Fastpitch Masters Blog

If you’re coming from the baseball world as many dads are, you may not be familiar with a flex. It’s not the tightening of the muscles kind, but a way a softball lineup could be written. It’s common baseball knowledge that your pitcher is usually not in your batting lineup. The same can be said for softball players as our pitchers usually do not hit at high levels of the game. In softball your pitcher is usually considered your flex position. The DP and flex are connected in a way because whoever your DP is-is essentially hitting for your flex. The flex does not hit and only plays the field so in a way two players make up the offense/defense of one. Using a flex means that 10 players will be written in the lineup with the flex being placed in the 10 spot and the DP can be anywhere in the lineup. If the DP player comes into defense for the flex then the flex player is removed and the lineup reverts to 9 players. The flex player can also come into the DP’s position which would remove the original DP from the game, and the flex will hit in the DP’s order in the lineup. The flex may also run for the DP without having to remove or change the lineup. Depending on the sanction of softball you’re playing, some allow the flex to run twice for the DP without removing them from the game. This rule is specifically reserved for the flex and DP.

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