Here is a link to a good video from YouTube which discusses calling BALLS AND STRIKES. If the link does not work do a search in YouTube: Sport Science – Episode 5 – Out of Control – Bad Calls.
The art of calling balls and strikes is basically the same for baseball and softball. While watching the video, keep in mind that the college strike zone is the area above home plate between the bottom of the batter’s sternum and the top of her knees when she assumes her natural batting stance. To equate the time mentioned in the video for a pitch in baseball to reach the plate, (95 mph, 60.5 feet), in softball the equivalent of a 68 mph pitch to travel 43 feet is about the same. A 70 mph softball pitch is equivalent to a 98 mph baseball pitch.
Here is the table to measure reaction times for softball pitches.
Reaction Times Calling Pitches
| SPEED | FEET/SEC | REACTION TIME | EQUIVALENT SPEED TO MLB 60.5' |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 88.0 | 0.489 | 84 |
| 61 | 89.5 | .0481 | 86 |
| 62 | 90.9 | 0.473 | 87 |
| 63 | 92.4 | 0.465 | 89 |
| 64 | 93.9 | .0458 | 90 |
| 65 | 95.3 | 0.451 | 91 |
| 66 | 96.8 | 0.444 | 93 |
| 67 | 98.3 | 0.438 | 94 |
| 68 | 99.7 | 0.431 | 96 |
| 69 | 101.2 | 0.425 | 97 |
| 70 | 102.7 | 0.419 | 98 |
| 71 | 104.1 | 0.413 | 100 |
| 72 | 105.6 | 0.407 | 101 |
| 73 | 107.1 | 0.402 | 103 |
| 74 | 108.5 | 0.396 | 104 |
| 75 | 110.0 | 0.391 | 106 |