Fastest Softball Pitch In The World

Fastest Softball pitch female is Monica Abbott. She pitched the ball at 77 miles per hour on 16 June 2012 against the Carolina Diamonds. 

Abbott threw the quickest pitch of her career and Softball history at Kannapolis, South Carolina. She was playing with the Chicago Bandits against the Carolina Diamonds at the National Pro Fastpitch League.

Her achievement is listed in the Guinness World Records. 

This pitch is remarkable when we look at it from a scientific perspective. A ball travels 77 miles per hour, and the distance between the batter and pitcher stands only 43 feet.

So, the batting side has less than 0.5 seconds to react to the ball for good contact, or they miss or even fail to swing.

From a baseball perspective, this may seem a smaller number as there are players like Chapman who have made 105 mph fastballs. However, the smaller pitching distance compensates for the reaction time. 

This speed is all due to Moinca's constant physical training and pitching practice that helps her perform a consistent drive, making her one of the best Softball pitchers. 

Monica Abbott Softball Career 

Monica Abbott is a former softball player for the Toyota Red Terriers in the Japan Softball League.

Abbott started her NCAA career in 2004, enrolling at the University of Tennessee, and began marking her presence at the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. There she complied 1.03 ERA and 24 shutouts in her first season, getting named SEC Freshman of the Year.

Throughout the NCAA seasons, Monica compiled 189 wins, 112 shutouts, and 2440 strikeouts, making her the NCAA Division I leader in these statistics. Moreover, Abbott got honored in the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame for her achievements.

After her collegiate career, Monica made her professional career in NPF for many teams like Chicago Bandits, where she was involved from 2011 to 2015.

However, she also played for Japanese league teams like Toyota Red Terriers. Monica clinched six JSL titles during her time there.

Monica also contributed her softball life to the USA's national team in 2005.

Participating in many international competitions, Abbott bagged six Gold medals in Softball's World Cup and had two Silvers in the 2008 and 2020 Olympic games. 

Likewise, her team also won the Gold in the 2022 Birmingham World Games.

Canadian Raine Padgham Has Pitched Speedy Balls too

Raine Padgham plays for Abbotsford Cardinals, and she also made an 83 miles per hour pitch at the training session in 2020. 

Padgham was practicing at the Whalley Athletic Park's  Baseball B.C. High-Performance Camp, when she struck the powerful pitch. After that move, Raine was not fully satisfied and extended her new target to 85 miles per hour. 

Her figure breaks Monica's speed, but we must note that Raine's pitching speed came at a training camp while Monica had hers at a professional match.

The closest record, second to Monica, is held by Australia's Zara Bakes, who threw for 69 miles per hour in 2017.

There have been many instances of softballers throwing more than 80+ in practice sessions. Nonetheless, Raine's pitch was great for a 15-year-old, and even the Canadian softball coach considered it remarkable. 

Born in Canada's British Columbia province, Raine studies at Abbotsford Senior Secondary High School and plays for its softball team. Moreover, she has pink colored hair, which she uses to show the other team how a woman could strike them out. 

Fastest Softball pitch male is a record of 104 miles an hour by Eddie Feigner. 

Eddie's pitch was unbelievable for many, and he pitched against many all-star local teams and won 95% of those games. Furthermore, Feigner employed many pitching techniques that nobody could master, like the in-drop and in-raise pitches. 

His throws also saw their greatness during the 1967 exhibition match in Dodger Stadium. There, he pitched against six legendary baseballers, Clemente, Robinson, Maury Wills, McCovey, Killebrew, and Mays - and had strikeouts against all of them. 

Eddie Feigner Career 

Eddie began his softball career in 1946 and has traveled to various US states and countries to showcase his team's talent. 

With his four-man team, "The King and His Court, Eddie ventured to many parts of the country to exhibit and challenge the baseball teams. They played in military aircraft carriers, oil rigs, the Houston Astrodome, and even the Great Wall of China. His first match was held in a dungeon where his team beat the opponents 7-0.

Eddie was considered the greatest softball pitcher with 141517 strikeouts, 238 perfect games, and 8,743 wins from 1946-2000. Per the Washington Post, Eddie is also said to have made 8,698 strikeouts blindfolded. 

Although Feigner did not get celebrity status like other MLB stars, he considered being able to play in exhibitions and charity games as happiness. Due to his outstanding career and philanthropic nature, Feigner got inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals. 

Fastest softball pitch in college is 76 miles per hour by Valerie Cagle.

Valerie enrolled at Clemson University in 2019 and has played four seasons for their softball team. In the 2022-23 season, Cagle landed a 1.22 ERA, 19 complete games, and 165 strikeouts. She also became the NFCA First Team All-American in 2022. 

As of her NCAA career, Valerie has achieved 75 wins, 1.52 ERA, 12 shutouts, and 695 SOs, making her a great softball pitcher. She has also won many prestigious awards, like the 2021 ACC Player of the Year and the ACC Freshman of the Year. 

Cagle also got selected to be in the United State's U-18 Junior Women's National Team in 2021 to progress her international career. Valerie is also the top 10 finalist for the US Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. 

Some of the best college pitchers in softball history are listed below:

• Jennie Finch - University of Arizona
• Cat Osterman - University of Texas at Austin
• Nancy Evans - University of Arizona
• Michele Granger - University of California, Berkeley
• Alicia Hollowell - University of Arizona
• Monica Abbott - University of Tennessee 
• Danielle Lawrie - ‎University of Washington
• Lisa Fernandez - University of California, Los Angeles
• Tracy Compton - University of California, Los Angeles
• Rachel Garcia - University of California, Los Angeles
• Keilani Ricketts - University of Oklahoma

Softball players can improve their pitching speed by conducting drills, Long-Toss and Hard Walk-Ins. 

There is a hard walk-in drill that can improve your arm's circle speed and leg drive. Start throwing from 20 feet away with your ball and glove separated. Then throw the ball hard by firmly planting your feet on the ground. 

To perform the Long-toss, ensure you have a specific target to land your ball on, like a goalpost or fence. Then, you can start from 80 feet away from your designated target and start pitching from three steps back. Practice and release the ball when you move in the 80-foot area. 

You must remember to perform warm-ups before conducting these drills not to feel the longing effects of fatigue or muscle cramps. 

Moreover, you can also perform other exercises like short sprints, power cleans, and tire flips for building, which cores physical prowess. Perform five sets of tire flips for 15 seconds, a 5-meter sprint of 10 sets, and add it with some plank.