Softball Leagues and Tournaments

Home » Web Guides » Sports » Softball

In This Guide

Most Popular

Softball: An Underhanded Way to Play

Created on Thanksgiving Day in 1887 as an ad hoc game of indoor baseball, softball has grown immensely over the past 120 years. Today it’s one of the most popular team sports in the United States, with more than 15 million Americans participating every year. We’ve compiled our favorite Web sites to help you learn about the game, follow competitive softball, and play the game yourself.

Expand All Guide Sections

Rules and History of Softball

From a way to keep Chicago firemen busy during the bouts of inactivity between calls to an Olympic ... read more »

Softball Leagues and Tournaments

Softball is played competitively in more than 100 countries across the world, and there are international competitions for both men and women. In the United States, women’s fast pitch is played professionally, and at most high schools and colleges. This section will show you where to find information on softball’s premier leagues and organizations.

Dulcinea's Insight

The American women’s team has been dominant in the Olympics, having won gold medals in each of the three Olympics in which the sport has been featured. Unfortunately, the International Olympic Committee voted in 2005 to exclude softball (and baseball) from the 2012 London games.

New Zealand is the current men’s fast pitch champion, and has won the last three tournaments. The United States is the current women’s fast pitch champion, and has won the last six tournaments. In college softball, the University of Arizona Wildcats won the 2007 NCAA national championship, taking home their second Women’s College World Series title in a row.

In this section we reference two Web sites for the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association): NCAASports.com focuses on the playing of the game, whereas NCAA.org focuses on the administrative side of the NCAA, including rules and records.

Dulcinea's Picks

For international softball …

The International Softball Federation is the official governing body of international softball, overseeing some 115 member countries on six continents. It holds the world championships in women's and men's fast pitch, junior women's and men's fast pitch, women's, men's, and coed slow pitch, and women's and men's modified pitch every four years. The site has information on rules, tournament results, doping regulations, umpire training, and much more. There is also a directory of member countries, with links to official federation sites for each country. These sites have more detailed information on softball in each particular country, though not all sites are available in English.

go to site »

USA Softball is the official site of the United States’ national softball teams, including senior and junior teams for both men and women. It features news, game results, player profiles, statistics, and ticket information for upcoming events. There are also photo galleries from recent tournaments and tours.

go to site »

For professional softball …

National Pro Fastpitch is the only women’s professional softball league in the United States. The league features six teams and stars like Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman, and Amber Jackson. Its site includes news, stats, standings, schedule, player profiles, and links to team sites.

go to site »

For college softball …

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) governs college fast pitch softball. Its site has news, stats, polls, and information about the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. For NCAA softball rules, see NCAA.org.

go to site »