Here's the link for the field of 64. BB will look and comment later.

http://www.ncaasports.com/softball/womens/...al64/2006/DI_64

Fastpitch softball is played by similar rules as baseball, but there are a few differences.

The bases are 60 feet apart, making the short game a much more important strategy in the game. Quick, left-handed slap hitters are sprinkled into most of the better team's lineups. Many teams will have the one/two/nine hole hitters filled with quick kids that can move the ball. A baserunner can't leave the base until the ball is released from the pitcher's hand.

The game utilizes the dp (designated player) instead of the dh. The difference is that anyone in the hitting lineup can become the dp without having to change the lineup. As long as the hitting order is not changed, the dp can be alternated like changing position players in the field.

The re-entry rule is used. A starting player can be substituted and come back into that lineup spot once. The substitute, however, does not enjoy the re-entry priviledge. You will often see a starter substituted for on the bases and then re-enter into her position in the next inning.

The pitching distance is 43 feet. The pitching circle is not there to keep the pitcher from leaping out of the circle, but it's use is to make the baserunners commit to a base once the ball is in the circle. Once the ball is in the circle, a runner has to go to the next base or return to the previous base. In the old days, the game would get bogged down by the cat and mouse game between pitcher and runner.

Teams can and often do get by with a pitching staff of one. The good teams have a decent number two, but many clubs will stick with the horse once the playoffs start. Games are seven innings and the stress on a softball pitcher's arm is much less than that of a baseball pitcher. Most college pitchers throw in the low 60's, which translates to low 80's if you compared the same reaction time from 60-6. The better pitchers throw mid to high 60's, with high 60's being comparable to Nolan Ryan. Combine top speed with a good changeup and the hitter is at a distinct disadvantage. There is actually a pitcher in the college game that throws a behind the back changeup.

The speed and quickness of softball does not translate well on television. The corners have to play frighteningly tight to take away the short game. With the quick lefthanders, if the ball bounces more than once, the corners don't have a chance.

Fields are also much smaller. Usually it is 190-200 feet down the lines to 220 in center.

A little later, I will discuss some of the better college teams and players. UMASS will be hosting a regional this week. If any of you have not attended a good softball game before, BB gives his highest recommendation for this regional. It is fairly evenly matched.

I still have the Big 12 tournament title game to wwatch courtesy of Tivo, so I won't be commenting until tomorrow.

Here's a link to a blog that does an excellent job covering college softball

http://collegesoftball.blogspot.com/

If anyone has a school that you would like some information on, let BB know, and I'm sure he'd be happy to do some digging to find all the up to date stuff out there. BB's team is the Arizona Wildcats who are having a great year but do not have a great team. UCLA has got to be the overwhelming favorite in this tournament. Any Pac10 team is going to be tough, while Texas, Alabama and Tennessee are very good. Texas will be favored because of soupaw pitching phenom, Cat Osterman, but their offense is suspect.

I think most college pitchers today are throwing in the mid 60s, with exceptions such as Osterman.
Offenses are getting much much better, as the hitters are starting to catch up just a little bit, strikeout numbers aren't quite what the used to be.
As for the getting by with one pitchet, it's almost impossible to do that now even in the postseason, because with the double elimination format teams can play 3-4 games in a day.
But the great ones still go all day long if need be.

I've only glanced at the brackets, but the folks in Amherst will enjoy the sight of the TExas A&M coach who wears a batting helmet while coaching third base.
(In fairness she was almost killed by a line drive a couple years ago, but it is still a humorous sight)

Lesson learned tfrom the Big 12 title game, if I'm playing Kansas no way do I throw a strike to Settlemier. For you to be the Big 12 POY over potentially greatest strikeout pitcher in the history of college softball, you must be pretty good.

I will no sign off for the evening bitter that the rain all weekend cost me good weekend of softball at the Div III and Div II regionals here. I also curse whoever at ESPN thought it would be better to show pool all day today instead of UCLA/Stanford or UA/OSU.

A little help in getting to know some of the top players in the country. These girls can play. Something that I love about softball is that it's women playing a different game than the men. Softball and baseball are two different games. Any of you that have seen Jennie Finch throw to MLB players on TWIB know that the major leaguers have a hard time hitting a softball pitcher because of the difference in the release point. The riseball is a pitch that you don't see in baseball. Women are still too weak in their upper bodies to compete with men in baseball, but this is not women playing the men's game like women playing hoops. This is women playing a game that is perfect for their physical makeup.

Finalists Named for USA Softball Player of Year
05/11/06 - Special Release
The Amateur Softball Association announced Wednesday the 10 finalists for the 5th Annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by NCAA Division I collegiate softball players across the country.

