Evaluation of the risk of batted-ball injury for slow-pitch softball pitchers

Abstract

Over the past few years, there has been a significant change in the material used to construct softball bats. Since 2000, there has been a significant increase in the number of slow-pitch softball bats sold that are constructed entirely of composite-based materials. It is theorized that the introduction of these composite bats has resulted in an increase in batted-ball speed, which directly corresponds to a decrease in available pitcher reaction time and can lead to an increase in the risk of injury. To test this theory, a controlled field-test study was conducted using five different certified softball bat models and four experienced testers to quantify the performance of composite-based softball bats compared to a wooden softball bat. For the composite bats, the available pitcher reaction times varied from 0.390 to 0.365 s for a pitcher standing 15.24 m (50 ft) from the batter, while, for the wooden bat, the available pitcher reaction times varied from 0.452 to 0.419 s. This study demonstrates that composite-based slow-pitch softball bats perform at an unsafe level when the results are compared to published safety studies in the sports of softball and baseball, which advocate available pitcher reaction times of 0.409 to 0.420 s. In addition, possible mitigation methods are discussed that could make the sport of slow-pitch softball safer.