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15 Baseball Drills That Work for 8 Year Olds (and 18 Year Olds)

Youth baseball team practicing in small station groups during a drills session

Quick Answer The best baseball drills for beginners build skills in the order they are used: throwing first, then fielding, then hitting, then baserunning. The 15 drills below all scale, which means the same drill works for an 8 year old and an 18 year old, just with more reps and higher standards as players … Read more

College Softball Innings, Mercy Rules, and Format: NCAA, NAIA, JUCO Side by Side

College softball scoreboard showing the innings of a game at dusk

Quick Answer A regulation college softball game is 7 innings, not 9 like baseball. That holds across every level of the NCAA, plus NAIA and JUCO. The two things that change the math are the run rule, which ends a game after 5 innings if a team leads by 8 or more, and extra innings … Read more

The Dropped Third Strike Rule (and the Confusion It Creates)

Baseball skipping into the dirt past the catchers mitt on an uncaught third strike

Quick Answer The dropped third strike rule lets a batter run to first base when the catcher fails to catch strike three, but only if first base is unoccupied, or if there are two outs. In every other case the batter is simply out. The ball stays live, so the batter still has to be … Read more

The Catcher’s Job, From First Pitch to Last Out

Baseball catcher rising from the crouch to throw out a runner stealing second base

Quick Answer A catcher does far more than catch pitches. The job rests on four pillars: receiving and framing pitches, blocking balls in the dirt, throwing out base stealers, and leading the defense by calling the game. The catcher is the only player who touches the ball on every pitch, sees the whole field, and … Read more

Every Baseball Position, Ranked by How Hard It Is to Play

Baseball catcher in full gear crouched behind the plate giving a target

Quick Answer The hardest position in baseball is catcher, with no real debate: it is the most physically and mentally demanding job on the field. Shortstop and pitcher come next. First base is the easiest position to field, though it carries the most pressure to hit. Here are all nine baseball positions ranked by difficulty, … Read more

How Many Innings? College Baseball vs High School vs MLB

College baseball scoreboard showing the innings of a game at dusk

Quick Answer A regulation college baseball game is 9 innings, the same as MLB. The exceptions are doubleheaders, where each game is cut to 7 innings by conference rule, and blowouts, where a 10 run mercy rule can end a game after 7 innings if the conference has adopted it. High school games are 7 … Read more

How Long Is a Softball Game? By Level, By Format, By Rain Delay

scoreboard showing innings and a line score, illustrating how long a softball game lasts

You are trying to plan dinner, or figure out whether you can catch the second half of another kid’s game, and you just want a straight answer: how long is a softball game? The honest answer is that it depends, but not in a vague way. A standard game has a clear length, and then … Read more

Fastpitch vs. Slowpitch: Same Sport, Different Game

Fastpitch windmill pitcher beside a slowpitch arc pitcher, showing fastpitch vs slowpitch softball

People say “softball” like it is one thing. It is not. Fastpitch and slowpitch share a name, a yellow ball, and a diamond, and that is roughly where the similarity ends. The pitching is different, the lineups are different sizes, one lets you steal and the other does not, and you cannot even swing the … Read more

Perfect Game, No Hitters, and Shutouts: What’s the Difference?

Pitcher throwing under stadium lights at dusk, illustrating what a perfect game in baseball looks like

A pitcher cruises into the late innings, the crowd starts buzzing, and the broadcast throws up a graphic that says one of three things: shutout, no hitter, or perfect game. Most fans treat those terms as roughly the same achievement. They are not. They sit on a ladder from fairly common to almost impossible, and … Read more

The Infield Fly Rule: Why the Ump Just Called the Batter Out

Infielder running in to catch a pop fly, illustrating the infield fly rule explained

A batter pops the ball up, an infielder camps under it, and before the ball even lands the umpire throws his arm up and calls the batter out. Half the crowd groans in confusion and somebody mutters about the infield fly rule like it is some dark art. It is not. It is one of … Read more