The ten finalists for the 2006 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, listed in alphabetical order, are:

*Monica Abbott (Tennessee); Junior, Pitcher; Salinas, CA
Sarah Fekete (Tennessee); Senior, Outfield; Maryville, TN
Danyele Gomez (Louisiana Lafayette); Senior, Outfield; Metairie, LA
Alicia Hollowell (Arizona); Senior, Pitcher; Suisun, AZ
*Caitlin Lowe (Arizona); Junior, Outfield; Tustin, CA
*Cat Osterman (Texas); Senior, Pitcher; Houston, TX
*Jennie Ritter (Michigan); Senior, Pitcher; Dexter, MI
Anjelica Selden (UCLA); Sophomore, Pitcher; Vacaville, CA
Angela Tincher (Virginia Tech); Sophomore, Pitcher; Eagle Rock, VA
Stephanie VanBrakle (Alabama); Senior, Pitcher; Chambersburg, PA

*A Top 10 Finalist in 2005

Here's the UMASS link. In this link there's also links to articles to get familiar with the UMASS team. Again, give softball a try. BB offers a money back guarantee that you will be impressed by the talent these women display as well as the raw emotion these young ladies play the game with. The intensity of college softball is difficult to match. One warning, though, if you only like offense, softball is not the game for you.

http://umassathletics.cstv.com/sports/w-so...oftbl-body.html

You don't have to sell me, BB. I had the opportunity to webcast some games last weekend at the NESCAC (Division 3) Softball tournament taking place at Williams College. I saw some highly competitive games, including the final where the Ephs had just enough to edge the Tufts Jumbos 6-5. Both teams advanced to the NCAAs this past weekend; Tufts went 2-2 before finally succumbing in their double-elimination regional down in Camden, NJ while Williams was only able to play one game at Babson due to all the rain...based on their 1-0 record they will advance to the next round. Their top pitcher is senior Clara Hard, arguably one of the best college softball pitchers in D-1, 2, or 3. It's amazing how fast those pitches look from a distance, and I can only imagine how they look to the batter who is only 35-40 feet away from the pitcher when she releases the ball from her hip.

Thanks for the D-1 links, hopefully I'll get a chance to catch a game or two on that level.

Time Out, that's interesting. Tell BB a little about what your role in a webcast is and how you go about getting it on the net. Are you going to be able to go to the UMASS regional. They've got a kid that's supposed to be a pretty good freshman , Balschmiter? The thing about the field of 64 is that there are still a lot of dogs involved. There really aren't that many elite teams. There is a pretty decent dropoff after the top five or six....doesn't mean a team can't get hot and pull an upset, but it usually doesn't happen. Competition has gotten much better since the SEC got involved. BB does not believe the elite teams are as good as they were in the 90's, but there are more good teams, many more good hitters and great athletes.

BB, I unfortunately will not be able to get out to UMass this weekend. I'm going to be webcasting the ECAC Regional of the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament which runs from Wednesday-Saturday down in Harwich, MA and I'll actually be departing from the tourney Friday night to leave for Philadelphia to catch Saturday's Sox-Phillies game (crazy week for me).

Practically all of the webcasts I cover are Division III sports (alot of Tufts and NESCAC) and Wed night-Friday you'll be able to watch our games live (streaming audio and video) on D3Cast.com, a site recently created by a friend of mine who is trying to pitch the webcasting concept to as many colleges and universities as possible. Despite the website's name he is not limiting himself to D-1 or 2 schools but most of those teams already have broadcast deals set up; however niche sports like softball, soccer, lacrosse may have a loyal fan base and schools like UMass might express an interest in having the games of those 'non-major' sports broadcast live over the internet. My friend is a Tufts University alum who originally created JumboCast.com and this past year turned over the reigns of that entity to the Tufts student body so more funding could be available to them as a student organization.

Hope I didn't bore you with too much info BB. but you sound like a college sports fan so if you get a chance catch some of the NCAA baseball action on your PC this week on D3Cast.com and let us know what you think. You can also go into the site archive and check out our prior coverage of the NESCAC men's and women's hockey tournaments from Middlebury College. Like with the hockey we're hoping to have a multi-camera shoot and score bar on top of the screen.

Heck no, you didn't bore BB. Anything that can be done to add exposure to the "minor" sports is okay by BB. The problem BB has seen with softball, as has been pointed out in a previous post, is the inability to translate the quickness of the game onto tv. It' kind of like hockey not being as good on the tube as live. There's so much more to the game than the puck. The strategy of softball is one of it's charms. If you move a fielder one step, it's huge on the small field. These young ladies have incredible reaction time that simply can't be seen on the small screen. BB was hoping the widescreen would help, but the day of someone actually trying to figure out the best way to translate the game to television is far away or never. The limited experience BB has had with webcasts has been disappointing. The screen often freezes and there is one camera set up behind home plate and you get what you get. Thanks for the info, it'll definitely be given a chance this weekend. Have fun at the Sox game.