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 Mizuno Supreme GSP1203 Softball Fielder’s Mitt Lowest Price: $37.68  Rawlings Gold GG140TFS Softball Glove (14-Inch) Lowest Price: $84.99  Wilson A440 11 1/2 inch Fast Pitch Softball Glove Lowest Price: $24.88
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When selecting your softball glove you should first be aware of the different types and sizes you can purchase. Color and brand is a personal choice. If using this to play on a team there are for various positions. The catchers’ has extra padding and an oval shaped pocket. All of these have a closed web. You have a choice of an open or closed back that is above the wrist. The closed back has a place for your index finger to go on the outside of the mitt for more support.
Pitchers slow pitch softball gloves have a solid web, large and deep pocket. Middle infielders have a smaller one with an open web so that they can catch, grab, and throw the ball quickly. Third baseman’s is a bit larger and longer so they can bend and grab ot if it comes down the foul line. Outfielder’s custom ones are larger than the pitchers or infielders and have longer finger stalls, as they have to catch it. These are usually closed web style. Some come with a wrist adjustment for a tighter fit.
Once you have yours at home you will want to take care of it so that it will last you for years of enjoyment. Pour a bit of oil on a soft cloth and rub the oil lightly and evenly into the pocket, edges, grooves, and under the stitching. Take care not to use too much oil as this may damage the leather. Set it aside for a complete day so that the oil will absorb into the leather.
When you are not using it you should always put a ball in it and wrap a rubber band or string around it. Always keep itclean and dry. At the end of the season, repeat the oiling process. Store yours in a dry location with a ball in the pocket, rubber band around the it and wrapped in a towel.
Should you ever need to repair yours you can purchase new padding, lacing, webs, fingers, heels and loops. Kits are available online and at many stores. Some shoe stores will repair them for you.
A softball player needs their softball uniform to last a long time and to maintain the original color. Some softball players will send their uniform to the cleaners, parents may wash the uniform, or the team will make arrangements for care of softball uniforms. In addition, the texture may become weak from regular washing of the material. Grime and organisms can build up in the material and may become hard to remove stains. There are ways to launder your youth softball uniforms, as well as adult softball uniforms, to maintain the material and to retain the color.
Most softball players have to slide in clay and tend to get orange spots on the material of the uniform. Some other spots on the uniform will be grime, blood and dirt. You will have to pre-wash and spot treat the spots instead of just throwing the uniform in the wash. The first step of washing involves soaking the uniform in cold water and spray spot treatment over the material. Next, you will need to rinse the uniform.
Softball uniforms will need to be wash in warm or hot water depending on the material. The washing process will weaken any organisms in the material and detergents may remove the grime. Hot water may remove stains and bacteria. Recommended water temperature should at least be 130 degrees. Uniforms will need to stay in hot water for a minimum of ten minutes to kill organisms like Staphylococcus aureus.
Dry the softball team uniform on tumble dry for 30minutes. The reason for drying time is to kill microorganisms and bacteria. In addition, ironing will get rid of wrinkles and folds. In addition, the heat from iron will kill any pathogens in the material. Ironing is one of the effective ways of eliminating any bacteria from uniforms.
There is a four-step process when taking steps to maintain a uniform. The steps are pre-wash, warm wash cycle, tumble dry and ironing. Certain detergents can be used to maintain color and to keep the uniform looking fresh. Putting the uniform in a pre-wash right after wearing will prevent stains from sticking in the material. Clean custom softball uniforms will set the mood for a winning attitude.
 ATEC Jet Baseball Pitching Machine Lowest Price: $99.00  Jugs Lite-Flite Pitching Machine Lowest Price: $399.99  Franklin Sports MLB® Star Batter & Fielder Multi Lowest Price: $45.29
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A good pitching machine can be an effective training tool for aspiring baseball players but it can also provide fun times, exercise, and entertainment for anyone who enjoys the sport. Taking only a small amount of room in the yard, pitching machines offer single users and groups alike easy access batting practice. The top five brands on the market provide specific attribute choices best suited to a player’s needs. Offering a selection of machines with varied features and characteristics, machines from Zooka Sports, ATEC, Trend Sports, Jugs and Franklin Sports are great options for improving batting skills.
