runner can be put out by a fielder stepping on the base they are advancing to. For a force out, a runner must be behind the initial base runner to force them to move to the next base. 

Infield fly: Runners do not have to leave their base if a pop fly is in the infield, and the batter is automatically ruled out. If the ball is dropped in the infield, runners may stay at their base after the infield fly is called, but the batter remains out. 

Baserunning: Baserunners are only allowed to leave the base as the softball leaves the pitcher's hand; no lead-offs are permitted. 

Batting: Batters can step forward in the batter's box during a pitch but may not touch home plate or step outside the batter’s box. 

Pitching: Pitchers must take a single stride to home plate and throw the ball home in an underhanded motion that stops upon the ball's release. Pitchers are not allowed to have an additional rotation after throwing home or take another stride toward the plate in their pitching motion. -Niles Luke

Season format

There are 300 Division I softball programs in the NCAA. Duke typically begins its seasons with nonconference travel tournaments, which feature five-game weekends against opponents from all over the country. Then the bulk of the regular season begins, in which the Blue Devils focus on challenging ACC teams. Fifteen of the 18 member institutions in the ACC have softball programs — all but Miami, Wake Forest and SMU. Duke will play three-game series against eight of the 15 programs during the regular season, before meeting with the top 12 seeds in the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils also face a sizable roster of nonconference opponents for single-game (often midweek) matchups.

ACC Tournament: In this year’s new format, 12 teams, instead of last year’s 10, will compete for the conference title. The top four seeds receive a bye, while the bottom eight compete against each other for the four remaining spots in the quarterfinal round. The eight seed plays the nine, the five seed plays the 12, the seven plays the 10 and the six plays the 11. The winners of those games respectively play the one, four, two and three seeds in the quarterfinal, and the bracket proceeds from there in typical single-elimination style. Boston College will host this season’s ACC Tournament May 7-10 in Brighton, Mass.

NCAA Tournament: At 7 p.m. May 11, ESPN2 will host the selection show for the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament. By winning their conferences, 32 teams will receive automatic bids, while 32 more will be selected with at-large bids by the Division I softball committee. The committee will seed 16 of the 64 teams. Each seeded team will host a first, or regional, round of the tournament, which features a double-elimination contest between four schools. One winner from each region will advance to the super regional round. 

In the case that neither team in a super regional was a host for a regional round, the two teams submit a bid to the committee, which will then select the site based on the quality of the stadium and its potential for revenue, among other factors. At each super regional, two teams compete in a three-game series for a bid to the Women’s College World Series.

Women’s College World Series: At Devon Park in Oklahoma City, the eight softball teams who survived the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament come together for an eight-day (nine, if the finals goes to a third game) double elimination competition. The final matchup is played as a three-game series. The winner of two of those games will take home the title of 2025 Women’s College World Series champion. -Sophie Levenson

Coaching and recent trends

Young has been with the program since its inception in 2017, leading the Blue Devils to a 265-106 record through seven seasons. Her coaching prowess has been on full display since day one, with the team’s consistent upward trajectory being largely attributed to her efforts. In 2021, just the fourth year of Duke softball, the squad earned ACC champion honors for the first time. In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the team made it as far as the super regionals. This year-to-year improvement culminated in last season’s ACC title campaign, capstoned by the program’s first-ever trip to the Women’s College World Series. 

Duke’s 2025 roster, though unquestionably impacted by high-profile departures, has augmented its firepower considerably and is poised to make yet another deep run in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. It would be yet another notch in the belt for Young, an addition to her already-stellar record as the Blue Devils’ head coach. -Luke Rinaldi

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