Softball Rules 2026: Fast Pitch Innings, Pitching and Scoring

This page follows the WBSC fast pitch rules, as of November 2026: the Official Rules of Softball Fast Pitch 2026-2029, released December 2025. Fast pitch is the version with a fast underhand windmill delivery and a set pause before the pitch. Slow pitch is a different game with its own rulebook, so nothing here covers it. The same WBSC book also includes Modified Fast Pitch in its own sections. Local leagues and tournaments can change details, so check yours.

Nine players, the DP and who bats first

Each team must have a minimum of nine players in the line-up at all times. The nine fielding positions are pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left fielder, center fielder and right fielder.

A team can also use a designated player, known as the DP. The DP bats for a named FLEX player, who plays defence, so the line-up lists ten players. The DP and the FLEX can't both be in the game on offense at the same time.

The home team starts on defence, bats in the bottom half of each inning and sits in the third base dugout. The visitors start on offense, bat in the top half and use the first base dugout. Who's the home team can be settled by a coin toss, by agreement or by the league. Before play, the coaches or managers from both teams meet the umpires at home plate to swap line-up cards.

Diamond measurements and pitching distance

The distances depend on who's playing. The WBSC fast pitch rules give these figures:

What	Distance or size
Home plate to first or third base	18.29 m (60 ft), from the back of home plate to the back of the base
Pitching distance, women	13.11 m (43 ft)
Pitching distance, men	14.02 m (46 ft)
Pitching distance, junior women 15 and under	12.19 m (40 ft)
Pitcher's plate	Rubber, 61 cm (24 in) long and 15.2 cm (6 in) wide

How a half-inning runs

An inning has two halves. The visitors bat in the top half and the home team in the bottom half, and each half ends at three outs. Here's the flow:

1. The plate umpire calls play ball, with the pitcher holding the ball in the pitcher's circle and the catcher in the catcher's box.
2. The batter takes position in the batter's box within 10 seconds, with both feet inside the box at the start of the pitch.
3. The pitcher delivers, and the plate umpire calls each pitch a ball or a strike.
4. A batter who hits a fair ball becomes a batter-runner and has to run to first base.
5. Runners move round the bases and can be put out by a tag or a force out.
6. At the third out the teams swap: the fielding side comes in to bat.

What makes a fast pitch legal

Pitching is where fast pitch differs most from the lobbed game many people play at a picnic. The pitcher must have the pivot foot in contact with the pitcher's plate and take a signal from the catcher. Then the pitcher comes to a full stop with the ball in both hands in front of the body.

That pause is held for not less than two seconds and not more than five seconds before the ball is released. The delivery has to be underhand, with the hand below the hip, and the pitcher may take one step with the non-pivot foot as the ball is released. A pitcher who fails to release the ball in 20 seconds is penalised.

Balls, strikes and the strike zone

The strike zone is the space over any part of home plate between the bottom of the batter's sternum and the bottom of the batter's kneecap, in the batter's natural stance.

A ball is called when a pitch isn't swung at and doesn't enter the strike zone, or when it touches home plate or the ground before reaching it. A strike is called when any part of the pitch enters the zone and the batter doesn't swing, for every pitch swung at and missed, and for every foul tip.

What happens	Result
Four balls	The batter walks to first base
Three strikes	The batter is out
Foul ball with fewer than two strikes	Counts as a strike
Foul ball with two strikes already	Not a strike, the batter keeps batting
Foul tip	Counts as a strike

That foul ball line is the one casual players argue about. You can't strike out on an ordinary foul ball once you're on two strikes, but a foul tip is a strike.

Scoring runs, and when one doesn't count

One run scores each time a runner touches, in order, all three bases and home plate before the third out of that half-inning. The exception catches people out: a run doesn't score if the third out is the batter-runner being put out before reaching first base, or a runner being forced out.

Here's how that plays out. Say there are two outs and a runner on third. The batter hits a ground ball, the runner crosses home plate, but the fielders throw the batter out at first. That's the third out, made before the batter reached first base, so the run doesn't count even though the runner got home first.

Seven innings, extra innings and the run ahead rule

A regulation game is seven completed innings, but there are several ways it can finish sooner or run longer:

• The home team doesn't need to bat in the bottom of the seventh if it's already ahead.
• A game can end early if the home team scores more runs in six innings, or takes the lead before the third out in the bottom of the seventh.
• A game tied after seven innings goes to extra innings until one side leads at the end of a completed inning, or the home team goes ahead before the third out in its half.
• A called game counts as a regulation game if five or more complete innings have been played, or if the team batting second has more runs in five or more innings.
• A team that fails to turn up or refuses to start forfeits, and a forfeited game is scored 7-0 to the team not at fault.

Extra innings use the tiebreaker. Starting with the top of the eighth inning, each team begins its turn at bat with the player scheduled to bat ninth in that half-inning placed on second base as a runner. That runner doesn't have to touch first base for a legal run to count.

The run ahead rule ends lopsided games early:

After this many innings	Lead needed to end the game
Three	15 runs
Four	10 runs
Five	7 runs

One more limit for the fielding side: a team gets only three charged defensive conferences in a seven-inning game. On the fourth, the pitcher in the game becomes an illegal pitcher and can't pitch again, although that player may move to another fielding position.

My fast pitch softball verdict

I'd learn four things first: three outs per half-inning, four balls and three strikes, the foul ball rule on two strikes, and the force out that wipes a run. Those decide most close calls in a friendly game. If you already know the rules of baseball, check the pitching rules and the extra-innings runner on second, because they're written specifically for this game.

I'd skip the DP and FLEX rules, defensive conference counts and Modified Fast Pitch until you're on a team that plays a WBSC rules league. And if your group wants a gentler bat-free option for a team day, my kickball rules page is a good place to start, while cricket's rules suit anyone curious about the other big bat-and-ball game.

Frequently asked questions

How many innings are in a softball game?

A regulation game is seven completed innings. It can end early if the home team is ahead in the bottom of the seventh before the third out, if the home team scores more runs in six innings, or if the run ahead rule applies, and it goes to extra innings if tied after seven.

How many players are on a softball team?

Each team must have a minimum of nine players in the line-up at all times. A team that uses a designated player lists ten players.

What is the run ahead rule in softball?

A game ends when one team leads by 15 runs after three innings, 10 runs after four innings or 7 runs after five innings.

How far is the pitching distance in softball?

In fast pitch it depends on the category: 13.11 m (43 ft) for women and 14.02 m (46 ft) for men.

How many balls and strikes in softball?

Four balls give the batter first base, and three strikes put the batter out.