Zooka offers models that operate on rechargeable batteries, allowing for easy portability. Their machines offer options for younger and older players, including different tripod heights and simple, lightweight designs for easy set up. Zooka portable pitching machines are capable of pitching baseballs, tennis balls, or pitching machine balls.
ATEC features machines for baseball and softball or combinations of the two. Capable of pitching knuckleballs, sliders, fastballs and curve balls at adjustable speeds for either left or right-handed players, ATEC’s selection includes models used in Major League Baseball official training and MLB youth programs. ATEC’s baseball pitching machines are high-end pieces of equipment known for accuracy, consistency, and versatility.
Trend Sports markets a selection of more inexpensive machines. Most models feature automatic ball feeders, sturdy, lightweight construction, power adapters and rechargeable batteries. These are a great option for casual players with more limited budgets.
Jugs Sports offers a line of various machines for baseball and softball, as well as some specifically for each. With model features such as adjustable speeds, digital readout displays, and an assortment of pitch options, these pitching machines are great for setting the precise speed for every player. Jugs brand claims the widest use of their baseball pitching machine by youth leagues around the world.
Franklin Sports, while not offering as wide a selection as some other brands, does have a very popular inexpensive product in its Field Master pitching machine. Using only its own special training balls, it can throw ground balls and fastballs at speeds of up to 50 MPH. It also features multiple positions and a handy warning alarm prior to a pitch.
Whatever brand or style you select, pitching machines can be a great addition to the whole family’s collection of sports equipment.
ATEC Jet Baseball Pitching Machine Lowest Price: $99.00 Jugs Lite-Flite Pitching Machine Lowest Price: $399.99 Franklin Sports MLB® Star Batter & Fielder Multi Lowest Price: $45.29
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Regardless of an individual’s reason for playing any sport; fun, exercise, or money, to excel you must practice. The more you practice, the better you become. To those driven by sports, practice is everything; they practice alone if no one else is available.
However, even those who are totally committed know some skills cannot be practiced alone. The pitching machine was invented for the ball player to practice batting without a pitcher. Batting cages are one way to practice your swing but not every player has immediate access to one.
Since their invention, there have been pitching machines available for every player or team. There are inexpensive, simple used pitching machines that are lightweight, portable, and can be used anywhere. These pitching machines for baseball work in different ways. A scoop machine’s basic design loads a ball using pulleys into the scoop where hydraulics propel it into motion. A wheel machine feeds the ball into a wheel that hurls it towards the batter; again hydraulics usually power the wheels. A cannon pitching machine works by pushing the ball out of a tube with yet another hydraulic system. Any of these will pitch out a ball consistently for every batter. It is perfect for learning the basics, for the back yard player, or for practice by the neighborhood team playing for fun and bragging right.
If you are on a competitive team or if you’re just a player dreaming of making it rich with their batting stats, there are more advanced baseball pitching machines you can use. They come in varies sizes, weights, have different features, different capabilities, and varying range regarding cost. They are powered by electricity or battery packs and can pitch a ball with a speed from 25mph to upwards of 100 mph.
The mechanics on sophisticated pitching machines allow the ball to be pitch simulating a fastball pitch, a curve ball, sinkers, or a slider. These machines are designed to allow you to program in your own practice needs. For example, set it to throw a fast ball over and over, or set it throw at random a fastball then a curve ball, etc. In addition, you set the speed of the pitch. The possibilities to improve your game through your batting skills are endless.
 Macgregor Wooden Softball Bat (33) Lowest Price: $18.89  Mizuno Craze Slowpitch Bat (34-Inch 27-Ounce) Lowest Price: $118.00  Easton SK4 Hammer slowpitch Softball Bat Lowest Price: $19.99
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The popularity of recreational softball is on the rise across the nation as people are starting to realize how simple and fun the game can be. Just about anyone can get into a game of softball because the pitches are generally slower, the ball is bigger, and there’s less distance between the bases.
Everyone can hit the ball, no matter how small they are, and the games move at a slow but steady pace. Another thing about softball that’s making it so popular among young adults and office picnics is the relative lack of equipment required to play. You only need a few softball bats, a glove for each player, and some balls.
If you’ve gotten into softball recently, whether you’re just playing pick up with your friends or you’ve joined the company team, you will notice that not everyone brings their own slow pitch softball bat to the field. Generally, one or two people will bring a couple of bats and the whole team will use them as they step up to the plate. However, as nice as it is to just borrow someone else’s bat, as you start to play more regularly you may want to go out and get your own. You will find that it is easier to hit those pitches harder with a bat that you chose specifically for your body type.
Here are four questions you need to ask yourself while you are out browsing the available softball bats at your local sporting goods store:
What Material is the Slowpitch Softball Bat Made Of?
There are three basic types of softball bats out there: the aluminum bats, the wooden bats, and the graphite or titanium lined bats. However, you will rarely find any wooden softball bats out on the market these days because the bats made with metal alloys have proven to be far more effective and easier to swing.
When choosing whether to get a straight up aluminum bat versus a graphite lined bat you should try to consider the bat’s “sweet spot.” The sweet spot of a bat is the area where the ball makes contact with the most metal. Hitting the ball with the sweet spot of your softball bat with give you the most force and acceleration on the swing. Consider also that composite softball bats lined with graphite or titanium will cut down on the vibration caused when the ball misses the sweet spot of the bat. A bat that vibrates heavily will hurt your hands over an extended period of play.
Does the Softball Bat’s Length Fit My Size?
You may have noticed that softball bats are noticeably larger than . . . → Read More: How to Choose Your Softball Bat
 Home Plate Don’t Move: Baseball’s Best Quotes and Quips Lowest Price: $15.95
Sports were invented to teach us a little something about life. Back in the hunter-gatherer days it was essential to learn how to work as a team, move quickly towards a common goal, and hold athletic prowess because if you didn’t you weren’t going to survive. Today our sports have become pretty far removed from their original intent but that doesn’t mean we still can’t learn a great deal from playing and watching them. Athletes are great men and women with disciplined minds and we can glean inspiration and knowledge from the things they say.
The sport doesn’t get a lot of credit these days. It’s an offshoot of baseball, which isn’t doing so hot on the popularity charts right now either, and it features mostly female players. One of the cute softball quotes out there is: “There’s not much that’s soft about softball.” Even though the game is played with a larger ball the pitch speed is still incredibly fast and you have to run just as hard to make it around the bases. You have to be strong, fast, and strategic to win the game, just as you do to be successful in life.
Let’s take a moment to read a few softball quotes by recognized college players and coaches and see how the sayings might be applied in our own lives. There may not be a ton of famous softball quotes out there but these softball quotes and sayings will inspire you to succeed and achieve whatever goals you’re currently seeking.
When faced with a loss the coach of Stanford issued this to the press:
“We will live for tomorrow and come out tomorrow ready to play.” – John Rittman, Stanford Coach
That’s a great sentiment to have in our own lives. There is no way to avoid loss or hard times in our lives but it is important to look towards tomorrow and come out with a fresh attitude. Otherwise you might just get stuck in that depressed mental state forever.
“I make my weaknesses my strengths and my strengths stronger.” – Lisa Fernandez, Team USA Pitcher
 It takes a lot of skill to become an Olympic pitcher, especially for the United States. Lisa’s explains how you can better yourself by focusing on the aspects of your life that you feel are weakest. If you change your weaknesses into strengths, you won’t be weak anymore.
“In softball… the softball gods giveth and the softball gods taketh away, but that evens out over the season.” – Yvette Girouard, LSU Coach
Like in life, your luck is going to go up and down with the changing of the calendar days. There are some things you don’t have control over that will ruin your week or make you feel fantastic. In the end though, everything evens out. Don’t get trapped . . . → Read More: Get Inspired By Softball Quotes
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